Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Subscribe

Archives



Nov 5, 2018
This week’s theme
Random words

This week’s words
trumped-up
stormy petrel
melancholia
pensive
huckster

A.Word.A.Day on your site
Add the daily word to your web page. It is free.
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

Typically, we feature words that are organized around a theme each week. Words borrowed from Spanish, or words with all vowels, or words from mythology, for instance.

Random times call for random words. Once in a while, we just close our eyes and open the dictionary. Then we point a finger somewhere on the page. We did this five times and these words popped up. What are the odds?

trumped-up

PRONUNCIATION:
(trumpt-up)

MEANING:
adjective: Faked or fraudulent.

ETYMOLOGY:
A corruption of the word triumph, from Old French triumphe, from Latin triumphus (triumph), from Greek thriambos (hymn to Dionysus). Also see, trumpery. Earliest documented use: 1728.

USAGE:
“Hell, my reputation was born of grassroots journalism; never was I ever guilty of cheap trumped-up sensationalism!”
Ian Way; Envoys from the Stars; Balboa Press; 2015.

See more usage examples of trumped-up in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
There is no great invention, from fire to flying, which has not been hailed as an insult to some god. -J.B.S. Haldane, scientist (5 Nov 1892-1964)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith