word of the day, golem.

 in the middle ages, golems were thought to be the perfect servants; their only fault was that they were sometimes too literal or mechanical in fulfilling their masters’ orders. in the 16th century, the golem was thought of as a protector of the jews in times of persecution. but following its entrance into english, golem acquired a less friendly second sense, referring to a man-made monster that inspired many of the back-from-the-dead creations of classic horror fiction.