provenience

Pronounced: pruh-VEE-nyuhn(t)s, noun

Notes: This word gave me a bit of an emotional roller-coaster ride (more in the comments tomorrow)

Yesterday’s word

The word motser means “a large sum of money or winnings from a wager or from gambling”

First usage

This word came into English in the 1940s

Background / Comments

I don’t mind not knowing this word; it is listed as “Australian slang”; I have enough trouble with the changes to American slang to keep up with slang from other English-speaking countries. The origin is not certain. People think that this is a corruption or alteration of a word used in circus / theatre talk: medzers/medzies/metzes (money). These are the plural forms of medzer/madzer (halfpenny).

motser

Pronounced: MOT-ser

Notes: I’m not sure about using this word. It is also spelled “motzer” and “motsa”

Yesterday’s word

The word lust-house is

  • a country house or a summer house
  • a tavern with a beer garden
First usage

This word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

I would have never guessed “summerhouse” as a meaning for this word – what about you? The word comes from the Dutch word lusthuis (country house), which came from the German word lusthaus (summer house), from lust (pleasure) and haus (house). The word lust is so frequently used to refer to something bad that we forget it can mean “enthusiasm, zest, or relish” (as in “lust for life”).

lust-house

Pronounced: LUST-house, noun

Notes: This is a tricky (or trick) word — it doesn’t mean what you might think it does

Yesterday’s word

The word darg is

  • a day’s work
  • a quota of work
First usage

This word came into usage in the late 1300s or early 1400s

Background / Comments

I don’t mind so much not knowing this word; the first definition is used in Scotland and northern England. The second definition is Australian. Our word comes from the Middle English word dawerk (also daiwerk), which came from the Old English word dægweork, which is made of of dæg (day) and weork (work). I’m not really sure how this word was shortened to “darg”, but it has.

darg

Pronounced: darg, noun

Notes: I’ve never run across this word, but it is considered “informal”

Yesterday’s word

The word adoral means “located toward the side or end where the mouth is located” (it usually used with animals which don’t have clear upper and lower sides)

First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

This word is one that I probably could have parsed better, had I not been so distracted by “ador”, which looked like a part of “adore”. Actually, the correct parsing is ad- (toward) combined with oral (relating to the mouth). The word oral comes from the Latin word os (mouth).

adoral

Pronounced: ad-OR-uhl, adj

Notes: I was thinking of something adorable, but that’s not it

Yesterday’s word

The word pasquinade is “a satire or lampoon posted in a public place or space”

First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

I usually see pasquinades at work, usually posted on the outside wall of an office or cubicle. Some of them were very clever, lampooning various subjects. The word came into English from French, which took it from the Italian word pasquinata (lampoon, satire). This came from the name Pasquino. This name is supposedly the name of a Roman schoolmaster (some stories have him as a tailor; some as a barber; others as a shoemaker). It was the nickname of a Roman statue unearthed in 1501 that was from 300s BC. It was annually decorated and covered with verses.

pasquinade

Pronounced: pass-kwuh-NADE, noun

Notes: I didn’t know this word, but I’ve seen several of them at work

Yesterday’s word

The word excursus means

  • a detailed discussion about a particular point, especially when added an an appendix
  • a digression
First usage

This word came into usage in the early 1800s

Background / Comments

I think we’ve all run across the second definition occurrences; I think I have books that contains excursus (the first meaning above), but I generally don’t read the excursus. But it is a handy word to use to refer to another’s digression. The word comes from the Latin word excurrere (to run out), which came from ex- (out) and currere (to run).

excursus

Pronounced: ik-SKUHR-suhs (alt: ek-SKUHR-suhs), noun

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

Yesterday’s word

The word theurgy is “the working of a divine or supernatural agency in human life”

First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

Our word struck a chord of memory; I was thinking of thaumaturgist – another word I came across reading Rex Stout’s books featuring Nero Wolfe. I didn’t remember the spelling of thaumaturgist (I had to look it up), but I remembered that it was a fancy word for magician, so I thought that might be the definition of our word. However, our word seems to be more the opposite of a deist (as I understand the term, it refers to a belief that God created the word, but no longer is involved with any aspect of that creation). Christianity stands in stark contrast to deism, and claims that God is very involved in His creation. Anyway, our word comes from the Latin word theūrgia, which comes from the Greek word theourgeía (magic)… so perhaps my first inclination wasn’t quite as far off as I was thought it was.

theurgy

Pronounced: THEE-uh-jee, noun

Notes: I had this word confused with another one

Yesterday’s word

The word sadiron is “a heavy flatiron pointed at both ends and having a detachable handle”

First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1700s

Background / Comments

This is a word whose etymology is more interesting to me than the word itself. Our word is simply a combination of sad and iron. However, what I didn’t know (did you?) is that sad has an obsolete sense of “heavy, solid” – and it is this meaning that is used in our word. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sadiron.

sadiron

Pronounced: SAD-eye-urn, noun

Notes: It both is and isn’t what you may think

Yesterday’s word

The word genethliac means “of, or related to, birthdays and the position of the stars at the time of one’s birth”

First usage

This word goes back to the late 1500s.

Background / Comments

This word is one of those concerned with astrology, which I have no interest in, so it is unlikely that I’d find a use for our word. It comes from the Late Latin word genethliacus (pertaining to one’s hour of birth or one’s birthday; an astrologer who calculates such an hour or day), which came from the Latin word genethliacus (one who casts horoscopes). This Latin word came from Green genethliakós, which came from genéthlios (pertaining to one’s birth), which derives from genéthlē (birth)

genethliac

Pronounced: juh-NETH-lee-ack, adj

Notes: I didn’t know this word, and probably won’t use it

Yesterday’s word

The word runnel is “a small stream or channel”

First usage

This word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Old English word rinnan (to run). We have had two words in a row that describe streams, and that isn’t a coincidence. When our word turned up, that reminded me that I’ve been meaning to add riffle from my reading, so I did so. So, as I said, not really a coincidence.