Word of the Day

: May 14, 2008

foursquare

adjective FOR-SKWAIR

What It Means

1 : square

2 : marked by boldness and conviction : forthright

foursquare in Context

The governor has been foursquare in his support for the education bill.

Did You Know?

Early English speakers liked to use "foursquare" to describe a rectangle with four equal sides, even though they could also say it was simply "square." They also used "three-square" to describe a triangle with equal sides, "five-square" for "having five equal sides," "six-square" as an alternative to "hexagonal," and "eight-square" for "octagonal." Eventually "foursquare" also developed a second sense, which is used to describe persons and things that stand out "squarely" and forthrightly. One can now speak of "foursquare citizens" and "a foursquare response." "Foursquare" can also be an adverb meaning "solidly" or "forthrightly."