- Today's Word
Pernickety
[per-NIK-i-tee]
Definition
- (noun) Someone who is excessively precise, fussy, or difficult to please. A pernickety person often obsesses over minor details and has very high standards, which can make them challenging to work with or satisfy.
Example
The pernickety chef was known for sending back dishes that were not prepared exactly to his specifications, driving his kitchen staff to the brink of exhaustion with his endless demands.
Fun Fact
The origins of the word “pernickety” are uncertain, but it is thought to have emerged in the early 19th century in Scottish and Northern English dialects. Some linguists believe it may be derived from the Scottish word “pernack,” meaning a fussy or fastidious person.
(verb) To criticize someone or something severely and publicly, often with harsh or scathing language.
The columnist excoriated the company’s leadership for ignoring repeated safety warnings.
Excoriate comes from the Latin excoriare, meaning “to strip off the skin,” from ex- (“off”) and corium (“hide” or “skin”). While the word originally described physical abrasion, its meaning shifted metaphorically over time to describe verbal attacks so harsh they feel skin-deep, leaving nothing protected.