New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: BENTO

pronunciation: [BEN-toh]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Japanese, late 19th century

 

Meaning:

1. A lacquered or decorated wooden Japanese lunch box.

2. A Japanese-style packed lunch, consisting of such items as rice, vegetables, and sashimi (raw fish with condiments).

 

Examples:

"Her bento collection was quite valuable, so she didn't use them for food."

"I usually order the bento lunch special on Mondays."

About Bento

If you’re a fan of Japanese food or culture, you’re likely familiar with bento, or a bento box. This is a Japanese word for either the lunch box itself, or the specific arrangement of rice, vegetables, and sashimi inside a bento box. The meal is traditionally packed at home and carried to work or school, but you can now find grab-and-go versions available for purchase.

 

Did you Know?

Besides the type of food, bento is unique for its tidy arrangement, with food taking up every inch of available space. Modern versions of the bento also feature decorative (and often adorable) elements. Imagine sushi that looks like a cat, and vegetables that look like a garden. The best bentos are attractive, convenient, and delicious.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: DRAMEDY

pronunciation: [DRAH-mə-dee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: English, early 20th century

 

Meaning:

1. A movie, play, or broadcast program that combines elements of drama and comedy.

 

Examples:

"Netflix knows my tastes well and always suggests the latest dramedy."

"She is known for her comedic skills, but her last project was more of a dramedy."

About Dramedy

Turn on your TV and you can find sitcoms and crime dramas. You know what you’re going to get. But then there are shows that blend genres. In a dramedy, you might have humorous actors playing out serious situations, or absurd realities with important consequences. However you want to blend your comedy and drama, it’s good entertainment.

 

Did you Know?

While the word “dramedy” is a 20th-century creation, the concept of a comedy-drama hybrid is nothing new. In literature, Greek philosopher Aristotle brought up the idea of a tragedy with a dual ending. Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and “The Merchant of Venice” could be called tragicomedy, and more modern playwrights, such as Samuel Beckett and Tom Stoppard, have specialized in the genre.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: QUEENLY

pronunciation: [KWEEN-lee]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Old English, 15th century

 

Meaning:

1. Fit for or appropriate to a queen.

 

Examples:

"She was queenly and confident as she walked down the aisle."

"Her queenly accent was the only hint of her childhood in London."

About Queenly

That “-ly” tacked onto the end of the noun “queen” turns it into an adjective. The real world doesn't have as many monarchs as fairy tales do, so you can use this royal adjective to describe anyone with queenlike qualities.

 

Did you Know?

“Queenly” can be used in different forms to represent comparisons. It means “like a queen.” “Queenlier” means “more like a queen.” “Queenliest” is the superlative form, meaning “more queenly than any other queens out there.”

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PHOENIX

pronunciation: [FEE-niks]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Greek, pre-12th century

 

Meaning:

1. (In classical mythology) A unique bird that lived for five or six centuries in the Arabian desert, after this time burning itself on a funeral pyre and rising from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle.

2. A person or thing regarded as uniquely remarkable in some respect.

 

Examples:

"Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, she emerged from her breakup with a renewed sense of self."

"I used the phoenix as personal inspiration to recover from my setback."

About Phoenix

As a common noun, “phoenix” refers to a mythological bird that lived for many centuries before burning and rising from the ashes into a new cycle of life. As a proper noun, “Phoenix” is the capital of Arizona, among many other geographical names.

 

Did you Know?

The original phoenix appears in ancient Greek folklore as a bird that rises from its own ashes into a new life. The name, imagery, and powers ascribed to the phoenix have shown up in countless legends across many cultures. It has even appeared in modern pop culture as a comic book character in “X-Men.”

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CURTAIL

pronunciation: [kər-TEYL]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: French, late 15th century

 

Meaning:

1. Reduce in extent or quantity; impose a restriction on.

 

Examples:

"Yolanda’s father curtailed her social life by grounding her for a week."

"Liam’s sore teeth really curtailed his food intake."

About Curtail

This word comes from the obsolete “curtal,” meaning “horse with a docked tail.” This stems from the French “courtault” by way of “court,” meaning “short,” and from the Latin “curtus.” The change in the ending was due to an association with “tail” and perhaps also with the French “tailler,” meaning “to cut.”

 

Did you Know?

When someone curtails their mortgage, it doesn’t mean they reduce the amount of money they’re putting toward it. A principal or partial curtailment is when a borrower makes an extra payment against the principal owed on a mortgage in order to reduce the outstanding balance. A total mortgage curtailment happens when the balance of the loan is paid off with a lump sum ahead of schedule.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SCHISM

pronunciation: [SKIZ-əm]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Greek, late 14th century

 

Meaning:

1. A split or division between strongly opposed sections or parties, caused by differences in opinion or belief.

2. The formal separation of a church into two churches, or the secession of a group owing to doctrinal and other differences.

 

Examples:

"The argument at dinner over who makes the best gravy caused a schism in the family, and we planned a gravy tournament for Christmas."

"The pastor gave an interesting lecture on the schism between the branches of the church that divided denominations in the 18th century."

About Schism

“Schism” entered Late Middle English through the Old French word “scisme,” via ecclesiastical Latin from the Greek “skhisma,” meaning “cleft,” or “skhizein,” “to split.”

 

Did you Know?

Coming from the Greek “skhisma,” meaning “division, cleft,” this word most often references the formal division of churches based upon disagreements of belief — it frequently refers to the Great Schism (1378-1417) in the Western Christian church. However, a more general sense of “disunion, division, separation” is attributed from the early 15th century.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ZEAL

pronunciation: [zeel]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Late Middle English, 15th century

 

Meaning:

1. Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.

 

Examples:

"Tiffany had an incredible zeal for knitting socks to give as Christmas presents."

"I tackled my messy closet with zeal so I could get it as organized as the Instagram posts I saved."

About Zeal

“Zeal” appeared first in Middle English as “zele.” This was based on the Latin “zēlus” and the ancient Greek “ζῆλος,” or “zêlos,” meaning “jealousy.”

 

Did you Know?

“Zeal” shares the same root as the word “jealousy,” and there are parallels between the two. Zeal is a state of passionate enthusiasm for a project or cause that can run to extremes, while jealousy is a state of extreme insecurity. While jealousy is often destructive, a person with zeal can do good things and have intense devotion to worthy causes. However, a zealot can take passionate convictions into extremism and negative ends. As such, “zeal” is a measure of the intensity of the feeling, not of the direction it takes a person.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: DILUVIAL

pronunciation: [də-LOO-vee-əl]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, mid-17th century

 

Meaning:

1. Relating to a flood or floods, especially the biblical flood.

 

Examples:

"The diluvial rain transformed the barren field into a temporary lake."

"City planners needed to ensure nothing was built on the diluvial plains."

About Diluvial

Diluvial” has its roots in the Latin verb “diluere,” which means “to wash away.” “Percentile” is a word created in English out of several parts. Its basis is the expression “per cent,” which came into English in the 13th century from the Italian “per cento.” This expression is derived from the Latin “per,” meaning “for each,” and “centum,” meaning “hundred.” The addition of the suffix “-ile” indicates the division of that hundred into multiple groups of equal size. While hyperborean" came into English through Middle English and Latin, its roots are in the Greek word "huperboreos." That word can be broken down into "huper" ("beyond") and "boreas" ("north wind").

 

Did you Know?

Beginning around the mid-17th century, geologists and archaeologists used the adjective “diluvial” to refer to a distinct geological turning point associated with Noah’s biblical flood. It acquired its modern meaning in the 1800s; an early example of modern usage is found in Caroline M. Kirkland’s essay “Forest Life,” from 1850.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PERCENTILE

pronunciation: [pər-SEN-tiyl]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: English, 19th century

 

Meaning:

1. Each of the 100 equal groups into which a population can be divided according to the distribution of values of a particular variable.

2. Each of the 99 intermediate values of a random variable that divide a frequency distribution into 100 groups.

 

Examples:

"Melvin was above the 95th percentile for height as a baby, and he remained taller than his classmates all the way to graduation."

"She ranked between the 90th and 94th percentiles on the SAT, meaning she scored better than between 90% and 94% of other students."

About Percentile

Bibelot originated from the French word "bel," which means "beautiful." It developed over time to become a descriptor of the baubles, tchotchkes, and doodads you might find scattered around your house.

 

Did you Know?

While “percentage” and “percentile” sound nearly identical, they mean very different things. A percentage is a number out of 100 indicating rate or performance, in which the higher the number, the greater the rate or performance. Percentiles, on the other hand, break any group of data into 100 equally sized segments for easy comparison with other data from the same group. For example, a person who scores 85% on a 100-question test has answered 85 out of 100 questions correctly. A person who scores in the 85th percentile on a test has scored higher than 85% of other people taking the test. As a result, a person taking a very difficult test might score 85% and discover they are within the 97th percentile of test-takers, because more than 97% of other test-takers scored below 85%.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: HYPERBOREAN

pronunciation: [hi-pər-BOR-ee-ən]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Greek, unknown

 

Meaning:

1. An inhabitant of the extreme north.

 

Examples:

"Permanent hyperboreans see the northern lights on a regular basis."

"He won Pictionary with his sketch of a famous hyperborean — Santa Claus."

About Hyperborean

While "hyperborean" came into English through Middle English and Latin, its roots are in the Greek word "huperboreos." That word can be broken down into "huper" ("beyond") and "boreas" ("north wind").

 

Did you Know?

There are many reasons why jolly St. Nick became the most famous hyperborean — for one, he travels all over the world delivering presents for Christmas. Try using Google's Santa Tracker to follow him around the globe before he returns to the North Pole.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: BIBELOT

pronunciation: [BIH-bə-lo]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, late 19th century

 

Meaning:

1. A small, decorative ornament or trinket.

 

Examples:

"Alyssa couldn't resist purchasing a bibelot for her tree at the holiday fair."

"Mr. Willis pulled out his collection of Santa-themed bibelots, tchotchkes, and collectibles every year on December 1."

About Bibelot

Bibelot originated from the French word "bel," which means "beautiful." It developed over time to become a descriptor of the baubles, tchotchkes, and doodads you might find scattered around your house.

 

Did you Know?

Among many holiday traditions, the practice of decorating Christmas trees is especially beloved. While you can buy bibelots and baubles to hang on the branches, the best ones are often heirlooms — or handmade with love and preserved carefully over the years.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FABULIST

pronunciation: [FAB-yə-list]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, late 16th century

 

Meaning:

1. A person who composes or relates fables.

2. A liar, especially a person who invents elaborate, dishonest stories.

 

Examples:

"Her debut fantasy romance novel earned her the reputation of a skilled fabulist."

"He couldn't seem to stop telling fibs about everything, and he became known as a fabulist."

About Fabulist

The root of "fabulist" is the Latin "fābula," meaning "story," but English speakers acquired this word from the French "fabuliste," meaning "writer of stories." The mendacious connotation to the word was a later usage.

 

Did you Know?

Fabulist is related to the more easily recognizable adjective "fabulous." While "fabulous" is now used to describe anything fashionable and glamorous, the original meaning was "known through fable." A fabulist might tell fabulous stories of dragons, mermaids, unicorns, and wizards.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FINITE

pronunciation: [FAHY-nahyt]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 15th century

 

Meaning:

1. Having limits or bounds.

2. (Of a verb form) Having a specific tense, number, and person.

 

Examples:

"My patience is finite — I won’t wait around forever."

"Use finite verbs in order to avoid any confusion."

About FINITE

In "Toy Story," Buzz Lightyear exclaims, "To infinity and beyond!" The opposite of this unlimitless prospect is "finite." There's a clear and defined end, which isn't a bad thing, unless you're a toy astronaut.

 

Did you Know?

In a grammatical sense, finite verbs give information about the subject. They can inflect the gender, person, number, tense, aspect, mood, and voice of the subject. You're probably most familiar with changing the tense (present, past, future) and person (I, you, it, they) of finite verbs.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CEASELESSLY

pronunciation: [SEES-ləs-lee]

 

Part of speech: adverb

Origin: Latin, late 16th century

 

Meaning:

1. Continuously and without end.

 

Examples:

"She worked ceaselessly to improve her skills as a chef."

"If you don't fix that screen door, the banging will continue ceaselessly."

About Ceaselessly

You might be familiar with the verb "cease," meaning "bring to an end." When you add "-less," it turns into an adjective meaning "without end.” The further addition of "-ly" gives us the adverb "ceaselessly." This means something is done without end.

 

Did you Know?

F. Scott Fitzgerald used the word "ceaselessly" in the last line of "The Great Gatsby": "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." Nick used the metaphor to depict Gatsby's futile struggle to revive his love with Daisy and, on a grander scale, the human struggle to escape the clutches of our own history.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: GAB

pronunciation: [gab]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Late Middle English, 18th century

 

Meaning:

1. Talk at length, typically about trivial matters.

 

Examples:

"Come over for a cup of coffee and let's gab."

"If my mom starts to gab in the grocery store, we'll never make it home."

About Gab

This short and sweet word basically means to chit-chat. You might gab with your friends about everything, or nothing at all. It's just a casual chat.

 

Did you Know?

The original Late Middle English word "gab" meant "to mock or tell lies." Pleasantly, the meaning has shifted to account for a casual sort of chat. You're not telling lies; you're just passing the time with a bit of conversation.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: INEXHAUSTIBLE

pronunciation: [in-ig-ZAHS-tə-bəl]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, early 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. (Of an amount or supply of something) Unable to be used up because existing in abundance.

 

Examples:

"She has a seemingly inexhaustible well of enthusiasm for working with little kids."

"It seems like there's an inexhaustible supply of treats in the pantry."

About Inexhaustible

Exhaust is a simple word meaning "to use up resources entirely." When you add the prefix "in-," meaning "not," and the suffix "-able," meaning "able to be," you get "inexhaustible" — a never-ending supply of resources.

 

Did you Know?

Wind power is being explored as a possible inexhaustible source of energy. Sailboats have long harnessed the power of the wind, but massive fields of turbines are also doing it on land. There are more than 60,000 wind turbines operating in the United States.

Edited December 30, 2025 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: GADZOOKS

pronunciation: [gad-ZOOKS]

 

Part of speech: exclamation

Origin: English, late 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. An exclamation of surprise or annoyance.

 

Examples:

"Gadzooks! This coffee is hot!"

"I was just walking down the street, and gadzooks, it started pouring!"

About Gadzooks

Gadzooks is an exclamation (sometimes known as an interjection). This part of speech is a word or short phrase that can stand on its own grammatically. It's used to insert surprise, excitement, or even pain and sadness. Anything that packs a punch — like the "pows!" and "bams!" of the old "Batman" cartoons — may be an exclamation.

 

Did you Know?

Although it is in the same family as "cheers," "good grief," "hooray," "kaboom," and "yabba dabba doo," "gadzooks" has a more religious origin story. It's an alteration of "God's hooks," i.e., the nails that held Jesus to the cross. "Gadzooks" serves a similar purpose to invoking a holy figure in your swears.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: HAVEN

pronunciation: [HAY-vən]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Old English, pre-12th century

 

Meaning:

1. A place of safety or refuge.

2. An inlet providing shelter for ships or boats; a harbor or small port.

 

Examples:

"I know that I will always have a haven at my grandmother's house."

"We need to reach the haven before the storm hits."

About Haven

The original Old Norse meaning applied to a harbor or small port where boats would be safe. This feeling of security meant that "haven" was used to describe any sort of safe place or sanctuary,

 

Did you Know?

When an English word doesn't have Latin or Greek roots, we can usually trace it to Anglo-Saxon origins. In Old Norse, we have "hǫfn,” and in Late Old English, it is "hæfen." The feeling of safety and security is the same in English and Dutch with "haven," and in German, "Hafen" means "harbor."

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SURREY

pronunciation: [SUH-ree]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: English, late 19th century

 

Meaning:

1. A light four-wheeled carriage with two seats facing forward.

 

Examples:

"The old surrey is still out there behind the barn."

"I'm looking for a picture of a surrey with two black horses."

About Surrey

You can call it a buggy, but a surrey is a particular type of horse-drawn carriage. It has four wheels and two seats, capable of carrying four passengers. The name comes from the British county of Surrey, where the cart was originally invented.

 

Did you Know?

Broadway fans will surely be familiar with the tune "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Oklahoma!" When handsome cowboy Curley wants to take a girl for a ride in a surrey, "chicks and ducks and geese better scurry."

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FAMULUS

pronunciation: [FAM-yə-ləs]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, mid 19th century

 

Meaning:

1. An assistant or servant, especially one working for a magician or scholar.

 

Examples:

"Salem disliked being referred to as Sabrina's famulus."

"The magician summoned a famulus to handle the heavy-duty work around the castle."

About Famulus

While this noun originates from Latin, where "famulus" means "servant," it has since evolved to also reference an assistant. If you are assisting your friend with a task, you might playfully refer to yourself as their famulus.

 

Did you Know?

If "famulus" sounds familiar, it might be because this word reminds you of the concept of a familiar — a magical companion often seen alongside witches and magic practitioners. While the most common familiar is the classic black cat, the toad is also a popular choice, especially in media.