Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounced: ih-KWAN-uh-muss, adj
Notes: I’ve seen the word in reading, but could not properly define it
The word rusticate means “to go to, stay, live in, or sojourn in, the country”
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
The proper bit of our word to recognize is “rustic”, not “rust” (as I noted yesterday, “rust” is what I saw). Our word comes from the Latin word rūsticātus, the past participle of rūsticārī (to live in the country).
Pronounced: RUSS-tih-kate, verb
Notes: You may know this word; I keep seeing “rust” and go down the wrong path
The phrase dog whistle, as a noun, refers to “a coded message that appears innocuous to the general publish, but that has an additional interpretation meant to appeal to the target audience”. As an adjective, it means “relating to such a message”.
Our phrase came into usage in the 1900s
I detest our phrase, and almost didn’t use it. However, it was a phrase I didn’t know, and just because I dislike it is no reason not to use it. First, though, the background: our phrase refers to the whistle that dogs can hear but humans cannot, and thus, by extension, a message that only certain initiated people truly ‘hear’. I think the reason I dislike our phrase is that all of the examples I have seen are just a way to paint political opponents as “racist” or “<something>-phobic” in order to avoid having a legitimate debate on the issue. For example, it could be claimed that the phrase ‘border protection’ is a ‘dog whistle’ used to appeal to racists. That way, the real issues involved with porous borders can be ignored.
Pronounced: as written, noun/adj
Notes: You may know this term if you spend time in the arena in which this is used
The word desiderium means “an ardent longing, as for something lost”
Our word came into English in the early 1700s
Our word made me think of the word ‘desire’… with good reason, as it turns out. The root of our word is the Latin word dēsīderāre (to long for), and that is the same Latin word to which ‘desire’ traces.
Pronounced: des-ih-DEER-ee-uhm, noun
Notes: Even if you don’t know this word, you may be able to guess it
The word logrolling means
Our word came into English in the late 1700s
The meaning I knew is the second one listed above; I remember watching logrolling on television as a child. I was not aware that any other definition existed. The word comes from the practice of neighbors helping one another to move logs by rolling them.
Pronounced: LOG-roh-ling, noun
Notes: I know one of the two meanings
The word diffluence is
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
I did not know the meaning of deliquescence (to become liquid by absorbing liquid from the air or to melt away)in the meaning our word above. Our word is the noun form of the adjective diffluent, which comes from the Latin word diffluent, which comes from dif- (a variant of dis- [apart, asunder, away]) and fluent (flowing).
Pronounced: DIFF-loo-uhns, noun
Notes: You may had an idea of this word’s meaning (I didn’t)
The word shermanesque means
Our word came into usage in the 1910s
If you thought that our word traces back to the Union general William Tecumseh Sherman. After the American Civil War, he was being considered as a presidential candidate… he was utterly clear on the point: I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected. Thus, our first meaning above: any categorical statement, especially a denial, may be called Shermanesque. Reporters have been known to ask politicians if their announcement not to run for an office is Shermanesque to confirm that they really mean it. The second definition comes from Sherman’s campaigns in Chattanooga and Atlanta during which his army destroyed railroad tracks, bridges, trains, military, and government buildings. On the well-known “March to the Sea”, they destroyed much property on the way to Savannah.
Pronounced: shur-muh-NESK, adj
Notes: You may know the origin of the word, but do you know the meaning?
The word galoot means “an awkward, eccentric, or foolish person”
Our word came into English in the early 1800s
In my mind’s eye, I can hear Yosemite Sam using the phrase “ya ijit galoot!”… thus, I was aware that it was a disparaging term, but I didn’t actually know this meaning. The origin of this slang word is unknown.
Pronounced: guh-LOOT, noun
Notes: I’ve heard this word in Bugs Bunny (Yosemite Sam), but I didn’t quite know the meaning
The word fane means “a place of worship”
Our word came into English in the late 1300s
Our word comes from the Latin word fanum (temple).
Pronounced: FAIN, noun
Notes: I don’t think I’ve every run across this word
The word hallux is, in humans, “the big toe”, or, more technically, “the first of innermost digit of the foot of humans and primates”. In bird, it refers to “the comparable, usually backward-directed digit”.
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
Our word came from the Late Latin word (h)allux from Latin hallus, associated with pollex (thumb).
Pronounced: HAL-ucks, noun
Notes: Some people may know this word
The word symphysis means “a growing together”
Our word first came into English in the mid-1500s
I recognized the ‘sym-‘ (syn- or sun- in Greek) as meaning ‘together’, as in symphony (sounding together) or symbiosis (living together), but didn’t recognize the rest of the word. Our word came into English from Latin, and into Latin from the Greek word symphysis (growing together), which is composed of syn- (with; together) and phyein (to grow). This word is often found in anatomy to describe the fusion of two bones or cartilages.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day