sternutate

Pronounced: stir-NEW-tate (alt: stir-NYOU-tate), verb

Notes: A great word to know and use

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Yesterday’s phrase

The phrase qui vive means “alert; lookout”

First usage

Our phrase came into English in the 1700s (probably mid-1700s)

Background / Comments

I am not sure where I first read this word, but I have certain read the phrase “on the qui vive”; I also remember seeing it abbreviated as “on the q.v.”, so I assumed that shortcut matched the pronunciation. When I first ran across the phrase, I thought that “qv” was short for “quiver” and someone was so alert that he was quivering. Our phrase originated as a French sentinel’s challenge: Qui vive? (literally, “who lives?”, more properly translated as “Long live who?”) Thus, the expression “on the qui vive” means to be on lookout or alert, and thus our noun phrase came to our meaning above.