Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: ek-sap-TAY-shuhn, noun Notes: I’ve not run across this word Yesterday’s word The word philosophaster means “a person who only has a superficial knowledge of philosophy or who feigns a knowledge he or she does not possess” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments Yesterday, I really shouldContinue reading “exaptation”

Pronounced: fi-loss-uh-FAS-ter (alt: fi-LOSS-uh-fas-ter), noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, but I do know what this word is Yesterday’s word The word petrichor means “the pleasant smell of the first rain after a dry spell” First usage Our word came into English (was coined) in the 1960s Background / Comments I happened to knowContinue reading “philosophaster”

Pronounced: PET-rih-kuhr, noun Notes: I happen to know this word Yesterday’s word The word degust means “to taste or savor carefully or appreciatively” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word degustare (to taste or try), which is composed of de- (aContinue reading “petrichor”

Pronounced: dih-GUST, verb Notes: Pretty close to disgust, but it’s not that word Yesterday’s word The word roué means “a man devoted to a life of sensual pleasure; rake” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Yesterday, I noted that most people have heard this word: if you’veContinue reading “degust”

Pronounced: rue-AYE (long a), noun Notes: This is a word that most everybody has heard, but may not realize that they have heard it, or even what it means. Yesterday’s word The word chiaroscuro is “the distribution of light and shade in a picture or sketch” First usage Our word came into English in theContinue reading “roué”

Pronounced: kee-ahr-uh-SKYOOR-oh, noun Notes: This is a somewhat technical word Yesterday’s word The word ecdysiast is “a person who disrobes to provide entertainment for others” First usage Our word was created in the 1940s Background / Comments Our word was created by HL Mencken from ecdysis (shedding; molting), which came from the Greek word ekdysisContinue reading “chiaroscuro”

Pronounced: ek-DIZ-ee-ast, noun Notes: I don’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word oeuvre means “the complete works of a writer, painter, musician, or the like, taken as a whole” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Our word comes directly from French word oeuvre (work), which comesContinue reading “ecdysiast”

Pronounced: ERV-ruh, noun (the UK pronunciation has this as a one-syllable word) Notes: I think I’ve heard this word, but wasn’t clear on the spelling or meaning Yesterday’s word The word snowclone refers to a cliche adapted to a new use First usage Our word came into English in the first decade of the 2000sContinue reading “oeuvre”

Pronounced: SNOW-klone, noun Notes: I have run across snowclones, but did not know this word Yesterday’s word The word frisson means “a sudden, passing sensation of excitement; a shudder of emotion; thrill” First usage Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1700s Background / Comments The key part of this definition isContinue reading “snowclone”

Pronunciation: free-SONE, noun Notes: I’ve run across the word, but could not properly define it Yesterday’s word The word windrow, as a noun, means As a verb, it meas “to arrange in a windrow” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1500s Background / Comments Growing up on a farm, I haveContinue reading “frisson”