Word of the Day Wednesday

Another Wednesday, another Word of the Day Wednesday! What word will we have today from Merriam-Webster? Well, I was hoping for something exotic, but alas the dictionary has given us, Vulnerable!

Vulnerable: \VUL-nuh-ruh-bul\: 1. capable of being physically or emotionally wounded 2. open to attack or damage : assailable

Example sentence: Children and the elderly are more vulnerable to illness and disease than the general population.

Did you know?
"Vulnerable" is ultimately derived from the Latin noun "vulnus" ("wound"). "Vulnus" led to the Latin verb "vulnerare," meaning "to wound," and then to the Late Latin adjective "vulnerabilis," which became "vulnerable" in English in the early 1600s. "Vulnerable" originally meant "capable of being physically wounded" or "having the power to wound" (the latter is now obsolete), but since the late 1600s, it has also been used figuratively to suggest a defenselessness against non-physical attacks. In other words, someone (or something) can be vulnerable to criticism or failure as well as to literal wounding. When it is used figuratively, "vulnerable" is often followed by the preposition "to."

Thanks to Merriam-Webster Dictionary online for all this delicious information!