What do today’s Quordle #95 words mean?  Definition and origin of ‘stave,’ ‘louse’ and more explored for April 29 edition

Quordle has been around for about three months now. The new word game, which comes in the form of a new puzzle every day, requires users to devote four times the amount of work they have to put into Wordle, the popular word game that inspired the spinoff.

While games like Heardle, Actorle, Lewdle and Crosswordle follow a similar format to Wordle, they have their own set of unique features. On the other hand, Quordle is fairly similar to its predecessor in that the player does not have to do anything but guess words. They have to figure out four five-lettered words in nine tries. Bonus points if they can do it in fewer than nine tries.

Quordle was created by a group of Wordle fans who wanted to take the challenge further. The first version of the game was designed by engineer David Mah. which was then perfected and polished by Freddie Meyer into the version that we now know and love. The game is still gaining new players every day, so it is fair to say that difficult word combinations can still be confusing for many.

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Quordle #95 had uncommon words like ‘stave,’ ‘louse’

The answers for Quordle #95, Friday, April 29 were “never,” “stave,” “louse,” and “qualm.” While “never” is a much-used adverb that signifies an extreme degree of negation, such as not ever or not in any condition as per Merriam Webster, the other three words are not commonly heard in day-to-day conversations.

The word “stave” is used both as a noun and a verb. Per Merriam Webster, the noun “stave” is a narrow strip of wood or metal placed alongside each other to line the edges of a vessel. As a verb, the word has multiple meanings. It can either refer to hitting and making a hole in something, like a boat, or the act of taking something away or walking quickly. The word is derived from the plural of the Middle English word “staf” or “staff.”

"Louse," the noun, is the singular form of lice, which refers to several kinds of wingless insects or small arthropods. As a verb, “louse” is the act of removing lice. The word has etymological roots in different languages. It comes from the Middle English word “lous” which has derivations from words meaning "lice" in Old English, Old High German and Welsh.

The last word of the puzzle, “qualm," refers to a feeling of uneasiness that has to do with one’s conscience or a sudden feeling of disturbing emotion or a sudden attack of illness, or nausea, when used as a noun as per Merriam Webster. While the first known use of the word can be traced back to circa 1530, the origin of the word is not known.

These unusual words, even as they make for harder puzzles, keep the game fresh and interesting.