Word of the Day

: February 3, 2014

simpatico

adjective sim-PAH-tih-koh

What It Means

1 : agreeable, likeable

2 : being on the same wavelength : congenial, sympathetic

simpatico in Context

Even though they weren't always simpatico with regard to the direction of their company, Jerry and Michael managed to be successful partners for more than 35 years.

"Regular readers might be sick of my saying this, but there's nothing that will help you drink better wine more than getting to know a merchant or three, and letting them get to know you (or at least your palate). No holding back on your end, and you’ll know fairly quickly if you’ve found a simpatico soul." - From an article by Bill Ward in the Minnesota Star Tribune, December 24, 2013

Did You Know?

"Simpatico," which derives from the Greek noun "sympatheia," meaning "sympathy," was borrowed into English from both Italian and Spanish. In those languages, the word has been chiefly used to describe people who are well-liked or easy to get along with; early uses of the word in English reflected this, as in Henry James's 1881 novel The Portrait of a Lady, in which a character says of another's dying cousin, "Ah, he was so simpatico. I’m awfully sorry for you." In recent years, however, the word's meaning has shifted. Now we see it used to describe the relationship between people who get along well or work well together.