It's Merriam-Webster's word of the day for January 22nd.

Today's word is today's word is sarcasm, spelled S-A-R-C-A-G-N-G-G-N-G-G-N-G-G-G-N-G-G-G-G-T-G-G-T-R-C-A-S-M.

S-A-N-N-It refers to the use of words that mean one thing to communicate the

exact opposite of that thing, especially to insult someone thing to

insult someone to show irritation or to be funny.

Here's the word used in a sentence from The Beatles and Humor.

Without a doubt the Beatles longevity is connected to the Beatles and humor.

Without a doubt the Beatles longevity is connected to their collective sense of humor as well

as other comic, comedic, and playful elements present in their musical cinematic and other

visual texts.

Four parts made a whole with each member of the band versed in the comedic tools of irony,

sarcasm, wordplay, and even nonsense.

Painful as it can be, a remarkable of cutting sarcasm offers insight into the origins of the word.

Sarcasm traces back to the Greek verb Sarkazain, meaning to jeer at while biting the lips.

Evidence is scant, but there is some suggestion that Sarcazine may have had a fiercer original meaning to bite

or strip off flesh.

Between Sarkazine and the word we know today came the Greek noun Sarcasmos, meaning a sneering or hurtful remark,

iterations of which passed through French and late Latin, before arriving in English as sarcasm in the early 17th century.

The adjective form sarcastic arrived a few decades later.

With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski. Visit Marion Webster.com today, for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.