Pronounced: CLIT-uh-size, verb
Notes: This is NOT “criticize” misspelled
Yesterday’s word
The word eupeptic means
- of, relating to, or having good digestion
- cheerful, optimistic
First usage
Our word came into English around 1700 (maybe slightly earlier)
Background / Comments
As I noted yesterday, I recognized the eu- part of this word, but not the second part. In fact, our word is composed of the Greek words eu- (good; well; easily) and -pepsia (digestion) — thereby, we have the first definition above. The second definition came from the idea that if a person has a good digestive system, he is likely to be cheerful. On the flip side, if one has a poor digestion, it may cause one to be cranky: the word for this is “dyspeptic”, which can suggest ill humor as well. I’ve definitely run across this word in novels by either Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers (or both).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 