Word of the Day - Puny.

Our dear old friend, the Mirriam - Webster Online Dictionary, tells us the following:

Main Entry: pu·ny

Pronunciation: \ˈpyü-nē\

Function: adjective

Inflected Form(s): pu·ni·er; pu·ni·est

Etymology: Anglo-French puisné younger, weakly, literally, born afterward, from puis afterward + né born

Date: 1593

: slight or inferior in power, size, or importance : weak

— pu·ni·ly \ˈpyü-nə-lē\ adverb

— pu·ni·ness \ˈpyü-nē-nəs\ noun

As a child of parents from the south, the word puny was used in all kinds of ways. Examples of these are : "My that child is puny lookin'." "Those flowers are lookin' a bit puny." "Are you feelin' puny today?" Frankly, the word sounds much more funny with a Southern accent attached to it. ;) I hadn't used this word in a long time and I read it somewhere and boy did I start laughing. Again, like the timeless jewel "Smarmy", "puny" is starting to rank up on the top of the list as my all time favorite words. Maybe you use this word much more often than I, but I truly feel it is a classic. So today, instead of learning a new word (and if you had not known this word before than great, you kill two birds with one stone. ;) ), let us resurrect some of those oldies-but-goodies and reincorporate them into our language. Yes you'll be looked at funny. Yes, you'll probably giggle the first time you use it, but rest assured, you will have done your part to preserve the English language today. Speak on little soldiers!