ecotopia

Pronounced: EE-koh-toe-pee-uh (alternatively, EK-oh-toe-pee-uh), noun

Notes: I didn’t know the word, but it made sense later

Yesterday’s word

The word espy means “to see at a distance; catch sight of”

First usage

This word goes back to the late 1100s or early 1200s

Background / Comments

As I noted yesterday, I might have had the correct meaning, but I thought that the word was pronounced “ES-pee” and couldn’t guess the definition. Our word comes from the Middle English word espyen, which comes from the Old French word espier.

espy

Notes: If I had paid attention to the pronunciation, I would have known this word

Pronounced: ih-SPY, verb

Yesterday’s word

The word ensiform means “shaped like a sword or a sword blade”

First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

As I noted yesterday, this is a handy word to mean sword-like or looking like the blade of a sword. Another word to slip into conversation. It comes from the Latin words ensis (sword) and -form (shape).

ensiform

Pronounced: EN-suh-form, adj

Notes: I wish I had known this word; it could be useful

Yesterday’s word

The word passel means “a group of individuals or objects of an unspecified number”

First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

The word is an alteration of the word “parcel”.

passel

Pronounced: PASS-uhl, noun

Notes: I think I’ve run across this word, but I could not define it

Yesterday’s word

The word ergophobia means “an abnormal fear or aversion to work”

First usage

This word goes back to the early 1900s

Background / Comments

This word comes from Greek words; you probably recognized phobia (fear). The other word is ergon (work). I can’t say that I know anyone who is afraid of work; however, there are people who have an aversion to work.

ergophobia

Pronounced: er-guh-FOE-bee-uh, noun

Notes: When I ran across this word, I didn’t know what it meant, but I’ve learned it now

Yesterday’s word

The word apatetic means “having colors and forms like camoflage”

First usage

This word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

The word comes from a Greek word, apatētikos (fallacious; deceiving; misleading)

apatetic

Pronounced: ap-uh-TET-ick, adj

Notes: Another interesting word that I’ve not heard before

Yesterday’s word

The word robustious means

  • strong and sturdy
  • boisterous
  • coarse or crude
First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

I knew the first meaning, because I could see, as you probably could also, “robust” in the word. I’m not really familiar with the other meanings. I suppose people who are strong and sturdy could be almost unknowingly be boisterous, rather like people in an apartment having a good time and not realizing how loud they might be getting until asked to tone it down. By even further extension, the strong are often thought to have little understanding or patience for social niceties, which could lead to the coarse/crude meaning. Our word hails from a Latin word robus (oak; strength).

robustious

Pronounced: roh-BUS-chuhs

Notes: I knew one of the meanings, but not the others

Yesterday’s word

The word parapraxis, as I noted yesterday, means a Freudian slip; technically, “a slip of the tongue or pen that otherwise reveals true motivation”.

First usage

Our word is a relatively late one, coming into English in the 1930s

Background / Comments

As you may have guessed from the “para”, this word is Greek. It is a combination of para- (alongside or beyond) and prâxis (act or action). Therefore, this word’s roots carry the idea that “alongside” of our actions may be hints as to our real feelings on the matter.

parapraxis

Pronounced: par-uh-PRAK-sis, noun

Notes: There is a more common phrase for this word

Yesterday’s word

The word quaggy means “marshy; flabby; spongy”

First usage

This word goes back to the late 1500s

Background / Comments

The word comes from quag (marsh); thus, marsh-like and its related attributes – spongy or flabby.

quaggy

Pronounced: KWAG-ee, adj

Notes: I’m surprised at the age of this word

Yesterday’s word

The word auspicate means “to arrange auspicious ceremonies or rituals planned to bring good luck”

First usage

This word goes back to the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Latin word auspicātus (consecrated by auguries), which is the past participle of auspicārī. An “augury” is the rite of ceremony of a soothsayer or prophet. I think that a lot of people have rituals that they hope will bring them luck… now you know a word for it!

auspicate

Pronounced: AW-spih-kate, verb

Notes: Another interesting word, but I could not define it

Yesterday’s word

The word gastronome means “a connoisseur of good food”

First usage

The word started being used in the early 1800s

Background / Comments

I have mentioned before that I enjoy mystery stories, and the Nero Wolfe stories by Rex Stout are for me, enjoyable. Nero Wolfe fits our word perfectly; he is a brilliant detective, but doesn’t like to work. He enjoys fine good (a gastronome), and employs a full-time chef. His other interest is orchids, of which he has thousands on the penthouse rooftop of his house. Anyway, our word is a French word that came from gastronomie, which came from two Greek words: gastro- (stomach) and nomous (law); we could say that the root words mean “the stomach rules”.