Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 1, 2010 is:

contrite • \kun-TRYTE\  • adjective
: feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or shortcoming

Examples:
Mom finally let Jamie off the hook for the prank when she believed he understood why she was angry and was truly contrite. "A contrite, clean-shaven Joaquin Phoenix returned to David Letterman and his 'Late Show' last night to confirm that his February 2009 dead man walking appearance was in fact a stunt. He apologized, and Letterman -- who seemed to suggest that he was not in on the ruse -- happily accepted the apology." -- From an article by Verne Gay in Newsday (New York), September 23, 2010

Did you know?
A person who is contrite may have rubbed someone the wrong way and caused bruised feelings -- and there is a hint about the origins of the word in that thought. "Contrite" came to English by way of Anglo-French from the Latin verb "conterere," meaning "to grind" or "to bruise." "Conterere," in turn, was formed by combining the prefix "com-" and "terere," meaning "to rub." If you've guessed that "trite" is a cousin of "contrite" (through "terere"), you are correct. Other "terere" descendants in English include "detriment" and "tribulation," and very possibly the familiar verb "try." Test Your Memory: What word completes this sentence from a recent Word of the Day: "We were delighted to discover a new community garden where ________ had been a trash-filled vacant lot"? The answer is ...

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