Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounced: suhf (alt: sau), verb/noun
Notes: Another word that seems simple, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard our word
The word ennead is “a group of nine”
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
Apparently, since ancient times, certain groups considered nine to be a sacred – or even magical – number. Our word came from the the Greek word ennea (nine).
Pronounced: EH-nee-ad, noun
Notes: I don’t think I have ever run across this word
The word pooh-bah is
Our word came into English in the late 1800s
When I think of our word, the second definition above is the one that springs to mind. Our word comes from The Mikado, a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta that came out in 1885. The operetta has a character named Pooh-Bah, a government official that held all the high offices of the state – except Lord High Executioner. He as also known as “Lord High Everything Else”.
Pronounced: POO-bah, noun
Notes: You probably know this word, but do you know the origin?
The word pilgarlic means
Our word came into English in the early to mid-1500s
The first definition above is labeled “old-fashioned” in some places, and “obsolete” in others. The origin is interesting; it literally means “hair like a peeled garlic” – from the Latin word pilus (hair). In earlier English, our word was a phrase: “pyllyd garleke”.
Pronounced: pill-GAR-lick, noun
Notes: An older word; it doesn’t stir any memories for me
The word McDonaldization means
Our word came into English in the 1970s
As you might expect, our word came from the fast food chain known as McDonald’s; I always thought Ray Kroc started it, but it was started by two brothers named McDonald (Richard & Maurice); Ray Kroc became their franchising agent in 1954. In 1961, Ray Kroc purchased the restaurant from the McDonald bothers, and began to expand rapidly.
Pronounced: muck-dah-nuhl-die-ZAY-shun (alt: muck-dah-nuhl-duh-ZAY-shun), noun
Notes: You probably know the origin of this word, but do you know what it means?
The word maquette is “a usually small preliminary model (as of a sculpture or a building)”
Our word came into English in the 1900s (1900-1910)
A maquette is generally intended to serve as a rough model of a larger design. Our word came directly from the French word maquette, which came from the Italian noun maccietta (sketch), which came from the Latin word macula (spot).
Pronounced: ma-KET, noun
Notes: I don’t think I’ve ever run across this word
The word Oakley is “a complimentary ticket or pass”
Our word came into English in the 1910s
Our word is named after Annie Oakley, the famous sharpshooter. I think I’ve heard or read this word somewhere, and I had a sense of the meaning. However, I thought it referred to any ticket, not a complimentary one. In order to prevent such tickets from being resold, they had holes punched in them. As Annie Oakley was famous for shooting holes in various targets, such a tickets was called an “Annie Oakley”, or just “Oakley”. Annie Oakley was quite a shot: she could split a playing card hit edge on; she could hit dimes tossed into the air; she could snuff out candles with a bullet; and she could knock corks off of bottles.
Pronounced: OAK-lee, noun
Notes: I didn’t know the meaning, but after reading it, I think I’ve heard it used somewhere
The word blandish means
Our word came into English in the middle to late 1300s
I was aware of the noun “blandishments”, which is action or speech that tends to entice. Our word (and that word, too) came from the Middle English word blandisshen, which came from the Anglo-French/Middle French word blandiss, which came from the Latin word blandīirī (soothe; flatter).
Pronounced: BLAN-dish, verb
Notes: I didn’t quite know this word
The word Arrow-collar means “conventionally attractive and suave”
Our word came into English in the 1910s
In the early 1900s, a company called Cluett, Peabody & Co. sold detachable collars called “Arrow Collars” (I don’t know if it is related, but I remember having some Arrow shirts). The advertising for these collars featured a (supposedly) ideal man — known as the Arrow Collar Man; the idea caught on and our word came into being.
Pronounced: AR-oh-kol-uhr, adj
Notes: I did not now that this was a word
The word theriac is
Our word came into English a long time ago (sometime before 1000 is what I found)
Our word was originally used to mean “an antidote for poison”, and this is reflected in the origins. Our word came from the Latin word thēriaca (antidote to poison), which came from the Greek word thēriakē, the feminine form of thēriakós, which came from thēríon (wild beast). The early theriac was created in the 100s by a Greek doctor who combined 70 drugs mixed with honey.
Pronounced: THIR-ee-ack, noun
Notes: An interesting word to add to one’s vocabulary
The word journeyman is “a worker, athlete, performer, etc who is competent and reliable, although undistinguished”
Our word came into English in the mid-1400s
Our word came from the Old French word jornee (a day’s work or travel), which came from the Latin word diurnum (day), which came from dies (day).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day