Pronounced: dee-ahn-TAH-luh-jee, noun

Notes: I was sure this had something to do with teeth (nope!)

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Yesterday’s word

The word apodictic means “expressing or relating to necessary truth or absolute certainty”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

One can use our word to describe a conclusive concept or a conclusive person — or even the conclusive remarks of a conclusive person. Our word came from the Latin word apodīcticus, which came from the Greek word apodeiktikós (proving fully), which is made up of apo- (away; off; apart) and deiktikós (demonstrative [able to be proven]).

Pronounced: a-puh-DIK-tik, adj

Notes: I have run across the word, but I didn’t know the meaning

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Yesterday’s word

The word misocainea is “a hatred of new ideas”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1930s

Background / Comments

There are many who don’t like new ideas; it is nice to know that there is a word for this kind of thing. Our word came from the Greek words miso- (hate) and -cainea (new).

Pronounced: mis-oh-KY-nee-uh (ALT: mih-soh-KY-nee-uh), noun

Notes: Another useful word to know and use

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Yesterday’s word

The word tragus is “the prominence in front of the external opening of the ear”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1600s

Background / Comments

When I saw our word, I confused it with “trocar”, which I heard in an episode in the fourth season of the drama Foyle’s War. I couldn’t properly remember the word, so I thought it might be our word. Our word has an unusual plural: it is tragi. Our word came from the Greek word tragos – it refers to the hairy part of the ear, but its literal meaning is “he-goat”.

Pronounced: TRAY-guhs, noun

Notes: Not what I thought

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Yesterday’s word

The word urticaceous means

• relating to a nettle
• stinging

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Latin word urtica (nettle), which came from urere (to burn). This isn’t really a word that I’d probably use very often. It is worth noting that this is another word that uses all five vowels.

Pronounced: uhr-tih-KAY-shuhs, adj

Notes: A new word to me

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Yesterday’s word

The word velleity is

• the lowest degree of volition
• a slight wish or tendency; inclination

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

I find today’s word an excellent one to know; it expresses the idea of a very insignificant wish or desire — one so low that one barely feels like putting forth an effort to achieve it. It has the idea of a very faint wish. Thus, it is a good word to know to express things like a slight inclination. Our word came from the new Latin word velleitas, which came from the Latin verb velle (to wish; to will).

Pronounced: veh-LEE-uh-tee, noun

Notes: I didn’t know this word, but it is a word I could use

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Yesterday’s word

The word heterophemy is “the use of a word different than the one intended”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

Some people have this habit of accidentally using the wrong word; some people consider it a sign of old age and forgetfulness, but I’ve known even young people who confused words. Our word came from the Greek words hetero- (different) and pheme (speaking).

Pronounced: HET-uh-ruh-fee-mee, noun

Notes: I didn’t know that this word existed

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Yesterday’s word

The word spindrift is

• sea spray; especially spray blown from waves during a gale
• fine wind-borne snow or sand

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Of the three kinds of spindrift in the definition, I am most familiar with snow; growing up in the Midwest, I remember being outside after a snow fall with drifts of snow all around, and the wind blowing fine bits of snow from the drifts. I have not had experience with either a spindrift of water or of sand. Our word came from the Scottish word speendrift, made up of speen (to drive before a strong wind) and drift. When the word became to be used in England, the spellling changed to spindrift. Its original use was for sea spray; it broadened over time to include sand and snow.

Pronounced: SPIN-drift, noun

Notes: I don’t have any memory of running across this word

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Yesterday’s word

The word flatfooted means

• clumsy; unimaginative; uninspired
• forthright
• unprepared
• uncompromising
• having the arch of the foot flattened so the entire sole touches the ground

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1600s

Background / Comments

I knew three of the definitions – how did you do? I knew the phrase “to be caught flatfooted” (unprepared, #3 above). I knew #5, which is probably the technical meaning. I have also run across the first definition above. But both the second and fourth definitions above were unknown to me. Our word is made up of flat, which came from the Old Norse word flatr, and foot, which came from the Old English word fot.

Pronounced: flat-FOOT-id, adj

Notes: I know some of the definitions; how many do you know?

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Yesterday’s word

The word wimple means

• to cover with or as if with a wimple; to veil
• to ripple
• to follow a winding course; meander (mostly used in Scotland)

First usage

Our word came into English early; sometime before 1100.

Background / Comments

As probably most of us know, the noun wimple is a covering worn over the head and around the neck and chin; it was worm by women in medieval times, and (more famously) by nuns. It came from the Old Saxon word wimpal (veil; banner), which came from the Middle Dutch word wimpel (veil; banner). Poets and other writers used our word as a substitute for “ripple” (second definition above) and “meander” (third definition above) – often when writing about streams.

Pronounced: WIHM-pull, verb

Notes: I knew the meaning of our word as a noun, but not so much as a verb

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Yesterday’s word

The word autotelic means “having a purpose, motivation, or meaning in itself — not driven by external factors.

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Our word came from two Greek words: auto- (self) and telos (end).