desuetude

Pronounced: DES-wih-tood (alt: DES-wih-tyood), noun

Notes: My guess at the meaning was just… wrong

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Yesterday’s word

The word squib is

• a short humorous or satiric writing or speech
• a short news item; especially one used as a filler
• a small or broken firecracker

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1500s

Background / Comments

I think most of the reading in which I’ve run across this word has been English, and it usually seems to refer to the third definition above. I am not familiar with either of the first two definition. The origin in not really known; it is thought that “squib” imitates an explosive sound, as would short satirical works or firecrackers. It can also refer to things that aren’t quite worth the expense (money or time), such as news fillers or broken fireworks; a squib can be a firework that fizzes more than it goes bang. Finally, note that the British expression “damp squib” refer to something that fails to live up to expectations.