Pronounced: DEEK, verb
Notes: Not a word I’ve heard of
Yesterday’s word
The word livelong means “whole” or “entire”
First usage
Our word came into English in the mid-1400s
Background / Comments
One might think the word refers to someone who lives a long time. However, as a child, I heard the song I’ve Been Working on the Railroad, which includes the line “… all the livelong day”. From the context, it is clear that it means “entire” or “whole”. Our word came from the Old English words loef (dear – used as an intensifier) and lang (long).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 