spinous

Pronounced: SPY-nuhs, adj

Notes: I knew that this word meant “having spines (or prickles or thorns)”, but there is another meaning that I did not know, so it’s been listed

Yesterday’s word

The word eiron means “a person characterized by self-deprecation and awareness of irony”

Background / Comments

The word comes from the same source as alazon: Eiron is another stock character in ancient Greek comedy. Eiron is the opposite to Alazon, and triumphs over him using his self-deprecation and feigned ignorance.

First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1800s (you’d think they words would have come in together, but they are about 50 years apart)

eiron

Pronounced: AYE-ron, noun

Notes: This word is related to yesterday’s word

Yesterday’s word

The word alazon means “a person characterized by arrogance, braggadocio, lack of self awareness, etc”

Background / Comments

The word comes from Greek; Alazon was a stock character in ancient Greek comedy.

First usage

This word came into English in the early 1900s.

alazon

Pronounced: AL-uh-zon, noun

Notes: I definitely did not know this word or its source

Yesterday’s word

The word legerity means “alert facile quickness of mind or body”

Background / Comments

The word has the idea of being quick or light on one’s feet. It comes from words in Middle French, Old French, and Latin that all mean “light in weight”. These days, the word also refers to being nimble in mind. I find that people who exhibit nimbleness of mind seem to be young, regardless of their appearance.

First usage

This word showed up in the mid-1500s.

legerity

Pronounced: luh-JER-uh-tee, noun

Notes: I know many people that this word describes

Yesterday’s word

The word punchinello means “a grotesque or absurd person”

Background / Comments

As you might have guessed, this comes from the Italian (specifically, the Naples dialect) word polecenella (a short, fat buffoon, a principal character in Italian puppet shows). This word is a diminutive of pollecena (turkey pullet), and this word comes the the Latin pullus (young chicken). Our word was chosen due to the resemblance of punchinello’s nose to a turkey’s beak.

First usage

This word came into English in the mid-1600s

punchinello

Pronounced: pun-chuh-NELL-oh, noun

Notes: People with what I call a “classical education” (arts/opera) may know this word; I never learned much about either of these things.

Yesterday’s word

The word plastron means

  • the ventral part of the shell of a tortoise of turtle
  • a trimming like a bib for a woman’s dress
  • a man’s separate or detachable shirtfront
Background / Comments

This word came from French plastron (breastplate) – the protective plate worn by knights under a chain-mail tunic. It was so used in the 1500s; in the 1600s, it extended its meaning to the pad used to protect the torso of a fencer. Later (see below), herpetologists started using it for the underside of a turtle’s shell (typically nine bones overlaid by plates). From thence, it moved into the fashion world.

First usage

The word took on the meanings given above in the 1800s

plastron

Pronounced: PLAS-truhn, noun

Notes: This word has multiple meanings; I haven’t looked at the origin yet, but I suspect that the original meaning evolved into the later definitions (it’s one of those words).

Yesterday’s word

The word scooby means “clue”

Background / Comments

To many people, seeing scooby reminds them of Scooby-Doo; I remember watching the original series (I think it was the original series) on Saturday morning cartoons (yes, back in the “dark ages” when we only had three television stations). This word does come from Scooby-Doo; as I noted yesterday, this is a rhyming slang word (“Doo” rhymes with “clue”).

First usage

A fairly late word; it began to show up in the early 1990s.

scooby

Pronounced: SKOO-bee, noun

Notes: This is another rhyming slang word… you may be able to guess this one

Yesterday’s word

The word transpicuous means “clearly seen through or understood”

Background / Comments

The word comes from Latin transpicere (to look through); that word is a combination of trans- (through) and specere (to look or see).

First usage

This word showed up in the mid-1600s

transpicuous

Pronounced: tran(t)s-PIH-kyuh-wuhs, adj

Notes: A very useful word

Yesterday’s word

The word boracic means “poor or broke”

Background / Comments

This word is rhyming slang (also known as Cockney rhyming slang) – if you’re not familiar with rhyming slang, look it up. The phrase is boracic lint, and lint is rhymed with skint (broke). Boracic lint was a type of medical dressing dipped in a solution of boracic (aka boric) acid.

First usage

A relatively new word; first noted in the mid-1900s.

boracic

Pronounced: buh-RAS-ik, adj (alternative: boh-RAS-ik)

Notes: In addition to the alternative pronunciation, it can be spelled “brassic” (BRA-sik)

Yesterday’s word

The word Frankenfood is “genetically engineered food”

Background / Comments

The word is a combination of Franken- (an allusion to “Frankenstein”) and food. It was coined by Paul Lewis, an English professor, in a letter he wrote to the New York Times. The word has a derogatory slant to it and tends to be used by people who are opposed to the usage of genetically altered food.

First usage

This word showed up in 1992.

Frankenfood

Pronounced: FRANG-kuhn-food, noun

Notes: You can probably guess this one

Yesterday’s word

The word plunderbund means “a group of political, business, and financial interests engaged in exploiting the public.

Background / Comments

This word has German origins; it is our word plunder (pillage), which comes from German plündern (to loot), combined with bund, from German Bund (association)

First usage

A relatively recent word; it came into English in the early 1900s.