- Today's Word
Heterogeneous
het-uh-roh-JEE-nee-uhs
Definition
- (adjective) Consisting of diverse or varied parts; not uniform.
Example
The committee was composed of a heterogeneous group of experts from every field.
Fun Fact
From Greek hetero (different) and genos (kind), “heterogeneous” often describes diverse populations, mixtures, or systems. It’s a key term in science (heterogeneous solutions), social studies (heterogeneous societies), and engineering. The opposite—”homogeneous”—suggests uniformity, while heterogeneity implies richness, complexity, and often greater resilience.
(adjective) Tending to cry easily or frequently; having a mournful or tearful quality that evokes sadness.
The lachrymose eulogy left barely a dry eye in the room, not because it was maudlin but because every word of it was simply and devastatingly true.
Lachrymose derives from the Latin lacrima, meaning “tear,” which itself traces back to the Greek dakryma. The same root gives us lachrymal — the medical term for the tear ducts and glands responsible for producing tears — making lachrymose one of the rare words that bridges everyday emotion and clinical anatomy in a single syllable. It entered English in the 17th century, used initially in literary and poetic contexts to describe writing or music with an overwhelming quality of sadness.