Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 12, 2026 is:

endemic • \en-DEM-ik\  • adjective

When used for a plant or animal species, endemic describes something that grows or exists in a certain place or area, and often specifically something restricted to a particular locality or region. Endemic is also used to describe diseases that persist over time in a particular region or population. It can also mean “common in a particular area or field.”

// Our children were excited to finally see wild giant pandas—endemic to just three provinces in south-central China—during our family vacation.

// He eventually learned that low wages were endemic to his line of work, but he continued nevertheless to pursue his passion.

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Examples:

“Though less charismatic than the improbably pastel pink birds, unique endemic plants have achieved impressive feats of resourcefulness and endurance. Indeed, scientists have called the region an ‘unparalleled natural laboratory' to understand how plants adapt to ‘extreme environmental conditions.'” — Thea Riofrancos, Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, 2025

Did you know?

Ever wonder how endemic ended up in the English language? It arrived via French and New Latin, with its ultimate origin likely in the Greek adjective éndēmos, which describes (among other things) a disease confined to one area. Éndēmos was formed from en- ( “in”) and a form of the noun dêmos, meaning “district, country, people.” That word was also key to the formation of the earlier word on which éndēmos was modeled: epidēmia, meaning “disease affecting a large number of individuals.” English adopted epidemic (also via French) in the early 17th century, but endemic didn't become, uh, endemic until a century and a half later. (The familiar relation pandemic slipped into the language in the mid 17th.) In current use, endemic characterizes diseases that are generally found in a particular area—malaria, for example, is said to be endemic to tropical and subtropical regions—while epidemic indicates a sudden, severe outbreak within a region or group. Endemic is also used by biologists to characterize plant and animal species that are found only in a given area.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 11, 2026 is:

tabula rasa • \TAB-yuh-luh-RAH-zuh\  • noun

In general use, tabula rasa refers to something existing in an original pristine state. In philosophy, tabula rasa refers to the mind in its hypothetical primary blank or empty state before receiving outside impressions.

// The apartment was only just renovated, and everything is clean and white; it's a tabula rasa, ready for a new occupant.

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Examples:

“Bella, née Victoria, is a living breathing tabula rasa unfettered by societal pressures, propriety, or niceties.” — Ryan Lattanzio, Indie Wire, 16 June 2025

Did you know?

Philosophers have been arguing that babies are born with minds that are essentially blank slates since the days of Aristotle. (Later, some psychologists took up the position as well.) English speakers have called that initial state of mental emptiness tabula rasa (a term taken from a Latin phrase that translates as “smooth or erased tablet”) since the 16th century, but it wasn't until British philosopher John Locke championed the concept in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding in 1690 that the term gained widespread popularity in our language. In later years, a figurative sense of the term emerged, referring to something that exists in an original state and has yet to be altered by outside forces.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 10, 2026 is:

besmirch • \bih-SMERCH\  • verb

To besmirch the reputation, name, honor, etc. of someone or something is to cause harm or damage to it.

// The allegations have besmirched the company's reputation.

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Examples:

"... in 1895, a ruthless public smear campaign hinging on [Oscar] Wilde's queerness led to the author's imprisonment, outing, and eventual exile. ... Famously, the British press conspired to draw the dramatist's name through the mud, besmirching his literary legacy for generations to follow." — Brittany Allen, LitHub.com, 20 Oct. 2025

Did you know?

The prefix be- has several applications in English; in the case of besmirch, it means "to make or cause to be." But what does smirch itself mean? Since the 1400s, smirch has been used as a verb meaning "to make dirty, stained, or discolored." Besmirch joined English in the early 1600s, and today smirch and besmirch are both used when something—and especially something abstract, like a reputation—is being figuratively sullied, i.e., damaged or harmed. Besmirch isn't unique in its journey; English has a history of attaching be- to existing verbs to form synonyms. For example, befriend combines be- in its "to make or cause to be" sense with the verb friend, meaning "to act as the friend of." Befuddle combines be- in its "thoroughly" sense with fuddle, meaning "to stupefy with or as if with drink." And befog combines be- in its "to provide or cover with" sense with fog, meaning "to cover with or as if with fog."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 9, 2026 is:

fortuitous • \for-TOO-uh-tus\  • adjective

Fortuitous is a formal word that usually describes something that comes or happens by a lucky chance. It can also mean “happening by chance” and “fortunate, lucky.”

// The fact that we were both there was a fortuitous coincidence.

// You could not have arrived at a more fortuitous time.

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Examples:

“The timing of the hit's resurgence proved fortuitous: She had nearly wrapped the recording for 2025 full-length Pressure ... and the scorching hot single provided a push in the lead-up.” — Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 11 Nov. 2025

Did you know?

Before its meaning expanded, fortuitous meant one thing only: “happening by chance.” This was no accident; its Latin forebear, fortuitus, shares the same ancient root as fors, the Latin word for “chance.” But the fact that fortuitous sounds like a blend of fortunate and felicitous (“happily suited to an occasion”) likely led to a second meaning of “fortunate, lucky,” with the seeds of the newer sense perhaps planted by writers applying overtones of good fortune to something that is a random occurrence. The “lucky” use has been disparaged by critics, but it is now well established. Irregardless (cough), employing this sense in sterner company may be considered chancy.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 8, 2026 is:

meme • \MEEM\  • noun

Meme is used popularly to refer to an amusing or interesting picture, video, etc. that is spread widely online. It can also refer to an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.

// Though the two friends now live on opposite coasts, they still keep in touch constantly, texting and sending their favorite funny cat memes back and forth.

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Examples:

“Shane Hinton, a meteorologist for CBS News Miami, posted a Facebook meme earlier this week that showed a 70-degree spread between Miami's near record 85 and Minneapolis' 15.” — Howard Cohen, The Miami Herald, 5 Dec. 2025

Did you know?

In his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, British scientist Richard Dawkins defended his newly coined word meme, which he defined as “a unit of cultural transmission.” Having first considered, then rejected, mimeme, he wrote: “Mimeme comes from a suitable Greek root, but I want a monosyllable that sounds a bit like gene.” (The suitable Greek root was mim-, meaning “mime” or “mimic.” The English suffix -eme indicates a distinctive unit of language structure, as in grapheme, lexeme, and phoneme.) Like any good meme, meme caught on and evolved, eventually developing the meaning known to anyone who spends time online, where it's most often used to refer to any one of those silly captioned photos that the Internet can't seem to get enough of.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 7, 2026 is:

imbue • \im-BYOO\  • verb

Imbue has two common meanings: "to permeate or influence as if by dyeing" and "to provide with something freely or naturally." In the second use it is usually used with with.

// A deep sense of history imbues the artist's work.

// The children were imbued with a passion for nature by their parents, both biologists.

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Examples:

"Aged cachaça, like fine whiskey, derives its complexity from the barrels it's matured in. There are dozens of different Brazilian woods cachaça can be aged in, and each imbues the spirit with its distinct flavor, resulting in varieties that are more floral or herbal, nutty or woody, savory or spiced." — Rebekah Peppler, The New York Times, 5 Dec. 2025

Did you know?

Like its synonym infuse, imbue implies the introduction of one thing into another so as to affect it throughout. Someone's voice can be imbued with pride, for example, or a photograph might be imbued with a sense of melancholy. In the past imbue was also used synonymously with imbrue, an obscure word meaning "to drench or stain," but the two words are likely unrelated. Imbue comes from the Latin verb imbuere, meaning "to dye, wet, or moisten," while imbrue has been traced back through Anglo-French and Old French to the Latin verb bibere, meaning "to drink."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 6, 2026 is:

sartorial • \sahr-TOR-ee-ul\  • adjective

Sartorial broadly means “of or relating to clothes,” but it often more specifically means “of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes.”

// This particular English teacher is known both for engaging students deeply in literature and for her eccentric sartorial tastes.

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Examples:

“As always, the Princess's sartorial elegance shone through this year, with her championing British designers, turning to old favourites and adorning treasures she's been gifted from the royal family over the years.” — Hello! Magazine (UK), 30 Dec. 2025

Did you know?

Study the seams in the word sartorial and you'll find the common adjective suffix -ial and sartor, a Medieval Latin noun meaning “tailor.” (Sartor comes ultimately from Latin sarcire, “to mend.”) Sartorial has bedecked the English language since the early decades of the 19th century as a word describing things relating to clothes and to tailors, while sartor, though never fully adopted into the language, has also seen occasional use as a synonym for tailor. A third word shares the same root: sartorius (plural sartorii) refers to the longest muscle in the human body. Crossing the front of the thigh obliquely, it assists in rotating the leg to the cross-legged position in which the knees are spread wide apart—and in which tailors have traditionally sat.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 5, 2026 is:

adulation • \aj-uh-LAY-shun\  • noun

Adulation refers to extreme or excessive admiration, flattery, or praise.

// The triumphant players were greeted with shouts of adulation.

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Examples:

“Curators focus on the sunnier side of Elvis's tragic story, yet Graceland still provides an intimate glimpse into superstardom and all that comes with it: the adulation, the opulence, the hangers-on and the darkness that counterbalances such a burst of light.” — Rick Rojas, The New York Times, 29 Nov. 2025

Did you know?

If witnessing a display of adulation reminds you of a dog panting after its beloved person, you've picked up adulation's etymological “scent”; the word ultimately comes from the Latin verb adūlārī, meaning “to fawn on” (a sense used specifically of the affectionate behavior of dogs) or “to praise insincerely.” Adulation has been in use in English since the 15th century. The verb adulate, noun adulator, and adjective adulatory followed dutifully behind.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 4, 2026 is:

diaphanous • \dye-AF-uh-nus\  • adjective

Diaphanous is a formal word used to describe fabric of a texture so fine that one can see through it. Diaphanous is also sometimes used figuratively to describe something characterized by extreme delicacy of form.

// The bride looked radiant in her floor-length gown and diaphanous veil.

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Examples:

"With a bright pattern set on flaming crimson and a diaphanous petticoat underneath, the dress fits her perfectly." — David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

Did you know?

What do the words diaphanous, epiphany, fancy, phenomenon, sycophant, emphasis, and phase all have in common? The Greek word phaínein shows more clearly in some of these words than in others, but it underlies all of them. The groundwork for diaphanous was laid when phaínein (meaning "to bring to light, cause to appear") was combined with the prefix dia- (meaning "through"). From that pairing came the Greek diaphanḗs ("transparent"), parent of the Medieval Latin diaphanus, which is the direct ancestor of the English word.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 3, 2026 is:

hornswoggle • \HORN-swah-gul\  • verb

To hornswoggle someone is to trick or deceive them.

// I think we were hornswoggled by that magician.

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Examples:

"Netflix users have been warned to look out for an insidious, AI-powered email scam that looks nearly indistinguishable from the real deal. ... If you have been already hornswoggled by such a scheme, Netflix advises changing your password and reaching out to your bank." — Ben Cost, The New York Post, 3 Mar. 2025

Did you know?

Hornswoggle is a slang word of some considerable mystery, at least where its etymology is concerned. The word appears to have originated in the southern United States in the early 19th century. The earliest known written record comes from an 1829 issue of The Virginia Literary Magazine in its glossary of Americanisms. The magazine states that hornswoggle comes from Kentucky, and that its oddness matches nicely with other 19th-century Americanisms, such as sockdolager, absquatulate, callithump, slumgullion, and skedaddle. While the exact point at which hornswoggle entered our language, and the way in which it was formed, may remain unknown, it is a charming addition to our language, joining bamboozle and honeyfuggle as colorful ways to say "to deceive."