vaunted

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 23, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>vaunted</strong> &#149; \VAWN-tud\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><strong>:</strong> highly or widely praised or boasted about </p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>The team was able to overcome their opponents' <em>vaunted</em> defense and achieve an upset victory.</p> <p>"She's been known to include works by <em>vaunted</em> artists in her videos, and with her husband Jay-Z, she's built up an important collection of Black art." — <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/black-is-king-beyonce-artists-photographers-curators-1202695943/">Alex Greenberger, <em>Art News</em>, 3 Aug. 2020</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>The verb <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaunt">vaunt</a></em> has been used since the 15th century with the meaning "to make a vain display of one's own worth or attainments"—in other words, "to brag or boast." Over time, <em>vaunt</em> developed the meaning "to boast of (something)," as in "the promotional flier vaunts the natural beauty of the area," and gave rise to the adjectival form <em>vaunted</em>. The history of <em>vaunt</em> and <em>vaunted</em> leads back to the Latin word <em>vānus</em>, meaning "vain" or "empty." The word <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vain">vain</a></em> itself is also a descendant of <em>vānus</em>.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>