Today's Word

Tawdry

TAW-dree

Definition

(adjective) Showy but cheap and of poor quality; lacking good taste.

Example

The room was filled with tawdry decorations that looked like they came from a discount bin.

Word Origin

Mid 17th century: contraction of St. Audrey’s lace, which referred to cheap lace sold at fairs in honor of St. Audrey. Over time, the lace was seen as gaudy and tasteless, and St. Audrey became tawdry.

Fun Fact

The transformation from St. Audrey to tawdry is a classic case of how language evolves through cultural snobbery. Once a respected religious figure, St. Audrey lent her name to lace accessories sold at fairs. But as styles changed, those accessories were considered garish or outdated, and the word became an insult. Today, tawdry is used to describe anything that’s cheaply flashy, overly glitzy, or just in bad taste—from outfits to gossip.

Previous Words

Exegesis

Today's Word

Exegesis

ek-suh-JEE-sis

Definition

(noun) A critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious or literary one

Example

The rabbi’s exegesis of the passage revealed layers of meaning that the congregation had never considered in decades of reading the same words.

Word Origin

Exegesis comes directly from the Greek exegesis, meaning “explanation” or “narrative,” from exegeisthai — from ex (“out”) + hegeisthai (“to guide” or “to lead”). The literal sense is “to lead out” — to draw meaning out from within a text. It entered English in the 17th century primarily as a theological term for biblical interpretation before broadening to literary and legal analysis.

Fun Fact

Exegesis has shaped civilizations. The great medieval Jewish scholar Rashi produced line-by-line exegesis of the Torah and Talmud so comprehensive and precise that it is still printed alongside the original texts in traditional editions today — nearly a thousand years after he wrote it. Christian, Islamic, and Jewish traditions all developed rich exegetical traditions independently, and the methods they pioneered — close reading, contextual analysis, attention to original language — form the backbone of modern literary criticism and legal interpretation, whether scholars acknowledge the debt or not.

READ MORE...

Tawdry

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Previous Words

Exegesis

Exegesis

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Exegesis

Apposite

Turgid

Polemical

Gadfly