quotennial

Pronounced: kwo-TEN-ee-uhl, adj

Notes: Another neat word for a commonly used term

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Yesterday’s word

The word belie means

• to give a false impression of; to present an appearance not in agreement with
• to show to be false or wrong; to run counter to – contradict
• disguise

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 500s (but see Comments)

Background / Comments

When our word first appeared, it meant “to deceive by lying”. Around 600 years later, its usage was more of “to tell lies about”, like the word slander today. The meaning softened from outright lying to misrepresentation. About 400 years later (the early 1600s) it meant “to disguise or to conceal”. These days, it means to give an impression that does not line up with the facts instead of an intentional untruth. Our word came from the Middle English belyen, which came from the Old English beleogan.