Redoubtable - plus, The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 9/20/19

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY September 21, 2019 redoubtable [Audio pronunciation]( adjective | rih-DOUT-uh-bul Definition 1 : causing fear or alarm : [formidable]( 2 : [illustrious]( [eminent]( broadly : worthy of respect Scroll down for more about redoubtable TRENDING NOW: [dastardly]( [stymie]( [what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander]( [prorogue]( [SEE ALL [>]]( PEOPLE ARE READING [The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 9/20/19]( [A Note on the Nonbinary 'They']( [The History of 'Meme']( [We Added New Words to the Dictionary for September 2019]( WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [The Exceptions Quiz III]( Which of these things doesn't belong? [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Did You Know? The word redoubtable is worthy of respect itself, if only for its longevity. It has been used in English for things that cause fear, dread, and apprehension since at least the 15th century and comes to us through Middle English from the Anglo-French verb reduter, meaning "to dread." That word comes ultimately from Latin dubitare, "to be in doubt" (by way of Anglo-French duter, douter, meaning "to doubt," also the source of English [doubt](. Things or people that are formidable and alarming can also inspire awe and even admiration, and it wasn't long before the meaning of redoubtable was extended from "formidable" to "illustrious" and "worthy of respect." Examples of REDOUBTABLE The theater has hired a redoubtable director to direct its upcoming production. "There, amid the planers and sawdust, 46 craftsmen create custom-built pieces for private clients and for such redoubtable institutions as 10 [Downing Street]( Westminster Abbey, and even Hogwarts." — [Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, May 2019]( Test Your Vocabulary What is the meaning of the noun redoubt? [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( MORE WORD FUN: [WORD GAMES [>]]( [TRENDING NOW [>]]( [WORDS AT PLAY [>]]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( SHARE: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [View this email in a web browser]( You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive Merriam-Webster's 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, USA [www.merriam-webster.com]( | [Privacy Policy]( © 2019 by Merriam-Webster, Inc.