- Today's Word
Transient
TRAN-zee-uhnt (or TRAN-shuhnt)
Definition
- (adjective) Lasting only for a short time; temporary.
- (noun) A person who stays in a place temporarily.
Example
Their friendship was transient, fading quickly as their lives moved in different directions.
Fun Fact
The word “transient” comes from the Latin transire, meaning “to go across” or “pass through.” It’s commonly used in physics, describing short-lived phenomena, and in travel, referring to temporary visitors. The phrase “transient beauty” captures the fleeting nature of certain experiences, reminding us to appreciate the moment.
(adjective) Extremely unwilling to spend money; miserly and stingy to a degree that causes hardship for others.
The penurious landlord refused to replace the building’s broken heating system for three winters running, calculating that complaints were cheaper to ignore than repairs were to make.
Penurious derives from the Latin penuria, meaning “want” or “scarcity,” rooted in the Greek penia meaning “poverty.” It entered English in the 16th century carrying both its literal sense of genuine poverty and its more cutting figurative sense of someone who hoards wealth despite having it — the distinction between being poor and merely acting poor being central to the word’s particular sting.