Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: shih-vuh-REE, noun Notes: This word sounds slightly familiar, but I don’t have any recollection of it Yesterday’s word The word jaundiced means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I knew of the second meaning above; in fact, I knew a young man in college who was givenContinue reading “shivaree”

Pronounced: JAWN-dist, adj Notes: I didn’t have one definition right Yesterday’s word The word langueur is “a dull and tedious passage or section (as of a book, play, or musical composition)”. It is usually found in the plural form. First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments I haveContinue reading “jaundiced”

Pronounced: long-GUHR, noun Notes: This word is frequently pluralized Yesterday’s word The word libertine means, as a noun, a person who is morally unrestrained. As an adjective, it means “unrestrained by conventions or morality” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments Our word brings back the memory ofContinue reading “longueur”

Pronounced: LIB-uhr-teen, noun/adj Notes: This word is not used much anymore Yesterday’s word The word factoid means First usage Our word came into English in the 1970s Background / Comments When our word was first coined (by Norman Mailer), he meant it in the first definition above. The suffix -oid came from the ancient GreekContinue reading “libertine”

Pronounced: FAK-toyd, noun Notes: I didn’t know both definitions Yesterday’s word The word mythomane means, as a noun, “one having a tendency to exaggerate or lie”. As an adjective, it means “having a tendency to exaggerate of lie”. First usage Our word came into English in the 1950s Background / Comments Our word came fromContinue reading “factoid”

Pronounced: MYTH-uh-mane, noun/adj Notes: Another word I didn’t recognize Yesterday’s word The word Pecksniffian means “unctuously hypocritical; sanctimonious” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I recognized our word; I knew it came from a character created by Charles Dickens — but that’s all IContinue reading “mythomane”

Pronounced: peck-SNIH-fee-uhn, adj Notes: I recognized the word, but couldn’t properly define it Yesterday’s word The word ultracrepidarian means, as an adjective, “giving opinions beyond one’s area of expertise”. As a noun, it means “one who gives opinions beyond one’s area of expertise” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s BackgroundContinue reading “Pecksniffian”

Pronounced: utl-truh-krep-ih-DAYR-ee-uhn, adj/noun Notes: Quite the long word! Yesterday’s word The word ruly means “obedient; orderly” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-to-late 1300s Background / Comments You probably guessed the correct meaning if you thought of “unruly”. In fact, “unruly” is the older word, and our word is what is calledContinue reading “ultracrepidarian”

Pronounced: ROO-lee, adj Notes: You may be able to guess the meaning of this word Yesterday’s word The word pregustator is “a person whose job is to taste food or drink before it is served; a taste tester First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I have heard ofContinue reading “ruly”

Pronounced: prih-guh-STAY-tuhr, noun Notes: A fancy word for something we know Yesterday’s word The word calaboose means “jail; especially a local jail” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Our word came from the Spanish word calabozo (dungeon). In the same way, we get the word “hoosegow” fromContinue reading “pregustator”