What Is "The Word of the Week?"

I want a broader vocabulary. Words are tools. They can express big thoughts as well as subtleties. I don't want a vocabulary of fancy words to impress my friends at cocktail parties. I simply to more directly, more accurately express my own thoughts.

I love finding a word that concisely describes an entire thought. But arcane words are useless (no one will actually know what thought I am trying to concisely articulate). The Word of the Week is meant to highlight words that strike a balance. They are on the fringes of our daily vocabulary. They can be found in newspapers and novels but are not commonly used in conversation. These words are useful because they are used by professionals to directly and accurately convey an idea. It is good to know some of these words.

The Word of the Week is also meant to highlight words that are just plain interesting. They are less useful in conversation but their history, derivation and usage tell a good tale.

Pyrrhic is a great example. It means "costly to the point of negating or outweighing expected benefits." It comes from King Pyrrhus of Epirus who sustained heavy losses in defeating the Romans. Pyrrhic is a concise expression of an idea. It is used infrequently but I've seen it twice in the last month. And it has an interesting story.