Dossier - plus, trending lookups galore!

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY [December 6, 2018](#none) dossier [Audio pronunciation]( noun | DOSS-yay Definition : a file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject Scroll down for more about dossier TRENDING NOW: [complicit]( [tariff]( [Godspeed]( [noblesse oblige]( [SEE ALL [>]]( PEOPLE ARE READING # [To Be or Not To Be: A Look at Other Linking Verbs]( # [7 Words in the Wind]( # [What Does Your 'Gut' Tell You?]( # [Words We're Watching: 'Petrichor']( WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [Word Puzzles Round 2]( More word puzzles to rack your brain [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Did You Know? Gather together various documents relating to the affairs of a certain individual, sort them into separate folders, label the spine of each folder, and arrange the folders in a box. Dossier, the French word for such a [compendium]( of spine-labeled folders, was picked up by English speakers in the 19th century. It comes from dos, the French word for "back." The verb [endorse]( (which originally meant "to write on the back of") and the rare adjective [addorsed]( ("set or turned back to back," a term primarily used in [heraldry]() are also derived, via the Anglo-French endosser and French adosser respectively, from dos. The French dos has its origins in the Latin dorsum, a word which also gave English the adjective [dorsal]( ("situated on the back"), as in "the dorsal fin of a whale." Examples of DOSSIER The agency maintains extensive dossiers on all of its employees and contractors. "The council overwhelmingly supported a resolution to set up an 'independent mechanism' that will collect and analyze evidence of the 'most serious international crimes' and prepare dossiers that will make it easier for prosecutors to bring cases to trial in national, regional or international courts." — Nick Cumming-Bruce, The New York Times, 28 Sept. 2018 Test Your Vocabulary Unscramble the letters to create the name for a flat case for carrying documents or drawings: IPOOOFLRT. [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( NEW MERCH Start your holiday shopping! Check out our new selection of onsies, t-shirts, mugs, and more. Guaranteed you’ll find something for everyone on your list. [SHOP NOW [>]]( 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](