Word of the Day: notch

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 25, 2016 is:

notch • \NAHTCH\  • noun

1 a : a V-shaped indentation

b : a slit made to serve as a record

c : a rounded indentation cut into the pages of a book on the edge opposite the spine

2 : a deep close pass : gap

3 : degree , step

Examples:

The angle of the futon can be adjusted by inserting the pin into one of three notches .

"You're about to start a race or step onstage, and you want to knock it out of the park. … Revving up … is pretty easy: Do a few jumping jacks, or whatever gets your blood pumping. Need to take things down a notch  (or 20)? Inhale deeply. Research shows that it can significantly calm you down." — Jeanine Detz, Self , July/August 2016

Did you know?

Occasionally, you might hear a child ask for a "napple," as in "I would like a napple," mistaking the phrase "an apple" for "a napple." A similar error is believed to be behind notch , which may have resulted from a misdivision of "an otch." (Otch is a noun that is assumed to have existed in earlier English as a borrowing of Middle French oche , meaning "an incision made to keep a record.") Notch would not be alone in developing from such a mistake. The words newt and nickname were formed, respectively, from misdivisions of "an ewte" and "an ekename." Going in the other direction, umpire first appears in Middle English as oumpere , a mistaken rendering of "a noumpere."

Aired August 25, 2016

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