- Today's Word
Appetence
AP-uh-tuhns
Definition
- (noun) A strong craving or natural inclination toward something.
Example
Her appetence for knowledge drove her to read every book she could get her hands on.
Fun Fact
“Appetence” comes from the Latin appetere, meaning “to strive after” or “to seek.” Once commonly used in literature to describe passionate desires or instincts, it has fallen into relative obscurity in modern English. Despite its rarity, it beautifully conveys the deep, instinctive yearnings that drive human behavior, from curiosity to ambition.
(adjective) Presented in a shockingly vivid or sensational way, especially regarding unpleasant or scandalous details.
The tabloid’s lurid account of the scandal left nothing to the imagination — every uncomfortable detail splashed across the front page in breathless, unnecessary detail.
Lurid derives from the Latin luridus, meaning “pale yellow,” “wan,” or “ghastly” — originally describing the sickly, pallid color of someone in shock or the eerie glow of fire through smoke. It entered English in the 17th century carrying that same unsettling visual quality, initially used to describe ghastly or glaring light before expanding into its modern sense of sensational, shocking content that feels uncomfortably vivid and impossible to look away from.