Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: PRO-bih-tee, noun Notes: I wasn’t sure about this using this word, but I decided to do so Yesterday’s word The word multifarious means “having or occurring in great variety; diverse” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word is not related at all to “nefarious”, asContinue reading “probity”

Pronounced: mull-tuh-FERR-ee-us, adj Notes: This word reminds me of “nefarious”, but the meaning isn’t the same Yesterday’s word The word anodyne, as an adjective, means As a noun, it means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments As I said, I have a recollection that I have read thisContinue reading “multifarious”

Pronounced: AN-uh-dine, adj/noun Notes: I did not know the definition, but I think I have run across it in some reading Yesterday’s word The word calumet is “a highly ornamented ceremonial pipe of the American Indians” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments The more well-known term forContinue reading “anodyne”

Pronounced: KAL-yuh-met, noun Notes: There is a well-known alternative to this word Yesterday’s word The word brabble means “to argue over petty matters” First usage Our word came into English in the very early 1500s Background / Comments This word would be a good one to use; it comes from the Middle Dutch word brabbelenContinue reading “calumet”

Pronounced: BRAB-uhl, verb Notes: I don’t know this word either Yesterday’s word The word fauve means First usage Our word came into English in the 1910s Background / Comments Our word is related to painting and painters, about which I have a pretty limited knowledge. There is a movement called “Fauvism”, which started in theContinue reading “brabble”

Pronounced: fove, adj Notes: This word is related to an area in which I do not have much expertise Yesterday’s word The word sooterkin means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Dutch word zoet (sweet). From the “false birth” of the second definition,Continue reading “fauve”

Pronounced: SOO-tuhr-kin, noun Notes: I’ve not heard this word Yesterday’s word The word univocal means First usage Our word came into English in the very late 1500s Background / Comments Our word and “equivocal” are related: they are antonyms, both coming into English at the same time. We tend to use “unequivocal” today instead ofContinue reading “sooterkin”

Pronounced: you-NIH-vuh-kuhl, adj Notes: Our word reminds me of “equivocal”, but is this a coincidence? Yesterday’s word The word outro is “the concluding part of a piece of music, program, etc” First usage Our word came into English in the 1960s Background / Comments Musical pieces have an introduction (also called an “intro”). Someone apparentlyContinue reading “univocal”

Pronounced: OW-troh, noun Notes: I’ve never run across this word Yesterday’s word The word vespertine means First usage Our word came into English in the very late 1400s or very early 1500s Background / Comments After reading the definition (especially the first one), I realized that I should have known the word, as I amContinue reading “outro”

Pronounced: VESS-per-tine, adj Notes: I should have known this word, but I just saw in it a relative of “serpentine” Yesterday’s word The word quodlibetal means “relating to a question or topic for debate or discussion” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, IContinue reading “vespertine”