parry

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 18, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>parry</strong> &#149; \PAIR-ee\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><strong>1 :</strong> to <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ward%20off">ward off</a> (something, such as a weapon or blow)</p> <p><strong>2 :</strong> to <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evade">evade</a> (something, such as a question) by an adroit answer</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Sevilla forward Youssef En-Nesyri had a clearer opportunity midway through the first half but his header was blocked by a low save from Spain keeper Unai Simon, who thwarted the Moroccan again before half-time, <em>parrying</em> his shot and then scurrying back to prevent the ball from trickling over the line." — <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/581864"><em>ESPN</em>, 3 May 2021</a></p> <p>"When someone referred to Whan as 'Boss,' he <em>parried</em>, 'Not yet.' But he was just being literal. Whan's first day as CEO was still a few weeks away, but the announcement on Feb. 17 that he would take the job had already sent a bolt of lightning through an organization that dates to 1894…." — <a href="https://www.golfdigest.com/story/mike-whan-usga-ceo-q-and-a-olympic-club-us-womens-open">Alan Shipnuck, <em>Golf Digest</em>, 9 June 2021</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Parry</em> (which is used in fencing, as well as in other applications) was borrowed from French <em>parer</em>, meaning "to ward off" or "to avert," and may specifically have come directly from the plural <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imperative">imperative</a> form of that word, <em>parez</em>. The French likely borrowed the word from Italian <em>parare</em>, meaning "to prepare, adorn, avert, shield, keep out." That word's source is Latin <em>parāre</em>, mea