Merriam-Webster Word of the Day - Instauration

WORD OF THE DAY February 10, 2018

instauration    noun | in-staw-RAY-shun     Definition   1 : restoration after decay, lapse, or dilapidation   2 : an act of instituting or establishing something   Scroll down for more about instauration       WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE   Advanced Vocabulary Quiz   Tough words and tougher competition.     PLAY NOW     Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE     Plus:   SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW!         Did You Know?   Instauration first appeared in English in the early 16th century, a product of the Latin verb instaurare, meaning "to renew or restore." This same source gave us our verb store, by way of Middle English and Anglo-French. After instauration broke into English, the philosopher Francis Bacon began writing his Instauratio Magna, which translates to The Great Instauration. This uncompleted collection of works, which was written in Latin, calls for a restoration to a state of paradise on earth, but one in which humankind is enlightened by knowledge and truth.     Examples of INSTAURATION   "Once, humanity dreamed of the great instauration—a rebirth of ancient wisdom that would compel us into a New Age…." — Knute Berger, Seattle Weekly, 14 Dec. 2005   "Showing that we can set quantifiable and therefore measurable standards for a program's performance does indeed make possible the instauration of market dynamics with respect to outcomes for our students and for society at large." — Carlos J. Alonso, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 12 Dec. 2010   Test Your Vocabulary   Fill in the blanks to complete a noun that refers to the restoration of something to its rightful owner: r _ s _ i _ _ ti _ n.   VIEW THE ANSWER           USAGE NOTES     'Free Rein' or 'Free Reign'?   The phrase does not make you king or queen for the day.   FIND OUT

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