Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: PAN(t)-thee-ahn, noun Notes: This word had a meaning I didn’t know Yesterday’s word The word senary means relating to the number six having sixth rank having six parts of things First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I was familiar with “sestet” and “sextet”, but not our word.Continue reading “pantheon”

Pronounced: SEN-uh-ree, adj Notes: A new word to me Yesterday’s word The word qua means “in the capacity or character of; as” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I remember this word from way back; I ran across it in the Lord Peter Wimsey novel Strong Poison byContinue reading “senary”

Pronounced: kwah, prep Notes: I happen to know this word; I don’t know how well-known it is Yesterday’s word The word apricate means “to bask in the sun” or “to expose to the sun” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin wordContinue reading “qua”

Pronounced: AP-rih-kate, verb Notes: A useful word Yesterday’s word The word meshuggener is “a foolish or crazy person” First usage Our word came into English around 1900 Background / Comments Our word came from the Yiddish word meshugener, which came from meshuge (crazy; foolish).

Pronounced: muh-SHUH-guh-ner, noun Notes: I have not run across this word before Yesterday’s word The word litterateur is “an author of literary or critical works” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments The meaning could have been guessed. Our word came from the French word littérateur, which cameContinue reading “meshuggener”

Pronounced: lit-uh-uh-TUR (alt: lit-ruh-uh-TUR), noun Notes: It may be what you think Yesterday’s word The word hebdomadal means “occurring, appearing, or done every week; weekly” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments Our word came from the Greek word hepta (seven). We get the word “heptathlon” from theContinue reading “litterateur”

Pronounced: heb-DAH-muh-dull, adj Notes: Fancy word; we use another word much more frequently Yesterday’s phrase The phrase local classicus means “an authoritative and often quoted passage from a book” First usage Our phrase came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I was aware that the Latin word locus (place), and I thought classicusContinue reading “hebdomadal”

Pronounced: LOW-cuss CLASS-ih-cuss, noun Notes: I had an idea of the meaning of the words, but not the phrase meant Yesterday’s word The word coruscate means to give off or reflect light in bright beams or flashes; sparkle to be brilliant or showy in technique or style First usage Our word came into English aroundContinue reading “locus classicus”

Pronounced: CORE-uh-skate, verb Notes: I happened to run across this word in reading Yesterday’s word The word peripeteia is “a sudden or unexpected change of fortune (especially in a literary work) First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I was thinking that this word had something about walkingContinue reading “coruscate”

Pronounced: per-uh-puh-TEE-uh (alt: per-uh-puh-TIE-uh), noun Notes: Also spelled “peripetia”. It wasn’t what I thought Yesterday’s word The word sequester means to set apart; segregate to seize by authority of a writ First usage Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1300s Background / Comments I started reading the Perry Mason stories inContinue reading “peripeteia”