Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounced: dee-guh-STAY-shuhn, noun
Notes: This word does not mean what I thought it might
The word crinose means “hairy”
I cannot find when this word showed up in English; I’ve tried several web sites, but no one has this information.
I like having alternate words for common things; I hope I find some occasion to introduce our word into conversation. Our word comes from the Latin word crīnis (hair) with -ose (full of; abounding in).
Pronounced: CRY-nohs (alt: KRIN-ohs), adj
Notes: A great word to know
The word marmorean means “resembling marble or a marble statue, for example, in smoothness, whiteness, hardness, coldness, or aloofness”
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
Our word comes from the Latin word marmor (marble)
Pronounced: mahr-MORE-ee-uhn, adj
Notes: Also spelled marmoreal; I think I’ve seen this word somewhere, but I didn’t know the definition
The word favonian means
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
Our word came from the Latin word Favōniānus (Favonius, the Roman personification of the west wind).
Pronounced: fuh-VOH-nee-uhn, adj
Notes: I think I’ve run across this word, but I didn’t know the meaning
The word afflatus is “a creative impulse or inspiration”
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
Our word comes from the Latin word afflatus (a breathing on), from ad- (to) and flare (to blow).
Pronounced: uh-FLAY-tuhs, noun
Notes: I don’t think I’ve ever run across this word
The word panegyric means “a lofty oration or writing in praise of a person or thing; eulogy; formal or elaborate praise”
Our word came into English in the late 1500s
I am pretty sure that I’ve run across this word in reading, but no definite book or character comes to mind. Rex Stout had quite a vocabulary and sprinkles his works (the Nero Wolfe novels) with interesting words, so it may have been him. However, it may have been Dorothy Sayers in the Lord Peter Wimsey books; it seems like the kind of word she might use. Our word comes from the Latin word panēgyricus (of or belonging to a public assembly), which came from the Greek word panēgyrikós, from pan- (all) and ēgyris (gathering)
Pronounced: pan-ih-JIR-ick (alt: pan-ih-JAYE-rick), noun
Notes: I’ve run across this word, but couldn’t define it well
The word chunter means “to mutter, grumble, or chatter”
Our word came into English in the late 1500s
Our word is considered an imitative word – saying “chunter” several times run together in a low voice can sound like muttering.
Pronounced: CHUHN-tuhr, verb
Notes: I think I’ve run across this word, but I didn’t know the meaning
The word gapeseed is mostly used in Britain and means
Our word came into English in the late 1500s
I don’t think I’ve ever seen this word, but mostly being a British word, I haven’t heard it. Our word is a combination of gape (stare) and seed… I’m not sure what part seed plays in the meaning.
Pronounced: GAPE-seed (alt: GAP-seed), noun
Notes: It looks like “grapeseed”, but it is not related to it
The word susurrate means “to make a whispering or rustling sound”
Our word came into English in the early 1600s
I think this is a neat word. I ran across this in some Star Trek novel (I don’t remember which one; perhaps Strangers From the Sky) in which it describes the “susurration of the Vulcan heart”. Our word comes from the Latin word susurrare (to whisper or hum).
Pronounced: SOO-suh-rate, verb
Notes: I don’t think this word is well known, but I have run across it
The word nonesuch means “a person or thing without equal; paragon”
Our word came into usage in the late 1500s
Our word is a combination of none and such. As I noted yesterday, I thought our word was an adjective meaning “unique” (as in “nonesuch ruler”). I’m not sure where I picked up this misapprehension.
Pronounced: NUN-such, noun
Notes: I thought this word was an adjective, not a noun
The word gnar means “to snarl or growl”
Our word came into English in the late 1400s.
It is thought to be of imitative origin (that gnar sounds like a snarl or growl).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day