arboreal

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 28, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>arboreal</strong> &#149; \ahr-BOR-ee-ul\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Arboreal</em> is a literary term that means “of or relating to trees.” It can also mean “living in or often found in trees,” as in “arboreal monkeys.”</p> <p>// Despite taking weekly hikes on the same trail, she never ceases to be amazed by the forest’s <em>arboreal</em> beauty.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arboreal">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“[The satanic leaf-tailed gecko's] mottled brown skin, replete with mossy splotches and vein-like ridges, makes it the perfect imitation of a decaying leaf. Any predator clever enough to see through its <em>arboreal</em> disguise and mount an attack will be in for a fright. The leafy gecko opens its mouth, sticking out a blood-red tongue and unleashing a chilling scream that will frighten off the boldest of predators.” — Holly Barker, <em>Discover Magazine</em>, 7 Oct. 2022</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Arboreal</em> took root in English in the 17th century, at a time when language influencers were eager to see English take on words from Latin and Greek. Apparently unsatisfied with the now-obsolete word <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/treen"><em>treen</em></a> (“of, relating to, or derived from trees”), they plucked <em>arboreal</em> from the Latin <em>arboreus</em>, meaning “of a tree”; its ultimate root is <em>arbor</em>, meaning “tree.” That root <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arborize">arborized</a>—that is, branched freely (to use the term figuratively): English abounds with largely obscure words that trace back to <em>arbor</em>, meaning “tree.” Generally synonymous with <em>arboreal</em> are <a href="https://www.merriam