Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: CON-stuh-late, verb Notes: I was correct in the origins of the word, but not the meaning Yesterday’s word The word palimpsest is First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Yesterday, I thought I remembered the word from a mystery story; Sherlock Holmes (by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) wasContinue reading “constellate”

Pronounced: PA-lum(p)-sest, noun Notes: I have recollection of running across this word in a mystery story Yesterday’s word The word tellurian, as an adjective, refers to “relating to or inhabiting Earth”. As a noun, it means “an inhabitant of Earth” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I’ve heardContinue reading “palimpsest”

Pronounced: teh-LOOR-ee-uhn, adj/noun Notes: When I first saw this word, I didn’t know it Yesterday’s word The word whipsaw means “to beset with two or more adverse conditions or situations at once” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I thought our word meant something like “to pull inContinue reading “tellurian”

Pronounced: WHIP-saw, verb Notes: This doesn’t mean what I thought it meant Yesterday’s word The word venery means First usage The first definition came into English in the late 1400s; the second definition is earlier, coming into English in the mid-1300s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, each definition has a different source: theContinue reading “whipsaw”

Pronounced: VEN-uh-ree, noun Notes: Two definitions from two different sources Yesterday’s word The word girandole means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Originally, our word refered to a kind of firework with a radiating pattern (or even something that has a radiating pattern like a firework). Our wordContinue reading “venery”

Pronounced: JIR-uhn-dole, noun Notes: Another new word for me Yesterday’s word The word saturnalia is “a time of unrestrained revelry” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I think I’ve run across this word somewhere, but I don’t remember where. Our word came fromContinue reading “girandole”

Pronounced: sat-uhr-NAY-lee-uh, noun Notes: I think I’ve seen our word somewhere Yesterday’s word The word eclogue refers to “a poem in which shepherds converse” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments As I noted, our word is a highly specific one. Our word traces way back to theContinue reading “saturnalia”

Pronounced: EK-log, noun Notes: A highly specific word, but I didn’t know it Yesterday’s word The word fribble, as a verb, means “to act in a wasteful or frivolous manner” or “to fritter away”. As a noun, it means “a wasteful or frivolous person or thing” First usage Our word came into English in theContinue reading “eclogue”

Pronounced: FRIB-uhl, verb/noun Notes: Not a word I can remember running across Yesterday’s word The word tucket is “a fanfare on a trumpet” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word is rarely seen these days, as most people use “fanfare” instead. However, “fanfare” is a laterContinue reading “fribble”

Pronounced: TUH-kuht, noun Notes: A new word for me Yesterday’s word The word descry means First usage Our word came into English before 1400 Background / Comments Our word seems a little familiar to me, but I cannot recall anywhere I’ve run across it. Our word came from the Old French word descrier (to cryContinue reading “tucket”