incumbent

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>incumbent</strong> &#149; \in-KUM-bunt\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><strong>1 :</strong> the holder of an office or <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ecclesiastical">ecclesiastical</a> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/benefice">benefice</a></p> <p><strong>2 :</strong> one that occupies a particular position or place</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"She also acknowledged a likelihood of having two relatively underfunded challengers take on the <em>incumbent</em> in a compressed election season with limited venues for campaigning." — <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/elections/2020/06/12/pasco-school-board-chairwoman-colleen-beaudoin-wins-a-second-term/">Jeffrey S. Solochek, <em>The Tampa Bay (Florida) Times</em>, 12 June 2020</a></p> <p>"The <em>incumbents</em> for the Fayetteville and Rogers school boards all secured their seats for another term, while another <em>incumbent</em> in Fort Smith was defeated, according to final, unofficial results from Tuesday's school election." — <a href="https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/may/19/northwest-arkansas-incumbents-win-additional/?elections">Mary Jordan and Thomas Saccente, <em>The (Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat-Gazette</em>, 19 May 2021</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>When <em>incumbent</em> was first used in English in the 15th century, it referred to someone who occupied a <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/benefice">benefice</a>—a paid position in a church. This was often a lifetime appointment; the person could only be forced to leave the office in the case of certain specific legal conflicts. In the mid-17th century, <em>incumbent</em> came to refer to anyone holding any office, including elected positions. In the