Pronounced: PLAW-dit, noun
Notes: I’ve run across this word, but wasn’t sure of the meaning
Yesterday’s word
The word canicular means “related to the dog days”
First usage
Our word came into English in the late 1300s
Background / Comments
Our word came from the Latin word canicularis (relating to the dog star – Sirius), which came from canicula (small dog; Sirius), which came from canis (dog). The “dog days” is the period of time in the late summer when Sirius (the dog star) rises and sets with the sun. The ancient Romans and Greeks considered the dog days to be unhealthy and/or unlucky.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 