Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: YAHR-bur-oh (alt: YAHR-bur-uh), noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, but some of you may Yesterday’s word The word scarify means First usage Our word came into English in the first half of the 1400s Background / Comments Our word came from the Middle English word scarifien, which came from the Middle French wordContinue reading “yarborough”

Pronounced: SKER-uh-fie, verb Notes: Not related to “scare” (which is what I thought) Yesterday’s word The word Laputan means “absurdly fanciful or impractical” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments If you have read Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, published in 1726, you may know our word: it comesContinue reading “scarify”

Pronounced: luh-PYOOT-n, adj Notes: I didn’t know this word, but it made me think of another word, whose origin is the same as this word (quite odd, eh?) Yesterday’s word The word tontine is “a joint financial arrangement whereby the participants contribute equally to a prize that is awarded entirely to the particpant who survivesContinue reading “Laputan”

Pronounced: TAHN-teen, noun Notes: I do happen to know this word (more tomorrow), but I don’t think it is generally known Yesterday’s word The word pensum is “a task given, especially as punishment” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word pensum, whichContinue reading “tontine”

Pronounced: PEN-sum, noun Notes: My guess was an alternative of “pension” (but that’s wrong) Yesterday’s word The word schwarmerei means “excessive or unwholesome sentiment” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments As you might think, our word came from the German noun Schwärmerei, which came from the German verbContinue reading “pensum”

Pronounced: shver-muh-ree, noun Notes: I don’t think I have run across this word Yesterday’s word The word shonda means First usage Our word came into English in the 1960s Background / Comments Our word came from the Yiddish word shande (shame; disgrace), which came from the German word Schande (disgrace).

Pronounced: SHOWN-duh (alt: SHAHN-duh), noun Notes: I have not run across this word Yesterday’s word The word farouche means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments Our word came from the French word farouche (wild; shy), which came from the Old French word forasche, which came from the LateContinue reading “shonda”

Pronounced: fuh-ROOSH, adj Notes: I’m rather surprised that I have not run across this word Yesterday’s word The word Poplarism is “the policy of giving generous compensation, benefits, unemployment relief, etc” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments Our word came from a district in London called Poplar; inContinue reading “farouche”

Pronounced: POP-luh-riz-uhm, noun Notes: This word looks a lot like “popularism”, but it isn’t related Yesterday’s word The word chinoiserie is “a style in art (as in decoration) reflecting Chinese qualities or motifs; also, an object or decoration in this style” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / CommentsContinue reading “Poplarism”

Pronounced: sheen-WAHZ-ree, noun Notes: Not a word I know Yesterday’s word The word annelidous means “of or relating to worms” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word came from the French word anneler (to ring), which came from the Latin word anellus, which is a diminutive ofContinue reading “chinoiserie”