yeanling

Pronounced: YEEN-ling, noun/adj

Notes: I didn’t know this was a word; you may be able to guess the meaning

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Yesterday’s word

The word pleiad is “a group of (usually seven) illustrious or brilliant persons or things”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

I am familiar with the “Pleiades” from Greek mythology, but our word was knew to me. The Pleiades were seven sisters who were changed into a cluster of seven starts in the constellation Taurus. During the Renaissance, the French used Pléiade (the singular form of “Pleiades”) for the name of an eminent group of seven tragic poets of ancient Alexandria. It was then used to describe a group of French poets in the 1500s. From there, it worked its way into English.