Word of the Day

: March 31, 2008

vivacious

adjective vuh-VAY-shus

What It Means

: lively in temper, conduct, or spirit : sprightly

vivacious in Context

The hostess was a pretty, vivacious woman with a knack for making people feel comfortable.

Did You Know?

It's no surprise that "vivacious" means "full of life," since it can be traced back to the Latin verb "vivere," meaning "to live." The word was created around the mid-17th century using the Latin adjective "vivax," meaning "long-lived, vigorous, high-spirited." Other descendants of "vivere" in English include "survive," "revive," and "victual" -- all of which came to life during the 15th century -- and "vivid" and "convivial," both of which surfaced around the same time as "vivacious." Somewhat surprisingly, the word "live" is not related; it comes to us from the Old English word "libban."