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The Word of the Day for November 28, 2009 is:

congruous • \KAHNG-groo-us\

• adjective

1 *a : being in agreement, harmony, or correspondence

b : conforming to the circumstances or requirements of a situation : appropriate

2 : marked or enhanced by harmonious agreement among constituent elements

Example Sentence:

“I’m not convinced that your ideas are congruous with the client’s expressed desire for simplicity,” wrote my boss at the top of the design plan I’d submitted.

Did you know?

"Congruous" has been used in English since at least 1599, when it appeared in the following description: "All the parts of his bodie were in good proportion, and congruous as a man could wish." It has remained more or less true to its Latin roots: it is derived from Latin "congruus," an adjective that comes from the verb "congruere," which means "to come together" or “to agree." Another familiar "congruere" descendant in English is "congruent," which first appeared at least a century earlier with the same meaning as "congruous." We also acquired "congrue," a verb meaning "to be in harmony" or "to agree," from "congruere," but it has since become obsolete.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.