Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: kuh-MORE-uh, noun Notes: I have run across this word, but I didn’t know the proper definition Yesterday’s word The word accidence means “the rudiments or essentials of a subject” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1500s Background / Comments I would have guessed that this word was close to accident,Continue reading “camorra”

Pronounced: ACK-sih-duhns, noun Notes: Not at all what I thought Yesterday’s word The word pronunciamento means “an official or authoritarian announcement” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word is from the Spanish (duh!) word pronunciamento (pronouncement; military uprising); this word came from the verb pronunciar (to announce),Continue reading “accidence”

Pronounced: pro-nun-see-uh-MEN-toe, noun Notes: You can probably guess at the meaning of this word (I didn’t know this was a word) Yesterday’s word The word nidificate means “to build a nest” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word nīdificātus, the pastContinue reading “pronunciamento”

Pronounced: NID-uh-fih-kate, verb Notes: A useful word to know Yesterday’s word The word hegira means “a journey or migration, especially when taken to escape an undesirable situation” First usage This word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments This word came from the flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622Continue reading “nidificate”

Pronounced: hih-JIGH-ruh (alt: HEJ-uhr-uh), noun Notes: This is a new word to me Yesterday’s word The word votive means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I have heard of a “votive candle”, but I always thought that merely meant a small candle; I was not aware thatContinue reading “hegira”

Pronounced: VOE-tihv, adj Notes: I’ve heard this word, but I didn’t know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word satori is “sudden enlightenment or intuitive understanding” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments When I first saw this word, I thought of the word sartorial, and thought it was related.Continue reading “votive”

Pronounced: suh-TORE-ee, noun Notes: I thought this might be related with how one dresses, but no… you may get it if you have the right background Yesterday’s word The word klatsch is “a casual gathering of people, especially for refreshments and informal conversation” First usage Our word came into English in the 1950s Background /Continue reading “satori”

Pronounced: klahch (alt: klach) Notes: I find those pronunciations to be very close; the second would be latch with a ‘k’ in front. Yesterday’s word The word cunctation means “delay; procrastination; tardiness” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I can just image the phrase “he has aContinue reading “klatsch”

Pronounced: kungk-TAY-shun, noun Notes: This is a good word to know, as it is useful and will make people wonder Yesterday’s word The word aglet is “a metal tag or sheath at the end of a lace used for tying (such as a shoelace)” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s. BackgroundContinue reading “cunctation”

Pronounced: AG-lit, noun Notes: This word is one you either know, or else you say “I didn’t know there was a word for that!” Yesterday’s word The word pricket is First usage Our word goes back a ways; it came into English in the mid-1300s Background / Comments I don’t think that our word wouldContinue reading “aglet”