imprest

Pronounced: IHM-prest, noun

Notes: A useful word, but I don’t think I’ve ever run across this word before

Yesterday’s word

The word cramoisy means, as an adjective, “of a crimson color”. As a noun, it is “crimson cloth”

First usage

This is an old word, going back to the early 1400s

Background / Comments

Our word had an interesting journey. It came into English from the French word cramoisi, which came from the Spanish word carmesi, which comes from the Arabic word qirmizi (of kermes [kermes is a red dye made from insects]).

cramoisy

Pronounced: KRAM-oy-zee (alt: kruh-MOY-zee), adj/noun

Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word

Yesterday’s word

The word chuffed is British slang for “pleased or delighted”; oddly enough, it can also mean the opposite: “annoyed or displeased”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

I’ve only heard this used for the first meaning (pleased/delighted). Our word comes from chuff (to please or delight), which comes from an obsolete meaning of chuff (a puffed out cheek).

chuffed

Pronounced: [like it sounds]

Notes: You may know this word; I’ve run across it quite a bit in recent months

Yesterday’s word

The word orphic means

  • melodious; entrancing
  • mystical; occult
First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

I have taken a course in Western music, and one part of it discusses the story of Orpheus, a character in Greek mythology from which our word comes. If you don’t know the story, Orpheus was a superb musician; his playing and singing could charm animals, trees, and even rocks. When his beloved wife Eurydice (your-RID-uh-see) died of a snakebite, he traveled to the underworld to ask for her back. His playing charmed even Hades, the god of the underworld, who allowed her to follow him out of Hades, on the condition that Orpheus not look behind him until they were clear of the underworld. They had nearly made it when Orpheus, driven nearly made with doubt, looked behind him and thus lost her. Thus, the first meaning comes from the character of Orpheus; I’m not sure how the second meaning came about, unless it refers to the story in general.

orphic

Pronounced: OR-fick, adj

Notes: I am happy that I knew the origin, but even with that, I didn’t know the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word cornice means

  • a mass of snow or ice built up along a mountain ridge
  • the uppermost horizontal edge of a wall and its decorative treatment
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Italian word cornice (crow), which comes from the Latin word cornix. I had an idea of the second meaning, but the first one is entirely new to me.

cornice

Pronounced: CORE-niss, noun

Notes: I knew one of the definitions, but not the other – do you know either definition?

Yesterday’s word

The word oxymoron means “a figure of speech in which the two contradictory term appear together for emphasis” – here’s a good one: accurate estimate

First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

The plural of oxymoron is oxymora (but, in fairness, oxymorons is acceptable). I am bemused by the origin of this word: It comes from the Greek word oxymoron, which comes from oxys (sharp) and moros (dull), which means that the word’s origin is itself an oxymoron. Words are such fun!

oxymoron

Pronounced: ok-see-MORE-on, noun

Notes: I think everyone knows this word, but I find the plural form interesting, as well as the background

Yesterday’s word

The word quoin is “one of the keystones forming a wall; a cornerstone”

First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

I didn’t recognize this word at first, but now that I think about, I may have run across this word! There is a novel by Agatha Christie called Murder in Mesopotamia, and I think that is where I ran across the word. If I am remembering correctly, a quoin was involved. I don’t have the book handy, so I could be wrong about that. Note that our word can also be spelled coign or coigne. The reason our word is pronounced “coin” is because the word is a variant of coin (coin is about 200 years older than quoin). The word comes from the Middle English word coyne/coygne, which is turn came from Anglo-French, which came from the Middle French word coin/coigne (wedge, corner, die), which came from the Latin word cuneus (wedge).

quoin

Pronounced: coin (alt: kwoin), noun

Notes: This is a pretty short word to contain neither an ‘a’ or an ‘e’.

Yesterday’s word

The word bourgeois, as a noun means

  • a member of the middle class
  • one who exhibits behavior in conformity to the conventions of the middle class
  • a member of the capitalist class (in Marxist theory)

As an adjective, it means

  • belonging to the middle class
  • marked by a concern for respectability and material interests
  • mediocre or unimaginative: lacking artistic refinement
First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1500s (yes, way back then!)

Background / Comments

When I see our word, I think of the first definitions given above (middle class). Therefore, the adjectival second and third definitions (especially the third) was a surprise to me. I am not well-versed in Marxist theory, so I didn’t know that this word was also used for a member of the capitalist class. In addition to all of that, I associate this word with Marxist theory and communist Russia, so I was very surprised to see that it goes back as far as it does. As you can guess by the spelling, our word comes from the French word bourgeois, which comes from the Latin word burgus (fortress; fortified town).

bourgeois

Pronounced: boor-ZHWAH (alt: BOOT-zhwah), noun/adj

Notes: You may think you know this word, but it has some definitions that I had to examine again. Interesting note: the plural has the same spelling and pronunciation

Yesterday’s word

The word aleatory means “of, or relating to, accidental change, good luck, or happenstance occurrences; unpredictable”

First usage

This word came into English in the late 1600s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Latin word āleātōrius, which comes from āleātōr (gambler), which comes from ālea (game of chance). This would be a great word to drop into conversation.

aleatory

Pronounced: AY-lee-uh-tawr-ee (alt 1: AY-lee-uh-tore-ee; alt 2: AL-ee-uh-tawr-ee; alt 3: AL-ee-uh-tore-ee)

Notes: Lots of ways to pronounce this word; I didn’t know the meaning

Yesterday’s phrase

The phrase tour de force means “a feat of strength, skill, or ingenuity: an exceptional performance or achievement”

First usage

The phrase came into English in the early 1800s

Background / Comments

As you can tell, this phrase is French; it is from tour (turn; feat) plus de (of) plus force (strength). This entry was marginal; I’ve heard the word multiple times and had an idea of the meaning.

tour de force

Pronounced: tour duh FORS, noun

Notes: The plural is tours de force. You may know this phrase

Yesterday’s word

The word cavil means, as a verb, “to raise irritating, inconsequential, or bogus objections”. As a noun, it refers to those type of objections.

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Latin word cavillārī (to jeer; scoff; quibble), which derives from cavilla (jesting; banter). It is a well-used method to attempt avoiding work or to delay something. It’s a good word to use, and you look quite smart telling someone not to cavil.