They're wonderful. They're obscure. They're often quite pointless.
When:
Lookups on Merriam-Webster spiked on July 19, 2010.
Why:
The story of the BP oil leak continued to develop.
As USA Today reported that day,
"The recently capped well, no longer spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, can remain closed another day because seepage from it does not appear 'consequential,' a senior U.S. official said Monday."
A seepage is a quantity of fluid that has oozed through a small opening or porous material.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
