Word of the Day

adverb or adjective

Human rights groups continue to petition the government to allow them access to prisoners who are being held incommunicado.

"Spirit has been incommunicado for more than a year despite daily calls by NASA. The cause of Spirit's silence may never be known, but it's likely the bitter Martian winter damaged its electronics, preventing the six-wheel rover from waking up." -- From an Associated Press article by Alicia Chang, May 25, 2011

"Incommunicado" ultimately comes from Latin but made its way into English via Spanish. We borrowed the word (with a slightly modified spelling) from the past participle of the Spanish verb "incomunicar," meaning "to deprive of communication." The Spanish word, in turn, derives from the Latin prefix "in-" and the verb "communicare," meaning "to communicate."

Word Family Quiz: What relative of "incommunicado" can mean "exclusion from fellowship in a group or community"? The answer is ...

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