- 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) Having little or no money; chronically poor
Despite his impecunious circumstances, he maintained an air of dignity that made it impossible to pity him.
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.”