The word of the day is acquiesce, a verb that means to accept, agree with, or allow something to happen by staying silent or not arguing. It is a somewhat formal word that is often used with the prepositions in or to. The professor in the example eventually agreed to the students' request by staying silent, which is an example of acquiescing. The word can be used in various contexts, such as in the example from Slate, where it is used to describe whether beef-clinging purists will accept a chicken burger as a significant stop on the American burger's evolution. The word has a gentle, formal flair and can add a touch of sophistication to speech. The word acquiesce comes from the Latin verb quiēscere, which means to be quiet, and has been used in English since the early 1600s. Initially, the word had two senses, one of which is now obsolete, meaning to rest satisfied. Herman Melville used the word in his novel Moby-Dick to describe how Starbuck and his crew quietly followed Ahab's orders. The word is related to the word quiet, which also comes from the same Latin root. Overall, acquiesce is a useful word to know for those looking to add a touch of formality to their language.