Pronounced: STAR-its (alt: STAR-yits), noun
Notes: The plural is interesting (“startsy”). Another word I’ve not run across (I don’t think I read the right kind of books to run across the word)
Yesterday’s word
The word denegation means “denial”
First usage
Our word came into English in the late 1400s
Background / Comments
If you saw “negation” in our word, it would get you close to the meaning. Our word traces back to the Latin verb negare (to say no, to deny). This same Latin root also gives us abnegation (self-denial), negate, and renegate, which originally referred to someone who denies (leaves) a religious faith.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 