It's Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 9.
Today's word is grudging, spelled G-R-U-D-G-I-N-G.
Grudging is an adjective.
It's used to describe something that is said, done, or given unwillingly or reluctantly.
It can also describe someone who is unwilling or reluctant to do something.
Here's the word used in a sentence from The Veiled Throne by Ken Liu.
I'm impressed, said Matty, grudging admiration in her tone.
It isn't just a pretty name and expensive ingredients.
I can never make something this tasty.
The English language has been carrying a grudge for a long time, since the 13th century,
to be exact, when it took the Anglo-French verb groucher and made it grudgen.
Both words meant to grumble and complain,
and if their shared definition, combined with their spelling and pronunciation,
reminds you of a certain furry green muppet who lives in a trash can, you're onto something.
The word grouch is thought to be a Grouchen descendant.
Over time, Grouchen became grudge,
which picked up the additional closely related meanings of to be unwilling to give or allow,
and to allow with reluctance or resentment, as when Virginia Woolf wrote,
If you come to grudge even the sun for shining, fruit does not ripen.
Grudging, which developed from grudge,