airling

Pronounced: AIR-ling, noun

Notes: Interesting word that I didn’t know

Yesterday’s word

The word qualm means

  • a sudden attack of illness, faintness, or nausea
  • a sudden feeling of doubt, fear, or uneasiness especially in not following one’s conscience or better judgment
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

Like me, you probably are familiar with the second definition; I would summarize it as “misgiving”; however, the first definition was unknown to me. That first meaning is the original one: if you’ve read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, you’ve run across our word in its original definition. It didn’t take long for the meaning to spread to the second idea of a sudden misgiving. The origin of our word is unknown.

qualm

Pronounced: kwahm (alt: kwahm), noun

Notes: I added this word because it had a meaning of which I was unaware

Yesterday’s word

The word propugnaculum is “a fortress; defense; protection”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid 1700s

Background / Comments

A pretty fancy word for a fortress. It came from the Latin word propugnaculum (bulwark), which came from propugnare (to fight in defense of something), which is made up of pro- (toward) and pugnare (to fight); this latter word came from pugnus (fist).

propugnaculum

Pronounced: praw-pug-NAK-yuh-luhm, noun

Notes: I don’t think I’ve ever run across this word

Yesterday’s word

The word eradicate means

  • to do away with as completely as if pulling up by the roots
  • to pull up by the roots
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

I always thought this word primarily meant to completely erase something, and it can have that meaning, but it started out to mean to pull something up by the roots. Our word came from the Latin word eradicatus, which is the past participle of the Latin verb eradicare, which traces back to the Latin word radix (root; radish). As noted, the original meaning was to uproot, but not long afterwards, the metaphorical idea of removing things came about.

eradicate

Pronounced: ih-RA-duh-kate, verb

Notes: You probably know the meaning, but I found the origin interesting

Yesterday’s word

The word auricomous means “relating to golden hair”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

As I noted yesterday, I was not aware that we had a word that means this. It came from the Latin word auricomus, which is made from aurum (gold) and coma (hair).

auricomous

Pronounced: au-RI-kih-muss, adj

Notes: I didn’t know we had a word for this

Yesterday’s word

The word louche means “not reputable or decent”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word sounds just like “lush”; I wonder if some people have confused them in the past. It isn’t clear to me if our word and “lush” have any background in common. Our word came from the French word louche (squinting; cross-eyed; shady; devious) – note that the original meaning was the first two; the other (figurative) meanings came later. When we borrowed the word from French, we only used the figurative definitions. The French word came from the Latin word luscus (blind in one eye; having poor sight).

louche

Pronounced: lush, adj

Notes: Interesting word

Yesterday’s word

The word adventitious means

  • arising from an external source
  • happening by chance
  • appearing in an unusual place
First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1600s

Background / Comments

I thought that our word was related to “adventure”, thinking it may mean “adventurous”, but I was clearly wrong. Our word came from the Latin word adventicius (coming from outside; foreign), which came from advenire (to arrive), which was made of ad- (toward) and venire (to come). Our word, by the way, has all five vowels in order.

adventitious

Pronounced: ad-ven-TIH-shuhs, adj

Notes: Not what I thought

Yesterday’s word

The word panoply is

  • a full suit of armor; ceremonial attire
  • something forming a protective covering
  • a magnificent or impressive array; a display of all appropriate appurtenances
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Greek word panoplia (the full suit of armor worn by hoplites — heavily armed infantry soldiers of ancient Greece), which is made up of pan- (all) and hopla (armor; arms). This is the sense of the first definition above; the other definitions grew from the idea of “armor” and “full set” from the original meaning.

panoply

Pronounced: PAH-nuh-plee, noun

Notes: I seem to remember reading this word, but I didn’t really know the correct definition

Yesterday’s word

The word silvicolous means “living or growing in the woods”

First usage

Our word came into English in the first decade of the 1900s

Background / Comments

I should have worked out the meaning of our word; after I saw the definition, I remembered the word “silvan” that is related to forests. Indeed, our word came from the Latin words silvi- (wood) and -colous (inhabiting).

silvicolous

Pronounced: sil-VIK-uh-luhs, adj

Notes: I didn’t know the meaning, but I could have guessed it

Yesterday’s word

The word zibeline is “a soft lustrous wool fabric with mohair, alpaca, or camel’s hair”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

I wasn’t sure what “mohair” was; it turns out that it is fabric made from Angora goats. So, then, what is “Angora wool”? “Angora wool” is fabric made from Angora rabbits. Our word came into English from Middle French, which came from Old Italian, which came from a Slavic word for the sable (a small mammal related to the weasel). Originally, our word referred to this animal (or its fur). Over time, it became used for a soft, smooth, slightly furry material woven from a mixture of animal hairs — well-suited to women’s suits or coats.

zibeline

Pronounced: ZIH-buh-leen, noun

Notes: I didn’t have a clue about this word, but it’s not an area I know much about

Yesterday’s word

The word deontology is “the theory or study of duty and obligation, with a focus on the right action as determined by a set of rules, irrespective of the consequences of the action”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

As I noted, this word has nothing whatsoever to do with teeth. It came from the Greeks words deont- (obligation) and -logy (study). Seeing the definition above, one may think that naturally, the rules should determine what one does. However, there are other rules that are used to determine what should be done. Some popular ones are “pragmatism”, which validates actions by their results; that is, “does it work?”. (People following pragmatism would agree that the end justifies the means). Another way to judge something is “utilitarianism”, which maintains that happiness is the best judge of an action; that is, “whatever floats your boat”.