Today's Word

Spurious

SPYOOR-ee-us

Definition

(adjective) Not being what it purports to be; false or fake, though having a deceptive appearance of genuineness.

Example

The article was filled with spurious statistics that couldn’t be verified by any reliable source.

Word Origin

Late 16th century: from Latin “spurius” meaning “illegitimate” or “false,” of unknown ultimate origin.

Fun Fact

Spurious originally described illegitimate children before evolving to describe anything falsely claiming authenticity. Scientists use “spurious correlation” for statistical relationships that appear meaningful but result from coincidence—like ice cream sales correlating with drowning deaths (both increase in summer). Spurious combines the appearance of legitimacy with actual falseness, making it more insidious than obvious fakes. The term “spurious ware” once described pottery made to look expensive but crafted from cheap materials. Modern misinformation often succeeds precisely because it’s spurious rather than obviously false—sophisticated enough to deceive those not looking carefully. Unlike lies, which are deliberately false, spurious things might even fool their creators.

Previous Words

Torpid

Today's Word

Torpid

TOR-pid

Definition

(adjective) In a state of physical or mental inactivity; sluggish and lethargic to the point of being unable or unwilling to act.

Example

The August heat had left the whole office torpid — emails went unanswered, decisions were deferred, and the afternoon stretched out like something that had given up on ending.

Word Origin

Torpid derives from the Latin torpidus, meaning “numb” or “sluggish,” from torpere — “to be numb” or “to be motionless.” The same root gives us torpedo — named for the electric ray fish whose numbing shock leaves prey temporarily immobile — and torpor, the noun form describing the state itself. It entered English in the 17th century, used in medical contexts to describe physical numbness before expanding into its broader sense of mental and physical inertia.

Fun Fact

The connection between torpid and torpedo is more than etymological — the electric ray fish Torpedo torpedo was one of antiquity’s most medically significant creatures. Ancient physicians used its electric shock deliberately to treat headaches, gout, and epilepsy, pressing the live fish against the affected area until numbness set in. The treatment worked in the sense that it produced immediate numbness — which was interpreted as a cure. The fish’s name gave us both the word for the underwater weapon and the adjective for the state it produces, making torpid one of the few words connected simultaneously to ancient medical practice and modern naval warfare.

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Spurious

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Previous Words

Torpid

Torpid

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Torpid

Calumny

Ennui

Iniquity

Protean