Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 15, 2026 is:





vertiginous • \ver-TIJ-uh-nus\ • adjective

Vertiginous is a formal adjective used to describe something that causes or is likely to cause a feeling of dizziness especially because of great height.

// As a window washer for some of the city’s tallest skyscrapers, Victor had to quickly master working at vertiginous heights.

See the entry >





Examples:

“The climb is infamous for its heart-pumping switchbacks and vertiginous jaunt along a narrow sliver of crag. Those who fear heights, like me, typically avoid it.” — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025





Did you know?

The climactic scene of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller Vertigo features, appropriately, a dramatic climb—and fall—from a vertiginous bell tower. Vertiginous, which describes things that cause vertigo (a sensation of motion in which an individual or their surroundings seem to whirl dizzily) comes from the Latin adjective vertiginosus, which in turn comes from the Latin noun vertigo, meaning “a turning or whirling action.” Both words descend from the Latin verb vertere, meaning “to turn.” Vertiginous and vertigo are just two of an almost dizzying array of vertere offspring, from adverse to vortex. The “dizzying” sense of vertiginous is often used figuratively, as in “the vertiginous heights of cinematic legend.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 14, 2026 is:





canoodle • \kuh-NOO-dul\ • verb

To canoodle with someone is to hug and kiss them in a romantic way.

// Two lovers were canoodling on a park bench.

See the entry >





Examples:

“In one dining room, ruby-colored tufted banquettes sit under vintage-inspired chandeliers. In a private room, purple-colored walls give way to cocktail tables where couples might canoodle, sipping martinis.” — Sarah Blaskovich, The Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2025





Did you know?

The origins of canoodle are uncertain, but may have their genesis in an English dialect noun of the same spelling meaning “donkey,” “fool,” or “foolish lover.” That canoodle may itself be an alteration of the word noodle, used to mean “a foolish person.” (The fool noodle likely comes from noddle, a word for the head.) The guess seems reasonable given that, since its appearance in the language around the mid-19th century, canoodle has been most often used lightheartedly for playful public displays of affection by couples who are head over heels in love.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 13, 2026 is:





rapscallion • \rap-SKAL-yun\ • noun

The word rapscallion refers to someone who causes trouble, often in a mischievous way. It appears in the same sorts of contexts as rascal and scamp.

// The movie follows the story of a rambunctious young rapscallion who can’t seem to stay out of trouble.

See the entry >





Examples:

“Charlie Brown evolved into a world-class underdog. ‘Originally, Charlie Brown was a bit of a rapscallion, a bit of a wiseass,’ [Chris] Mautner said. ‘There is a certain point, after a year or two, when he starts to become the butt of jokes, when he starts being a lonely kid. Once [Charles] Schulz hit upon that, Charlie Brown got it pretty bad for a long time.’” — Jim Beckerman, The Record (Bergen County, New Jersey), 9 Oct. 2025





Did you know?

The word rascal has been part of English since the 15th century, but it apparently failed to fully capture the disagreeable nature of the wily knaves of yore: by the 16th century, English speakers had expanded rascal to rascallion. But it seems that even that term didn’t sound quite mischievous enough. Eventually, rascallion was further altered, resulting in the snappier, plosive-enhanced rapscallion. And although rapscallion has zero connection with scallion, it does add a figuratively spicy kick to one’s speech, not unlike chawbacon and other cheeky insults that may be of interest and use.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 12, 2026 is:





endemic • \en-DEM-ik\ • adjective

When used for a plant or animal species, endemic describes something that grows or exists in a certain place or area, and often specifically something restricted to a particular locality or region. Endemic is also used to describe diseases that persist over time in a particular region or population. It can also mean “common in a particular area or field.”

// Our children were excited to finally see wild giant pandas—endemic to just three provinces in south-central China—during our family vacation.

// He eventually learned that low wages were endemic to his line of work, but he continued nevertheless to pursue his passion.

See the entry >





Examples:

“Though less charismatic than the improbably pastel pink birds, unique endemic plants have achieved impressive feats of resourcefulness and endurance. Indeed, scientists have called the region an ‘unparalleled natural laboratory’ to understand how plants adapt to ‘extreme environmental conditions.’” — Thea Riofrancos, Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, 2025





Did you know?

Ever wonder how endemic ended up in the English language? It arrived via French and New Latin, with its ultimate origin likely in the Greek adjective éndēmos, which describes (among other things) a disease confined to one area. Éndēmos was formed from en- ( “in”) and a form of the noun dêmos, meaning “district, country, people.” That word was also key to the formation of the earlier word on which éndēmos was modeled: epidēmia, meaning “disease affecting a large number of individuals.” English adopted epidemic (also via French) in the early 17th century, but endemic didn’t become, uh, endemic until a century and a half later. (The familiar relation pandemic slipped into the language in the mid 17th.) In current use, endemic characterizes diseases that are generally found in a particular area—malaria, for example, is said to be endemic to tropical and subtropical regions—while epidemic indicates a sudden, severe outbreak within a region or group. Endemic is also used by biologists to characterize plant and animal species that are found only in a given area.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 11, 2026 is:





tabula rasa • \TAB-yuh-luh-RAH-zuh\ • noun

In general use, tabula rasa refers to something existing in an original pristine state. In philosophy, tabula rasa refers to the mind in its hypothetical primary blank or empty state before receiving outside impressions.

// The apartment was only just renovated, and everything is clean and white; it's a tabula rasa, ready for a new occupant.

See the entry >





Examples:

“Bella, née Victoria, is a living breathing tabula rasa unfettered by societal pressures, propriety, or niceties.” — Ryan Lattanzio, Indie Wire, 16 June 2025





Did you know?

Philosophers have been arguing that babies are born with minds that are essentially blank slates since the days of Aristotle. (Later, some psychologists took up the position as well.) English speakers have called that initial state of mental emptiness tabula rasa (a term taken from a Latin phrase that translates as “smooth or erased tablet”) since the 16th century, but it wasn't until British philosopher John Locke championed the concept in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding in 1690 that the term gained widespread popularity in our language. In later years, a figurative sense of the term emerged, referring to something that exists in an original state and has yet to be altered by outside forces.