prowess

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 2, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>prowess</strong> &#149; \PROW-us\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Prowess</em> refers to someone’s great ability, skill, or talent for something specified, as in “the pop star's vocal prowess” or “a lawyer of great prowess.” </p> <p>// Already a proven virtuoso on guitar, she extends her considerable instrumental <em>prowess</em> to the piano throughout her new album as well.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prowess">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“Asa Phillip Randolph led a successful 10-year campaign starting in 1925 to unionize the all-Black male service staff of the Pullman sleeping cars, which were passenger trains with sleeping accommodations. The union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, was the first Black American labor union to sign a collective bargaining agreement with a major U.S. corporation. Randolph’s organizing <em>prowess</em> also led him to plan the March on Washington years before the 1963 march that became historically known.” — Malaika Jabali, <em>Essence</em>, 5 Sept. 2022</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Prowess</em> is a word with a lot to be proud of. Not only has it performed gallantly for the English language since the 13th century, but it has stayed relatively <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalwart">stalwart</a> in hewing to its original meaning, which is quite a <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flex#dictionary-entry-2">flex</a>. When <em>prowess</em> first joined the ranks of the lexicon, it could be used to refer to bravery, skill, and valor—especially those virtues as encountered in military contexts—or to individual acts of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derring-do">derring-do</a>. The latter wa