iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 2h

He’s a tin, but he can’t spell.

1441758

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 29/09/2026

It looks like this is from the 11th printing, 2013. Great find, though!

111112

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 29/09/2026

Unabridged: The etymology of 'bucket list'

2037477

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 25/09/2026

These are your words of the week pool equinox rotund El Niño annihilate meretricious leather lake www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the...

merriam-webster.com

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25

Dictionary lookups from weather, colors, and Fat Bear Week

927546

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 24/09/2026

Remember, ‘fewer’ is generally used when you’re talking about a smaller number of things that can be counted. Use ‘more’ when you want to indicate a larger number.

3663480

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 22/09/2026

IMPORTANT: You can use the word 'autumnal' today.

561814387

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 21/09/2026

‘Doll’ probably comes from a nickname for ‘Dorothy.’ For those asking, our American Girl Doll is Molly.

1737429

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 21/09/2026

Ok, who has the most mortifying typo in an email/text? Please show your work. Top 3 get an M-W Sweatshirt.

14636369

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 18/09/2026

These are your words of the week parallax saccharide anthropic oligarch mastodon fanfaron www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the...

merriam-webster.com

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Dictionary lookups from optical illusions, AI, and the Pleistocene

530750

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 17/09/2026

She's a 10, but she corrects people's grammar.

5556156

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 14/09/2026

TW: POTTY WORDS ‘Pee’ meaning “urinate" was originally just the letter P. The P was short for ‘p*ss.’ Also, 'p*ss' originated in Latin, and is thought to be an onomatopoeia for the sound it makes.

37922176

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 14/09/2026

We decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows.

20854123

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 11/09/2026

These are your words of the week mistrial brain rot small potatoes brazen tantivy www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the...

merriam-webster.com

The Words of the Week - Sept. 11

Dictionary lookups from court, the internet, and an art heist

1541958

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 11/09/2026

Why is 'lb' the abbreviation for 'pound'?

491199316

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 10/09/2026

euphemism = polite term for an impolite thing dysphemism = impolite term for a polite thing

261474287

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 09/09/2026

Not to brag, but our product has been foldable since 1828.

142135262191

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 09/09/2026

Arial = ⌨️ aerial = 🦜 Ariel = 🧜‍♀️

21875128

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 08/09/2026

Here is our draft definition of 'artificial intelligence' from 1981. It was written by a lovely human.

Index card with Merriam-Webster's draft definition of 'artificial intelligence' from 1981

28975202

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 08/09/2026

Silent movies often featured chase scenes, which were often the most exciting/interesting scenes. So, ‘cut to the chase’ came to mean “get to the important part.”

502951510

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 04/09/2026

These are your words of the week hydronym ferret pulque Afrofuturism finify www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the...

merriam-webster.com

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Dictionary lookups from literature, hydrology, and potent potables

733039

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 01/09/2026

‘Pundit’ comes from the Hindi word ‘paṇḍit,’ a term of respect for a wise person. Its ultimate source is the Sanskrit word ‘paṇḍita,’ meaning “learned.” It now usually means…something different.

24893173

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 31/08/2026

macabre = “muh-KAHB” Worcestershire = “WOOSS-ter-sheer” omnipotent = “ahm-NI-puh-tunt” reticent = “RET-uh-sunt” epitome = “ih-PIT-uh-mee” myriad = "MEER-ee-ud" Never make fun of someone if they mispronounce a word. It means they learned it by reading.

795166623667

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 28/08/2026

These are your words of the week dolly noblesse oblige Kafkaesque minstrel digress ubiety www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the...

merriam-webster.com

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Dictionary lookups from music, social media, and the Supreme Court

1148574

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 28/08/2026

The Greek ‘xylo-’ means “wood.” The Greek ‘-phone’ means “voice.” Xylophones were originally made of wood and created sounds. So there you go.

24929110

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 26/08/2026

Happy National Dog Day to all the cynophilists out there.

cynophilist
sə̇-ˈnä-fə-lə̇st
noun
{cyn + phile + ist]
someone that is favorably disposed toward dogs

7787189

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 26/08/2026

The first known use of 'nine-to-five' as an adjective was in 1927. The first known use of 'nine-to-five' as a noun was in 1975.

12951189

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 25/08/2026

In the Middle Ages, the Arabs of the eastern Mediterranean referred to all Europeans as ‘Franks.’ To facilitate Arab-European trade, they developed a language that everyone could understand, and it was known as the ‘Frankish language,’ or ‘lingua franca. '...

1254285

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 19/08/2026

People who don’t know the difference between ‘entomology’ and ‘etymology’ bug us in ways we cannot put into words.

568198053679

Reposted by Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 31/07/2026

Find the 5 words from your birth year that perfectly describe YOUR vibe ⬇️ www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/

I recently discovered Merriam-Webster's Time Traveler feature which tells you which words are the same age as you.
I'm convinced there are 5 words from your birth year that perfectly describe your vibe.
Mine (1987):
·
-adhd
• brain fart
-dad joke
-potty-mouthed
-thirtysomething

3603351514

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 14/08/2026

These are your words of the week meteor shower trebuchet typhoon epicenter cuspidor www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the...

merriam-webster.com

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

Dictionary lookups from the earth, the sky, and the atmosphere

1329753

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 12/08/2026

syzygy | noun | the nearly straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies (such as the sun, moon, and earth during a solar or lunar eclipse) in a gravitational system

20741180

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 10/08/2026

'Supposably' is a word. supposably = “as may be conceived or imagined” supposedly = "allegedly"

721053233

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 10/08/2026

Here's some explosive etymology: In the 1600s, an audience annoyed by an actor’s performance might clap loudly to drive them off the stage. That’s where the word “explode” comes from: “ex-“ (away) + "plaudere" (to clap). Boom.

412116358

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 07/08/2026

These are your words of the week evacuate testosterone gruntled deadline launder contempt jactance www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the...

merriam-webster.com

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

Dictionary lookups from the military, disasters, and baseball

1623844

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 07/08/2026

The name ‘Mark’ is related to the Roman god of war, Mars. ‘Victoria’ is named after the personification of “victory.” ‘Avery’ is derived from 'Ælfræd' or 'Ælfric,' and essentially means “elf ruler.”

1553180

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 05/08/2026

Jane Austen used 'however' at the beginning of a sentence, and so can you.

872672511

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 04/08/2026

merriamwebster.threadless.com/designs/your...

A Merriam-Webster mug that says '*you're'

611648213

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 03/08/2026

You probably know that ‘s’more’ is an alteration of “some more.” But did you know that ‘marshmallow’ comes from the ‘mallow’ plant that is found in MARSHES???

2952080

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 03/08/2026

A single piece of confetti is called a ‘confetto.’ spaghetti = spaghetto graffiti = graffito

51938180

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 31/07/2026

These are your words of the week marmot affray cosplay narcissist beer and skittles www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the...

merriam-webster.com

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Dictionary lookups from law, rodents, and ninepins

1425931

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 31/07/2026

Find the 5 words from your birth year that perfectly describe YOUR vibe ⬇️ www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/

3603351514

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 30/07/2026

Check out our new game, Tagline! Can you use the letters below to solve the puzzle? merriam-webster.com/games/tagline

https://www.merriam-webster.com/games/tagline

2519533

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 28/07/2026

paradox para = beyond, outside of dokein = to think oxymoron oxys = sharp, keen mōros = foolish Happy Birthday, John Ashbery!

PARADOXES AND OXYMORONS
This poem is concerned with language on a very plain level. Look at it talking to you. You look out a window
Or pretend to fidget. You have it but you don't have it. You miss it, it misses you. You miss each other.
The poem is sad because it wants to be yours, and cannot be. What's a plain level? It is that and other things, Bringing a system of them into play. Play? Well, actually, yes, but I consider play to be
A deeper outside thing, a dreamed role-pattern, As in the division of grace these long August days Without proof. Open-ended. And before you know it It gets lost in the steam and chatter of typewriters.
It has been played once more. I think you exist only To tease me into doing it, on your level, and then you aren't there Or have adopted a different attitude. And the poem
Has set me softly down beside you. The poem is you.

838878

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 28/07/2026

‘SOS’ is NOT an acronym for “save our souls.” ‘Golf’ is NOT an acronym for “gentlemen only, ladies forbidden.” ‘Posh’ is NOT an acronym for “port out, starboard home.” ‘News’ is NOT an acronym for “north, east, west, south,’ OR “notable events, weather, sports.”

28575121

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 27/07/2026

PIN Number ATM Machine UPC Code LCD Display We regret to inform you that this phenomenon has a name: RAS Syndrome. Redundant Acronym Syndrome…Syndrome.

651578431

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 24/07/2026

These are your words of the week Odysseus extradite haze nil Rickroll spizzerinctum www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the...

merriam-webster.com

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Dictionary lookups from soccer, law, and the Odyssey

923137

Reposted by Merriam-Webster

Mary C. Henry @maryhenrygeo.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

TAGLINE: July 23, 2026 Today's Letters: ACGINPT Hints Used: 0️⃣ ⭐⭐⭐ www.merriam-webster.com/games/tagline

merriam-webster.com

Tagline, a daily word game | Merriam-Webster

You get seven letters to solve three phrases. New letters and puzzles every day.

1395