Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounce: ih-MYOOR, verb
Notes: This word sounded familiar, but I couldn’t define it
The word Coventry means “a state of ostracism”
Our word came into English in the late 1600s
Yes, our word comes from the city in the UK. However, no one knows for sure how the sense of this word developed: one theory is that during the English Civil War the Royalist prisoners were send there.
Pronounced: CUV-uhn-tree, noun
Notes: Not the city in the UK; there is a different meaning
The word flat-hat means “to flow how in an airplane in a reckless manner; hedgehop”
Our word came into English in the 1940s
The word used in the definition above (“hedgehop”) is an older word. There is a story that in the days of the barnstormers, a low-flying plane crushed a pedestrian’s hat – the pilot was required to purchase a new hat for the pedestrian. The story is very likely made up, but our word is a nice, vivid word.
Pronounced: FLAT-hat, verb
Notes: I haven’t heard this word
The word Turveydropian means “overly concerned with one’s appearance, demeanor, etc”
Our word came into English in the late 1800s
Our word is named after the character of Mr Turveydrop in the 1852 book Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I haven’t read the book; I’m informed that Mr Turveydrop is a conceited humbug and obsessed with his deportment.
Pronounced: tuhr-vee-DROH-pea-uhn, adj
Notes: This word was new to me; well-read readers may be able to guess the meaning
The word cozen means
Our word came into English in the late mid-1500s
There are some linguists that think our word came from the Italian noun cozzone (horse trader) — this would make sense, given the reputation of horse traders. However, it would seem that most linguists believe our word came from the Old North French word coçonner (to resell), which came from the Latin word coctionem, which is the accusitive form of coctio (dealer).
Pronounced: KUH-zuhn, verb
Notes: I see “cozy” in this word, so I was completely off on the meaning
The word sialoquent means “spraying saliva when speaking”
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
I remember the phrase “say it, don’t spray it!”, but I didn’t know there was a word that describes this action. It came from the Greek word sialon (spit; saliva) combined with the Latin word loqui (to speak).
Pronounced: sigh-AHL-uh-kwuhnt, adj
Notes: This word describes something many of us have seen
The word lotusland is
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
Our word comes from the Odyssey (by Homer). One of the places Odysseus and his men visit is a land of lotus-eaters: when sailors ate the lotus, they forgot all about their homeland and just wanted to stay there in “lotusland”. Thus our word came about — it refers to an ideal place of perfection, but it has negative connotations of self-indulgence and laziness.
Pronounced: LOW-tuhs-land, noun
Notes: I am not sure if I have run across this word before, but it has a literary background
The word psychogenic means “originating in the mind”; that is, having a psychological cause instead of a physiological cause
Our word came into English in the late 1800s
Our word came from the Greek words psycho- (mind; soul) and -genic (producing).
Pronounced: sigh-kuh-JEN-ick, adj
Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word anywhere, but you may be able to guess the meaning
The word parvenu is “one that has recently or suddenly risen to an unaccustomed position of wealth or power and has not yet gained the prestige, dignity, or manner associated with it”
Our word came into English around 1800 (very late 1700s or very early 1800s)
Our word came from the French word parvenu (upstart), which is a past participle of parvenir (to arrive; reach), which came from the Latin word pervenire, which is made up of per- (through; thoroughly; utterly) and venire (to come).
Pronounced: PAR-vuh-new, noun
Notes: I think I’ve run across this word somewhere, but I cannot imagine it
Yesterday’s word
The word frum means “religious; observant of religious laws”
First usage
Our word came into English in the late 1800s
Background / Comments
Our word came from the Yiddish word frum, which came from the Middle High German word vrum (pious) — in Modern Gernam, it is fromm.
Pronounced: froom (the “oo” as in “book”), adj
Notes: Not a word I know
The word rectilinear means
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
Our came from the Late Latin word recilineus, which is made up of the Latin words rectus (straight) and linea (line). There is a variant spelling of our word — “rectilineal” — but our word is much more common.
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