Wiktionary:Word of the day/FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Wiktionary’s Word of the Day

Why are “foreign words” featured as English words of the day?

Throughout its history, the English language has absorbed words and phrases from foreign languages. Here are some examples:

• ballet and champagne (borrowed from French).
• ramen (borrowed from Japanese ラーメン, itself borrowed from Mandarin 拉麵 / 拉面 (lāmiàn, “pulled noodles”)).
• rooibos (borrowed from Afrikaans).
• schadenfreude (borrowed from German).
• spaghetti (borrowed from Italian).

Once a foreign word has become established in English texts and is no longer treated as foreign, then it is rightly regarded as an English word even though it may “look foreign” due to different pronunciation or spelling conventions. Thus, there is no reason why such a word should not be featured on Word of the Day.

Why is today’s “Word of the Day” not a word but a phrase?

Well, the point of the “Word of the Day” on the Main Page is to feature interesting terms in the Wiktionary, which includes not just single or hyphenated words but also multiword terms. We could rename it “Term of the Day” but arguably that isn’t as catchy!