Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounced: feh-STOON, noun
Notes: I know the verb, but I didn’t know the noun meaning
The word zarf is “a sleeve or holder designed to hold a hot cup”
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
As I noted yesterday, I didn’t know that there was a word for this. Our word came from the Arabic word zarf (container; sheath).
Pronounced: zarf, noun
Notes: I didn’t know that there was a word for this!
The word esoteric means
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
I have used the word, but I thought that it meant “difficult” or possibly “highly unusual”: thus, when I used “an esoteric comment”, I was thinking of a highly unusual comment; not quite “only understood if one has specialized knowledge”. As can be seen from the definition above, my usage wasn’t quite correct. Our word came from the Late Latin word esotericus, which came from the Greek word esōterikos, which is based on a comparitive form of esō (within). The opposite of esoteric is “exoteric” (suitable to be imparted to the public).
Pronounced: eh-suh-TER-ik, adj
Notes: I have used this word, but incorrectly, it appears. Do you know the meaning?
The word coquelicot means, as an adjective, “of orangish-red or reddish-orange color”. As a noun, it refers to such a color.
Our word came into English in the late 1700s
Our word came from the French word coquelicot (red poppy), which came from its resemblance to the crest of a rooster — coq means “rooter”.
Pronounced: KAHK-lee-koh (alt: KOHK-lee-koh), adj/noun
Notes: I had no idea of the meaning of this word
The word deterge means “to wash off; to cleanse”
Our word came into English in the early 1600s
The far more common “detergent” is the noun form of our word. Our word came from the Latin verb detergēre, which is made up of de- and tergēre (to wipe).
Pronounced: dih-TERJ, verb
Notes: I didn’t know this was a word, but you probably can guess the meaning
The word homeoteluton is “a repetition of the same or similar endings in a sequence of words”
Our word came into English in the late 1500s
Our word came from the Greek words homoio (similiar) and teletos, which came from teleute (end). Our word can also refer to scribal error when a copyist’s eye skips to a word with the same ending on a subsequent line.
Pronounced: ho-mee-o-TEL-yuh-ton, noun
Notes: A kind of technical word
The word mucro is “an abrupt sharp terminal point or tip or process (as with a leaf)
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
If your hobby is botany, you may know this word, which is often used to describe the shape of a plant’s leaves. The word mucronate describes a leaf that ends in a sharp, abrupt tip (our word mucro). A leaf with a rounded tip with a slight notch is called “retuse”. Our word came from the Latin word mucro (point; edge). In addition to botany, our word can be used in anatomy.
Pronounced: MEW-crow, noun
Notes: I know “macro”, but not this word (people with certain hobbies may know it)
The word devi means “a goddess”
Our word came into English in the late 1700s
Our word came from the Sanskrit word devi (goddess); note that I don’t think many of the words I’ve posted come from Sanskrit.
Pronounced: DAY-vee, noun
Notes: A word I didn’t know
The word precentor is “a leader of the singing of a choir or congregation”
Our word came into English in the early 1600s
I had no idea that our word existed. I’ve always heard such a person called “the song leader”; sometimes, “the music director”; fancy churches may call the position “the worship leader”. I like precentor – our word came from the Latin verb praecinere (to lead in singing), which is made up of prae- and canere (to sing).
Pronounced: prih-SEN-tuhr, noun
Notes: I didn’t know that there was a word for this
The word metonymy is “a figure of speech in which someone or something is referred to be the name of somethings associated with it.”
Our word came into English in the mid-1500s
Some time ago, I posted the word “synecdoche”, which is a word with a similar meaning: in “synecdoche”, a part of something to refer to the whole (such as using “sails” to refer to ships). In our word, it is an associated thing that is used. One example is using “crown” to refer to the monarchy. Another one I’ve heard is “boots on the ground” to refer to soldiers being deployed. Our word came from the Latin word metonymia, which came from the Greek word metonymia (change of noun), which is made up of meta- (after; beyond) and onama (name). It is this latter bit that I recognized; I recognized the “nym” in our word as meaning “name”.
Pronounced: muh-TAHN-uh-mee, noun
Notes: Although I didn’t know the definition, I did recognize part of the word
The word bludge means
Our word came into English in the 1910s
As I noted yesterday, our word is primarily used in Australia and New Zealand. Our word has an interesting twisting of meaning. A bully armed with a bludgeon (a short club with one end heavier than the other [due to it being weighted or just thicker]) is called a “bludgeoner”. In the 1800s, “bludgeoner” was shortened to “bludger” and became a slang word for “pimp”. Then the verb bludge came about to describe the actions of a “bludger”, and then finally, it acquired our meaning in Australia and New Zealand, with only the idea of sponging or cadging remaining.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day