Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: ZOOG-muh, noun Notes: Familiarity: 0% – a new word for me Yesterday’s word The word yawp means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1300s Background / Comments The background of our word is interesting to me. There was a Middle English verb yelpen (to boast; call out; yelp) whose past participleContinue reading “zeugma”

Pronounced: YAWP, verb Notes: I didn’t really know the meaning of this word Yesterday’s word The word antimetabole is “a repetition of words or an idea in a reverse order” (an example is “to fail to plan is to plan to fail”). First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background /Continue reading “yawp”

Pronounced: AN-tih-muh-TAB-uh-lee, noun Notes: A mouthful! Whether or not you know the definition, you’ve run across them Yesterday’s word The word repine means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1500s Background / Comment As noted, I have heard this word in a rather obscure song. As I imagine you are, IContinue reading “antimetabole”

Pronounced: rih-PINE, verb Notes: I think I’ve only run across this word in a song Yesterday’s word The word gemeinschaft is “social relationships based on personal ties, affection, kinship, etc” First usage Our word came into English in the 1930s Background / Comments Our word came from the German word Gemeinschaft (community), which is madeContinue reading “repine”

Pronounced: guh-MYN-shaft, noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve ever run across this word Yesterday’s word The word protean means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word came from Greek mythology (when I was in school I read a lot of Greek and Roman mythology, but IContinue reading “gemeinschaft”

Pronounced: PRO-tee-uhn, adj Notes: I think I may have seen this word somewhere, but I didn’t know the definition Yesterday’s word The word gleichschaltung means “the forced standardization of political, economic, and cultural institutions, as in an authoritarian state” First usage Our word came into English in the 1930s Background / Comments Our word cameContinue reading “protean”

Pronounced: GLICK-shalt-toong, noun Notes: Not a word I know; it seems a bit limited for general use Yesterday’s word The word Cockaigne is “an imaginary land of great luxury and ease” First usage Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1200s Background / Comments Our word came from the Middle French phraseContinue reading “gleichschaltung”

Pronounced: kah-CANE, noun Notes: I’ve not run across this word before Yesterday’s word The word ambagious means “roundabout; circuitous” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word is a nice one to use in place of “roundabout” – it came from the Middle English word ambages (equivocation), whichContinue reading “Cockaigne”

Pronounced: am-BAY-juhs, adj Notes: It looks like ambiguous misspelled Yesterday’s word The word scaramouch (can also be spelled scaramouche) is First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments People with a background in or knowledge of theater or pantomime may know our word — or at least probably know theContinue reading “ambagious”

Pronounced: SCAR-uh-moosh, noun Notes: Although the word looks familiar, I didn’t know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word wonted means “usual; accustomed” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1400s Background / Comments I don’t think that our word is very well known; personally, I’m more familiar with the phrase “as wasContinue reading “scaramouch”