It's the Word of the Day podcast for February 5th.

Today's word is canard, spelled C-A-N-A-R-D.

Canard is a noun. It refers to a false report or story or to a belief or rumor that isn't true. It can also refer to a kind of

airplane as well as to a kind of small airfoil. Here's the word used in a sentence from the Atlantic

quoting Kara Swisher. It's such a canard to think young people don't care about great information. They do.

We have to start thinking as media of where they're getting it.

In 16th century France, Vendres de canard a motier was a colorful way of saying to fool or to cheat.

The French phrase means literally to half-sell ducks. No one now knows just what was

meant by to half-sell. The saying was probably based on some story widely known at the time,

but the details have not survived. Lost stories aside, the expression led to the use of the word

canard. It's the French word for duck,

to refer to a hoax or fabrication. English speakers adopted this canard in the mid-1800s. The aeronautical

sense of canard used from the early days of flying comes from the stubby, duck-like appearance

of the aircraft. With your word of the day,

I'm Peter Sokolowski.

Visit Miriamwebster.com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.