facile

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Introducing WORD SWEEP!, the first board game to feature Merriam-Webster=
 definitions! Enjoy hours of challenging fun. Try it at:
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The Word of the Day for January 3 is:=20

facile   \FASS-ul\   adjective
          1 a : easily accomplished, handled, or attained  *b : shallow,=
 superficial=20
     2 a : ready, fluent  b : poised, assured=20

Example sentence:
          The book is well-organized, but the author's conclusions are u=
nduly facile.=20

Did you know?
          Would you have guessed that "facile" and "difficult" are relat=
ed? They are! "Facile" comes to us through Middle French, from the Latin=
 word "facilis," meaning "easy," and ultimately from "facere," meaning "=
to make or do." "Difficult" traces to "facilis" as well, but its history=
 also involves the negative prefix "dis-," meaning "not." "Facile" can m=
ean "easy" or "easily done," as befits its Latin roots, but it now often=
 adds the connotation of undue haste or shallowness, as in "facile answe=
rs to complex questions."=20





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