Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: shi-CANE, verb/noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve ever run across this word Yesterday’s word The word stolid means “having or expressing little or no sensibility : unemotional” First usage Our word came into English in around 1600 (sort of; see Background below) Background / Comments When our word first came into English, it describedContinue reading “chicane”

Pronounced: STAH-luhd, adj Notes: I look at this word and see “solid”, which is a kind of a hint Yesterday’s word The word brio means “vigor or vivacity” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments Our word is a nice, useful word — I hope I can bring itContinue reading “stolid”

Pronounced: BREE-oh, noun Notes: I don’t know this word, but it looks like an incomplete word Yesterday’s word The word rescript has multiple meanings, some of which you’d probably guess: First usage Our word came into English in the early-to-mid 1500s Background / Comments In the order of the definitions above, one can see howContinue reading “brio”

Pronounced: REE-script, noun Notes: You might be able to guess this meaning Yesterday’s word The word popinjay is “someone who indulges in vain and empty chatter” First usage Our word is old; it came into English in the early 1300s Background / Comments Once again, I’m going by a memory that may or may notContinue reading “rescript”

Pronounced: POP-in-jay, noun Notes: I think I’ve heard the word, but I couldn’t define it well Yesterday’s word The word Brobdingnagian means “marked by tremendous size” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments I think I read this word in CS Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia — possibly inContinue reading “popinjay”

Pronounced: brab-ding-NAH-gee-uhn, adj Notes: People who know this word are better read than I am Yesterday’s word The word starets is “a religious teacher or adviser” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments People familiar with the Eastern Orthodox Church (also known as Greek Orthodox) may know this word.Continue reading “Brobdingnagian”

Pronounced: STAR-its (alt: STAR-yits), noun Notes: The plural is interesting (“startsy”). Another word I’ve not run across (I don’t think I read the right kind of books to run across the word) Yesterday’s word The word denegation means “denial” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments If youContinue reading “starets”

Pronounced: deh-nih-GAY-shun, noun Notes: A simpler definition that I thought Yesterday’s word The word paries is “a wall of a body part or cavity” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments I cannot recall ever running across this word; however, it is related to the word “parietal”, whichContinue reading “denegation”

Pronounced: PAR-ee-eez, noun Notes: This word has an odd plural (parietes) Yesterday’s word The word palisade means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I happen to know the first definition because of a strategy game called “Age of Empires II” – one of the types of earlyContinue reading “paries”

Pronounced: pah-luh-SADE, noun Notes: I knew one of the definitions Yesterday’s word The word quale means “a quality or property as perceived by a person; a subjective experience” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word qualis (or what kind).