whataboutery

Pronounced: what-uh-BOUT-uhr-ee, noun

Notes: This word makes me laugh… a bit. Most of us have experienced whataboutery

Yesterday’s word

The word Panglossian means “having extreme optimism, despite ongoing hardship, difficulty, or adversity”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

I thought for sure I would know this, since I recognized pan as “every” or “all”, and glossia as “tongue” (“language” by extension). So, I thought it would be someone who spoke a lot of languages — also known as a polyglot. So, I was surprised to read the definition to see how far off I was. This was the name of a character (Pangloss) in a play (Candide) by Voltaire who was optimistic (the character, not Voltaire). The upper case of this word should have been a clue to me… but it wouldn’t have helped to define it. I can take some consolation in that I correctly parsed the word. There is a Greek word – panglossía, which means “wordiness; garrulousness”, which does come from the two words I noted above. Someone who is “all tongue” would be wordy, indeed!

Panglossian

Pronounced: pan-GLOSS-ee-uhn (alt: pan-GLAW-see-uhn)

Notes: Not at all what I thought (more on this tomorrow)

Yesterday’s phrase

The phrase bush league, as a noun, is “a minor league of a professional sport”; most frequently used of baseball. As an adjective, it means “second-rate; unpolished; or amateurish”

First usage

Our phrase dates back to the early 1900s

Background / Comments

I was kind of aware of the meanings; I thought perhaps it referred to a specific league of baseball. And somewhere, I’ve read the phrase “He’s strictly bush league” – in context, it seemed to refer to second-rate. It was a close thing, but I decided to include the word… if nothing else, it is encouraging to have a word you know from time to time, eh? It is thought that the phrase comes from the allusion to bushes, thus referring to uncultivated land – the countryside (“the sticks) or small towns.

bush league

Pronounced: bush leeg, noun/adj

Notes: I almost didn’t include this, but decided to do so

Yesterday’s word

The word empyreal means “of, or relating to, the sky or heavens; celestial”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1400s

Background / Comments

I tend to use the first first of the four pronunciations. The word comes from the Latin word empyreus, a variant of empyrius, which came from the Greek work empýrios (fiery).

empyreal

Pronounced: em-PIR-ee-uhl (alt 1: em-PIE-ree-uhl; alt 2: em-puh-REE-uhl; alt 3: em-pie-REE-uhl)

Note: Wow, I don’t think I’ve run across a word with four different pronunciations

Yesterday’s phrase

The phrase gung ho, as most people know, means “extremely eager and enthusiastic”

First usage

This phrase came into English in the 1940s

Background / Comments

It is the background that made me include this word. It was adopted by US Marine Corps officer Evans Carlson and used as training slogan. It comes from the Chinese word gonghe, an acronym from the Gongye Hezuoshe (the Chinese Industrial Cooperative Society). The word gonghe was understood to mean “work together”. Evans Carlson liked the sound of it and thus used it for a slogan, from where is made its way into general English usage as our phrase.

gung ho

Pronounced: gung hoe

Notes: I assume nearly everyone know the meaning of this phrase; I’ve included it because I found the background interesting.

Yesterday’s word

The word oniomania means “the uncontrollable urge to but things” – we tend to use “shop-a-holic” to describe someone instead of this word. Ah, English, with the many ways to say something!

First usage

This word showed up in English in the early 1900s

Background / Comments

I am sure you recognized the Greek ending -manía (madness; insanity). The other one looks like it should be onion-related, but is actually the Greek word ṓnios (sale), which comes from the Greek word ônos (price). I’m sure that online buying has made it so easy to indulge in one’s oniomania; one used to have to drive somewhere to indulge in buying, or at least use a catalog with a lengthy delay between order and delivery… so many things today are delivered next-day or within a day or two.

oniomania

Pronounced: oh-nee-uh-MAY-nee-uh (alt: oh-nee-uh-MAIN-yuh), noun

Notes: So, take your choice of five or six syllables; I would tend to use the first pronunciation (thus, six). We have another word for this that is more commonly used

Yesterday’s word

The word synoptic means

  • relating to a summary or general view of something
  • covering a wide area (as weather conditions)
  • taking a similar view (as the first three books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, and Luke)
First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1700s

Background / Comments

I knew that Matthew, Mark, and Luke were called the ‘synoptic gospels’, but even so, I was fuzzy about the exact meaning of synoptic… and I had certainly not heard of the weather-related definition. The work is Greek; it comes from syn- (together) combined with opsis (view)… this latter Greek word is no doubt the basis for optical, and optics, etc.

synoptic

Pronounced: suh-NOP-tik (alt: sih-NOP-tik)

Notes: I know one of the meanings

Yesterday’s word

The word pandiculation means “the act of stretching and yawning upon waking”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

I think nearly everyone has done this at least once; some may do it daily… and now you know a word for it. The word comes from the Latin word pandiculātus, which is the past participle of pandiculārī (to stretch oneself).

Rejected word

It was a close thing for gymkhana. I happened to know the word from a British show (To the Manor Born, I think) and decided not to use it.

pandiculation

Pronounced: pan-dik-yuh-LAY-shun, noun

Notes: I love words like this one; it describes something that (nearly) everyone does

Yesterday’s word

The word acarophobia has multiple meanings

  • an fear (phobia) of small insects
  • a delusion that one’s skin is infected with bugs
  • a fear of itching
First usage

Odd; most times, a word from the 20th century can be narrowed to within a decade, but my research gave a wide range of somewhere in the middle to late 1900s.

Background / Comments

It seems straightforward as to how the meaning of our word changed over time… let’s start with the background: I’m sure that nearly everyone who enjoys vocabulary recognized the Greek word -phobia (fear). The first part is from the Greek word acarus (mite). So, clearly, our word started out as a fear of small insects – the first definition. Really small ones would be hard to see, so the word mutated to the second meaning. Finally, if one does have bugs, one would itch, and, no doubt, be afraid that if one started itching, it would be a sign of a small insect infestation. I hope writing about this doesn’t make you itchy (heh).

acarophobia

Pronounced: ak-uh-ruh-FOE-bee-uh, noun

Notes: An interesting word

Yesterday’s word

The word bibliotaph means “one who hoards or hides away books”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1800s

Background / Comments

While I enjoy having books, I don’t think I qualify as a bibliotaph; I don’t think I “hoard” books or hide them away. The word comes from the Greek word biblion (book; really papyrus roll or strip of papyrus) and táphos (burial). If you see the word “Bible” in this word, you are right; it comes from the first Greek word (biblion).

bibliotaph

Pronounced: BIB-lee-uh-taf (alt BIB-lee-uh-tahf), noun

Notes: You may know this word; at least, part of the word

Yesterday’s word

The word exclosure means “a fenced area, especially in a wide open area, to keep unwanted animals out”

First usage

This word came into English around 1920

Background / Comments

Our word is the other side of ‘enclosure’, which is a fenced area to keep wanted animals in. It comes from ex- (out) and closure (barrier), which comes from the Latin word claudere (to close). I guess that in the phrase “good fences make good neighbors”, it is implied that such fences are an exclosure.