parting shot

Pronounced: Really? (just as it looks)

Notes: I assume that you know this phrase; I know it also, but I did not know the origin, which was interesting enough that I included this word. Interestingly enough, the background of this word reveals the background of another word (kind of a 2-for-1)

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Yesterday’s Word

The word eventuate means “to come out finally : result, come about”.

Background / Comments

The word comes from Latin eventus (event), which in turn comes from the Latin verb evenire (to happen). I should have been able to figure this out, as it is clearly related to eventually. This word first came out in America and was looked down upon by English purists — a British commentator called it “another horrible word, which is fast getting into our language through the provincial press”. Even some Americans didn’t think much of the word. Today, the word is less controversial, even though some still consider the word to be pompous and unnecessary.

First usage

This word first showed up in (American) English in the late 1700s