Skip to main content

Word of the Day – Zugzwang

By June 22, 2025Word of the Day

Zugzwang (noun)

zug-zwang

A situation in which a player is limited to moves that cost pieces or have a damaging positional effect.

First recorded in 1900–05; from German, equivalent to Zug “move, pull” + Zwang “constraint, obligation”

Example sentences

“Her situation was bleak and approaching zugzwang as none of her pieces can move without material loss.”

Word of the Day – Chary

| Word of the Day | No Comments
Word of the Day - Chary (adj) chah-ree

Word of the Day – Reticent

| Word of the Day | No Comments
Word of the Day - Reticent (adj) ret-is-ent

Word of the Day – Calefaction

| Word of the Day | No Comments
Word of the Day - Calefaction (noun) kal-uh-fak-shun

Word of the Day – Ascribe

| Word of the Day | No Comments
Word of the Day - Ascribe (verb) as-krihb

Word of the Day – Boondoggle

| Word of the Day | No Comments
Word of the Day - Boondoggle (noun) boon-dog-uhl

Word of the Day – Perturbation

| Word of the Day | No Comments
Word of the Day - Perturbation (noun) per-ter-bay-shun

Word of the Day – Gauche

| Word of the Day | No Comments
Word of the Day - Gauche (adj) goh-sh

Word of the Day – Veracity

| Word of the Day | No Comments
Word of the Day - Veracity (noun) ve-ras-i-tee

Word of the Day – Emblem

| Word of the Day | No Comments
Word of the Day - Emblem (noun) em-blum