gadarene

Pronounced: GA-duh-reen, adj

Notes: I didn’t know the word, but I was amazed at the background

Yesterday’s word

The word balk (baulk), as a verb, means

  • to stop, hesitate, or refuse to proceed
  • to thwart or hinder

As a noun, it means

  • a check or hindrance
  • a defeat or disappointment
  • a beam or rafter
  • a ridge; an unplowed strip of land between furrows
First usage

Our word came into English as a noun in the late 800s; as a verb, it came into English in the late 1300s

Background / Comments

I am used to balk having the idea of heading off or stopping something; to hinder it, which covers most of the meaning. The third and fourth noun definitions above are unknown to me. Our word came from the Old English word balca (ridge; bank).

balk

Pronounced: bawk, noun/verb

Notes: Also spelled “baulk”; there is one definition of this word that I did not know

Yesterday’s word

The word delectation means “delight; enjoyment”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1300s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Middle English word delectacioun, which came from the Latin word delectation (delight). Synonyms of our word are pleasure, delight, and enjoyment, but the words have different shades of meaning: “pleasure” is gratification or satisfaction of the senses; “delight” is a kind of mental enjoyment of pleasure, and may not last as long as the sense from “pleasure”. The word “enjoyment” implies a deep pleasure that can be temporary or a deep-seated happiness. Our word – delectation – is more of a reaction (usually amusement or diversion) to a pleasurable experience.

delectation

Pronounced: dee-lek-TAY-shun, noun

Notes: A nice, useful word to add to one’s vocabulary

Yesterday’s word

The word consanguineous means “related by blood; having a common ancestor”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1600s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Latin word consanguineus, which is made up of con- (with) and sanguineus (bloody), which came from sanguis (blood). By the way, this is another word that contains every usual vowel.

consanguineous

Pronounced: kon-sang-GWIN-ee-uhs, adj

Notes: You may be able to figure out the meaning of this word

Yesterday’s word

The word fulminate means “to complain loudly or angrily; to send forth censures or invectives”

First usage

Our word came into English around 1400 (either in the late 1300s or the early 1400s)

Background / Comments

I think I confused our word with “fulsome”. Our word came from the late Middle English word fulminaten, which came from the Latin word fulminatus, which is the past participle of fulminare (to hurl thunderbolts; thunder), which comes from fulmen (thunderbolt; lightning).

fulminate

Pronounced: full-muh-nate, verb

Notes: I think I confused this word with another word

Yesterday’s word

The word yichus means “prestige, social status, or pedigree”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Yiddish word yichus/yikhus (pedigree), which came from the Hebrew word yihus (pedigree). I suspected Yiddish as the source, as you may have.

yichus

Pronounced: YEEKH-uhs, noun

Notes: I could guess at the origin, but not the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word mugwump is

  • a Republican that did not support his party’s candidate in the 1884 election
  • a person who is independent (as in politics) or who remains undecided or neutral
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

I enjoy learning about US Presidents, and the 1884 election is a fascinating one to me. To summarize, the incumbent Chester Arthur did not wish a second term, as his health was declining. The Republicans had won the Presidency ever since 1856 and nominated James Blaine, who had severed as Secretary of State. The Democrats nominated New York governor Grover Cleveland. The campaign was bitter, with accusations leveled at each candidate: James Blaine was accused of corruption, having sold his influence in Congress when he served there. Grover Cleveland was accused of having fathered a child out of wedlock. The Mugwumps were Republicans that were strongly anti-corruption and refused to support James Blaine, switching their vote to Grover Cleveland, who became the first Democrat to win the Presidency, and would remain so until the 1912 election. Grover Cleveland also won the popular vote in three elections in a row, but lost the electoral vote in the middle one, so he was the first man to have non-successive presidential terms. Our word came from mugquomp, an anglicization of the Massachusett Indian word muggumquomp (war leader).

mugwump

Pronounced: MUG-wuhmp, noun

Notes: I have heard this word, but I only had vague ideas of the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word yahoo, as a noun, is “a person who is boorish, loud, disruptive, etc”. As an interjection, it means “expressing excitement, delight, or triumph”.

First usage

The noun form came into English in the mid-1700s; the interjection form came into English in the 1970s

Background / Comments

The noun definition came from Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift – published in 1726. In the book, the Yahoos were a race of brutish creatures. The origin of the interjection is not known, but it thought to be of echoic origin. I am also skeptical of the first usage being in the 1970s; I seem to recall that the Rankin/Bass Christmas show Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had a character named Yukon Cornelius who was wont to shout “yahoo!”. This show came out in the mid-1960s, so perhaps the first usage above is incorrect. Note that I believe he shouted “yahoo!”, but I need to watch the show to verify that memory.

yahoo

Pronounced: YAH-hoo, noun; yah-HOO, interjection

Notes: One of a few words whose pronunciation changes the meaning (and type of speech)

Yesterday’s word

The word canorous means “pleasant sounding; melodious”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Latin verb canere (to sing). Our word is used of something that is pleasant to listen to.

canorous

Pronounced: kuh-NOR-us, adj

Notes: I didn’t know the meaning, but after seeing it, it made sense

Yesterday’s word

The word rostrum is

  • a platform, stage, dais, etc, for public speaking
  • a beaklike projection on a warship, used for ramming another ship
  • a snout, beak, or bill of an animal
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

As I noted yesterday, I knew the first definition above, but the others were strange to me. In ancient Rome, a speaking platform was decorated with the beaks of captured ships… and thus, the first definition. The word comes from the Latin word rostrum (snout; bill; beak), from came from rodere (to gnaw), which explains the other meanings.

rostrum

Pronounced: ROS-truhm (alt: RO-struhm), noun

Notes: I thought I knew this word, but it had meanings I did not know

Yesterday’s word

The word zydeco is “popular music of southern Louisiana that combines elements of French and Caribbean music and the blues and that features guitar, washboard, and accordion”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1960s

Background / Comments

There is a legend concerning the origin of this word: that our word came from the lyrics of a popular Cajun dance tune (Les Haricots Sont Pas Sales) — roughly speaking, this is translated as “the beans are not salty”. When spoken in French Creole, “Les Haricots” sounds a bit like “zydeco” and zydeco began to be used for this kind of music.