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Merriam-Webster

@merriam-webster.com

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noun | a reference source containing words alphabetically arranged along with information about their forms, pronunciations, functions, and etymologies

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 6d

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

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Reposted by Merriam-Webster

Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 15h

There’s a lot going on, so here is a map of the world’s forests, divided by categories of wood.

Map labeled "Geographic Distribution of the World's Forests, Differentiated by Categories of Wood"

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 14h

This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, but if a sentence starts with ‘per’ it’s usually a bummer.

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 1d

Mars was the Roman god of war.
That’s why we say ‘martial arts,' ‘martial law,' and 'court martial.'

Marshall was the Roman god of designer fashion at discount prices.
That’s why we have Marshall’s.

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 1d

The entry for ‘whoa’ directed the reader to ‘ho’ which was defined as "stop! stand still! Hold!”

‘Ho’ isn’t really used anymore except if you’re on a ship trying to attract attention by saying ‘land ho!’

Whoa…

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 1d

The publications that have used ‘woah’ have many more examples of ‘whoa,’ so it looks like ‘woah’ is just slipping in.

‘Whoa’ was first entered in the 1864 printing of “An American Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged.”

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 1d

Let’s talk about ‘whoa.’

First of all, ‘woah’ is not yet considered an established spelling variant of ‘whoa.’

While ‘woah’ has grown in prevalence since the late 20th century, ‘whoa’ is still about 5 times as common as ‘woah.’

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Reposted by Merriam-Webster

Tiare Liberty Sol ☀️ 🌺🦄 @tiare75.bsky.social · 1d

REUNION October 6, 2025

I solved it in 1️⃣8️⃣ moves!
⭐⭐⭐
🦊 🦔 🎉 www.merriam-webster.com/games/reunion

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 1d

skunk = 🦨

skink = 🦎

skank = never mind, this can’t be worth it

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 4d

Trivia on 'trivia'

In ancient Rome, a trivium was an intersection of three roads (tri, "three" + vium, road).

According to the Romans, when people met at a trivium, they would discuss trivialis ("inconsequential things") - which eventually helped give trivia its modern meaning.

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 4d

These are your words of the week

dictionary
Yom Kippur
brass
obloquy
furlough
obnubilate
www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the...

The Words of the Week - Oct. 3

Dictionary lookups from lexicography, federal court, and Washington D.C.

www.merriam-webster.com

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 4d

Introducing our new game, Reunion!

Make words to reunite the fox and the hedgehog ❤️
www.merriam-webster.com/games/reunion

Reunion, a Daily Word Puzzle | Merriam Webster

The right words bring them together: a daily word game where you unscramble words in as few moves as possible.

www.merriam-webster.com

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 4d

Make your English teacher proud.

#MW12

Cover of Merriam-Webster's 'Dictionary for Showgirls', Glitter Gel Pen Edition. Features orange feather background and a small circular highlight mentioning Ophelia and more.

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 6d

The first known use of 'chimpanzee' was in 1738, and it comes from the Kongo dialect word 'chimpenzi.'

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Reposted by Merriam-Webster

Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 6d

Jane Goodall was one of a few people to earn a PhD without an undergraduate degree.

It was thought that her lack of formal academic training would allow her to remain unbiased by traditional thought and study the chimps with an open mind.

It worked. ❤️