Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: MOL-uh-kize, verb Notes: I was close to the meaning, but not fully correct Yesterday’s word The word chawbacon means “bumpkin; hick” First usage This word came into English in the 1500s Background / Comments I readily recognized chaw (an alteration of “chew”) and bacon, but I did not know what the combination word meant.Continue reading “molochize”

Pronounced: CHAW-bay-kuhn, noun Notes: I can see the two words that make up the word, but that didn’t help with the meaning Yesterday’s word The word hooverize means “to be sparing in the use of something, especially food” First usage (see the Background) This word came into usage during World War I Background / CommentsContinue reading “chawbacon”

Pronounced: HOO-vuh-rize, verb Notes: I thought this word was an alternate form of “to hoover”, but it is not Yesterday’s word The word daedal means skillful, artistic; intricate adorned with many things First usage Our word goes back to the 1500s Background / Comments You may know (as I did) the Greek myth of Daedalus;Continue reading “hooverize”

Pronounced: DEE-d(uh)l, adj (the ‘uh’ is very lightly pronounced; almost non-existent) Notes: I didn’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word emesis means “the act of process of vomiting” First usage This word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments The word comes from the Greek word emein (to vomit). As IContinue reading “daedal”

Pronounced: EM-uh-sis Notes: This is a word for which we have a LOT of slang words, but I didn’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word acedia means “apathy; boredom” First usage This word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments This word is a Greek compound word; a- (not) with kēdosContinue reading “emesis”

Pronounced: eh-SEE-dee-uh Notes: Another handy word to know, but was a stranger to me Yesterday’s word The word tautologous means “involving unnecessary repetition of an idea, especially in different words. As an example, “a good-looking beautiful woman” is a tautologous expression. First usage This word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments ThisContinue reading “acedia”

Pronounced: taw-TAWL-uh-guhs, adj Notes: I’ve run across “tautological”, which I assume to be similar, but I didn’t know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word captious means marked by an often ill-natured inclination to stress faults and raise objections calculated to confuse, entrap, or entangle in argument First usage The word goes back to the lateContinue reading “tautologous”

Pronounced: CAP-shuhs, adj Notes: The word looks like it is related to ‘caption’ (but it isn’t) Yesterday’s word The word fuliginous means “sooty; dusky; obscure” First usage The word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I don’t think I’ve run across this word, but it seems to be a good word toContinue reading “captious”

Pronounced: fyoo-LIZ-uh-nuhs, adj Notes: Another word that is new to me Yesterday’s word The word welkin means the vault of the sky; firmament; heaven the upper atmosphere First usage This is an old word; it goes back to the 1100s Background / Comments The word comes from an Old English word that meant “cloud”. AlthoughContinue reading “fuliginous”

Pronounced: WELL-kuhn, noun Notes: This word has Christmas tie-in, but I’m not sure how many know it Yesterday’s word The word latitudinarian, as an adjective means “holding broad and tolerant views, especially in matters of religion”. As a noun, it is “one who is broadminded and tolerant, especially concerning religion” First usage The word cameContinue reading “welkin”