hirsute

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 15, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>hirsute</strong> &#149; \HER-soot\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Hirsute</em> is a formal word that means “hairy.” It is also often used in humorous contexts to describe someone with a lot of hair on their face or body. Botanists use <em>hirsute</em> to describe plant parts, such as leaves, that are covered in coarse, stiff hairs. </p> <p>// Turner wore a <em>hirsute</em> mask as part of his werewolf costume for the school play.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hirsute">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“Outfielder Reggie Jackson, as the story goes, arrived for spring training with a mustache. A few pitchers followed suit, thinking they all would need to shave. Instead, then-A’s owner Charlie Finley offered a $300 bonus to any player who grew a mustache. The result: A World Series between the <em>hirsute</em> A’s and clean-cut Reds was dubbed ‘The Hairs vs. The Squares.’” — Matt Kawahara, <em>SFChronicle.com</em>, 3 June 2022</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>If you’ve seen even one horror movie featuring a werewolf, you likely can recall the classic transformation scene of such films: tufts of hair sprouting from under cuffs and collars, some unfortunate soul’s head suddenly covered by a shaggy, full-face beard. It’s enough to make the hair stand up on the back of your own neck! Werewolves are common hirsute horror <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antagonist">antagonists</a>, which is fitting (unlike a werewolf’s clothes) since <em>hirsute</em> and <em>horror</em> share etymological roots. <em>Hirsute</em> entered English in the early 17th century with nearly the same spelling and exactly the same meaning as its Latin parent, <em>hirsutus</em>. <em>Hirsutus</em>, in turn,