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.

plunderbund

Pronounced: PLUN-der-bund, noun

Notes: Some people may be able to make a good guess at this word

Yesterday’s word

The word invigilate means “to keep watch : supervise, monitor”

Background / Comments

This word has a Latin root : vigilare (to stay awake); the same root gave us vigilant. Oddly enough, another descendant is reveille. I wonder what kind of work environment we would have if “supervisors” were referred to as “invigilators”? I don’t know if that’s even a valid word, but it sounds like a fun alternative.

First usage

This word goes way back; it came into English in the mid-1500s

invigilate

Pronounced: in-VIH-juh-late, verb

Notes: I thought maybe it was related to vigilante (but no)

Yesterday’s word

The word orexigenic means “stimulating the appetite”

Background / Comments

The word comes from Greek: orexis (longing) and -genic (producing). This seems like a handy word to know.

First usage

This word isn’t that old; it showed up in the early 1900s

orexigenic

Pronounced: uh-rek-suh-JEN-ik, adj

Notes: I saw “rex” in the word and thought it may have to do with kings or royalty (I was wrong; besides, this word does not come from Latin)

Yesterday’s word

The word pridian means “of or relating to a previous day or to yesterday; also: former”.

Background / Comments

For such a useful word, it isn’t used much at all. It comes from Latin pri- (before) and dies (day). It’s really a pity that such a useful word never really caught on.

First usage

While it was certainly used in 1840, and seems to have been around for a few hundred years, the actual date of the first usage is hard to determine.

pridian

Pronounced: PRIH-dee-uhn, adj

Notes: This word is seldom used, which is a shame as it’s a useful word

Yesterday’s word

The word spitfire refers to “someone high-spirited, quick-tempered, and outspoken”

Background / Comments

This word came from the combination of spit and fire.

First usage

This word showed up in the early 1600s

Rejected word

I decided against zero-sum, because I know what it refers to: note that this word is often misapplied; true zero-sum instances are rare.

spitfire

Pronounced: SPIT-fire, noun

Notes: This word is lowercase, and thus NOT the British fighter aircraft associated with World War II (actually, it existed before the war, and remained in use afterwards). Anyway, that is not this word.

Yesterday’s word

The word haptic means

  • relating to or based on the sense of touch
  • characterized by a predilection for the sense of touch
Background / Comments

This word comes from Greek haptesthai (to touch), and the first meaning was around first (see below). Later, psychologists began to divide people into ‘visual’ and ‘haptic’ personalities and the second meaning arose (this division is uncommon today).

First usage

The first meaning is from the late 1800s; the second meaning comes from the mid-1900s