Pronounced: PEN-sum, noun
Notes: My guess was an alternative of “pension” (but that’s wrong)
Yesterday’s word
The word schwarmerei means “excessive or unwholesome sentiment”
First usage
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
Background / Comments
As you might think, our word came from the German noun Schwärmerei, which came from the German verb schwärmen (to be enthusiastic; to swarm) – this verb was used of bees; not only do they swarm, but they seem to be fanatically enthusiastic when swarming. When our word first came into English, it was considered to be “untranslatable, because the thing itself is un-English”.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 