Day 1: Word of the Day

Cresendo, pronounced /kri-shen-do/, is primarily a music term, referring to a smooth increase in volume or to a passage containing such an increase containing such an increase. It is often represented by symbol <.

Enervate The verb to enervate is sometimes incorrectly used to mean ‘to energise’ or ‘ to irrirate’. In fact, it means to ‘to devitalise; to deprive of strength or energy’, and occurs most often in its present – or past-participle forms; the enervating hear; I feel enervated by the heat.

forte The correct pronunciation is /fort/: the word was adopted from French rather than Italian, and /fort/ seems to be the favoured pronunciation in North America. But in British English, /for-tay/ and /for-ti/ are more common, and widely accepted.

genealogy Note the spelling and pronunciation: -alogy not -ology;

glower The correct pronunciation is: /glowr/, to rhyme with power;