- Today's Word
Sanguine
[SANG-gwin ]
Definition
- (adjective) Someone who is optimistic, cheerful, and confident, especially in challenging circumstances. It refers to having a consistently hopeful and positive outlook on life, often accompanied by a ruddy or healthy-looking complexion.
Example
Despite the company’s recent setbacks, the sanguine CEO maintained her optimistic outlook, convincing investors that a turnaround was just around the corner.
Fun Fact
“Sanguine” comes from the Latin “sanguineus,” meaning “of blood,” and was originally used in medieval medicine as one of the four humors (bodily fluids) that were thought to determine a person’s physical and mental qualities. According to this ancient theory, having a predominance of blood made one warm, social, and optimistic – hence “sanguine.” The medieval physicians believed that people with a sanguine temperament had rosy cheeks and a robust constitution due to the healthy balance of blood in their system. This connection between blood and temperament was so established that artists would often portray sanguine characters with distinctly red or pink complexions. Interestingly, the word maintains a dual meaning in medical contexts, where it can still refer to things relating to blood, while in everyday usage it describes optimistic personality traits. This makes it one of the few words that preserved both its literal and metaphorical meanings from medieval medicine into modern times.
(adjective) Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline; stubbornly resistant to control
The recalcitrant student refused to put away his phone despite three separate warnings from the teacher.
Recalcitrant comes from the Latin recalcitrare — from re- (“back”) + calcitrare (“to kick”) — itself derived from calx (“heel”). The original image is vividly literal: a horse or mule kicking back against its rider or handler. It entered English in the 19th century, retaining that core sense of stubborn, physical resistance before broadening to describe any obstinate defiance of authority.