Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: sigh-AHL-uh-kwuhnt, adj Notes: This word describes something many of us have seen Yesterday’s word The word lotusland is First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Odyssey (by Homer). One of the places Odysseus and his men visit is a land of lotus-eaters: whenContinue reading “sialoquent”

Pronounced: LOW-tuhs-land, noun Notes: I am not sure if I have run across this word before, but it has a literary background Yesterday’s word The word psychogenic means “originating in the mind”; that is, having a psychological cause instead of a physiological cause First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s BackgroundContinue reading “lotusland”

Pronounced: sigh-kuh-JEN-ick, adj Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word anywhere, but you may be able to guess the meaning Yesterday’s word The word parvenu is “one that has recently or suddenly risen to an unaccustomed position of wealth or power and has not yet gained the prestige, dignity, or manner associated withContinue reading “psychogenic”

Pronounced: PAR-vuh-new, noun Notes: I think I’ve run across this word somewhere, but I cannot imagine it Yesterday’s word The word frum means “religious; observant of religious laws” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Our word came from the Yiddish word frum, which came from the MiddleContinue reading “parvenu”

Pronounced: froom (the “oo” as in “book”), adj Notes: Not a word I know Yesterday’s word The word rectilinear means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our came from the Late Latin word recilineus, which is made up of the Latin words rectus (straight) and linea (line). ThereContinue reading “frum”

Pronounced: rek-tuh-LIH-nee-uhr, adj Notes: This word makes me think of rectangles Yesterday’s word The word perlage is “the assemblage of bubbles, in a glass of champagne (for example)” First usage Our word came into English in the 1980s Background / Comments Our word came from the French word perle (pearl), with the suffix -age (stateContinue reading “rectilinear”

Pronounced: PUHR-lizh (alt: PURH-lazh), noun Notes: Some may know the meaning of this word, but I didn’t Yesterday’s word The word lambent means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments In the Bible, there is a pretty well-known passage in which Elijah confronts the false prophets of Baal onContinue reading “perlage”

Pronounced: LAM-bunt, adj Notes: I haven’t run across this word, and I’m a bit surprised Yesterday’s word The word plotz means “to faint, collapse, or flop down, as from excitement, frustration, surprise, exhaustion, etc” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments Our word came from the Yiddish word platsnContinue reading “lambent”

Pronounced: PLOTS, verb Notes: Not a word I have run across Yesterday’s word The word lissome means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Our word can also be spelled “lissom” – it is basically an altered form of “lithesome”. These days, our word is somewhat more usedContinue reading “plotz”

Pronounced: LIH-sum, adj Notes: I’ve run across this word, but I wasn’t sure of the meaning Yesterday’s word The word diversivolent means “desiring strife” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments There are some people who just seem to enjoy strife; perhaps you know some? Our word cameContinue reading “lissome”