Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: zoe-uh-MORE-fick, adj Notes: I didn’t quite get the meaning correct Yesterday’s word The word gelt means “money” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I think I’ve heard this word in a movie or in a TV show, but I cannot recall any details. Our word is fromContinue reading “zoomorphic”

Pronounced: gelt, noun Notes: I think I’ve run across the word, but I could not remember the meaning – do you? Yesterday’s word The word florilegium is “a volume of writings; anthology” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Well, it turns out that my instincts were not soContinue reading “gelt”

Pronounced: floor-uh-LEE-juhm (alt: floor-uh-LEE-jee-uhm), noun Notes: I didn’t know the meaning, but “flor…” made me think of flowers Yesterday’s word The word coventrate means “to devastate, such as by heavy bombing” First usage Our word came into English in the 1940s Background / Comments Our word goes back to the bombing of Coventry in centralContinue reading “florilegium”

Pronounced: KOV-uhn-trate, verb Notes: I didn’t know the meaning of this at first glance Yesterday’s word The word bouquiniste is “a dealer in secondhand books” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments When I read the origins of our word, it sounded familiar, so I did what I shouldContinue reading “coventrate”

Pronounced: boo-key-NEEST, noun Notes: My guess at the meaning was way off the mark Yesterday’s word The word myology is the study of muscles the muscular anatomy of a person or of an animal First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Clearly, the -ology ending of our word meansContinue reading “bouquiniste”

Pronounced: my-AH-luh-jee, noun Notes: Not a word I’ve run across Yesterday’s word The word boondoggle is a braided cord worn by Boy Scouts as a neckerchief slide, hatband, or ornament a wasteful or impractical project or activity often involving graft First usage Our word came into English in the 1930s Background / Comments Some peopleContinue reading “myology”

Pronounced: BOON-dah-gull, noun Notes: I’ve heard this word used, but I did not know the correct meaning Yesterday’s word The word unshirted means serious; unmitigated plain; undisguised First usage Our word came into English in the 1930s Background / Comments As noted yesterday, our word does not mean shirtless, which means “poor”. There is anotherContinue reading “boondoggle”

Pronounced: un-SURE-tid, adj Notes: This word is not the same as “shirtless” Yesterday’s word The word indite means to make up; compose to give literary or formal expression to to put down in writing First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1300s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, our word is aContinue reading “unshirted”

Pronounced: in-DITE, verb Notes: I believe this is a homophone of “indict”, and I got this word confused with that one Yesterday’s word The word zounds is an interjection that expresses surprise or indignation. First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I have only heard this expression onContinue reading “indite”

Pronounced: ZOWNDZ, interjection Notes: I have heard this word only, but I did not know much about it Yesterday’s word The word uxorial means “of, relating to, or characteristic of a wife” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin root word uxorContinue reading “zounds”