Soporific - plus, do you know how old 'hot mess' really is?

[Merriam-Webster] WORD OF THE DAY [November 30, 2016] soporific [Audio pronunciation] adjective | sah-puh-RIFF-ik Definition 1 a : causing or tending to cause sleep b : tending to dull awareness or alertness 2 : of, relating to, or marked by sleepiness or [lethargy] Scroll down for more about soporific WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [November Words of the Day Quiz] Test your knowledge of the words of the day. [PLAY NOW] Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]] Plus: [SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW! [>]] Did You Know? "It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is 'soporific.' I have never felt sleepy after eating lettuces; but then I am not a rabbit." In The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies by Beatrix Potter, the children of Benjamin Bunny were very nearly done in by Mr. McGregor because they ate soporific lettuces that put them into a deep sleep. Their near fate can help you recall the history of soporific. The term traces to the Latin noun sopor, which means "deep sleep." (That root is related to somnus, the Latin word for sleep and the name of the Roman god of sleep.) French speakers used sopor as the basis of soporifique, which was probably the model for the English soporific. Examples of SOPORIFIC The soporific effects of the stuffy classroom and the lecturer's droning voice left more than one student fighting to stay awake. "The prose sparkles at every turn, but that's not to say it's without flaws. Some entire chapters … struck me as wholly soporific." — Andrew Ervin, The Washington Post, 13 Sept. 2016 Name That Synonym Fill in the blanks to create a synonym of soporific: s _ _ m _ er _ _ s. [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]] ASK THE EDITOR Hot Mess You're probably familiar with the term hot mess. But do you know how old hot mess really is? [WATCH OUR VIDEO 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]