Today's Word

Circumspect

SUR-kum-spekt

Definition

(adjective) Careful to consider all risks and consequences before acting.

Example

The attorney remained circumspect during the negotiations, declining to rush into any decisions.

Fun Fact

While “circumspect” may sound like a formal word, its roots simply mean “to look around.” In ancient Rome, it was considered a virtue to act with circumspection in matters of state and war. Today, it’s a favorite in business, diplomacy, and even parenting—anywhere caution is considered a strength.

Previous Words

Wont

Today's Word

Wont

WOHNT (rhymes with “don’t”)

Definition

(noun/adjective) A habitual or customary practice; accustomed to behaving in a particular way.

Example

As was her wont, she arrived twenty minutes early and rearranged the furniture before anyone else showed up.

Word Origin

From Old English gewunod, past participle of gewunian (“to be accustomed”), related to wunian (“to dwell, to remain”). The word shares a root with “won” (archaic past tense of “to dwell”) and is distantly related to the modern German wohnen (“to live, to dwell”). A wont is something you dwell in — a habit so settled it becomes a kind of home.

Fun Fact

“Wont” is one of the most consistently misused words in English — it’s regularly confused with “won’t” (the contraction of “will not”) simply because they sound identical in many accents. Despite this, “wont” has survived in literary and formal writing for over a thousand years, appearing in Shakespeare, Milton, and Austen. It’s also one of the few words in English that functions as a noun, adjective, and past participle without changing its form at all — a linguistic Swiss Army knife that most people have never noticed.

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Circumspect

Definition

Example

Previous Words

Wont

Wont

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Wont

Recidivism

Fallacy

Chimerical

Unconscionable