Pronounced: MAHR-plot, noun

Notes: I have never run across this word

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Yesterday’s word

The word pococurante means “indifferent; nonchalant”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word started as a character in Voltaire’s work Candide, published in 1759. Many characters in that work were carefully named. Pococurante is an apathetic Venetian senator; the name literally means “caring little” in Italian. Three years later Laurence Sterne used Pococurante in Tristram Shandy to mean a careless person. From there it changed to be an adjective, originally spelled poco-curante.

Pronounced: POH-koh-kyu-RAN-tee, adj

Notes: Looks Spanish, but I don’t it

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Yesterday’s word

The word dinky means, in the US, “small; insignificant; undesirable”. In the UK, it means “attractively tiny; cute”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1700s

Background / Comments

I did not realize that the UK meaning was different. Our word came from the Scots word dink (neat; trim).

Pronounced: DING-kee, adj

Notes: This word is a bit of a cheat; I know (as I’m sure you do) the US meaning, but it has a different meaning in the UK.

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Yesterday’s word

The word pinnacle means

• an upright architectural member often ending in a small spire
• a lofty peak
• the highest point of development or achievement; acme

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1300s

Background / Comments

As I noted yesterday, I knew the second and third definitions above, but the rather specialized first meaning I did not know. Our word came from the Middle English word pinacle, which came from Middle French, which came from the late Latin pinnāculum (gable).

Pronunciation: PIH-nih-kuhl, noun

Notes: There was one meaning I didn’t know (but it rather specialized)

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Yesterday’s word

The word sinisterity means

• left-handedness
• skillfulness in the use of the left hand
• awkwardness or clumsiness
• evilness, unluckiness, etc

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1600s

Background / Comments

Our word shows the historic prejudice against the left-handed people; on average, about 10% of people are left-handed. Thus, their usage of the left hand looks awkward or clumsy to the right-handed. In the Bible, a judgment put the righteous on the right and the wicked on the left (Matt 25:31-46). This may be why our word took the meaning of “evil”. Our word came from the Latin word sinister (left; left hand; unlucky).

Pronounced: sin-uh-STER-uh-tee, noun

Notes: You may know the definition; I didn’t realize this was a word

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Yesterday’s word

The word deflagrate means

• to burn rapidly with intense heat and sparks being given off
• to cause something to burn in such a manner

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1700s

Background / Comments

Well, since “deflate” is the opposite of “inflate”, I thought our word would means the opposite of inflame or ignite, but it does not (in that respect, it is like how “flammable” and “inflammable” mean the same thing). Our word came from the Latin prefix de- (down; away) and the Latin verb flagrare (to burn).

Pronounced: DEH-fluh-grate, verb

Notes: It looks like it should mean “to put out a fire”

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Yesterday’s word

The word vorpal means “sharp; deadly”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

I thought the word was familiar; it was created by Lewis Carroll in the book Through the Looking-Glass in the poem “Jabberwocky”.

Pronounced: VUHR-puhl, adj

Notes: This word was familiar to me, but I could not place it. I thought it may be related to “vulpine “.

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Yesterday’s word

The word henotheism means “the worship of one God without denying the existence of other gods”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the German word Henotheismus, which came from the Greek words hen- (one) and theos (god). It was promoted by a respected scholar named Max Mueller. It is in contrast to “polytheism” (belief in or worship of more than one god) and “monotheism” (the doctrine or belief that there is but one God).

Pronounced: HEH-nuh-thee-ih-zuhm, noun

Notes: Interesting word

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Yesterday’s word

The word bauchle, as a noun, means

• an old, worn-out shoe
• Something useless or worn out
• A useless person; a fool

As a verb, it means “to subject to disgrace or contempt”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1400s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from Scotland; it is thought it originated from bauch (inferior or substandard). We can see the change in meanings in the noun forms above – first it was specific to an old shoe, and then generalized to anything worn out or useless, and then it expanded to people. Finally, a regional pronunciation comment: I grew up in the Midwest, and the “a” in “father” and the “o” in “cot” sounded the same to me growing up. Now, I generally don’t think about the difference, but I can see that the “a” in “father” can be pronounced with a slight grin, while the “o” in “cot” can be pronounced like a long “o” but with the mouth opened farther.

Pronounced: BAH-kuhl (alt: BO-kuhl), noun, verb

Notes: Because of where I grew up, I cannot easily distinguish between a short “o” and the “ah” sounds (more in tomorrow’s comments)

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Yesterday’s word

The word whelm means

• to turn upside down usually to cover something
• to overcome in thought or feeling; overwhelm

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1200s

Background / Comments

Both whelm and “overwhelm” have had similar definitions through the bulk of their life: these days, however, whelm is a lesser state compared to “overwhelm”. The idea of covering something is associated with our word, but not “overwhelm”. It came from Middle English word whelmem, which is thought to be a blend of whelve, which came from the Old English word gehwelfan (to bend over) and the verb helm, which came from the Old English helmian (to cover).

Pronounced: (H)WEHLM, verb

Notes: I have heard of overwhelm and underwhelm, but not our word

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Yesterday’s word

The word curtal, as a noun, is

• a woodwind instrument, an early form of bassoon (also known as a dulcian)
• an animal with a tail docked off
• anything abridged or cut short

As an adjective, it means

• having a docked tail
• abridged or cut short

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1500s

Background / Comments

Well, at least in the second definition, it is like “curtail” (probably the third definition, too). Our word came from the French word court (short), which came from the Latin word curtus (shortened).