Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: ih-FLOO-vee-uhm, noun Notes: You may know this word; it is a “borderline” word Yesterday’s word The word grimalkin means First usage This word came into English around 1600 (the late 1500s to the early 1600s) Background / Comments I think I’ve run across our word in one of its meanings, but I cannot recallContinue reading “effluvium”

Pronounced: grih-MAL-kin (alt: grih-MAWL-kin), noun Notes: I’m not sure if I’ve run across this in reading or not Yesterday’s word The word quotidian means First usage This word come into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments I think of our word as similar to “mundane” (at least, the first definition). Our word isContinue reading “grimalkin”

Pronounced: kwo-TID-ee-uhn, adj Notes: A nice vocabulary word Yesterday’s word The word spumescent means “foamy or frothy” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments As I noted, our word looked vaguely familiar to me; I think I’ve used it as a vocabulary entry, but not in this blog (IContinue reading “quotidian”

Pronounced: spyoo-MES-uhnt, adj Notes: This word looked familiar to me (more on that tomorrow). Yesterday’s word The word superbity means “pride; arrogance” First usage This word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments I don’t think I’ve ever run across our word in any reading. Sounds like a fun addition to one’s vocabulary.Continue reading “spumescent”

Pronounced: soo-PURR-buh-tee, noun Notes: I don’t remember running across this word Yesterday’s word The word effloresce means “to burst into bloom; to blossom, or become covered in flowers” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word efflōrēscere (to blossom out), which is madeContinue reading “superbity”

Pronounced: ef-luh-RESS, verb Notes: Another word you may be able to guess Yesterday’s word The word analphabetic, as a noun, means “an illiterate person”. As an adjective, it can mean “illiterate” or “not alphabetical” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Not a hard word to get, ifContinue reading “effloresce”

Pronounced: an-al-fuh-BET-ick, adj/noun Notes: You may be able to figure this one out Yesterday’s word The word caprine means “of, or pertaining to, goats” First usage Our word comes from the late 1300s or early 1400s Background / Comments Our word came from late Middle English, which came from the Latin word caprinous, which comesContinue reading “analphabetic”

Pronounced: KAP-rine (alt: KAP-rin), adj Notes: You may know this word, but I didn’t Yesterday’s word The word uliginous means “swampy; slimy; slippery” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I don’t think I’ve every run across this word, but it does look (at a quick glance) asContinue reading “caprine”

Pronounced: you-LIJ-uh-nuss, adj Notes: This word looks like it is related to “ugly” (but it does not) Yesterday’s phrase The phrase ad hominem means “that which appeals to one’s prejudices or emotions rather than to one’s intellect or reason” First usage The definition above came into English in the late 1500s (see comments below). BackgroundContinue reading “uliginous”

Pronounced: ad HOM-uh-nuhm (alt: ahd HOM-uh-nuhm), adj Notes: I’ve run across this phrase, but I have misunderstood us Yesterday’s word The word lodestar means “someone or something that serves as a guiding principle, model, inspiration, ambition, etc.” First usage This word came into English in the later 1300s Background / Comments Our word comes fromContinue reading “ad hominem”