I subscribe to Merriam-Websters Word of the Day. I receive an email each morning with a new word, its definition, and its use in a sentence. Here’s todays:
The Word of the Day for Apr 13 is:
pertinacious \per-tuh-NAY-shuss\ adjective
1 a: adhering resolutely to an opinion or purpose b : perversely persistent
2 : stubbornly unyielding or tenaciousExample sentence:
The professor spent much of the class hour in debate with a pertinacious student about gun control.Did you know?
If you say “pertinacious” out loud, it might sound familiar. That may be because if you take away the word’s first syllable, you’re left with something very similar to the word “tenacious,” which means “tending to adhere or cling.” The similarity between “pertinacious” and “tenacious” isn’t mere coincidence; both words ultimately derive from “tenax,” the Latin word for “tenacious,” and ultimately from the verb “tençre,” meaning “to hold.” But “pertinacious” and “tenacious” aren’t completely interchangeable. Both can mean “persistent,” but “pertinacious” suggests an annoying or irksome persistence, while the less critical “tenacious” implies strength in maintaining or adhering to something valued or habitual.
D’you think someone at Merriam-Webster reads this blog?