- Today's Word
Shenanigans
[shuh-NAN-i-guhns]
Definition
- (noun) Mischievous or playful behavior, often involving tricks or pranks. It can also describe secret or dishonest activity, typically of a playful or minor nature. The term is usually used in the plural form.
Example
The office manager warned the employees that their lunchtime shenanigans, which included elaborate practical jokes, were becoming too disruptive to the workplace.
Fun Fact
The origin of “shenanigans” is somewhat mysterious. It first appeared in print in the mid-19th century in California, possibly brought by Irish or Spanish-speaking settlers. Some linguists suggest it might be derived from the Spanish word “chanada,” meaning “trick” or “deceit,” or from the Irish word “sionnachuighim,” meaning “I play tricks.” Despite its unclear origins, “shenanigans” has become a popular and colorful way to describe mischievous behavior in English-speaking countries around the world.
(adjective) Capable of producing the desired result; successful in achieving the intended outcome.
The new treatment proved remarkably efficacious in clinical trials, reducing symptoms in over ninety percent of patients within the first two weeks.
Efficacious derives from the Latin efficax, meaning “powerful” or “effectual,” rooted in efficere — “to bring about” or “to accomplish” — built from ex- (“out”) and facere (“to make” or “to do”). The same root gives us effect, efficient, and efficacy — a family of words all built around the idea of something being done and producing a result. It entered English in the 16th century, used predominantly in medical and philosophical contexts to describe remedies or arguments that actually worked.