Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: ROO-gohs, adj Notes: An interesting word to know Yesterday’s word The word blate, as a verb, means “to babble; to cry” — as an adjective, it means “timid” First usage The verb goes back to the late 1800s; the adjective goes way back to 1000 Background / Comments The verb form is thought toContinue reading “rugose”

Pronounced: blate, verb/adj Notes: Such a simple word, but I didn’t know it Yesterday’s word The word crepitate means “to make a crackling sound: to make a series of short, sharp noises” First usage This word came into English twice; first in the early 1600s, and then in the mid-1800s (see below) Background / CommentsContinue reading “blate”

Pronounced: KREH-puh-tate, verb Notes: I don’t think I’ve every run across this word Yesterday’s word The word metathesis means the transposition of letters, sounds, or syllables in a word in chemistry, double decomposition First usage This word goes back to the mid-1500s Background / Comments It’s the first definition that I referred to yesterday. AnContinue reading “crepitate”

Pronounced: muh-TATH-uh-sis, noun Notes: Something that some people do more than others Yesterday’s word The word precipitate means falling, flowing, or rushing with steep descent precipitous; steep exhibiting violent of unwise speed First usage This word goes back to the early-to-mid 1500s Background / Comments Words snobs (sorry if you consider yourself one – howContinue reading “metathesis”

Pronounced: prih-SIH-puh-tuht, adj Notes: I pretty much know this word, but I found the background interesting (come back tomorrow!) Yesterday’s word The word adulatory means “praising or admiring slavishly” First usage This word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I am familiar with the word adulation, which is a form ofContinue reading “precipitate”

Pronounced: AJ-uh-luh-tor-ee, adj Notes: You can probably figure this one out, but an interesting feature kept this on the list. Admin: I schedule these posts to go out each morning, but erred in the settings for today’s, so it is late Yesterday’s word The word edentulous means “having no teeth; toothless” First usage The wordContinue reading “adulatory”

Pronounced: ee-DEN-chuh-luhs, adj Notes: A more fancy word for a word we know better Yesterday’s word The word mondain, as a noun, is “a sophisticated man; a man belonging to fashionable society”. As an adjective, it means “wordly, fashionable” First usage This word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments The word cameContinue reading “edentulous”

Pronounced: mon-DAIN, noun/adj Notes: I knew ‘mundane’ (similar sounding word) from my reading, but not this one Yesterday’s word The word ferrule is “a usually metal ring or cap that is placed around the end of a slender shaft or handle to strengthen it for for joining or binding one part to another” First usageContinue reading “mondain”

Pronounced: FAIR-uhl, noun Notes: I was trying so hard to parse this word to figure out the meaning that I forgot that I’ve run across it in reading. Yesterday’s word The word sillage is “the trail of scent that lingers behind from a perfume; also, the degree to which it lingers First usage This wordContinue reading “ferrule”

Pronounced: see-AHZ, noun Notes: Growing up on a farm, I know “silage”, but not this word with an extra ‘l’. Yesterday’s word The word adumbrate means to foreshadow vaguely; intimate to suggest, disclose, or outline partially to overshadow or obscure First usage This word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments TheContinue reading “sillage”