Author Archives: Richard

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”

Pronounced: KAH-luh-boos, noun Notes: You may know this word Yesterday’s word The word arenicolous means “living, growing, or burrowing in sand” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I assume that if one lives near a desert, our word may be more familiar. Our word came from the LatinContinue reading “calaboose”

Pronounced: are-uh-NICK-uh-luhs, adj Notes: I have not run across this word Yesterday’s word The word epistemic means “of or relating to knowledge or knowing; cognative” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments Our word is newer than I thought. I didn’t have a clue to the meaning: I thoughtContinue reading “arenicolous”

Pronounced: eh-puh-STEE-mick, adj Notes: Not what I thought Yesterday’s word The word logomaniac is “one who is obsessively interested in words” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I consider myself interested in words, but not “obsessively” interested in them… but maybe this blog may be proof that IContinue reading “epistemic”

Pronounced: lo-guh-MAY-nee-ack, noun Notes: An interesting word Yesterday’s word The word diplopia means “double vision: a vision disorder in which two images of a single object are seen because of unequal action of the eye muscles” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments Our word comes from twoContinue reading “logomaniac”

Pronounced: dih-PLOH-pee-uh, noun Notes: This is a fancy word for something you’ve probably heard of Yesterday’s word The word parthenogenesis is “reproduction without fertilization” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word came from two Greek words: partheno- (virgin; without fertilization) and -genesis (beginning; creation).

Pronounced: par-thuh-no-JEN-uh-sis, noun Notes: You may know this word Yesterday’s word The word salient means moving by leaps or springs; jumping jetting upward standing out conspicuously; prominent: especially of notable significance First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I was aware of the third definition, but not the otherContinue reading “parthenogenesis”