sacrosanct \SAK-roh-sankt\ (adjective) - Sacred or inviolable.

"The public's right to know is sacrosanct, and it is our sacrosanct duty as journalists to respect this right. Otherwise we could no longer proudly call ...Read More

tmesis \TMEE-sis\ (noun) - In grammar and rhetoric, the separation of the parts of a compound word, now generally done for humorous effect; for example, "what place soever" instead of "whatsoever place," or "abso-bloody-...Read More

querulous \KWER-uh-luhs; -yuh\ (adjective) - 1 : Apt to find fault; habitually complaining. 2 : Expressing complaint; fretful; whining.

"For a younger man, he suddenly sounded like a querulous uncle. Or how she'd imagined...Read More

cynosure \SY-nuh-shoor; SIN-uh-shoor\ (noun) - 1 : Anything to which attention is strongly turned; a center of attraction. 2 : That which serves to guide or direct. 3 : [Capitalized]. The northern constellation Ursa Minor,...Read More

Loyal members of the Word Guy Blooper Patrol have been scurrying around all summer to find errors in publications and other printed matter. Can you spot the blots they've discovered?

1. From a cocktail menu: "If you don...Read More

"The snowstorm cometh." "Thou goest into the night."

Modern writers and speakers occasionally dust off archaic forms like these to impart a mock heroic tone, to evoke a poetic mood or simply to have fun.

Deployed ...Read More