Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounced: NONE-kyuh-pate, verb
Notes: I think the adjectival form ‘nuncupative’ may be better known
The word nugatory means “of no value; worthless; trifling; having no effect; futile; in vain”
Our word came into English in the very late 1500s or very early 1600s
I’m still impressed that a word meaning worthless has so many possible pronunciations. Our word is another one from the Latin word nūgātōrius (worthless; useless; trifling).
Pronounced: NOO-guh-tawr-ee (alternative #1: NOO-guh-TORE-ee) (alternate #2: nyoo-)
Notes: Kind of an excess of riches in ways to pronounce this word
The word desacralize means “to deprive of hallowed status”
A more recent term; it came into English in the 1910s
I should have been able to figure out this word by noting the “sacr” in the word, and matching it to “sacred”… the rest would have fallen into place. This word comes from the Latin word de- (away from) and sacer (sacred).
Pronounced: dee-SAY-kurh-lize (alt: dee-SAK-ruh-lize), verb
Notes: Another word I didn’t know, but it made sense after I saw the origin
The word vicissitude means “the change or variation in the course of something; cyclical ups and downs”
Our word came into English in the mid-1500s
As I wrote yesterday, I had this word wrong; I thought the definition meant “weariness” or “exhaustion”. The word comes from a Latin word vicissitūdō, which is equivalent to the word visissim (in turn).
Pronounced: vih-SIS-ih-tood (alt -tyood), noun
Notes: I had the wrong meaning for this word
The word pernoctate means
This word came into English in the early 1600s
What a great word! This is another one I hope to remember and sprinkle into conversation. Our word comes from the Latin word pernoctare (to spend the night). The Latin word is composed of per- (through) and nox (night).
Pronounced: purr-NOCK-tate, verb
Notes: What a useful word!
The word fubsy means “short and stout; squat”
Our word into English in the late 1700s
This word came from an obsolete word fubs or fub (chubby person)
Pronounced: FUHN-zee, adj
Notes: A nice word to know
The word slacktivism means “activism that requires minimal effort” (examples are forwarding a message, or clicking a “like” button).
This word came into English in the 1990s
Our word is a blend of slack and activism. As I said, for some people today, forwarding an email, or filling out a form online, or clicking “Like” are how they pat themselves on the back for being “involved”. Another word – “clicktivism” – is also used.
Pronounced: SLACK-tuh-viz-uhm, noun
Notes: This seems like a word for the modern age, but I don’t think I’ve seen it
The word encomium is “a formal expression of praise; a eulogy”
This word came into English in the late 1500s
A eulogy is often associated with funerals, but our word is not. The word came from Latin and into Latin from the Greek word enkṓmion (in reveal)
Pronounced: en-KOH-mee-uhm, noun
Notes: I’ve not heard this word before
The word faience means “glazed earthenware, especially decorated tin-glazed pottery”
This word came into English in the early 1700s
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.
Pronounced: fay-AHNS (alt: fie-AHNS), noun
Notes: I don’t think I’ve every seen this word
The word pinnate means “having the look of a feather, in shape or arrangement; botanical term for symmetrical, blade-like leaves”
This word came into English in the late 1600s
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.
Pronounced: PIN-ate, adj
Notes: Another word I wasn’t sure about, but it was familiar
The word newgate, as a verb, means “to imprison”. As a noun, it means “a prison or a prison-like place or situation”.
This word came into English in the late 1500s
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.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day