Word of the Day : January 31, 2018

irrupt \ih-RUPT\ verb

Definition

1 : to rush in forcibly or violently

2 : (of a natural population) to undergo a sudden upsurge in numbers especially when natural ecological balances and checks are disturbed

3 : to become active or violent especially suddenly : erupt

Did You Know?

Irrupt and erupt have existed side-by-side since the former entered the English language in the 1800s (erupt had been a part of the language for over two centuries at that point). Both are descendants of the Latin verb rumpere, which means "to break," but irrupt has affixed to it the prefix ir- (in the sense "into") while erupt begins with the prefix e- (meaning "out"). So "to irrupt" was originally to rush in, and "to erupt" was to burst out. But it's sometimes hard to distinguish the precise direction of a violent rush, and irrupt came to be used as a synonym of erupt in the senses "to become active or violent especially suddenly" and "to break forth."

Learn a new word every day, delivered to your inbox!

Test Your Vocabulary



  January 2018 Words of the Day Quiz






    Which of these is a synonym of bespoke?




                                  attractive
                                  custom-made
                                  convoluted
                                  silent







    Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
    TAKE THE QUIZ





    Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
    TAKE THE QUIZ

Aired January 31, 2018

All Merriam-Webster content is available at www.merriam-webster.com