Legerity - plus, take our latest weekly quiz

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY [September 24, 2017](#none) legerity [Audio pronunciation]( noun | luh-JAIR-uh-tee Definition : alert [facile]( quickness of mind or body Scroll down for more about legerity WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!]( You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again. [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Plus: [SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW! [>]]( Did You Know? When legerity first appeared in English in the 1500s, it drew significantly upon the concept of being "light on one's feet," and appropriately so. It is derived from the Middle and Old French legereté ("lightness"), which was formed from the Old French adjective leger ("light in weight"). Leger comes from an assumed Vulgar Latin adjective, leviarius, a descendent of the older Latin levis ("having little weight"). These days, legerity can describe a nimbleness of mind as well as of the feet. A cousin of legerity in English is [legerdemain](, meaning "sleight of hand" or "a display of skill or adroitness." Legerdemain comes from the French phrase leger de main, meaning "light of hand." Examples of LEGERITY The novel's less than compelling plot is counterbalanced by the narrator's wit and legerity. "There are brand new vehicles, brand new tracks and brand new ways to get gamers to exercise the kind of hand-digit legerity that other games don't like to employ because it might make the casual audience actually have to work for a victory." — William Usher, CinemaBlend.com, 16 May 2014 Name That Synonym Fill in the blanks to complete a synonym of legerity meaning "quickness of mind": d _ _ t _ _ i _ y. [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( WORDS AT PLAY Welcome to the New Words We've expanded the dictionary with more than 250 words and definitions. Hive mind, pregame and more! [CHECK 'EM OUT [>]]( MORE WORD FUN: [WORD GAMES [>]]( [TRENDING NOW [>]]( [WORDS AT PLAY [>]]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( SHARE: [Facebook][Facebook]( [Twitter][Twitter]( [View this email in a web browser]( You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day. [Unsubscribe from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day]( [Manage your subscription settings]( Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102 [www.merriam-webster.com](