Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: skrowge, verb (alt pronunction: skrooge) Notes: I confused this word with “scourge” (so I was really wrong) Yesterday’s word The word longanimity means “a disposition to bear injuries patiently; forbearance” First usage Our word showed up in English in the 1400s Background / Comments My first guess was that it was a synonym ofContinue reading “scrouge”

Pronounced: lawng-guh-NIH-muh-tee, noun Notes: Both of my guesses were wrong Yesterday’s word The word senectitude simply means “old age” First usage This word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Notes Our word comes from the Latin word senectus (old age), which came from senex (old). “Old age” is a simpler word –Continue reading “longanimity”

Pronounced: sih-NECK-tih-tood (alternate ending -tyood) Notes: A long word (an “inkhorn” word) for something simple Yesterday’s word The word velar means formed with the back of the tongue touching or near the soft palate of, forming, or relating to a velum and especially the soft palate The “g” sound in egg is said to beContinue reading “senectitude”

Pronounced: VEE-luhr, adj Notes: I couldn’t remember the definition, but I think I’ve seen the word before Yesterday’s word The word fabian means “avoiding direct confrontation; cautious; delaying” First usage This word goes back to the late 1500s Background / Comments This word is named after a real person, not someone in fiction; in thisContinue reading “velar”

Pronounced: FAY-bee-uhn, adj Notes: I was incorrectly thinking of Dickens, but I was incorrect Yesterday’s word The word nepenthe is a potion used by the ancients to induce forgetfulness of pain or sorrow something capable of causing oblivion of grief or suffering First usage Our word came into English in the 1500s Background / CommentsContinue reading “fabian”

Pronounced: nuh-PEN(t)-thee Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word before Yesterday’s word The word hymeneal means, as an adjective “relating to a wedding or marriage”. As a noun, it means “a wedding song or poem”. First usage This word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments This word derives fromContinue reading “nepenthe”

Pronounced: high-muh-NEE-uhl, adj/noun Notes: I learned things I didn’t know from the origin Yesterday’s word The word reify means “to regard (something abstract) as a material or concrete thing; to give definite content and form to (something abstract) First usage This word showed up in English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments The origin ofContinue reading “hymeneal”

Pronounced: RAY-uh-fie, verb Notes: Short word of which I did not know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word copper-bottomed means “reliable; genuine; trustworthy” First usage The word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Ships hulls used to be covered in copper to protect them from damage from salt water or seaContinue reading “reify”

Pronounced: cop-uhr-BOT-uhmd, adj Notes: So, I thought this word just meant copper on the bottom of something, such as a pan, but no Yesterday’s word The word bombinate means “to buzz; to drone”z one can speak of an air conditioning system “bombinating”. First usage The word came into English in the late 1800s Background /Continue reading “copper-bottomed”