Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: EE-kuh-tone (alt: EK-uh-tone), noun Notes: You may be able to make a good guess at this word Yesterday’s word The word equipollent means “equal in power, force, effect, etc” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1400s Background / Comments Our word came from the Old French word equipolent, which cameContinue reading “ecotone”

Pronounced: ee-kwuh-PAH-luhnt, adj Notes: I’ve never run across this word: it looks like “to equip with pollen” Yesterday’s word The word refulgence means “a radiant or resplendent quality of state; brilliance” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Back in early 2004, the word was effulgence; in the “Comments”Continue reading “equipollent”

Pronounced: rih-FUL-jen(t)s, adj Notes: Long time readers with excellent memory (I’m not sure I have any of these) have seen this earlier Yesterday’s word The word settlor is “one who makes a settlement of property” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments Our word is more common inContinue reading “refulgence”

Pronounced: SET-luhr (alt: SET-lore), noun Notes: Not a misspelling Yesterday’s word The word tub-thumper is “a vociferous supporter” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I was sure that this came from politicians beating on an upturned tub to make their point; however, the earliest tub-thumpers were preachers whoContinue reading “settlor”

Pronounced: TUB-thuhm-puhr, noun Notes: I thought I knew the origin of this word, but I was incorrect Yesterday’s word The word ordonnance is “the systematic arrangement of parts in art, literature, architecture, etc” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word came from French, being changed from theContinue reading “tub-thumper”

Pronounced: OR-dn-uhns (alt: or-duh-NAHNS), noun Notes: This word could be confused with two other similarly spelled words Yesterday’s word The word florescence is “a state or period of flourishing” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments I confused our word with “fluorescence”, which refers to light that substancesContinue reading “ordonnance”

Pronounced: flaw-REH-s(uh)nts, (alt-1: floh-REH-s[uh]nts; alt-2: fluh-REH-s[uh]nts), noun Notes: I had totally confused this word with another one Yesterday’s word The word cliticize means “to attach or become attached” First usage Our word came into English in the 1970s Background / Comments Our word is a verb that was created from the noun clitic, which cameContinue reading “florescence”

Pronounced: CLIT-uh-size, verb Notes: This is NOT “criticize” misspelled Yesterday’s word The word eupeptic means First usage Our word came into English around 1700 (maybe slightly earlier) Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I recognized the eu- part of this word, but not the second part. In fact, our word is composed of theContinue reading “cliticize”

Pronounced: you-PEP-tick, adj Notes: I recognize one part of the word, but it doesn’t help me to the meaning Yesterday’s word The word fomites are “inanimate objects, such as surfaces, that can transmit germs from one person to another” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments As noted,Continue reading “eupeptic”

Pronounced: FOAM-uh-teez (alt: FOH-mites) Notes: Our word is a plural noun, but the singular form is NOT fomite Yesterday’s word The word chatelaine is First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments As I noted, I had the idea that our word referred to someone like a hostess; that isContinue reading “fomites”