disparate

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 27, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>disparate</strong> &#149; \DISS-puh-rut\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Disparate</em> things are noticeably <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distinct">distinct</a> in quality or character. <em>Disparate</em> can also describe something that contains or is made up of fundamentally different and often <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incongruous">incongruous</a> elements.</p> <p>// The proposed law has the support of a <em>disparate</em> collection of interest groups.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disparate">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"The season finale of <em>Andor</em> does a brilliant job of tying together all the <em>disparate</em> plot threads, but there is still more story left to tell." — Jacob Siegal, <em>BGR</em>, 27 Nov. 2022</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>If you enjoy sorting different objects into separate categories, you're well prepared to understand the origins of <em>disparate</em>. The word, which first appeared in English in the 16th century, comes from the Latin verb <em>disparāre</em>, meaning "to divide, separate off, make different." <em>Disparāre</em>, in turn, comes from <em>parāre</em>, a verb meaning "to supply, provide, make ready or prepare." Other descendants of <em>parāre</em> in English include both <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/separate"><em>separate</em></a> and <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prepare"><em>prepare</em></a>, as well as <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repair#h1"><em>repair</em></a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apparatus"><em>apparatus</em></a>, and even the pugnacious <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio