Author Archives: Richard

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”

Pronounced: a-PRISS-ih-tee, noun Notes: This word has nothing to do with apricots (in case you were wondering) Yesterday’s word The word effulgent means “shining forth brilliantly; radiant” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word effulgent, which traces back to ef- (out; thoroughly)Continue reading “apricity”

Pronounced: ih-FUHL-juhnt (alt: ih-FOOL-juhnt), adj Notes: Another unknown word to me Yesterday’s word The word galumph means “to move clumsily or heavily” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word is another one coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass (as I have previously noted, the correctContinue reading “effulgent”

Pronounced: guh-LUMF, verb Notes: I kind of knew this word, but could not properly define it, so I add it here Yesterday’s word The word sternutation means “the act of sneezing” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word sternūtātiōn, related to sternūtātus,Continue reading “galumph”

Pronounced: stur-nyuh-TAY-shun, noun Notes: I think this is a word I keep learning and forgetting; I seem to remember running across it previously. Perhaps posting it here will help me remember it in future. Yesterday’s word The word clarigation is “a demand for restitution for some wrong, as a precursor to declaring war” First usageContinue reading “sternutation”

Pronounced: klar-ih-GAY-shun, noun Notes: Not a word I’ve run across Yesterday’s word The word comminate means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments I thought of ‘commune’ or ‘communicate’, but those are clearly not close to the meaning at all. Our word is a back formation (that meansContinue reading “clarigation”