Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 8, 2026 is:





etiquette • \ET-ih-kut\ • noun

Etiquette refers to rules or customs that dictate what behavior is considered appropriate and expected in a particular setting.

// Her failure to respond to the invitation was a serious breach of etiquette.

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Examples:

“My first interaction with The Real Housewives franchise happened sometime in 2015, when my partner became hooked on the show. I had just begun work on what I expected to be a big and research-heavy multi-generational family novel, and all I could hear was a chorus of accusations about who said what to whom, who lied to whom, and who hadn’t followed the correct etiquette at a charity event.” — Saleen Haddad, Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026





Did you know?

If you’re looking for a polite topic of conversation to raise at your next gathering of word lovers, we’ve got just the ticket. The French word étiquette means “ticket”; its direct French ancestor also referred to a label attached to something for description or identification. Spaniards of the 16th-century adopted the French word (altering it to etiqueta), and used it to refer to the written protocols describing the behavior demanded of those who appeared at court. Eventually, etiqueta came to be applied to the court ceremonies themselves as well as to the documents which outlined their requirements. Word of this linguistic development got back to the French, who then expanded their word’s meaning to include “proper court behavior” along with its “label” sense. By the middle of the 18th century English speakers had taken on etiquette as their own, applying it to the rules that indicate the proper and polite way to behave, whether in the presence of royalty or not.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 7, 2026 is:





discreet • \dih-SKREET\ • adjective

Discreet describes someone who is careful about not allowing something to be known or noticed by many people. It can also describe something that is not likely to be seen or noticed by many people.

// She was always very discreet about her personal life.

// A photographer followed the singer at a discreet distance.

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Examples:

“Expectations surrounding their nuptials were high. But the couple opted for a discreet ceremony that took place in Cascais, Portugal, in complete privacy.” — Ahad Sanwari, Hello Magazine, 13 Aug. 2026





Did you know?

If you’ve ever mixed up discreet and discrete, you’re not alone. Which to use when writing is tricky to discern, given their identical pronunciation and shared etymology; both terms (and their relatives discern and certain) ultimately trace back to the Latin verb cernere, meaning “to sift, discern, decide, determine.” Yet despite these similarities, the words have separate—one might even say discrete—meanings. Something or someone described as discreet, with double e's, is unlikely to be known, seen, or noticed by many people (as in “found a discreet way to handle the problem”). Discrete, with its separate e's, describes things that are separate and different from each other (as in “a process broken down into a number of discrete steps”). A handy mnemonic for remembering which is which can be found in those e's: the t in discrete separates the two e’s.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 6, 2026 is:





regimen • \REJ-uh-mun\ • noun

Regimen refers to a plan or set of rules about food, exercise, etc., designed to make someone become or stay healthy.

// Sherry’s personal trainer started her on a workout regimen of 30 minutes on the treadmill followed by 30 minutes of weight training.

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Examples:

"The last step in a great antiaging skin care regimen is, of course, sunscreen." — Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 27 Apr. 2026





Did you know?

Being but humble lexicographers, we cannot say whether an apple a day truly keeps the doctor away, but as far as regimens go, one could do a lot worse than snackin' on a McIntosh. Regimen, which usually refers to a system of rules or guidelines—often for living a healthy life or taking a regular dose of exercise—comes ultimately from a Latin verb, regere, meaning "to direct." Regere led in apple-pie order to the English word regimen, first by way of the Latin noun regimen, meaning "steering" or "control," and then via the Medieval Latin regimen, referring to a set of rules. Other regere descendants fell further from the tree, including correct, erect, region, rule, and surge. Be sure not to confuse regimen with regiment, which refers to a military unit, as doing so could upset the apple cart.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 5, 2026 is:





perseverate • \per-SEV-uh-rayt\ • verb

To perseverate is to intently focus one's attention on a thought or thoughts. Perseverate can also mean "to recur or repeat continually."

// They teach that there is no use in perseverating about past regrets.

// Nervous thoughts perseverated in the back of her mind for weeks leading up to the event, but it was a complete success.

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Examples:

"Why do we remember the close losses more than the wins? ... We perseverate on Milwaukee's 24-point comeback with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter but forget the Wolves trailed by 16 with less than five minutes to play before beating Houston earlier this year." — Michael Rand, The Minnesota Star Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025





Did you know?

Looking at perseverate and perseveration, you may guess that the latter was formed by adding a suffix to the former, but that is not the case. Perseveration is actually the older term by a few years. In the early 1900s, psychologists adopted perseveration from German for the act of repeating a behavior over and over again—for instance, continually repeating the same syllable or word might be called "verbal perseveration." Shortly afterward, those scientists wanted a verb for such acts of repetition, so they changed the -ation of perseveration to -ate and perseverate was born. Perseverate continued to evolve and persevere in the English language, which led to its broader meanings, "to recur or repeat continually" and "to fixate."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 4, 2026 is:





adventitious • \ad-ven-TISH-us\ • adjective

Adventitious is a formal word that most often describes something that comes from an outside source, and is neither inherent or innate. In botanical contexts especially, the word also describes something that arises or occurs sporadically, or not in the usual or expected location.

// The house is like a museum—beautifully restored, full of period pieces, and with no adventitious elements in view.

// The bumps growing along the stem of the tomato plants are adventitious roots.

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Examples:

“Although individual [creosote bush] plants have a lifespan of 30-90 years, adventitious shoots grow up from roots. These develop into new plants, clones of the original, that form a ring around the spot where the original plant stood.” — Joshua Siskin, The Orange County (California) Register, 5 July 2025





Did you know?

Early in Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre, the titular Jane ascertains that her new employer, Mr. Rochester, whom she thinks is decidedly not handsome, has "other qualities, intrinsic or adventitious" that "atone for the lack of mere personal attractiveness." We all possess intrinsic and adventitious qualities—the former, we're born with, and the latter we gain through life's lessons. English speakers anglicized the Latin word adventīcius in the early 17th century to apply it with its Latin meaning: "coming from outside; external, foreign." The word still carries this meaning primarily, but by the close of the 17th century it was also being used, especially in botany, to describe that which arises or occurs sporadically or in other than the usual location, as when adventitious roots appear where roots generally are not found.