mansuetude

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The Word of the Day for June 17 is:

mansuetude   \MAN-swih-tood\   noun
     : the quality or state of being gentle : meekness, tameness

Example sentence:
     Stella's kitten may give off an air of mansuetude, but 
don't be fooled -- it will scratch you if you get too close.

Did you know?
     "Mansuetude" was first used in English in the 14th century, 
and it derives from the Latin verb "mansuescere," which 
means "to tame." "Mansuescere" itself comes from the 
noun "manus" (meaning "hand") and the verb "suescere" ("to 
accustom" or "to become accustomed"). Unlike "manus," which has 
many English descendants  (including "manner," "emancipate," 
and "manicure"), "suescere" has only a few English progeny. One 
of them is "desuetude" (meaning "disuse"), which comes to us by 
way of Latin "desuescere" ("to become unaccustomed"). Another 
is "custom," which derives via Anglo-French from 
Latin "consuescere" ("to accustom").