tenebrous

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 23, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>tenebrous</strong> &#149; \TEN-uh-brus\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Tenebrous</em> is a formal word that is often used as a synonym of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gloomy"><em>gloomy</em></a>. It also can be used to describe dark, unlit places (as in “the tenebrous abyss”) or things that are difficult to understand (as in “a tenebrous tangle of lies”). </p> <p>// The neighborhood children made sure never to approach the abandoned mansion, which sat <em>tenebrous</em> and foreboding at the top of the hill.</p> <p>// A horror film seems incomplete without someone running through a <em>tenebrous</em> forest or alley. </p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenebrous">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“On the heels of Greig Fraser’s spectacular work on <em>Dune</em>, the cinematographer gives the film a moody, <em>tenebrous</em> look to match the tortured pit of Batman’s soul, and production designer James Chinlund’s world-building is first-rate, weaving together elements from real cities and sets to form a Gotham that resembles New York while establishing its own gritty, gothic identity, pulsing with menace and mystery.” — David Rooney, <em>The Hollywood Reporter</em>, 28 Feb. 2022</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Tenebrous</em> can mean both “obscure” and “murky,” but its history is crystal clear. Etymologists know that the word comes from the Latin noun <em>tenebrae</em>, meaning “darkness.” <em>Tenebrous</em> has been used in English since the 15th century, and in subsequent centuries has been joined by some interesting and even less common relations. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenebrionid"><em>Tenebrionid</em></a> is the name that may be gi