cornice

Pronounced: CORE-niss, noun

Notes: I knew one of the definitions, but not the other – do you know either definition?

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Yesterday’s word

The word oxymoron means “a figure of speech in which the two contradictory term appear together for emphasis” – here’s a good one: accurate estimate

First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

The plural of oxymoron is oxymora (but, in fairness, oxymorons is acceptable). I am bemused by the origin of this word: It comes from the Greek word oxymoron, which comes from oxys (sharp) and moros (dull), which means that the word’s origin is itself an oxymoron. Words are such fun!