- Today's Word
Wizened
WIH-zuhnd
Definition
- (adjective) Shriveled, wrinkled, or withered, often due to age or exposure.
Example
The wizened old man sat by the fire, his face etched with the lines of a life well-lived.
Fun Fact
“Wizened” comes from the Middle English wisenen, meaning “to dry up or shrivel.” While often associated with age, the term can also describe anything that has become weathered over time, such as dried fruit, ancient parchment, or even landscapes exposed to harsh elements. Literature frequently uses “wizened” to evoke wisdom and resilience, reinforcing the idea that age and experience leave their mark in both physical and metaphorical ways.
(adjective) Noisy, unruly, and difficult to control; stubbornly resistant to restraint or discipline.
The obstreperous crowd refused to disperse despite three separate announcements, their noise and defiance rising with every attempt to restore order.
Obstreperous derives from the Latin obstreperus, meaning “clamorous” or “noisy,” built from ob- (“against”) and strepere (“to make a noise” or “to rattle”). The root strepere is also the ancestor of strep in streptococcus — both words carrying the sense of something loud and disruptive making itself impossible to ignore. It entered English in the early 17th century, immediately acquiring its dual sense of both physical noisiness and the kind of willful, uncontainable defiance that produces it.