ungainly

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 13, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>ungainly</strong> &#149; \un-GAYN-lee\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><strong>1 a :</strong> lacking in smoothness or dexterity <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clumsy">clumsy</a></p> <p><strong>b :</strong> hard to handle <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unwieldy">unwieldy</a></p> <p><strong>2 :</strong> having an awkward appearance</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Hayes first set eyes on 'Seneca,' when he was an <em>ungainly</em> yearling. Now 12, he's developed strength and coordination with good training, but he never outgrew that awkwardness." — <a href="https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/morgan-quietude-seneca-rocks-knows-no-limits">Amber Heintzberger, <em>The Chronicle of the Horse</em>, 5 Feb. 2021</a></p> <p>"With an oddly elevated hood and body that seems too tall and narrow, this Cadillac is a bit <em>ungainly</em>, reminding me of a smaller vehicle dressed in a fat suit." — <a href="https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/reviews/2021-cadillac-xt5-review/">Craig Cole, <em>CNET Roadshow</em>, 12 Jan. 2021</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>What do you have to gain by knowing the root of <em>ungainly</em>? Plenty. The <em>gain</em> in <em>ungainly</em> is an obsolete English adjective meaning "direct" that is ultimately derived from the Old Norse preposition <em>gegn</em>, meaning "against." (It is unrelated to the noun in "economic <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gain#h1">gains</a>" or the verb in "<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gain#h2">gain</a> an advantage"; those came to English by way of Anglo-French and are related to an Old High German word meaning "to hunt for food.") <em>Ungainly</em> can describe someone who is