MOD-ih-kuhm
Even a modicum of kindness can brighten someone’s day.
Fun Fact
“Modicum” originates from Latin, meaning “a small measure.” The word is often used sarcastically—if someone says, “He showed a modicum of patience,” they probably mean barely any. Even in law, a modicum of evidence can sometimes be enough to change the course of a trial.
DIL-uh-tor-ee
(adjective) Tending to cause delay; slow or late in doing things, especially as a deliberate or habitual strategy.
The contractor’s dilatory approach to the renovation had stretched a six-week project into its fifth month, with no end visible from any angle.
Dilatory derives from the Latin dilatorius, meaning “causing delay,” from dilator — “one who delays” — rooted in differre, meaning “to postpone” or “to put off,” built from dis- (“apart”) and ferre (“to carry”). The same root gives us defer and difference — both carrying the sense of something carried away from its original position or time. It entered English in the 15th century, used in legal contexts to describe procedural tactics deliberately designed to delay proceedings before acquiring its broader sense of habitual slowness.
Fun Fact
The filibuster — one of the most famous dilatory tactics in modern democracy — has its origins in the Latin American word filibustero, itself derived from the Dutch vrijbuiter meaning “pirate” or “freebooter.” The connection is apt: a filibuster is essentially an act of legislative piracy, hijacking the proceedings of an entire chamber through the deliberate exhaustion of time. The longest individual filibuster in US Senate history belongs to Strom Thurmond, who spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in 1957 against the Civil Rights Act — reading state election laws, the Declaration of Independence, and his mother’s biscuit recipe along the way, making it history’s most dilatory biscuit recipe delivery.
Today's Word Resplendent reh-SPLEN-dent Definition (adjective) Impressively beautiful or dazzling...
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