divers

Pronounced: DIE-verz, adj

Notes: This word is used in the Authorized Version of the Bible; I know it, but I don’t know how well known it is; I also found the background interesting

Yesterday’s word

The word ludic means “relating to play; playful”

First usage

Out word came into English in the 1940s

Background / Comments

Not so much the appearance, but the pronunciation of our word reminded me of ‘ludicrous’ — and rightly so, since ‘ludicrous’ and ludic come from the same root. Our word came from the French word ludique, which came from the Latin word ludere (to play), which came from ludus (play). I kind of like ludic over playful; this is another word which I hope to be able to drop into appropriate conversation.

ludic

Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word

Pronounced: LOO-dick, adj

Yesterday’s word

The word bogart means

  • to bully or intimidate
  • to use or consume without sharing (to “hog”)
First usage

Our word came into English in the 1960s

Background / Comments

As I noted, our word does comes from the actor Humphrey Bogart, who is known for playing “tough guys”, and thus we have the first meaning. The second meaning comes from a combination of the drug culture and the method Mr Bogart used in his pictures: he would let the butt dangle from his mouth and did not remove it until it was almost fully consumed. The was a phrase assumed to come from this habit: “Don’t bogart that joint” (referring to a marijuana cigarette). It was common to share joints, and if one person used it up, it would be as Mr Bogart did with his cigarettes. There was a song in the film Easy Rider [I’ve not seen nor even heard of this film] that used this phrase. Over time, the meaning has broadened so that it can now mean to “hog” something.

bogart

Pronounced: BOH-gart, verb

Notes: Yes, this is after the actor Humphrey Bogart, but do you know the meaning?

Yesterday’s word

The word derogate means

  • to disparage or belittle
  • to detract from (authority, value, etc)
  • to deviate from (as from a standard, for example)
First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1500s

Background / Comments

I am familiar with the adjective ‘derogatory’, but not the verb form (our word). It comes from the Latin word derogare (to repeal), which is made up of de- (from) and rogare (to ask; to propose a law).

derogate

Pronounced: DER-uh-gate, verb

Notes: You may have an idea of the meaning of this word

Yesterday’s word

The word funicular is “a cable railway ascending a mountain”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1900s

Background / Comments

Our word started as an adjective meaning “relating to a cord under tension” and has been around since the mid-1600s. The word came from the French word funiculaire (a type of railway that is dependent upon cables — cord under tension). The word traces back to the Latin noun funiculus (small rope).

funicular

Pronounced: fyoo-NIH-kyuh-luhr, noun

Notes: I have heard this word, but I couldn’t define it on seeing it

Yesterday’s word

The word chicane means, as a verb, “to trick or deceive”. As a noun, it means

  • deception
  • an artificial narrowing or a turn added to a road to slow traffic down
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the French word chicaner (to quibble). I do know the word ‘chicanery’ (trickery/deception by quibbling or sophistry), which is a form of this word.

chicane

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 described people who were considered dull or stupid because they didn’t wear their emotions on their sleeves. By the the 1800s, the word had dropped the idea of foolishness, and has the same meaning today. The word comes from the Latin word stolidus (dull; stupid). There is a relation to the word “stultify” (to cause to appear or be stupid, foolish, or absurdly illogical), and retains the foolish part of the meaning.

stolid

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 it into conversations. Our word has come a ways: it came to use from the Italian word brio (liveliness), which came from the Spanish word brio (spirit), which came from the Celtic word brigos (strength).

brio

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:

  • a written answer (as of a Roman emperor or a pope) to a written question or petition
  • an edict, decree, or official pronouncement
  • something rewritten
  • the act of rewriting
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 how the meaning has changed over time: from a written response to a Roman emperor it became any official pronouncement, and then became more gradual to writing or re-writing. Our word comes from the Latin word rescrīptrum (an imperial rescript), which is a noun created from the neuter past participle rescrībere (to write back; reply).

rescript

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 not be correct, but I think I heard this word in the original Star Trek series. I think Scotty used our word to describe an ambassador in “A Taste of Armageddon”, which is from the first season. I may try to re-watch this show, just to see if I remembered correctly. I didn’t know the word when I heard it then, but I never looked it up. I liked the sound of it, and it was clearly not meant in a complimentary way. Our word came into English from French and Spanish, but traces back to the Arabian word babbaga (parrot). The reference information I have says that the last syllable was changed from “ga” to “jay” because people thought the word referred to a jay. Update: I did watch “A Taste of Armageddon”, and I remembered correctly; Scotty does call Ambassor Fox a popinjay.

popinjay

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 in Book 4 (The Silver Chair) — I think this because one part deals with a city of giants. However, some of the other books also mention giants and may have used this word. It’s also possible that am not remembering correctly. Those who have read more classical stories may know that this word comes from Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift. In school, we read an excerpt from Gulliver’s Travels – his first of four adventures dealing with the people of Lilliput, who are tiny. His second adventure takes place in the land of Brobdingnag, which is inhabited by giants, and is the source for our word. Gulliver’s Travels was a very popular book in its day — so much that our word came into usage just a few years after the book’s publication.