meticulous

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 16, 2008 is: meticulous • \muh-TIK-yuh-lus\ • adjective : marked by extreme or excessive care in the consideration or treatment of details Examples: Brianna will excel as a proofreader because she is meticulous by nature. Did you know? It may surprise you to learn that "meticulous" is derived from the Latin word for "fearful" -- "meticulosus" -- and ultimately comes from the Latin noun "metus," meaning "fear." Although "meticulous" currently has no "fearful" meanings, it was originally used as a synonym of "frightened" and "timid." This sense had fallen into disuse by 1700, and in the 19th century "meticulous" acquired a new sense of "overly and timidly careful" (probably influenced by the French word "méticuleux"). This in turn led to the current meaning of "painstakingly careful," with no connotations of fear at all. The newest use was controversial among some usage commentators at first, but it has since become by far the most common meaning and is no longer considered an error. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.