Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: far-SUHR, noun Notes: You may be able to guess one of the definitions Yesterday’s phrase The phrase ex post means, as an adjective, “based on past events; actual, rather then predicted”. As an adverb, it means “retrospectively” First usage Our phrase came into English in the 1930s Background / Comments I don’t know ifContinue reading “farceur”

Pronounced: ex-POST, adj/adv Notes: I could not quite define this phrase correctly Yesterday’s word The word gruntle means “to put in a good humor” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments You probably got the definition right if you thought of “disgruntle” (to make ill-humored). That word has beenContinue reading “ex post”

Pronounced: GRUHN-t(uh)l, verb Notes: You may know this word (or be able to guess it), but it is interesting Yesterday’s word The word bryology is “the branch of botany that deals with mosses, liverworts, and hornworts” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I had no idea that thereContinue reading “gruntle”

Pronounced: bry-OL-uh-jee, noun Notes: Clearly, a study of (something)… Yesterday’s word The word ponderous means of very great weight unwieldy or clumsy because of weight and size oppressively or unpleasantly dull; lifeless First usage Our word came into English around 1400 Background / Comment I knew the first two definition; however, the third one IContinue reading “bryology”

Pronounced: PAHN-druhs (alt: PAHN-duh-ruhs) Notes: I did not know all the meanings of this word Yesterday’s word The word cento is “a literary work (especially a poem) composed of parts taken from works of other authors” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments Our word is new toContinue reading “ponderous”

Pronounced: SEN-to, noun Notes: This word is new to me Yesterday’s word The word divarication means the action, process or fact of spreading apart a divergence of opinion First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word originally had the literal definition of spreading apart (as two roadsContinue reading “cento”

Pronounced: die-ver-uh-KAY-shun, noun Notes: I didn’t know there was a word for this thing Yesterday’s word The word doggerel is comic verse that is irregular in rhythm and in rhyme especially for comic effect Trivial or bad poetry First usage Our word came into English in the early 1400s Background / Comments I am notContinue reading “divarication”

Pronounced: DAH-guhr-uhl (alt: DOG-uhr-uhl), noun Notes: I don’t know how well known this word is Yesterday’s word The word convoke means “to call together to a meeting” First usage Our word came into English in the very late 1500s Background / Comments I didn’t know our word, but when I saw the definition, I thoughtContinue reading “doggerel”

Pronounced: kuhn-VOKE, verb Notes: Interesting thoughts Yesterday’s word The word epigram is “a short witty saying, often in verse” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I confused our word with “pangram”. A famous Benjamin Franklin epigram is “Little strokes/Fell great oaks”. Our word came from the Latin wordContinue reading “convoke”

Pronounced: EP-ih-gram, noun Notes: I get this word confused with another word Yesterday’s word The word prolix means unduly prolonged or drawn out; too long marked by or using an excess of words First usage Our word came into English around 1400 Background / Comments I like having an alternative to “verbose” and “wordy”; inContinue reading “epigram”