Word of the Day

: July 3, 2007

eupeptic

adjective yoo-PEP-tik

What It Means

1 : of, relating to, or having good digestion

2 : cheerful, optimistic

eupeptic in Context

"The generous outpouring of writings devoted to public libraries . . . makes me positively eupeptic about the future of scholarship in this area." (E. A. Goedeken, Libraries & Culture, March 22, 2004)

Did You Know?

"Eupeptic" first appeared around 1700 and was probably created from "eupepsia," a word meaning "good digestion." ("Eupepsia" was cooked up from "eu-," meaning "good," and "-pepsia," meaning "digestion," ingredients that are ultimately of Greek origin.) It seems reasonable that good digestion might enhance one's outlook on life -- and indeed, "eupeptic" can suggest a happy frame of mind as well as a happy digestive system. Along similar lines, someone with poor digestion might be cranky, and the antonymous counterparts of "eupeptic" and "eupepsia" -- "dyspeptic" and "dyspepsia" -- can suggest either indigestion or ill humor.

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.