Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: ah-TAHL-uh-kuhn, adj Notes: I’m a little surprised that this word was new to me Yesterday’s word The word misbegotten means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments The only definition I knew was the third one; I have a faint memory of hearing it used in some old-timeContinue reading “autolycan”

Pronounced: miss-bih-GAH-tuhn, adj Notes: I knew one of the definitions, but not all of them Yesterday’s word The word welter, as a noun, means As a verb, it means First usage Our word came into English in the very early 1400s Background / Comments Our word came from the Middle Dutch word welteren; possibly fromContinue reading “misbegotten”

Pronounced: WELL-tuhr, noun/verb Notes: I was thinking of “welt” (and that was incorrect) Yesterday’s word The word bumbershoot means “umbrella” (as you may know) First usage Our word came into English in the very late 1800s Background / Comments When I saw this word, the UK came to mind; possibly because they have several nicknamesContinue reading “welter”

Pronounced: BUM-ber-shoot, noun Notes: I knew this word, but it has an interesting background. Do you know the word? Yesterday’s word The word megrim can mean First usage Our word is quite old; coming into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments Our word is another one that was created in error; when we tookContinue reading “bumbershoot”

Pronounced: ME-grim, noun Notes: Not a word I’ve heard Yesterday’s word The word Argus is a First usage I could not find information about when this word came into English Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, our word was a marginal case. I was aware of the Argus from Greek mythology, but I wasn’tContinue reading “megrim”

Pronounced: ARE-gus, noun Notes: This was a close one; you may know this word. I was close Yesterday’s word The word lutestring is “a glossy silk fabric” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word has nothing to do with strings for the instrument called a lute. ItContinue reading “Argus”

Pronounced: LOOT-string Notes: An interesting word; I’ve not heard it before Yesterday’s word The word tchotchke means “knickknack; trinket” First usage Our word came into English in the 1960s Background / Comments Our word is an Americanism; it came from the Yiddish word tshatshke, which came from an obsolete Polish word czaczko (knickknack). Our wordContinue reading “lutestring”

Pronounced: CHAHCH-kuh, noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve every run across this word Yesterday’s word The word Addisonian means “having clarity and elegance” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Our word was named after Joseph Addison, an English essayist and poet.

Pronounced: add-uh-SO-nee-uhn, adj Notes: Another new word to me Yesterday’s word The word challah is “egg-rich yeast-leavened bread that is usually braided or twisted before baking” First usage It’s not clear when this word came into English Background / Comments Challah is a type of bread traditionally baked to celebrate the Jewish sabbath. Our wordContinue reading “Addisonian”

Pronounced: KAH-luh (the “K” is a like the throat-clearing sound in the German word “ach”) Notes: Some people probably know this word Yesterday’s word The word Gongorism refers to “an affected literary style marked by intricate language and elaborate figures of speech” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background /Continue reading “challah”