vouchsafe

*****************************************************************
Calling all new word spotters! Now there's a forum for your
lexical discoveries--join Merriam-Webster Unabridged today! 
http://www.merriam-webster.com/premium/
*****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for June 28 is:

vouchsafe   \vouch-SAYF\   verb
    *1 a : to grant or furnish often in a gracious or 
condescending manner b : to give by way of reply 
     2 : to grant as a privilege or special favor

Example sentence:
     "If he passed near enough to speak ... a 'Morning, Miss 
Grey,' or some such brief salutation, was usually vouchsafed." 
(Anne Bronte, _Agnes Grey_)

Did you know?
     Shakespeare fans are well acquainted with "vouchsafe." The 
word, which was borrowed with its present meaning from Anglo-
French in the 14th century, pops up fairly frequently in the 
Bard's work. (60 times, to be exact!) "Vouchsafe me yet your 
picture for my love," beseeches Proteus of Silvia in _The Two 
Gentlemen of Verona_. "Vouchsafe me raiment, bed, and food," 
King Lear begs his daughter Regan. But you needn't turn to 
Shakespeare to find "vouchsafe." The daily papers will do. 
Here's one example: "He hoped to actually witness an eagle 
catching a fox. This was not vouchsafed to him on that first 
trip. . . ." (John Derbyshire, _Washington Times_, January 4, 
2004).  

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.