Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: FRAB-juss, adj Notes: I recognized the word, but I didn’t know the definition Yesterday’s word The word rimple means “to wrinkle; crumple; crease” First usage Our word came into English in the early to mid-1400s Background / Comments The word came from late Middle English; it is related to “rumple”, and came from MiddleContinue reading “frabjous”

Pronounced: RIM-pull, verb Notes: I don’t think I’ve ever run across this word Yesterday’s word The word seisin means “possession of either land or chattel” (see comments below for more) First usage Our word came into English in the late 1200s Background / Comments I ran across this word in the dictionary, and thus theContinue reading “rimple”

Pronounced: SEE-zin, noun Notes: Learning this word was an aggravating or humiliating experience Yesterday’s word The word shoat is First usage This is an old word; going back to the late 1300s to early 1400s Background / Comments I am pretty sure that I have run across this word used in the first definition above;Continue reading “seisin”

Pronounced: shote, noun (also spelled “shote”) Notes: I think I’ve run across this word Yesterday’s word The word demirep refers to “a woman of doubtful reputation or respectability” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments I an across this word in a Nero Wolfe story Die Like a DogContinue reading “shoat”

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”