Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounced: OP-uh-rose, adj
Notes: This is another word that I didn’t know, but after seeing the definition, I could see it
The word punalua is “a group of brothers marrying a group of sisters”
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
This word is a Hawaiian one.
Pronounced: poo-nuh-LOO-uh, noun
Notes: This word looks a bit like luau, but it isn’t
The word procrustean means “tending to produce conformity by violent or arbitrary means”
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
Our word means “like Procrustes”; Procrustes was a robber who invited people to rest in his bed, but then he either stretched their limbs or amputated them in order to make them fit the bed. Thus, we get the meaning of our word.
Pronounced: pro-KRUS-tee-uhn, adj
Notes: This word can be upper case as well
The word apricity means “warmth of the sun; basking in the sun”
Our word came into English in the early 1600s
A neat little word. It comes from the Latin word apricari (to bask in the sun).
Pronounced: a-PRISS-ih-tee, noun
Notes: This word has nothing to do with apricots (in case you were wondering)
The word effulgent means “shining forth brilliantly; radiant”
Our word came into English in the mid-1700s
Our word comes from the Latin word effulgent, which traces back to ef- (out; thoroughly) combined with fulgēre (to shine).
Pronounced: ih-FUHL-juhnt (alt: ih-FOOL-juhnt), adj
Notes: Another unknown word to me
The word galumph means “to move clumsily or heavily”
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
Our word is another one coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass (as I have previously noted, the correct title is Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, published in 1871). It is from the poem “Jabberwocky” found in the book and is supposedly a combination of gallop and triumph. I’m not quite sure how this comes to mean clumsily or heavily.
Pronounced: guh-LUMF, verb
Notes: I kind of knew this word, but could not properly define it, so I add it here
The word sternutation means “the act of sneezing”
Our word came into English in the mid-1500s
Our word comes from the Latin word sternūtātiōn, related to sternūtātus, which is the past participle of sternūtāre, which is a word designating repeated action; in this case, of sternuere (to sneeze).
Pronounced: stur-nyuh-TAY-shun, noun
Notes: I think this is a word I keep learning and forgetting; I seem to remember running across it previously. Perhaps posting it here will help me remember it in future.
The word clarigation is “a demand for restitution for some wrong, as a precursor to declaring war”
Our word came into English in the mid-1400s
Our word comes from the Latin word clarigare (to make clear), which came from clarus (clear). Apparently, in ancient Roman times, a clarigation was a solemn and ceremonial (“clear”) recital of injuries or grievances at another peoples’ hands. It was usually accompanied by a demand for satisfaction — without which, they would go to war. This may be similar to the English phrase “sabre-rattling”.
The word cacophony came up; I’m a little proud that I correctly parsed this word; I remembered the Greek words kakos (bad) and phōnē (sound) – thus, literally, “bad sound” : a harsh, discordant sound.
Pronounced: klar-ih-GAY-shun, noun
Notes: Not a word I’ve run across
The word comminate means
Our word came into English in the early 1600s
I thought of ‘commune’ or ‘communicate’, but those are clearly not close to the meaning at all. Our word is a back formation (that means that another form of the word existed and the word was created) from the noun commination, which came from Late Middle English, which came from Anglo-French, which came from the Latin word comminātiōn, which is related to comminātus, the past participle of comminārī (to threaten).
Pronounced: KOM-uh-nate, verb
Notes: My guess at the meaning was way off
The word afflated means “having inspiration; inspired”
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
Our word comes from the obsolete verb afflate (to inspire), which came from the Latin word afflātus, which is the past participle of afflāre (to breathe upon), from af- (towards) and flāre (to blow). I find it interesting that we still have afflated, but afflate is obsolete.
Pronounced: uh-FLAY-tid, adj
Notes: I haven’t run across this word, and could not figure out the meaning
The word slithy means “smooth and active; slimy; slithery”
Our word came into English in the late 1800s
This word was created by Lewis Carroll in the novel Through the Looking-Glass (full title is Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There), published in 1871. This novel is the sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, published in 1865. Through the Looking-Glass has a kind of chess theme (instead of playing cards, as in the first book). I’ve read that all chess pieces are represented except a bishop. This is also the book than contains “Jabberwocky” and “The Walrus and the Carpenter”, as well as the characters Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Our word is a combination of slimy and lithe.
Have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
