Today's Word

Rapscallion

[rap-SKAL-yun]

Definition

(noun) A mischievous or unruly person, typically referring to someone who is playfully naughty or engages in minor wrongdoing. It’s often used affectionately to describe a rascal or a person with a roguish charm.

Example

Despite his tendency to cause trouble, the little rapscallion’s infectious grin and clever wit made him a favorite among the neighbors.

Fun Fact

The word “rapscallion” is believed to have originated in the late 16th century as an alteration of the earlier term “rascallion,” which itself was a fanciful elaboration of “rascal.” Over time, it has maintained its connotation of mischievous behavior but has generally lost the more serious implications of villainy that it sometimes carried in earlier usage.

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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Rapscallion

Definition

Example

Previous Words

Staid

Staid

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Staid

Virtuoso

Cupidity

Maudlin

Onerous