Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: MAL-uh FIE-dee, adv/adj Notes: I didn’t know this phrase existed, but perhaps you can work out the meaning? Yesterday’s word The word thew means muscular power or development strength, vitality muscle, sinew (usually used in plural) First usage Our word came into English before 900 Background / Comments I have a recollection of readingContinue reading “mala fide”

Pronounced: thoo, noun Notes: I didn’t recognize this word by itself Yesterday’s word The word eviscerate means to remove the entrails; to disembowel to deprive of essential parts; to weaken or to destroy First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments I seem to remember reading or hearing theContinue reading “thew”

Pronounced: ih-VIS-uh-rate, verb Notes: I kind of knew this word Yesterday’s word The word balletoname is “a devotee of ballet” First usage Our word came into English in the 1930s Background / Comments Because the word’s pronunciation begins “bah-LEH-tuh” and not “bahl-AYE”, I didn’t think of it being related to the ballet. I had guessedContinue reading “eviscerate”

Pronounced: bah-LEH-tuh-mane, noun Notes: Not what I thought after seeing the pronunciation Yesterday’s word The word enervate means, as a verb, “to deprive of strength or vitality”. As an adjective, it means “deprived of strength; weakened” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments For a long time, IContinue reading “balletomane”

Pronounced: EN-uhr-vate, verb; ih-NURR-vit, adj Notes: One of those words in which the two parts of speech are pronounced differently Yesterday’s word The word meliorism is “the belief that the world tends to improve and that humans can aid its betterment” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / CommentsContinue reading “enervate”

Pronounced: MEEL-yuh-rih-zuhm, noun Notes: An interesting word, but I didn’t know it Yesterday’s word The word oppugn means “to call in question; to contradict; to dispute” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments I had a kind of sense of the meaning, so my idea of “run down (asContinue reading “meliorism”

Pronounced: uh-PYOON, verb Notes: I was pretty close to the meaning Yesterday’s word The word sockdolager is something that settles a matter; a decisive blow or answer something outstanding or exceptional First usage Our word came into English in the early to mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word is an Americanism; the theory is thatContinue reading “oppugn”

Pronounced: sock-DAH-lih-juhr, noun Notes: This is a word I know of, but I didn’t know the definition – do you know it? Yesterday’s word The word precipitous means resembling a precipice (a cliff with a nearly vertical overhanging face) extremely steep abrupt, rapid, or hasty (applied to a worsening situation) First usage Our word cameContinue reading “sockdolager”

Pronounced: prih-SIP-ih-tuss, adj Notes: I know one of definitions Yesterday’s word The word gravamen is “the material or significant part of a grievance or complaint” First usage Our word came into English in the very late 1500s (maybe very early 1600s). Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin verb gravare (to burden), whichContinue reading “precipitous”

Pronounced: gruh-VAY-muhn, noun Notes: A new word to me Yesterday’s word The word fructuous means “productive; fruitful; fertile” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments I think our word confuses me because it looks like “fructose”. It came from the Latin word fructus (fruit), which itself came from fruiContinue reading “gravamen”