Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: ZIE-duh-koh, noun Notes: Some people may know this word; it is new to me Yesterday’s phrase The phrase Queenborough mayor is “a position involving pomp and show, but not real power or authority” First usage Our phrase came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments It is, perhaps, more common to use theContinue reading “zydeco”

Pronounced: QUEEN-buh-row may-uhr, noun Notes: I have not heard this phrase, but it is a useful one Yesterday’s word The word orchidaceous means of, relating to, or resembling the orchids showy, ostentatious First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word literally means “belonging to the Orchidaceae” (the nameContinue reading “Queenborough mayor”

Pronounced: or-kuh-DAY-shus, adj Notes: This was a borderline word; I correctly knew a definition (you probably can as well), but there is another definition that is not quite as clear Yesterday’s phrase The phrase Kentish Fire is “prolonged cheering” First usage Our phrase came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments In 1828-1829, aContinue reading “orchidaceous”

Pronounced: KEN-tish fire, noun Notes: I have not heard this phrase Yesterday’s word The word saponaceous means “resembling or having the qualities of soap” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1700s Background / Comments Our word came from the New Latin word saponaceus (soapy), which came from the Latin word sapon,Continue reading “Kentish fire”

Pronounced: sa-puh-NAY-shuhs Notes: Neat word, but probably of limited use Yesterday’s word The word autokinesy means “self-propelled or self-directed motion or energy” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments Our word came from the Greek words auto- (self) and kinein (to move). I recognized the auto- prefix whenContinue reading “saponaceous”

Pronounced: au-toe-KIN-uh-see, noun Notes: Another word that is new to me Yesterday’s word The word sprachgefühl means the character of a language an intuitive sense of what is linguistically appropriate First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Our word comes (as you might think) from German – theContinue reading “autokinesy”

Pronounced: SHRPAHK-guh-fuel, noun Notes: This word is a new one to me Yesterday’s word The word approbation is “approval, praise, commendation, or official sanction” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments I thought our word meant something like disapproval, but that is clearly wrong: it came from theContinue reading “sprachgefühl”

Pronounced: ap-roh-BAY-shuhn, noun Notes: I thought I knew the definition, but I was wrong Yesterday’s word The word demean means “to conduct or behave (oneself) usually in a proper manner” First usage Our word came into English in the second half of the 1200s Background / Comments I was surprised when I read the definition;Continue reading “approbation”

Pronounced: dih-MEAN, verb Notes: I thought I knew this word, but I didn’t (more or less) Yesterday’s word The word vulnerary, as a noun, means “something used for the healing of wounds”. As an adjective, it means “useful in healing of wounds”. First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background /Continue reading “demean”

Pronounced: VUHL-nuh-rer-ee, noun/adj Notes: Another word that is new to me Yesterday’s word The word groundling is a spectator who stood in the pit of an Elizabethan theater a person of unsophisticated taste First usage Our word came into English around 1600s Background / Comments In Elizabethan times, people who attended plays could (if theyContinue reading “vulnerary”