Words of the Day

'nary' : hardly, none at all

1746, alteration of ne'er a, short for never a.

- The adjoining door eased open with nary a creak. Orange light from the candles spilled across Ravenwood’s chiseled face. She swallowed. (Ridley - The Duke's Accidental Wife)

- They discussed the day's lading schedule "unloading lumber and potassium from New Brunswick, loading rum and sugar bound for Boston", but nary a syllable was spoken of the volcano, even though its rumblings continued to make it impossible to ignore. (Cussler - Piranha)

ni‧hil‧is‧m /ˈnaɪəlɪzəm/ noun [uncountable]  

1 the belief that nothing has any meaning or value

2 the idea that all social and political institutions should be destroyed

- ‘A nihilist,’ pronounced Nikolay Petrovich. ‘That comes from the Latin
nihil, nothing, in so far as I can make out. So the word must mean a man
who… who acknowledges nothing, mustn’t it?’ (Turgenev - Fathers and Sons)

- Together with our communities, we can explore the possibility of moral reform. The
flexibility of morality does not condemn us to an anything-goes moral
nihilism. It frees us from intolerance and moral stagnation and allows us
to improve on what we have. (Prinz - Human nature)

'morbid fear of disease'

cf. nosology, 'science of diseases'

Ex.

- Both of them were associated with a religious movement: Hughes to the Mormons, and Fischer to the Worldwide Church of God. Of course, there were also differences. Fischer had no nosophobia and only little money. (Timman - Titans)