orotund

Pronounced: OR-uh-tund, adj

Notes: I just see “rotund” in this word, and that’s not the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word tantivy means, as an adverb, “at full gallop”. As an adjective it means “swift or rapid”. As a noun, it means “a gallop or rush”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

People who own, enjoy, or work with horses may know this word. The origin of our word is not know, but some think that horses galloping sound like our word (making it an onomatopoeia). I, too, thought our word might be onomatopoeic.

tantivy

Pronounced: tan-TIV-ee, adv/adj/noun

Notes: A certain group of people probably know this word

Yesterday’s word

The word bobbery means “squabble; commotion; confusion”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word has a Hindi background: it is a corruption of the phrase bap re, from bap (father) and re (oh), so literally “oh, father!”. However it it used as an expression of surprise, grief, etc.

bobbery

Pronounced: BOB-uh-ree, noun

Notes: I’ve not run across this word

Yesterday’s word

The word escutcheon is

  • a shield or shieldlike surface on which a coat of arms is depicted
  • an ornamental or protective plate around a keyhole, door handle, light switch, etc
  • (nautical) a panel on the stern of a vessel bearing its name and port of registry
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1400s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Old North French word escuchon, which came from the Latin word scūtum (shield). I mentioned yesterday that this word was slightly familiar; while I was researching information about our word, I found a phrase “blot one’s escutcheon” (a stain on one’s reputation; disgrace), which I’m pretty sure I’ve read somewhere, which is probably why the word was familiar.

escutcheon

Pronounced: ih-SKOOCH-uhn, noun

Notes: This word is vaguely familiar to me, but I could not define it

Yesterday’s word

The word camorra means “a secret group united for unscrupulous purposes”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

The only place I remember running across this word is in the Lord Peter Wimsey short story The Unsolved Puzzle of the Man with No Face by Dorothy Sayers. In a railway car, a group of people from various walks of life discuss a news item about a man found dead on a beach with his face badly cut about. One man suggests a “Gamorrah” may have been behind it, which is our word misunderstood. Our word comes from Camorra, which was a secret organization in Naples, Italy, engaged in criminal activities. The word might have come into Italian from the Spanish word camorra (fight).

camorra

Pronounced: kuh-MORE-uh, noun

Notes: I have run across this word, but I didn’t know the proper definition

Yesterday’s word

The word accidence means “the rudiments or essentials of a subject”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1500s

Background / Comments

I would have guessed that this word was close to accident, so this definition was quite a surprise… and then I got another surprise when I looked up the background: our word comes from the Latin word accidentia, which is the neuter plural of accidēns, which is the present participle of accidere (to fall; befall): This happens to be the root of the word “accident”, so I have some satisfaction with my original guess.

accidence

Pronounced: ACK-sih-duhns, noun

Notes: Not at all what I thought

Yesterday’s word

The word pronunciamento means “an official or authoritarian announcement”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Our word is from the Spanish (duh!) word pronunciamento (pronouncement; military uprising); this word came from the verb pronunciar (to announce), which came from the Latin word pronuntiare (to put forth), which is made up of pro- (toward) and nuntiare (to announce). I don’t think I’ve every run across this word; I’ve just heard “announcement” or “official announcement”

pronunciamento

Pronounced: pro-nun-see-uh-MEN-toe, noun

Notes: You can probably guess at the meaning of this word (I didn’t know this was a word)

Yesterday’s word

The word nidificate means “to build a nest”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Latin word nīdificātus, the past participle of nīdificāre (to build a nest). I’ve always used the phrase “the birds are building a nest in our eaves”; I can simplify(?) this to “the birds are nidificating in our eaves”.

nidificate

Pronounced: NID-uh-fih-kate, verb

Notes: A useful word to know

Yesterday’s word

The word hegira means “a journey or migration, especially when taken to escape an undesirable situation”

First usage

This word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

This word came from the flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 in order to escape persecution. It comes from the Arabic noun hijra (departure), which came from the verb hajara (to depart).

Rejected word

I chose to not use the word tyro (a beginner in learning; novice) because I happened to know it. I did not know that it could be spelled tiro. It originally (in Latin) meant a young soldier or new recruit. I ran across the word in the Star Trek novel Enterprise The First Adventure (at least, that’s what I think… I’m not sure what happened to my copy of that book, but I think it was there that I first read it).

hegira

Pronounced: hih-JIGH-ruh (alt: HEJ-uhr-uh), noun

Notes: This is a new word to me

Yesterday’s word

The word votive means

  • offered, given, or dedicated in accordance with a vow or wish
  • performed, undertaken, etc., in consequence of a vow
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

I have heard of a “votive candle”, but I always thought that merely meant a small candle; I was not aware that such candles were related to vows. Our word comes from the Latin word votivus, which equivalent to votum (a vow).

votive

Pronounced: VOE-tihv, adj

Notes: I’ve heard this word, but I didn’t know the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word satori is “sudden enlightenment or intuitive understanding”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1700s

Background / Comments

When I first saw this word, I thought of the word sartorial, and thought it was related. It isn’t; our word came from the Japanese word satori (understanding), which came from satoru (to know or understand).