Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: puh-NASH, noun Notes: I knew one of the meanings, but not the other one Yesterday’s word The word manducate means “to chew or eat” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments I know the word “masticate” means “to chew”, but I had never heard of or word.Continue reading “panache”

Pronounced: MAN-joo-kate, verb Notes: It looked to me like it was related to “matriculate” or “educate”, but it is not Yesterday’s word The word amphibology is “a sentence or phrase that can be interpreted in more than one way” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1300s Background / Comments Example 1 (thisContinue reading “manducate”

Pronounced: am-fuh-BAH-luh-jee (alt: amp-fuh-BAH-luh-jee), noun Notes: I didn’t know the word, but I’ve heard and used amphibologies Yesterday’s word The word polyphiloprogenitive means “extremely prolific” First usage Our word came into English in the 1910s (in a poem by T. S. Eliot) Background / Comments Our word came from a combination of three Latin words:Continue reading “amphibology”

Pronounced: pol-ee-fi-luh-pro-JEN-uh-tiv, adj Notes: My mind boggled at the word length, but you may be able to work out the meaning Yesterday’s word The word sibyl means prophetess fortune-teller First usage Our word came into English in the middle to late 1200s Background / Comments Many ancient cultures have various women through whom the godsContinue reading “polyphiloprogenitive”

Pronounced: SIH-bull, noun Notes: Sounds like a woman’s name, but I didn’t know the meanings Yesterday’s word The word scrutate means “to investigate” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments As much as I enjoy mystery/detective stories, I’m surprised that I have not run across our word. ItContinue reading “sibyl”

Pronounced: SCREW-tate, verb Notes: Not a word I know Yesterday’s word The word mare is “any of several mostly flat dark areas of considerable extent on the surface of the moon or Mars” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments The idea that the dark areas of the moonContinue reading “scrutate”

Pronounced: MAHR-ay, noun Notes: When I saw the word, I thought that of course I knew it was an adult, female horse, but then I saw the pronunciation, and I didn’t know that this word means Yesterday’s word The word palmer is a pilgrim an itinerant monk one who conceals a card or another objectContinue reading “mare”

Pronounced: PAH-murr, noun Notes: You may be able to guess one of the meanings Yesterday’s word The word numen is “a spiritual force or influence often identified with a natural object, phenomenon, or place” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments Our word made an interesting journey; itContinue reading “palmer”

Pronounced: NOO-muhn, noun Notes: An odd word, I think Yesterday’s word The word handsel means, as a noun a gift for good luck given at the beginning of the new year or a new venture a first payment or installment As a verb, it means to give a handsel to to inaugurate or to doContinue reading “numen”

Pronounced: HAN-sel, noun/verb Notes: Also “hansel”; sounded like a character in a fairy tale to me Yesterday’s word The word provender is dry food for domestic animals; feed food; victuals First usage Our word came into English around 1300 Background / Comments I think I’ve run across both meanings of the word; as I notedContinue reading “handsel”