Pronounced: uhr-guh-JEH-nick, adj
Notes: You may be able to guess the definition, if you recognize the root parts of the word
Yesterday’s word
The word lazaretto is
- a medical facility for people with infectious diseases
- a building or ship used for quarantine
- (on a ship) a space between decks used as storage
First usage
Our word came into English in the mid-1500s
Background / Comments
Our word came from the Italian word lazzaretto, which is a blend of lazzaro and Nazareto. Lazzaro is the Italian version of “Lazarus”, the name of a beggar in the Bible (the New Testament) who was covered in sores. Nazareto was the nickname of a hospital located in Venice and run by the church called “Santa Maria di Nazareth”.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 