Word of the Day

: December 7, 2011

diligent

adjective DIL-uh-junt

What It Means

: characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort : painstaking

diligent in Context

After many hours of diligent research, the students were finally ready to compile their results.

"The mature members of the workforce are hard-working, diligent, responsible people." -- From an article by Casey Dowd at foxbusiness.com, November 10, 2011

Did You Know?

You're more likely to be diligent about something if you love doing it. The etymology of "diligent" reflects the fact that affection can lead to energetic effort. The word, which entered English in the 14th century by way of Anglo-French, descends from the Latin verb "diligere," meaning "to value or esteem highly" or "to love." Of course, you don’t need to care for the task at hand in order to be diligent, but it certainly does help!