WORD OF THE WEEK: Taciturn

Summary: For more discussion of WOW words in print (newsprint, that is), as well as online, keep reading below and follow the links ...

What a treat! Over the weekend, my husband called out from the kitchen table, where he was reading the morning paper, "Hey, what does taciturn mean?" And I had to pause.

"I think it's like shy," I said. But that didn't seem exactly right. Because I was in the middle of my morning yoga routine, I mentally bookmarked the word for further research later. And I smiled, because I knew I'd found my WOW Word of the Week.

As I rolled up my yoga mat, I asked the thought that had suddenly occurred to me: "Did you read that word in the newspaper?" I was incredulous at his positive response. "Our paper?" I asked again to be sure. It was true. Our little, local paper was teaching us both words. The article was an A.P. piece, meaning it was written by a member of the Associated Press and distributed nationally to all American newspapers. I'm a fan.

Here's what I learned when I finally looked up the WOW word in question:

Taciturn (TA - si - TURN) - (adv.) Temperamentally disinclined to talk; tight-lipped; stubbornly quiet. From the Latin tacitus, this word was introduced to English in approximately 1735.

In case you missed my post a couple of weeks ago about The Baltimore Sun's controversial use of a WOW word in a headline, you can read it here. And to continue expanding your vocabulary daily, visit one of my favorite blogs: A Walk in the WoRds.

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