encomium

Pronounced: en-KOH-mee-uhm, noun

Notes: I’ve not heard this word before

Yesterday’s word

The word faience means “glazed earthenware, especially decorated tin-glazed pottery”

First usage

This word came into English in the early 1700s

Background / Comments

This is kind of a specialized word; I’ve never done much with pottery, even though I have read a little about it. Nevertheless, I don’t recall this word. Our word came from the French word faïence (earthenware), which in turn came from Faïence – the French name for the Italian city of Faenza, known for its glazed earthenware.

faience

Pronounced: fay-AHNS (alt: fie-AHNS), noun

Notes: I don’t think I’ve every seen this word

Yesterday’s word

The word pinnate means “having the look of a feather, in shape or arrangement; botanical term for symmetrical, blade-like leaves”

First usage

This word came into English in the late 1600s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Latin word pinnātus (feathered; winged). I think this definition was in my mind, but when I saw that it could be used to describe leaves, I’m pretty sure that this is one of the words from my childhood when we have a leaf identification book.

pinnate

Pronounced: PIN-ate, adj

Notes: Another word I wasn’t sure about, but it was familiar

Yesterday’s word

The word newgate, as a verb, means “to imprison”. As a noun, it means “a prison or a prison-like place or situation”.

First usage

This word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word was named after the notorious Newgate prison in London. Once I saw this, I remembered reading about Newgate prison, and then (of course), the meanings made sense. I just couldn’t quite recall it just from seeing the word listed. The prison was called Newgate because it was located on the site of a gate in the Roman London wall called “Newgate”. It housed prisoners for over 700 years; it was enlarged/rebuilt many times, but ceased to be used in 1902 and was torn down in 1904.

newgate

Pronounced: NOO-gate (alt: NYOO-gate), verb/noun

Notes: This word is another one I didn’t know, but it made sense after I saw the origin

Yesterday’s word

The word rodomontade, as a noun, means “boasting, bragging or talking big”. As an adjective, it means “blustering and pretentious talk”

First usage

This word goes back to the early 1600s

Background / Comments

Our word came into English from Middle French, and into Middle French from Italian Rodomonte, the boastful king of Algiers in the epics poems Orlando innamorato and Orlando furioso. As I noted yesterday, I’ve run across this word in the Nero Wolfe stories by Rex Stout.

rodomontade

Pronounced: rod-uh-mon-tayed (alt: -tahd), noun/adj

Notes: I’ve run across this word in Rex Stout’s books with Nero Wolfe. Rex Stout had a very high IQ and often sprinkled the books with long words (such as this one)

Yesterday’s word

The word acerate means “needlelike”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Our word is another word whose meaning was misunderstood. It actually comes from the Latin word acerosus (full of chaff), but it was thought to comes from acus (needle) or acer (sharp), and this mistaking meaning is the one that stuck. It is a good word to have as an alternative to “needlelike”.

acerate

Pronounced: AS-uh-rate, adj

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

Yesterday’s word

The word psittacism means “chattering; parroting or mimicking; mechanical, repetitive, and meaningless speech”

First usage

This word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

When I read the definition, a memory kicked in – a memory of a parrot disease called psittacosis. Also, the initial “ps” reminded me of the Greek letter psi. Sure enough, our word came from the Latin word psittacus (parrot)… and the Latin word came from the Greek word psittakós (parrot). Thus, talk that is parrot-like is the meaning of our word.

psittacism

Pronounced: SIT-uh-sihz-uhm, noun

Notes: I didn’t know this word, but after seeing the definition, I was pretty sure I knew the origin

Yesterday’s word

The word vedette has a couple of varied meanings

  • a leading state of film star
  • a mounted sentry or a scouting boat posted in an advanced position to observe the movements of an enemy
First usage

The first meaning is relatively new, dating back to the 1960s. The second meaning is older from the late 1600s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the French word vedette (star – as in a film star; speedboat). The French word came from the Italian word vedetta, which came from veletta.

vedette

Pronounced: vuh-DEHT (alternatively, vih-DEHT), noun

Notes: Another interesting history

Yesterday’s word

The word saturnine means “sluggish or gloomy; slow or listless as though suffering from lead poisoning”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early to mid-1400s

Background / Comments

Our word came into English from the Latin word sāturnīnus (Saturn-like). This is not the planet Saturn, which is named for the Roman Titan god Saturn… but our word is not named for the Roman god either. Our word is based the meaning of saturn in alchemy – the metal lead. I thought that this word was used to describe a man who looked like Satan. I think this comes from reading where a man deliberately dressed to look Satan-like (Mephistophelean), and was also described as “saturnine”.

saturnine

Pronounced: SAT-uhr-nine, adj

Notes: I have run across this word in literature, but I didn’t know the correct meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word parboil means “to cook partially by boiling”

First usage

This word came into English in the late 1300s

Background / Comments

I find the background of our word very interesting. It originated from the Latin word perbullire (to boil thoroughly – note not partially), which is a combination of per- (thorough) and bullire (to boil). It came into Anglo-Norman as parboillir, with the alternate spelling perboillir. This word originally meant the same as the Latin – to cook thoroughly by boiling, but the par- prefix was confused with “partial” or “partly”, and thus the meaning changed to – to cook partially by boiling.

parboil

Pronounced: PAR-boil, verb

Notes: Cooks will know this word; it has an interesting history

Yesterday’s word

The word frangible means “easily broken; fragile and delicate”

First usage

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

Background / Comments

Our word came into late Middle English from Old French, and into Old French as a derivative of the Latin word frangere (to break)