Word of the Day

verb

The puppies frolicked around the room, chasing and pouncing on one another.

"During the final round of a golf tournament, a camera zoomed in on two baby ducks frolicking on the bank behind the 18th green…." — From an article by Steve DiMeglio in USA Today, May 24, 2012

"Frolic" is a playful word with a happy history. It traces back to the Dutch word "vroolijk" ("merry"), which in turn evolved from a Middle Dutch combination of "vro" ("happy") and the adjectival suffix "-lijc" ("-ly"). "Vro" is related to Old Frisian and Old High German "fro," which also means "happy." (It is also a distant relative of Old English "frogga," from which Modern English derived "frog.") When "frolic" first entered English it was used as an adjective meaning "merry" or "full of fun." Today it can also be a noun, as in "an evening of fun and frolic."

Test Your Memory: What word completes this sentence from a recent Word of the Day piece: "Jody's grandmother was a __________ lady who enjoyed performing random acts of kindness for both her family and strangers"? The answer is ...

Visit our archives to see previous selections »

Can you say "cuteness"?

The "\'kyüt-nəs\" onesie

Browse all items »

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP