epistemic
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

epistemic

B2Upper-intermediateSeptember 30, 20261 min
  • Language learning

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 30, 2026 is: epistemic \ep-uh-STEE-mik\ adjective See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Sentence 2 of 12 · 0:12

It's the Word of the Day podcast for September 30th.

, , .

Epistemic is an adjective.

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B2

B2 · Upper-intermediate

Comfortable if you already follow TV news

A1 33%A2 17%B1 25%B2 25%C1 0%
  • 75% of the words are B1 or easier.
  • 110 words a minute: slow, clear speech.
  • 7 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

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0:00

It's the Word of the Day podcast for September 30th. Today's word is epistemic, also pronounced epistemic, and spelled E-P-I-S-T-E-M-I-C. Epistemic is an adjective. It means of or relating to knowledge or knowing.

0:25

the word used in a sentence from The New Yorker by Brady Brigner Wood. Is a novel's primary purpose to entertain or to deepen our experience of being alive, to offer escape or epistemic enrichment? If you're not in the know about the history of the word epistemic, allow us to enlighten

0:46

you. The term's root is the Greek word episteme, meaning skill, expertise, knowledge, and specifically scientific knowledge as opposed to practical skill. Episteme in turn comes from the verb episteme meaning to have the skill to know how to

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