It's the Word of the Day for June 14th.

Today's word is emblazum spelled E-M-B-L-A-Z-O-N.

Emblazin is a verb. To emblazine something is to decorate its surface, usually with a name,

slogan, or picture. Here's the word used in a sentence from all that glitters, a story of

friendship fraud and fine art by Orlando Whitfield. Later that week, we were boarding our flight,

with the painting secured in an enormous case,

with a toothy, bespectacled cartoon squirrel emblazoned on the back, and a speech bubble that read,

I'm just nuts about puzzles. Blazen is a less commonly used synonym of the more familiar

coat of arms. Both centuries-old terms refer to heraldic designs,

symbols, and other imagery, think crosses, lions, or stripes, that typically appear on banners,

shields, armor, and elsewhere. The verb form of blazon, meaning to depict heraldic figures or designs in drawing or engraving,

and emblazoned to inscribe or adorn with or as if with heraldic figures or designs,

came into use around the same time in the late 1500s, from the French spoken in medieval England.

The word heraldry, also ultimately from Anglo-French,

came into use then, too. Emblazon still refers to marking something with an emblem of heraldry,

but it's now more often used for adorning or publicizing something in any conspicuous way,

whether with eye-catching decoration or colorful words of praise.

With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.

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