vestige

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

语言学习

2025-02-10

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 10, 2025 is: vestige VESS-tij noun What It Means A vestige is a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something lost or vanished. // The ruins here are the last vestiges of the Roman occupation in this part of Britain. cynosure in Context "Filled with vestiges of yesteryear, the Butte [Montana] historic district is one of the largest in the country." — Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Janie Osborne, The New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024 Did You Know? Though English is categorized as a Germanic language, there’s no denying the enormousness of Latin’s footprint on its lexicon. Among English’s plethora of Latin derivatives is vestige, a word that traces back to the Latin noun vestigium, meaning "footstep, footprint, or track." Like its forebear, vestige refers to a perceptible sign made by something that has passed, or to a tangible reminder, such as a fragment or remnant, of what is past and gone. Vestige also happens to be one of only a few vestiges of vestigium itself, along with the adjective vestigial ("remaining as the last part of something that existed before") and the familiar verb investigate.
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  • It's the word of the day for February 10th.

  • Today's word is vestige spelled V-E-S-T-I-G-E.

  • Vestige is a noun.

  • A vestige is a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something lost or vanished.

  • Here's the word used in a sentence from the New York Times.

  • Filled with vestiges of yesteryear,

  • the Butte Montana Historic District is one of the largest in the country.

  • Though Latin is categorized as a Germanic language,

  • there's no denying the impact of Latin's footprint on its lexicon.

  • Among English's plethora of Latin derivatives is the word vestige.

  • It traces back to the Latin noun vestigium, meaning footstep, footprint, or track.

  • Like its forebear,

  • vestige refers to a perceptible sign made by something that has passed or to a tangible reminder,

  • such as a fragment or remnant of what is past and gone.

  • Vestige also happens to be one of only a few vestiges of vestigium itself,

  • along with the adjective vestigial,

  • meaning remaining as the last part of something that existed before,

  • and the familiar verb, investigate.

  • With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.

  • Visit MiriamWebster.com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.