- Today's Word
Callow
KAL-oh
Definition
(adjective) Inexperienced and immature.
Example
His callow remarks during the meeting made it clear he was new to the job.
Fun Fact
Callow originally meant “bare” or “unfledged”—as in a bird that hasn’t grown feathers. It still carries that imagery today, but metaphorically: someone who hasn’t “grown in” yet emotionally or intellectually. You’ll see it often in book reviews or film critiques, especially when describing a character who has more audacity than wisdom.
(adjective) Intended for or understood by only a small group with specialized knowledge or interest.
The professor’s lecture was so esoteric that even her graduate students struggled to follow the references, let alone the first-year undergraduates in the back row.
Esoteric derives from the Greek esoterikos, meaning “belonging to an inner circle,” from esotero — “inner” — the comparative form of eso, meaning “within.” It was first used to describe the secret teachings of Pythagoras, shared only with his most devoted inner circle of disciples and deliberately withheld from the general public. The word entered English in the 17th century, carrying that same sense of guarded, inner-circle knowledge.