flippant

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The Word of the Day for November 13 is:

flippant   \FLIP-unt\   adjective 
     : lacking proper respect or seriousness 

Example sentence: 
     The young attorney reddened when she realized the reply she'd just given 
the frowning judge bordered on flippant.

Did you know? 
     "Flippant" was probably created from the verb "flip," which in turn likely 
originated as an imitation of the sound of something flipping. Among early 
senses of the adjective were "nimble" and "limber." One could be flippant not 
only on one's feet, but also in speech; that is, someone "flippant" might have 
a capacity for easy, flowing speech. But people who speak freely and easily can 
sometimes seem too talkative, even impertinent, and from the beginning 
"flippant" referred to such overly glib speech as well. By the end of the 18th 
century, the flip-flop was complete -- the positive sense of "flippant" had 
slipped from use, and the "disrespectful" sense had taken over.