Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: STAR-its (alt: STAR-yits), noun Notes: The plural is interesting (“startsy”). Another word I’ve not run across (I don’t think I read the right kind of books to run across the word) Yesterday’s word The word denegation means “denial” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments If youContinue reading “starets”

Pronounced: deh-nih-GAY-shun, noun Notes: A simpler definition that I thought Yesterday’s word The word paries is “a wall of a body part or cavity” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments I cannot recall ever running across this word; however, it is related to the word “parietal”, whichContinue reading “denegation”

Pronounced: PAR-ee-eez, noun Notes: This word has an odd plural (parietes) Yesterday’s word The word palisade means a fence of stakes especially for defense a long strong stake pointed at the top a line of bold cliffs First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I happen to knowContinue reading “paries”

Pronounced: pah-luh-SADE, noun Notes: I knew one of the definitions Yesterday’s word The word quale means “a quality or property as perceived by a person; a subjective experience” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word qualis (or what kind).

Pronounced: KWA-lee (alt: KWA-lay), noun Notes: Interesting plural form (qualia); not a word I knew Yesterday’s word The word mithridate is “an antidote against poison; especially a confection held to be effective against poison” First usage Our word came into English in the 1500s Background / Comments It wasn’t until I read the etymology thatContinue reading “quale”

Pronounced: MITH-ruh-date, noun Notes: This word made me think of “mithril”, the fictional metal invented by J. R. R. Tolkien Yesterday’s word The word bema is a platform for speaking an area around the altar in a place of worship First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments OurContinue reading “mithridate”

Pronounced: BEE-muh, noun Notes: I had a vague notion of the meaning Yesterday’s word The word algid means “cold” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments Our word is the only English word that comes from the Latin word algēre (to feel cold). Our word is also usedContinue reading “bema”

Pronounced: AL-juhd, adj Notes: Another in a long list of words I don’t know Yesterday’s word The word pangram is “a sentence that uses all of the letters of the alphabet” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Probably the most famous pangram (at least for those that tookContinue reading “algid”

Pronounced: PAN-gram (alt: PAN-gruhm; PANG-gram), noun Notes: I didn’t know this word when I first came across it, but I know it now Yesterday’s word The word taradiddle means a small lie; a fib pretentious nonsense First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Our word is used informally.Continue reading “pangram”

Pronounced: tar-uh-DID-uhl, noun Notes: I’ve run across this word in reading, and I knew one of the definitions Yesterday’s word The word disseise means “to deprive especially wrongfully of seisin; dispossess” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1200s. Background / Comments Our word is one of those irritating dictionary entries thatContinue reading “taradiddle”