sepia

Pronounced: SEE-pee-uh, noun/adj

Notes: Most of us know the meaning of this; I chose this word because of the background

Yesterday’s word

The word renascent means “being reborn; springing again into being; reinvigorated”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early- or mid-1700s

Background / Comments

When I saw the definition of our word, I thought of the noun ‘renaissance’, and wondered/suspected that they might be related. Sure enough, they are: the word ‘renaissance’ came to English from French (and to French from Latin), but our word comes directly from the Latin word renāscent, which is a stem of renāscēns, which is the present participle of renāscī (to be born again), from re- (again) and nāscī (to be born).

renascent

Pronounced: rih-NASS-uhnt (alt: rih-NAY-suhnt), adj

Notes: I didn’t know this word, but I do know a form of it

Yesterday’s word

The word taupe, as a noun, means “a brownish gray, similar to the color of the skin of a mole”. As an adjective, it refers to something of this color.

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1910s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the French word taupe (mole), which came from the Latin word talpa (mole). On the balance, I think I’d rather not have learned the origin of this word.

taupe

Pronounced: tope, noun/adj

Notes: I know that this word is a color, but I wasn’t sure of the precise definition

Yesterday’s word

The word gaslight means “to cause a person to doubt his sanity through the use of psychological manipulation”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1950s

Background / Comments

A gaslight (a noun) is just a light that feeds off of gas; they predated electric lights. Our word comes from the 1944 film Gaslight. This is the United States film; a British film was made in 1940. Both of the films came from a 1938 play called “Gas Light” by Patrick Hamilton. In all of these, a man attempts to convince his wife that she in insane by (among other things) secretly causing the gaslights in the house to dim and brighten. He claims that she is imagining it.

gaslight

Pronounced: GAS-light, verb

Notes: I kind of had an idea of this word, but couldn’t give the precise definitely

Yesterday’s word

The word ponceau, as a noun, means “a bright red color”. As an adjective, it means “of bright red color”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1700s

Background / Comments

I didn’t know the meaning of this word, but I have heard it before: in the 1982 film The Scarlet Pimpernel, one of the members of the Committee of Public Safety is named ‘Ponceau’. Our word comes from the Old French word pouncel (poppy); that word is a diminutive of paon (peacock), which comes from the Latin word pavo (peacock). As I understand it, the flower we now call a poppy has a vivid red color that is comparable to the bright colors of a peacock.

ponceau

Pronounced: pon-SO, noun/adj

Notes: I didn’t know this word

Yesterday’s word

The word slubber means “to perform hastily or carelessly”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Low German word slubbern (to do work carelessly): not related to ‘slobber’ at all.

slubber

Pronounced: SLUB-er, verb

Notes: This looks too much like “slobber” for me to work out the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word mumpish means “sullen; silent; depressed”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1700s

Background / Comments

This sounds like a great word to work into conversations. It doesn’t have anything to do with the sickness called “mumps”. Our word comes from mump (grimace). It is thought that it is an imitative origin.

mumpish

Pronounced: MUM-pish

Notes: This word is not what I thought it was

Yesterday’s word

The word pavonine means

  • of, or like, a peacock
  • resembling the feathers of a peacock, as in coloring and array
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Latin word pāvōnīnus, a derivative of pāvō from the stem pāvōn (peacock) combined with -ine (of or pertaining to; made of; of the nature of; like)

pavonine

Pronounced: PAV-uh-nine (alt: PAV-uh-nihn), adj

Notes: I didn’t know this word, and I don’t think I’ve run across it

Yesterday’s word

The word compunctious means “feeling remorse or guilt”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1600s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Latin word compungere (to prick hard), comprised of com- (an intensifier) with pungere (to prick).

compunctious

Pronounced: kuhm-PUNGK-shuhs, adj

Notes: You may be able to figure out the meaning (if you don’t already know it)

Yesterday’s word

The word demesne means

  • possession of land as one’s own
  • an estate or part of an estate occupied, controlled by and worked for the exclusive use of the owner
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid to late 1200s

Background / Comments

When I saw the pronunciation, I suspected that our word came from French, and it does: it came from Middle English demeine, which came from the Anglo-French word demesne, which came from the Old French word demein, which came from the Late Latin word dominicum, which is a form of dominicus (of a master).

demesne

Pronounced: dih-MAIN (alt: dih-MEEN), noun

Notes: Not only could I not pronounce this word, I didn’t know what it meant

Yesterday’s word

The word equanimous means “even-tempered: calm and composed in all circumstances”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

Our word is a straightforward Latin word: aequs (equal; even) and animus (mind; spirit). This word is a great characteristic to be.