Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: lih-VIE-uh-thuhn, noun Notes: I thought I knew the word, but my definition was a bit off Yesterday’s word The word stanch means First usage Our word came into English around 1300 Background / Comments It turns out that “stanch” and “staunch” are not quite as separated as I thought; our word is a verb,Continue reading “leviathan”

Pronounced: stawnch, verb Notes: I have to confess that I confuse this word with “staunch”, but they are separate words Yesterday’s word The word tohobohu is “chaos; confusion” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments What a great word to use for chaos! Our word came from HebrewContinue reading “stanch”

Pronounced: TOE-hoo-boh-hoo, noun Notes: A new word to me, but it is useful (it is a thing we encounter) Yesterday’s word The word callithump is “a noisy boisterous band or parade” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word is primarily used in America. In the 1800s, thereContinue reading “tohubohu”

Pronounced: KAH-luh-thump, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, but the definition makes sense Yesterday’s word The word stygian means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I normally run across this word in the phrase “stygian darkness”, so I thought it meant especially black, which kind of fitsContinue reading “callithump”

Pronounced: stygian, adj Notes: Again a word I’ve run across, but didn’t properly know the definition, but I do have a related funny short tale. Yesterday’s word The word gelid means “extremely cold; icy” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I was not aware that this wordContinue reading “stygian”

Pronounced: JEH-luhd, adj Notes: Not quite what I thought it meant… Yesterday’s word A Cerberus is “a powerful, hostile guard” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments As I recently noted, when I was young, I had an interest in Greek and Roman mythology. I knew about Cerberus,Continue reading “gelid”

Pronounced: SIR-burr-us, noun Notes: Another word for which I know the etymology, but didn’t know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word vagary is “an erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I am used to coming across our word in theContinue reading “Cerberus”

Pronounced: VAY-guh-ree, noun Notes: This is another word I have a vague idea of Yesterday’s word The word hydra means “a persistent or multifaceted problem that presents a new obstacle when a part of it is solved” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1300s Background / Comments When I was in gradeContinue reading “vagary”

Pronounced: HI-druh, noun Notes: I didn’t know the meaning, but I did know the etymology Yesterday’s word The word raconteur is “a person who excels in telling anecdotes” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments As I noted, I’ve run across our word in reading; for some reason, insteadContinue reading “hydra”

Pronounced: ra-kahn-TUHR, noun Notes: I’ve run across this word, but I didn’t know the exact meaning Yesterday’s phrase The phrase inter alia means “among other things” First usage Our phrase came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I know I’ve spoken the phrase “in other words…”, so (if I can remember), our phraseContinue reading “raconteur”