eldritch

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 31, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>eldritch</strong> &#149; \EL-dritch\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Eldritch</em> describes things that are strange or unnatural, especially in a way that inspires fear. The word is often used as a synonym for <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eerie">eerie</a>.</p> <p>// She's afraid to visit haunted houses because the <em>eldritch</em> decor and sound effects are too realistic for her liking. </p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eldritch">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“One of the newer entries on this list is Dredge, which is a cozy game for players who like spooky, <em>eldritch</em> tales of the open sea. It sounds counterintuitive to combine relaxing gameplay with horror, but it works out well here. You’ll catch eerie-looking fish, explore abandoned and sometimes dangerous areas and start dredging treasures from shipwrecks to help a mysterious collector. The joy in Dredge though comes from the casual way it lets you complete your quests and the openness of its world, which is ripe for exploration.” — Carli Velocci, <em>CNN</em>, 2 May 2023</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curse"><em>Curse</em></a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cobweb"><em>cobweb</em></a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witch"><em>witch</em></a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ghost"><em>ghost</em></a>, and even <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Halloween"><em>Halloween</em></a>—all of these potentially spooky words have roots in Old English. <em>Eldritch</em>, although less common, is another, hailing from a time when otherworldly beings were commonly thought to inhabit t