Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: AY-luhr, adj Notes: I confused this word with “agar”, probably because I didn’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word jitney means a small bus that carries passengers over a regular route on a flexible schedule an unlicensed taxicab First usage Our word came into English in the 1900s (meaning 1900-1910) Background / CommentsContinue reading “alar”

Pronounced: JIT-nee, noun Notes: This word seems distantly familiar, but I cannot recall any details Yesterday’s word The word personalty is “personal property; movable property, as contrasted with real estate” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments Our word comes to us through multiple stops: from the Anglo-French wordContinue reading “jitney”

Pronounced: PURR-suh-null-tee, noun Notes: I’ve run across this word in reading, and it’s NOT “personality” misspelled. Yesterday’s word The word limn means to draw of paint on a surface to outline in clear, sharp detail : delineate describe First usage Our word came into English in the early to mid-1400s Background / Comments Our wordContinue reading “personalty”

Pronounced: lihm, verb Notes: I think I’ve run across this word, but the memory is so faint that I cannot recall any details Yesterday’s word The word truchman is “an interpreter” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments Our word has an interesting journey: it came from theContinue reading “limn”

Pronounced: TRUCH-muhn, noun Notes: This word is new to me, and it has an interesting etymology Yesterday’s word The word Babbit refers to “a person and especially a business or professional man who conforms unthinkingly to prevailing middle-class standards” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments As you mightContinue reading “truchman”

Pronounced: BAH-bit, noun Notes: I’ve not run across this word Yesterday’s word The word valence means the combining capacity of an atom or group of atoms to form molecules the capacity of someone or something to affect another First usage Our word came into English in the early 1400s Background / Comments I remember fromContinue reading “Babbitt”

Pronounced: VAY-luhns, noun Notes: I was somewhat familiar with this word as an adjective, but was uncertain of what it meant as a noun Yesterday’s word The word trenchant means keen; sharp vigorously effective and articulate (caustic, too) sharply perceptive; penetrating; clear-cut; distinct First usage Our word came into English in the late 1200s orContinue reading “valence”

Pronounced: TREN-chunt, adj Notes: I was in the area of the correct meaning with our word Yesterday’s word The word demotic, as an adjective, means “relating to common people; popular”. As a noun, it means “Modern Greek”. First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Our word comes fromContinue reading “trenchant”

Pronounced: dih-MOT-ik, adj/noun Notes: I had an idea of the meaning of the adjective, but not of the noun Yesterday’s word The word recondite means hidden from sight; concealed difficult to comprehend; deep little known or obscure First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments I had an ideaContinue reading “demotic”

Pronounced: REH-kuhn-dite, adj Notes: I knew this word a bit Yesterday’s word The word piacular means “making or requiring atonement” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word piare (to appease).