Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: GONG-uh-riz-uhm, noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word Yesterday’s word The word gest means First usage Our word came into English early: in the mid 1200s Background / Comments I knew of “jest”, but our word is unknown to me. It comes from the Old French word geste (action; exploit) whichContinue reading “Gongorism”

Pronounced: jest, noun Notes: This is a different word than “jest”, even though they are pronounced the same Yesterday’s word The word guy, as a noun, means As a verb, it means First usage The first definitions above came into English in the mid-1800s. The second definitions are older and came into English in theContinue reading “gest”

Pronounced: guy (well, duh!), noun/verb Notes: There is more depth to the word than you might think, and I confess to a disappointment Yesterday’s word The word genial means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I am most familiar with the second meaning describing someone as friendly. ButContinue reading “guy”

Pronounced: GEE-nyuhl, adj Notes: I tend to mispronounced this word with three syllables. I know two of the three definitions Yesterday’s word The word Maecenas is “a generous patron, especially of art, music, or literature” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments As you may have guessed by theContinue reading “genial”

Pronounced: mee-SEE-nuss (alt: mih-SEE-nuss), noun Notes: I’ve not heard of this word Yesterday’s word The word gibbous means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Late Latin adjective gibbosus (humpbacked), which came from the Latin noun gibbus (hump). The most common usage theseContinue reading “Maecenas”

Pronounced: JIH-bus, adj Notes: This word has two meanings; one is a specialized meaning, and I know this one; I did not know the common meaning Yesterday’s word The word alar means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word ala (wing).Continue reading “gibbous”

Pronounced: AY-luhr, adj Notes: I confused this word with “agar”, probably because I didn’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word jitney means First usage Our word came into English in the 1900s (meaning 1900-1910) Background / Comments At the turn of the 20th century, jitney was slang for “nickel” (the 5-cent piece). It costsContinue reading “alar”

Pronounced: JIT-nee, noun Notes: This word seems distantly familiar, but I cannot recall any details Yesterday’s word The word personalty is “personal property; movable property, as contrasted with real estate” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments Our word comes to us through multiple stops: from the Anglo-French wordContinue reading “jitney”

Pronounced: PURR-suh-null-tee, noun Notes: I’ve run across this word in reading, and it’s NOT “personality” misspelled. Yesterday’s word The word limn means First usage Our word came into English in the early to mid-1400s Background / Comments Our word came from the Middle English word lymne, which is a variant of the word luminen (toContinue reading “personalty”

Pronounced: lihm, verb Notes: I think I’ve run across this word, but the memory is so faint that I cannot recall any details Yesterday’s word The word truchman is “an interpreter” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments Our word has an interesting journey: it came from theContinue reading “limn”