Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 15, 2019 is:

belfry • \BEL-free\  • noun

1 : a bell tower; especially : one surmounting or attached to another structure

2 : a room or framework for enclosing a bell

3 : the seat of the intellect : head

Examples:

"The mission stands a little back of the town, and is a large building, or rather collection of buildings, in the centre of which is a high tower, with a belfry of five bells…." — Richard Henry Dana, Jr., Two Years Before the Mast, 1840

"In 1963, a stone steeple over the belfry was removed after settling of the foundation compromised its integrity." — Stephen Mills, The Times Argus (Barre-Montpelier, Vermont), 12 July 2019

Did you know?

Surprisingly, belfry does not come from bell, and early belfries did not contain bells at all. Belfry comes from the Middle English berfrey, a term for a wooden tower used in medieval sieges. The structure could be rolled up to a fortification wall so that warriors hidden inside could storm the battlements. Over time, the term was applied to other types of shelters and towers, many of which had bells in them. This association of berfrey with bell towers, seems to have influenced the dissimilation of the first r in berfrey to an l, and people began representing this pronunciation in writing with variants such as bellfray, belfrey, and belfry (the last of which has become the standard spelling). On a metaphorical note, someone who has "bats in the belfry" is insane or eccentric. This phrase is responsible for the use of bats for "insane" (as in "Are you completely bats?") and the occasional use of belfry for "head" ("He's not quite right in the belfry").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 14, 2019 is:

exoteric • \ek-suh-TAIR-ik\  • adjective

1 a : suitable to be imparted to the public

b : belonging to the outer or less initiate circle

2 : relating to the outside : external

Examples:

As a specialist writing for a broader audience, Annette faces the challenge of producing an exoteric synthesis of complex information.

"Mainstream Judaism is primarily an exoteric, or outwardly oriented, religion, with a focus on reason, philosophy and ethics. Yet it has always had an esoteric side, expressed in the kabbalah and other mystical teachings." — Rodger Kamenetz, The San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Dec. 1990

Did you know?

Exoteric derives from Latin exotericus, which is itself from Greek exōterikos, meaning "external," and ultimately from exō, meaning "outside." Exō has a number of offspring in English, including exotic, exonerate, exorbitant, and the combining form exo- or ex- (as in exoskeleton and exobiology). The antonym of exoteric is esoteric, meaning "designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone"; it descends from the Greek word for "within," esō.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 13, 2019 is:

triskaidekaphobia • \triss-kye-dek-uh-FOH-bee-uh\  • noun

: fear of the number 13

Examples:

"We've gathered a list of 13 local theater productions to help you get into that eerie Halloween feeling. Just don't let triskaidekaphobia—fear of the number 13—stop you from seeing one of these theater productions opening across the state this month." — Whitney Butters Wilde, The Deseret News, 1 Oct. 2018

"If you've got triskaidekaphobia, this event is not for you.... On Friday, April 13, some fans of the horror movie 'Friday the 13th' will get a chance to stay overnight at the New Jersey camp where the original film in the slasher series was shot." — Amy Lieu, The New York Post, 21 Feb. 2018

Did you know?

It's impossible to say just how or when the number thirteen got its bad reputation. There are a number of theories, of course. Some say it comes from the Last Supper because Jesus was betrayed afterwards by one among the thirteen present. Others trace the source of the superstition back to ancient Hindu beliefs or Norse mythology. But if written references are any indication, the phenomenon isn't all that old (at least, not among English speakers). Known mention of fear of thirteen in print dates back only to the late 1800s. By circa 1911, however, it was prevalent enough to merit a name, which was formed by attaching the Greek word for "thirteen"—treiskaideka (dropping that first "e")—to phobia ("fear of").