Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: jihv, noun/verb Notes: A great hangman word Yesterday’s phrase The phrase per contra means on the contrary; by way of context; on the other hand as an offset Background Well, the background is a bit confusing. One place just says tersely that it is from Latin per contrā. The more interesting one says thatContinue reading “gyve”

Pronounced: per-KAHN-truh, adv Notes: You may be able to guess this one; the history of the word was interesting Yesterday’s word The word transpicuious means “easily seen through or understood” Background The trans- part of the word is a clue to the origin; the word comes from Latin — trans- (across) plus specere (to look).Continue reading “per contra”

Pronounced: tran-SPICK-yoo-uhs, adj Notes: I was pretty close, but not quite right on this one Yesterday’s word The word opusculum means “a minor word (as of literature)”; a variant of it is opuscule. Background This word comes from Latin: many of us probably know opus (work). This word is the diminutive form of opus. InContinue reading “transpicuous”

Pronounced: oh-PUHS-kyuh-luhm, noun Notes: The word is frequently used in its plural form (opuscula). It’s a word that I should have been able to deduce the meaning of, but I didn’t Yesterday’s word The word xeric means “relating to very dry conditions” Background This word comes from the Greek word xeros (dry). First usage ThisContinue reading “opusculum”

Pronounced: ZER-ik or ZEER-ik, adj Notes: I should have been able to guess at the meaning Yesterday’s word The word waitron is a person who waits tables (as in a restaurant) : waiter/waitress/waitperson Background This word was created by blending waiter/waitress with the -tron suffix, which may be an allusion to the machine-like impersonality ofContinue reading “xeric”

Pronounced: WAY-trahn, noun Notes: I’m posting this word because it came up, and I didn’t know it, but I don’t like it (more about it tomorrow) Yesterdays’ word The word eldritch means “weird; supernatural; eerie” Background The origin is not certain. One theory is that is comes from Old English elf + rice (realm). FirstContinue reading “waitron”

Pronounced: EL-drich, adj Notes: I had some vague ideas about what this may mean — all wrong. Yesterday’s word The word interpellate means “to question (as a foreign minister) formally concerning an official action or policy or personal conduct”. It is a form of political challenge used in the congress or parliament of many nationsContinue reading “eldritch”

Pronounced: in-tuhr-PEH-late, verb Notes: It sounds a bit like interpolate, but interpolate is a different word. Yesterday’s word The word divaricate means, as a verb, “to branch off or diverge”. The adjective means “branched off or diverging widely”. Background Like many of the words I post, this word also comes from Latin. This time, itContinue reading “interpellate”

Pronounced: die-VAR-uh-kate (verb), die-VAR-uh-kit (adj) Notes: An odd word that changes pronunciation (but not spelling) depending upon the part of speech Yesterday’s word The word fulgent means “dazzlingly bright: radiant” Background This word comes from the Latin word fulgēre (to shine). It is related to the Latin flagrare (to burn). First usage This word datesContinue reading “divaricate”

Pronounced: FULL-juhnt, adj Notes: Despite sounding like an Englishman after a large meal, it has nothing to do with that Yesterday’s word The word chambrer means to warm up wine to room temperature. Background The word comes from the French word chambre (room). First used Rex Stout may have been one of the first peopleContinue reading “fulgent”