Word of the Day
: January 28, 2020diligent
playWhat It Means
: characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort : painstaking
diligent in Context
After many hours of diligent research, the students were ready to compile their results.
"Being informed and diligent is a better investing strategy than no strategy at all. And it keeps us from 'acting ridiculously' at just the wrong time." — Nancy Tengler, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2019
Did You Know?
You're more likely to be diligent about something if you love doing it. The etymology of diligent reflects the fact that affection can lead to energetic effort. The word, which entered English in the 14th century by way of Anglo-French, descends from the Latin verb diligere, meaning "to value or esteem highly" or "to love." The Latin diligere was formed by adding the di- prefix (from dis-, "apart") to the verb legere, an ancestor of the English legend, meaning "to gather, select" or "to read." Of course, you don't need to care for the task at hand in order to be diligent, but it certainly does help!
