WORD OF THE DAY 4/25/2003

maladroit \mal-uh-DROYT\, adjective:
Lacking adroitness; clumsy; awkward; unskillful; inept.

Do you know someone who... loves quiet conversations about feelings or ideas, and can give a dynamite presentation to a big audience, but seems awkward in groups and maladroit at small talk?
--Jonathan Rauch, 'Caring for Your Introvert,' [1]The Atlantic, March 2003

Dodging these equally maladroit skiers in a small area is pretty tough going -- especially when our few seconds of downhill glory are followed by minutes spent in an ungainly queue as learners, by and large, fail to connect with the drag lift.
--Gwyn Topham, 'Skiing is for show-offs,' [2]The Guardian, January 28, 2003

And she has been battling the perception that she is a maladroit campaigner prone to missteps amid New York's complex ethnic politics.
--Martha T. Moore, 'Clinton leans on old ideas, unveils new,' [3]USA Today, February 7, 2000

There was a time when the Left stood up for the underdog-for the worker against the boss, the maladroit against the polished, the lone individual against the state.
--John Derbyshire, 'Elian Nation - He makes our battlefield plain as day,' [4]National Review, May 22, 2000
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Maladroit comes from French, from mal-, 'badly' + adroit, from à droit, 'properly,' from à, 'to' (from Latin ad) + droit, 'right,' from Latin directus, 'straight, direct,' past participle of dirigere, 'to lead or guide.