Word Woman

Welcome to another spine-tingling episode of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! Your brain is meant to last a lifetime, so keep it in good working order by doing mental exercises like crossword puzzles, cryptograms and sudoku. Or you could expand your vocabulary by learning new words, like the Word of the Week:

Insouciance: (in-soo-see-ants) [noun]

lighthearted unconcern ; nonchalance

French, from in- + soucier to trouble, disturb, from Old French, from Latin sollicitare — more at solicit

First Known Use: 1799

-- "insouciance", http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insouciance , 4/28/11.

Example: Grant's persistent insouciance toward the editor's stated deadlines for copy resulted in his reassignment as foreign correspondent to Burkina Faso.