abject

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 9, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>abject</strong> &#149; \AB-jekt\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><strong>1 :</strong> sunk to or existing in a low state or condition <strong>:</strong> very bad or severe</p> <p><strong>2 a :</strong> cast down in spirit <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/servile">servile</a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spiritless">spiritless</a></p> <p><strong>b :</strong> showing hopelessness or <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resignation">resignation</a></p> <p><strong>3 :</strong> expressing or offered in a humble and often <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ingratiating">ingratiating</a> spirit</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>The youth offered an <em>abject</em> apology for his misdeed.</p> <p>"We tend not to dwell on the provenance of cheap gizmos. Periodically, we're moved to outrage, even boycott, by revelations of the <em>abject</em> conditions in which certain items are produced; then we move on." — Stephen Phillips, <em>Datebook</em> (<em>The San Francisco Chronicle</em>), 26 Jan. 2021</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Abject</em> comes from the Latin <em>abjectus</em> (meaning "downcast," "humble," or "sordid"), the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/past%20participle">past participle</a> of the Latin verb <em>abicere,</em> meaning "to cast off." Its original meaning in English was "cast off" or "rejected," but it is now used to refer more broadly to things in a low state or condition. <em>Abject</em> shares with <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mean#h2">mean</a></em>, <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ignoble">ignoble</a></em>, and <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/diction