mehr-ih-TOR-ee-us
(adjective) Deserving of praise, recognition, or reward.
Her years of meritorious service were recognized with a public award.
Fun Fact
Meritorious is often seen in formal settings like military commendations, academic scholarships, and public service awards. But it also shows up in HR evaluations, theater reviews, and grant proposals—anywhere someone has done work that isn’t just good, but exceptionally worthy of notice.
wend
(verb) To travel in a slow, purposeful, or indirect way.
They wended their way through the hills, stopping to take in every view.
Old English wendan, meaning “to turn” or “go,” originally used to describe physical and metaphorical journeys.
Fun Fact
Wend is one of those elegant, old-fashioned words that shows up in literature and poetic travel writing. It suggests more than just movement—it implies a journey that unfolds intentionally, even if slowly or circuitously. Though rarely used in speech today, you’ll still find it in books or historical dramas, giving a sense of timeless wandering—like “he wended his way through the mist.”