Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: DEM-ee-rep, noun Notes: I ran across this word in a book Yesterday’s word The word bandersnatch is First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word was created by Lewis Carroll to refer to a fictional creature in Through the Looking-Glass, which was published in 1871. Rejected wordContinue reading “demirep”

Pronounced: BAN-dur-snach, noun Notes: A familiar word, but I didn’t know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word pansophy means “universal wisdom or knowledge” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word is a combination of pan-, from the Greek pâs (all, every) [the neuter form is pân (everything)]Continue reading “bandersnatch”

Pronounced: PAN-suh-fee, noun Notes: I didn’t know the word, but I should have been able to work it out Yesterday’s word The word effable means “capable of being expressed” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments The more common is ineffable; I was aware of that word, but notContinue reading “pansophy”

Pronounced: EF-uh-bull, adj Notes: This is a word you may know, but I didn’t Yesterday’s word The word prehensible means “able to be seized or grasped” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I confused our word with ‘prehensile’, and they have similar meanings: ‘prehensile’ means “adapted for seizingContinue reading “effable”

Pronounced: prih-HEN-suh-bull, adj Notes: I got this word unnecessarily confused with another word Yesterday’s word The word scrutable means “capable of being understood” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments We are all more familiar with ‘inscrutable’; I was not aware that scrutable was a word. It comesContinue reading “prehensible”

Pronounced: SCREW-tuh-bull, adj Notes: Another word that you can probably figure of the meaning of Yesterday’s word The word zoanthropy refers to “a mental disorder in which one believes oneself to be an animal” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments As noted, many jokes begin with “Doctor, doctor!Continue reading “scrutable”

Pronounced: zoh-AN-thruh-pee, noun Notes: The subject of many jokes Yesterday’s word The word clement mean “mild; gentle; lenient” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word clemens (gentle; mild). The opposite word ‘inclement’ (normally used with weather) is much better known. RejectedContinue reading “zoanthropy”

Pronounced: KLEM-uhnt, adj Notes: You may know this word Yesterday’s word The word commensal, as an adjective, means “eating together at the same table”. As a noun, it means “a table companion” Note: This word also has a meaning in ecology: as an adjective, it means “organisms that live with, on, or in one another,Continue reading “clement”

Pronounced: kuh-MEN-sull, adj/noun Notes: I should have been able to get close to this definition (but I didn’t) Yesterday’s word The word peccable means “imperfect; flawed; capable of sinning” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments The more familiar word is ‘impeccable’ (without sin; perfect). I didn’t knowContinue reading “commensal”

Pronounced: PECK-uh-bull, adj Notes: If you don’t know this word, you can probably figure it out (I didn’t know this word existed) Yesterday’s word The word tenebrific means “producing darkness” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word is a potentially useful word; I’ve never run across it.Continue reading “peccable”