Bloviate - Word of the Day

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY [April 20, 2018](#none) bloviate [Audio pronunciation]( verb | BLOH-vee-ayt Definition : to speak or write verbosely and windily Scroll down for more about bloviate TRENDING NOW: [lowlife]( [kakistocracy]( [slimeball]( [salacious]( [SEE ALL [>]]( PEOPLE ARE READING # [Words We're Watching: 'Bluebeard,' the Verb]( # [Where 'Cliff-hangers' Come From]( # [What the #@*% Is a ‘Grawlix'?]( # ['Altho' vs. 'Although']( WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz]( Test your knowledge of strange human behaviors. [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Did You Know? Warren G. Harding is often linked to bloviate, but to him the word wasn't insulting; it simply meant "to spend time idly." Harding used the word often in that "hanging around" sense, but during his tenure as the 29th U.S. President (1921-23), he became associated with the "verbose" sense of bloviate, perhaps because his speeches tended to the long-winded side. Although he is sometimes credited with having coined the word, it's more likely that Harding picked it up from local slang while hanging around with his boyhood buddies in Ohio in the late 1800s. The term probably derives from a combination of the word [blow]( plus the suffix [-ate](. Examples of BLOVIATE "It's a slow night. Just a couple of other regulars and our usual bartender, a bright, young fellow who seems to enjoy his customers' company, despite our tendency to bloviate." — Bruce VanWyngarden, The Memphis Flyer, 15 Feb. 2018 "Wall Street analysts and the media covering them have often bloviated about the lamentable end of retail, the death of department stores, the changing fickle habits of Millennials, the power of online retail, and the tragedy of an America left behind." — Monica Showalter, The American Thinker, 6 July 2017 Test Your Vocabulary What German-derived English verb can mean "to play music" or "to talk extravagantly"? [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( NEW FOR CROSSWORD PUZZLE LOVERS Sharpen your word game! This new edition features 340,000 clues and answer words and 20,000 new words, including: freegan, goji, pho, and tweep! [LEARN MORE [>]]( 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](