baleful

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The Word of the Day for July 27 is:

baleful   \BAIL-ful\   adjective 
     1 : deadly or pernicious in influence 
   *2 : foreboding or threatening evil 

Example sentence: 
     "What are you doing here?" I heard someone hiss, and I whirled around to 
see Sandra giving me a baleful glare. 

Did you know? 
     The "bale" of "baleful" comes from the Old English "bealu" ("evil"), and 
the "bane" of the similar-looking "baneful" comes from the Old English "bana" 
("slayer, murderer"). "Baleful" and "baneful" are alike in meaning as well as 
appearance, and they are sometimes used in quite similar contexts -- but they 
usually differ in emphasis. "Baleful" typically describes what threatens or 
portends evil (e.g., "a baleful look," "baleful predictions"). "Baneful" 
applies typically to what causes evil or destruction (e.g., "a baneful secret," 
"the baneful bite of the serpent"). Both words are used to modify terms like 
"influence," "effect," and "result," and in such uses there is little that 
distinguishes them. 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.