It's Merriam-Webster's word of the day for February 21st.

Today's word is Lampoon, spelled L-A-M-P-O-O-N.

Lampoon is a verb.

To Lampoon someone or something is to ridicule that person or thing, especially through the use of harsh satire.

Here's the word used in a sentence from Dead Line by Rosie Cordero.

An exciting element of this to me was the opportunity to completely lampoon entitled Hollywood celebrities.

Those celebrities out there who think that acting is the most important vocation in the world,

and that there's not an interesting conversation

unless it's about one of their future projects.

Jury duty actor James Marsden said with a laugh and without naming names. Lampoon can be a noun or a verb.

The noun lampoon meaning satire or specifically a harsh satire usually directed against

an individual was first used in English in the 17th century

and may be familiar from the names of humor publications such as the Harvard Lampoon and its

now defunct spin-off national Lampoon. Both the noun

and the verb come from the French word Lompon which likely originated from

Lompon spelled with an S,

a form of the verb Lampede meaning to drink to the bottom.

So what is the connection?

Lampede meaning let us guzzle, that is, drink greedily, was a frequent refrain in 17th century

French satirical poems.

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

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