Today's Word

Deleterious

del-uh-TEER-ee-uhs

Definition

(adjective) Causing harm or damage, often in a subtle or unexpected way.

Example

Prolonged exposure to stress can have deleterious effects on your health.

Word Origin

Mid 17th century: from medieval Latin deleterius, from Greek dēlētērios ‘noxious’, from dēlētērios (related to destroy or *to hurt’).

Fun Fact

Deleterious is often used when something appears harmless but turns out to be damaging—like sugary drinks, misinformation, or prolonged noise. It’s not the loud crash—it’s the slow rot. You’ll find it in medical journals, legal decisions, and HR handbooks. It’s a favorite when talking about effects that are subtle, cumulative, and serious—without sounding dramatic.

Previous Words

Impecunious

Today's Word

Impecunious

im-pih-KYOO-nee-us

Definition

(adjective) Having little or no money; chronically poor

Example

Despite his impecunious circumstances, he maintained an air of dignity that made it impossible to pity him.

Word Origin

Impecunious derives from the Latin im- (“not”) + pecuniosus (“wealthy”), itself from pecunia (“money”), which traces back to pecus (“cattle”) — reflecting the ancient Roman practice of using livestock as a measure of wealth. It entered English in the late 16th century as a more refined, literary alternative to simply saying “broke.”

Fun Fact

The word’s root pecus — meaning cattle — reveals just how central livestock was to early economies. The same root gives us pecuniary (relating to money) and even connects to the word fee, which traces back through Germanic languages to a similar livestock-as-currency concept. For centuries, impecunious was the preferred term in literature for genteel poverty — the kind suffered by struggling artists, unlucky aristocrats, and idealistic young scholars who were too proud to admit how little they had.

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Deleterious

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Previous Words

Impecunious

Impecunious

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Impecunious

Caustic

Accismus

Diaphanous

Pellucid