appurtenance

Pronounced: uh-PURR-tin-uhns, noun

Notes: This is a word I came across in my reading (Death in the Clouds, by Agatha Christie). It is usually found as a plural

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Yesterday’s word

The word diktat means

• a harsh settlement unilaterally imposed (as upon a defeated nation)
• decree, order

Background

If, like me, you saw dictate or dictator in the word, you’re on the right track. They all come from Latin dictare (to assert or to dictate), but diktat came via German where it meant “something dictated”. Prince Wilhelm of Germany first started to use this word to refer to the Treaty of Versailles (when I read the definition, I immediately thought of this treaty, as many people believe its harsh terms led to the rise of Hitler and World War II). Today, the word can be a critical term for even a minor regulation that one believes to be unfair or authoritarian.

First usage

This word showed up in the 1930s (as you’d expect, given the background)

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Rejected word

duopoly: I correctly worked out the meaning of this word