inculcate

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 21, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>inculcate</strong> &#149; \in-KUL-kayt\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><strong>:</strong> to teach and impress by frequent repetitions or <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admonition">admonitions</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"[Edgar Allan Poe] was in general not a <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/didactic">didactic</a> writer; in fact, he criticized stories and poems that sought to <em>inculcate</em> virtue and convey the truth." — <a href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-0513-edgar-allan-poe-coronavirus-pandemics-20200512-qygmt66olrhldgaed2u5aqkz5m-story.html">Paul Lewis, <em>The Baltimore Sun</em>, 12 May 2020</a></p> <p>"Dogs like routine.... They know when it is time for dinner, time for a walk. And if you have not <em>inculcated</em> these types of routines for them, some dogs will have anxiety when they are alone." — <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/17/nation/during-coronavirus-pandemic-another-fever-spreads-puppies/">Dr. Terri Bright, quoted in <em>The Boston Globe</em>, 17 Apr. 2020</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Inculcate</em> derives from the past participle of the Latin verb <em>inculcare</em>, meaning "to tread on." In Latin, <em>inculcare</em> possesses both literal and figurative meanings, referring to either the act of walking over something or to that of impressing something upon the mind, often by way of steady repetition. It is the figurative sense that survives with <em>inculcate</em>, which was first used in English in the 16th century. <em>Inculcare</em> was formed in Latin by combining the prefix <em>in</em>- with <em>calcare</em>, meaning "to trample," and ultimately derives from the noun <em>calx</em>, "heel."</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>