Blog Tour: Britannica’s Word of the Day

Being a logophile as well as a bibliophile, I was delighted to be asked to be part of the Blog Tour for this book! With my class, I look at a word a day, often linked to the texts/ subjects we are learning about, so they are always keen to learn new words and try them out on me! This book would make a very popular addition to the Book Corner, leading to plenty of discussion- and laughter!

‘Word of the Day’ is a very attractive, very informative book which offers a word every day with a pronunciation guide, definition, word class and a paragraph of information which uses the word in context. A ‘Story of the Month’ combines all the vocabulary introduced that month and there are themed sections such as ‘Love Language’ in February and ‘Digging Up the Past’ in May. Children enjoy being given a selection of words to combine in a sentence or short paragraph and can work together to produce some very creative ways of showing they understand the meaning of the given words- this gives some great examples of how it can be done!

The book contains an excellent range of words- some unusual, some commonplace, but all words which will enrich and entertain those reading it. Some words are quirky and little used- ‘egad’ or ‘flibbertigibbet’- whilst others reference more recent developments like ‘prototype’ or ‘debug’ showing how language adapts and develops like a living thing!

Each spread is accompanied by an eye catching illustration which further illuminates the word’s meaning. A pig proudly shows the ‘curlicue’ on his rear end and a floating otter shows how buoyant she is.

Pareidolia, pulchritude, pruritus… so many words to choose from, but the word I have chosen is that for the 19th October-

Cantankerous

This has been a huge favourite of mine since forever! Scrooge is cantankerous, Badger (Wind in the Willows) is cantankerous, Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas is cantankerous! It’s a wonderful word which sounds as angry and argumentative as the people/things it describes.

Britannica’s Word of the Day is a brilliant book, full of words to savour, enjoy and use! I wonder what word @edspire will choose tomorrow?

Britannica’s Word of the Day:

366 Elevating Utterances to Stretch Your Cranium and Tickle Your Humerus

Sue Macy, Patrick and Renee Kelly, illustrated by Josy Bloggs, Emily Cox and James Gibbs

Britannica ISBN: 978-1913750350