Today's Word

Extant

EK-stuhnt (or EK-stant)

Definition

(adjective) Still in existence; surviving, especially when referring to old texts, artifacts, or species.

Example

Despite being written centuries ago, many extant manuscripts of Shakespeare’s works are still carefully preserved in libraries.

Fun Fact

“Extant” comes from the Latin extare, meaning “to stand out” or “to exist.” Unlike its often-confused counterpart “existence,” which applies to anything currently present, “extant” is typically used for things that have survived against the odds—whether ancient relics, historical documents, or even species once thought to be extinct. The discovery of the coelacanth, a deep-sea fish thought to have vanished 66 million years ago, is a famous example of an extant species defying expectations.

Previous Words

Staid

Today's Word

Staid

stayd

Definition

(adjective) Sedate, respectable, and unadventurous; resistant to change or excitement; marked by settled, even dull, conventionality.

Example

The new curator’s bold acquisitions rattled the museum’s staid board of trustees, who had grown comfortable with decades of cautious, predictable programming.

Word Origin

From the past participle of the Middle English verb stay, meaning “to restrain or hold back” — itself derived from Old French estayer, meaning “to prop or support.” The sense of being held in place, restrained from movement or change, carried directly into the adjective. The word settled into its current meaning by the 16th century, describing people or institutions so thoroughly propped up by convention that forward movement had become impossible.

Fun Fact

The concept of staidness has played a surprisingly pivotal role in the history of popular music. Nearly every major musical movement of the 20th century defined itself explicitly against the staid conventions of what came before — jazz against Victorian parlor music, rock and roll against the staid ballads of the early 1950s, punk against the bloated arena rock it saw as having become complacent and respectable. Cultural historians have noted that “staid” functions almost like a timer in popular culture: the moment a movement becomes the establishment, the next generation begins organizing against it. Rebellion, it turns out, needs staidness the way fire needs oxygen.

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Extant

Definition

Example

Previous Words

Staid

Staid

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Staid

Virtuoso

Cupidity

Maudlin

Onerous