Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: dih-SEEZ (alt: diss-SEEZ), verb Notes: It sounds like “disease”, but isn’t related Yesterday’s word The word bletting means “the ripening of fruit, especially of fruit stored until the desired degree of softness is attained”. First usage Our word is one of the rare ones that I cannot find out when it came into EnglishContinue reading “disseise”

Pronounced: BLET-ing, noun Notes: Another word I’ve never run across Yesterday’s word The word ambigram is “a word or phrase written in a manner that is reads the same (in some cases, a different word or phrase) when oriented in a different way (such as reflected or rotated). First usage Our word came into EnglishContinue reading “bletting”

Pronounced: AM-bih-gram, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word Ameslan means “American Sign Language” First usage Our word came into usage in the 1970s Background / Comments This word was created in America, and is made up from American Sign Language. I know some people who know sign language, but I’veContinue reading “ambigram”

Pronounced: AM-uh-slan (alt: AM-slan), noun Notes: Kind of a specialized word; some of you may know it (I didn’t) Yesterday’s word The word calligram means “a word, phrase, or piece of text arranged to form a picture of the subject described” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments ThinkContinue reading “Ameslan”

Pronounced: KAL-ih-gram, noun Notes: You probably can guess this word Yesterday’s word The word pilar means “of, pertaining to, or covered with, hair” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word comes from the New Latin word pilāris (of hair). Note that our word does not apply onlyContinue reading “calligram”

Pronounced: PIE-ler, adj Notes: I didn’t know this word, but after seeing the definition, I should have known it Yesterday’s word The word bankster is “a banker who engages in dishonest or illegal behavior. First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments I have previously posted entries for poetasterContinue reading “pilar”

Pronounced: BANG-stir, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, but it is related to other entries Yesterday’s word The word verbigeration is a term of psychiatry and is “the constant or obsessive repetition of meaningless words or phrases, usually indicating mental illness” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background /Continue reading “bankster”

Pronounced: verg-bij-uh-RAY-shuhn, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word entoptic means “relating to images that originate within the eye” (as opposed to images resulting from light entering the eye). First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments One type of entoptic images are the so-calledContinue reading “verbigeration”

Pronounced: en-TOP-tick, adj Notes: I may have run across this word in reading, but I could not recall the definition Yesterday’s word The word fascicle means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word fasciculus, which is the diminutive of fascis (bundle;Continue reading “entoptic”

Pronounced: FASS-ih-kuhl, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word constative, as a noun, means “a statement that can be judged as true or false”. As an adjective, it means “capable of being true or false”. First usage Our word came into English in the first decade of the 1900s Background /Continue reading “fascicle”