Wherefore

 WORD OF THE DAY

wherefore / adverb / WAIR-for

Definition
1a: for what reason or purpose
1b: why
2 : therefore

Examples
"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"
— William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 1594-95

"According to The Blast, the legal filing said 'Wherefore, Petitioner requests an order of this court that the conservatorship of the person of Britney Jean Spears, the conservatee, be terminated.'"
— Justin Enriquez, ­The Daily Mail (US), 18 June 2021

Did You Know?
In early English, a number of new words were formed by combining where with a preposition.
In such words, where had the meaning of "what" or "which"—hence, wherein ("in what"), whereon ("on what"), and wherefore ("for what").
Although wherefore as an adverb is rarely used today, the noun form, meaning "an answer or statement giving an explanation," survives in the phrase "the whys and wherefores."

Palaver

WORD OF THE DAY

palaver / noun / puh-LAV-er

Definition
1a: a long discussion or meeting parley usually between persons of different cultures or levels of sophistication
1b: conference, discussion
2a: idle talk
2b: misleading or beguiling speech

Examples
Enough of this palaver. We have a lot to discuss.

"[Adrian Daub] brings the same sharp eye for sophistry to other forms of palaver that move capital in Silicon Valley. He revisits the actual thinkers appropriated by TED bloviators, from the philosopher Marshall McLuhan to the French historian René Girard to the novelist Ayn Rand."
— Virginia Heffernan, The New York Times, 22 Nov. 2020

Did You Know?
During the 18th century, Portuguese and English sailors often met during trading trips along the West African coast.
This contact prompted the English to borrow the Portuguese palavra, which usually means "speech" or "word" but was used by Portuguese traders with the specific meaning "discussions with natives."
The Portuguese word traces back to the Late Latin parabola, a noun meaning "speech" or "parable."

Bivouac

 WORD OF THE DAY

bivouac / verb / BIV-uh-wak

Definition
1: to make a temporary encampment under little or no shelter
2: to take shelter often temporarily
3: to provide temporary quarters for

Examples
The climbers bivouacked under the cliff's ledge.

"Bivouacked in the middle of the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf—a five-hour flight from the nearest Antarctic station—nothing comes easy. Even though it was the southern summer, geologist James Smith of the British Antarctic Survey endured nearly three months of freezing temperatures, sleeping in a tent, and eating dehydrated food."
— Matt Simon, Wired, 15 Feb. 2021

Did You Know?
In his 1841 dictionary, Noah Webster observed bivouac to be a French borrowing having military origins.
He defined the noun bivouac as "the guard or watch of a whole army, as in cases of great danger of surprise or attack" and the verb as "to watch or be on guard, as a whole army."
The French word is derived from the Low German word biwacht, which translates to "by guard."
Germans used the word specifically for a patrol of citizens who assisted the town watch at night.
Today, bivouac has less to do with guarding and patrolling than it does with taking shelter.