Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: GEH-ruh-sun FIN-ish, noun Notes: I’ve never heard of this, but it is not that uncommon Yesterday’s word The word exeleutherostomize means “to speak out freely” First usage This word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Such a neat word, and timely! When I was in college, we talked about many subjects,Continue reading “Garrison finish”

Pronounced: ex-uh-luth-uh-ROS-tuh-mize, verb Notes: A nice fancy word that we could use Yesterday’s word The word vitiate means to make faulty or defective; impair to debase in moral or aesthetic status to make ineffective First usage This word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word vitiumContinue reading “exeleutherostomize”

Pronounced: VIH-she-ate, verb Notes: I knew one of the three definitions; how about you? Yesterday’s word The word corpocracy means corporate bureaucracy a society in which corporations control the government First usage This word came into English in the 1930s Background / Comments Our word originally referred to the first definition; however, it has changedContinue reading “vitiate”

Pronounced: kor-POCK-ruh-see, noun Notes: This word has changed in meaning over time Yesterday’s word The word nychthemeron means “a full period of a night and a day; 24 hours” First usage Well, this is a first; I cannot find any information about how long this has been a word; I found it defined with backgroundContinue reading “corpocracy”

Pronounced: nik-THEH-muh-rahn, noun Notes: A useful word Yesterday’s word The word obdormition is what we call it when a limb goes to sleep (or falls asleep). More formally, it is “numbness in a limb, usually caused by pressure on a nerve”. First usage This word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments MostContinue reading “nychthemeron”

Pronounced: ob-dor-MISH-uhn, noun Notes: Nearly all of us have experienced this Yesterday’s word The word indagate means “to search into; investigate” First usage This word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments I enjoy reading mystery stories, and Rex Stout (the author of the Nero Wolfe stories). Rex Stout had an extremelyContinue reading “obdormition”

Pronounced: IN-duh-gate, verb Notes: I’m a little surprised that I’ve not heard this word Yesterday’s word The word hypercathexis means “excessive concentration of mental energy on something” First usage A relatively recent word, coming into English in the 1920s Background / Comments I have experienced hypercathexis – sometimes at work, but also dealing with proxyContinue reading “indagate”

Pronounced: high-per-kuh-THEK-sis, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, but I love it; I’ve love to find ways to slide this word into conversations Yesterday’s phrase The phrase de minimis means “lacking significance or importance; so minor as to merit disregard”. First usage This is a late phrase, coming into usage around 1950 Background /Continue reading “hypercathexis”

Pronounced: dee MIH-nuh-muss, adj Notes: I keep wanting to start the word “day” instead of “dee”. Also, this word makes me think of the phrase “de mortuis” (more about it tomorrow) Yesterday’s word The word bavardage means “chattering; gossip” First usage The word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments As I notedContinue reading “de minimis”

Pronounced: bah-vuhr-DAHZ, noun Notes: There is a similar word – “badinage” – that I thought might be related (but no) Yesterday’s word The word caducity means senility the quality of being transitory or perishable First usage Our word came into English in the mid- to late-1700s Background / Comments Our word came to us fromContinue reading “bavardage”