Pronounced: ta-tuhr-di-MALE-yuhn, adj
Notes: For some reason, this word makes me think of “dandelion”
Yesterday’s word
The word decant means
- to pour, especially in a manner that the sediment is left behind
- to rehouse people while their buildings are being rebuilt or refurbished
First usage
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
Background / Comments
As I noted yesterday, I knew one of the meanings — the first one. It may have been used in one or more Sherlock Holmes stories: I thought it may have been The Adventure of the Abbey Grange, but I checked, and it is not used in that story. I know I have read it in one or more of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories by Dorothy Sayers. However, the second meaning was completely unknown to me. Our word came from the French word décanter (to settle; to clarify), which came from the Latin word decanthare, made up of de- (from) and canthus (spout; rim).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 