Word of the Day

: March 11, 2012

nondescript

adjective nahn-di-SKRIPT

What It Means

1 : belonging or appearing to belong to no particular class or kind : not easily described

2 : lacking distinctive or interesting qualities : dull, drab

nondescript in Context

The famous spy was a quiet, nondescript man that no one could describe even a few minutes after meeting him, which was clearly an advantage in his profession.

"There is a nondescript warehouse in town with contents so vital to the operations of American businesses and government that it is protected by guards armed with assault rifles." - From an article by Conor Shine in the Las Vegas Sun, November 7, 2011

Did You Know?

It is relatively easy to describe the origins of "nondescript" (and there's a hint in the first part of this sentence). "Nondescript" was formed by combining the prefix "non-" (meaning "not") with the past participle of the Latin verb "describere," meaning "to describe." It is no surprise, then, that when the word was adopted in the late 17th century by English speakers, it was typically applied to something (such as a genus or species) that had not yet been described. Other descriptive descendants of "describere" in English include "describe," "description," and "descriptive" itself, as well as the rare philosophical term "descriptum" ("something that is described").