Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: FEK-luss, adj Notes: I have read or heard this word, but I wasn’t sure of the definition and (alas!) I didn’t look it up Yesterday’s word The word cognize means “to perceive; to understand; to know” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments We are far more familiarContinue reading “feckless”

Pronounced: KOG-nize, verb Notes: I could recognize (heh) the root of this word, but could not properly define it Yesterday’s word The word scission means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I am familiar with the word ‘schism’ (from the first definition), but IContinue reading “cognize”

Pronounced: SIH-zhuhn, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, but I did know a synonym Yesterday’s word The word gaudeamus is “a convivial gathering or merry-making of students at a college or university” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments Our word came from a student’s song calledContinue reading “scission”

Pronounced: gau-dih-AHM-us, noun Notes: Another word I’ve not run across, but one that could be useful Yesterday’s word The word broadside means First usage Our word came into English in the 1500s Background / Comments It is the first meaning above that I did not know. Some of the old Errol Flynn naval films dealContinue reading “gaudeamus”

Pronounced: BRAWD-side, noun Notes: There was one meaning I did not know Yesterday’s word The word debenture is “a certificate acknowledging a debt” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I had two errors regarding this word: first, I thought it was pronounced DEB-en-churr, andContinue reading “broadside”

Pronounced: dih-BEN-chur, noun Notes: I’ve run across the word before; it turns out that I have been mispronouncing it… and not only that, I wasn’t quite right in the meaning Yesterday’s word The word magniloquent means “speaking in or characterized by a high-flown (often bombastic) style or manner” First usage Our word came into EnglishContinue reading “debenture”

Pronounced: mah-NIH-luh-kwuhnt, adj Notes: My guess at this word’s meaning was wrong Yesterday’s word The word mittimus is “an official order to commit someone to prison” First usage Our word is an old one, coming into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments I think we tend to call a mittimus “an arrest warrant”. OurContinue reading “magniloquent”

Pronounced: MIT-uh-muss, noun Notes: This is a new word to me Yesterday’s word The word atavism means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments For some reason, our word makes me think of the original Star Trek series; possibly from the episode “All Our Yesterdays”. I may haveContinue reading “mittimus”

Pronounced: AH-tuh-vih-zuhm, noun Notes: I’ve run across this word in reading, but I could not properly define it Yesterday’s word The word jayhawker is First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I should have known the second definition, and would have, if I paid closer attention to college football.Continue reading “atavism”

Pronounced: JAY-haw-kuhr, noun Notes: I almost had the definition correct Yesterday’s word The word cineast is “a devotee of motion pictures; moviemaker” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments After seeing the definition, I should have recognized cine- from ‘cinema’ and been able to guess the meaning. Our wordContinue reading “jayhawker”