Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: KAL-ih-gram, noun Notes: You probably can guess this word Yesterday’s word The word pilar means “of, pertaining to, or covered with, hair” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word comes from the New Latin word pilāris (of hair). Note that our word does not apply onlyContinue reading “calligram”

Pronounced: PIE-ler, adj Notes: I didn’t know this word, but after seeing the definition, I should have known it Yesterday’s word The word bankster is “a banker who engages in dishonest or illegal behavior. First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments I have previously posted entries for poetasterContinue reading “pilar”

Pronounced: BANG-stir, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, but it is related to other entries Yesterday’s word The word verbigeration is a term of psychiatry and is “the constant or obsessive repetition of meaningless words or phrases, usually indicating mental illness” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background /Continue reading “bankster”

Pronounced: verg-bij-uh-RAY-shuhn, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word entoptic means “relating to images that originate within the eye” (as opposed to images resulting from light entering the eye). First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments One type of entoptic images are the so-calledContinue reading “verbigeration”

Pronounced: en-TOP-tick, adj Notes: I may have run across this word in reading, but I could not recall the definition Yesterday’s word The word fascicle means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word fasciculus, which is the diminutive of fascis (bundle;Continue reading “entoptic”

Pronounced: FASS-ih-kuhl, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word constative, as a noun, means “a statement that can be judged as true or false”. As an adjective, it means “capable of being true or false”. First usage Our word came into English in the first decade of the 1900s Background /Continue reading “fascicle”

Pronounced: kuhn-STAY-tiv (alt: KON-stuh-tiv), noun/adj Notes: Not a word I know Yesterday’s word The word operose means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments After seeing the definition, I was reminded of “opus” (work). In fact, our word comes from the Latin word operōsus (busy, active), from oper-, aContinue reading “constative”

Pronounced: OP-uh-rose, adj Notes: This is another word that I didn’t know, but after seeing the definition, I could see it Yesterday’s word The word punalua is “a group of brothers marrying a group of sisters” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments This word is a Hawaiian one.

Pronounced: poo-nuh-LOO-uh, noun Notes: This word looks a bit like luau, but it isn’t Yesterday’s word The word procrustean means “tending to produce conformity by violent or arbitrary means” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word means “like Procrustes”; Procrustes was a robber who invited people toContinue reading “punalua”

Pronounced: pro-KRUS-tee-uhn, adj Notes: This word can be upper case as well Yesterday’s word The word apricity means “warmth of the sun; basking in the sun” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments A neat little word. It comes from the Latin word apricari (to bask in theContinue reading “procrustean”