This week’s theme
Words that have changed

This week’s words
peccant
prestigious
dapper
peterman
prudish

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(DAP-uhr)

MEANING:

adjective:
1. Stylish in dress.
2. Small and active.

ETYMOLOGY:

Probably from Middle Dutch dapper (strong or stout). Earliest documented use: 1440.

NOTES:

Talk about a style makeover! “Dapper” flexed its muscles as “strong and hefty” back in the day, but decided to hit the fashion runway and emerged as “sleek and stylish”. From lifting weights to turning heads, that’s one word that knows how to reinvent itself!

USAGE:

“A guru of the airwaves, [Bryan Cranston] is dapper and spry, striding up and down the stage as he lectures on the woes of corporate capitalism.”
Alexandra Schwartz; Mad, Mad World; The New Yorker; Dec 17, 2018.

See more usage examples of dapper in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: