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misericord

Pronounced: mih-ZER-ih-kord (alt: muh-ZER-ih-kord), noun Notes: I saw “miser” and thought our word was related to a miser (boy, was I wrong!) Yesterday’s word The word anchorite means “a person who lives in seclusion usually for religious reasons” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1400s Background / Comments Our word came…

anchorite

Pronounced: ANG-kuh-rite, noun Notes: another new word for me Yesterday’s phrase The phrase mouse potato is “someone who lives a sedentary life, spending much of his free time playing computer games, surfing the net, streaming videos, etc” First usage Our phrase came into English in the 1990s Background / Comments Our phrase came from “couch…

mouse potato

Pronounced: MAUS-puh-tay-toe Notes: I have not heard this phrase, but I should have guessed the meaning Yesterday’s word The word erumpent means “bursting forth” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments When our word first came into English, it had scientific meaning related to fungi – “tending to burst…

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