askance

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 23, 2022 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>askance</strong> &#149; \uh-SKANSS\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adverb</em><br /> <p><em>Askance</em> means "with disapproval or distrust" or "with a side-glance."  </p> <p>// The children looked <em>askance</em> at their mother when she suggested they turn off their electronic devices and go play outside in the nice weather.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/askance">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"'Sometimes not being authentic to the region is a good thing.' … [chef] Klime Kovaceski, who also prefers dried pasta to fresh, understands that some purists might look <em>askance</em> at his methods." — Connie Ogle, <em>The Miami Herald</em>, 3 Mar. 2022</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Askance</em>, which etymologists believe may have been influenced by <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/askew">askew</a></em>, comes from Middle English forms such as <em>askaunce</em>, <em>a-skans</em>, <em>a-skaunces</em>, meaning variously "in such a way that," "as if," "as if to say," and "artificially" or "deceptively." The word was first used in English in the 16th century with the meaning "sideways" or "with a sideways glance," and writers over the years have used the suggestion of someone looking askance at something to express a number of feelings from disapproval and distrust to jealousy.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>