Pronounced: BLET-ing, noun

Notes: Another word I’ve never run across

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Yesterday’s word

The word ambigram is “a word or phrase written in a manner that is reads the same (in some cases, a different word or phrase) when oriented in a different way (such as reflected or rotated).

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1980s

Background / Comments

You may be able to split our word apart into its components (but I don’t know how much that would help). It is made up of the Latin words ambi- (both) and -gram (something written). You can find images of ambigrams on the Internet.

Pronounced: AM-bih-gram, noun

Notes: I didn’t know this word

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Yesterday’s word

The word Ameslan means “American Sign Language”

First usage

Our word came into usage in the 1970s

Background / Comments

This word was created in America, and is made up from American Sign Language. I know some people who know sign language, but I’ve never heard this term.

Pronounced: AM-uh-slan (alt: AM-slan), noun

Notes: Kind of a specialized word; some of you may know it (I didn’t)

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Yesterday’s word

The word calligram means “a word, phrase, or piece of text arranged to form a picture of the subject described”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1920s

Background / Comments

Think of the notes of a scale written to look like a treble clef, or words for ‘bicycle’ in multiple languages arranged to look like a bicycle. These are examples of calligrams. The word comes from the French word calligramme, which comes from the Greek words calli- (beautiful) and -gram (something written). The word ‘calligraphy’ comes from the same sources, with -graph (writing) instead of -gram.

Pronounced: KAL-ih-gram, noun

Notes: You probably can guess this word

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Yesterday’s word

The word pilar means “of, pertaining to, or covered with, hair”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the New Latin word pilāris (of hair). Note that our word does not apply only to human hair; a coconut shell can be described as a “pilar shell”.

Pronounced: PIE-ler, adj

Notes: I didn’t know this word, but after seeing the definition, I should have known it

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Yesterday’s word

The word bankster is “a banker who engages in dishonest or illegal behavior.

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

I have previously posted entries for poetaster and philosophaster. As in those words, the -ster suffix means something derogatory. It is thought that our word is combination of banker and gangster.

Pronounced: BANG-stir, noun

Notes: I didn’t know this word, but it is related to other entries

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Yesterday’s word

The word verbigeration is a term of psychiatry and is “the constant or obsessive repetition of meaningless words or phrases, usually indicating mental illness”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word took me aback a little, as I (for fun) will make up phrases at home. I believe that the mental illness is when one has no control over this. In any event, our word comes from the Latin word verbigerāre (to chat; to converse), which comes from verbum (word) and gerāre, a durative derivation of gerere (to carry on; transact).

Pronounced: verg-bij-uh-RAY-shuhn, noun

Notes: I didn’t know this word

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Yesterday’s word

The word entoptic means “relating to images that originate within the eye” (as opposed to images resulting from light entering the eye).

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

One type of entoptic images are the so-called “floaters”. Another type would be the images one gets if one presses lightly upon the closed eyelids. Our word comes from a combination of Greek words: ento- (within) and optic (relating to the eye or sight).

Pronounced: en-TOP-tick, adj

Notes: I may have run across this word in reading, but I could not recall the definition

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Yesterday’s word

The word fascicle means

• a section of a book or set of books published in installments as separate pamphlets or volumes
• a small bundle, tight cluster, or the like
• (in botany) a close cluster, as of flowers or leaves
• (in anatomy) a small bundle or nerve or muscle fibers

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1400s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Latin word fasciculus, which is the diminutive of fascis (bundle; pack).

Pronounced: FASS-ih-kuhl, noun

Notes: I didn’t know this word

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Yesterday’s word

The word constative, as a noun, means “a statement that can be judged as true or false”. As an adjective, it means “capable of being true or false”.

First usage

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

Background / Comments

Subjective statements (opinions, for example) are not fascicle: “I enjoyed the movie” cannot be judged true or false. Objective statements can: “The sky is blue” is a constative. Our word comes from the Latin word constare (to stand firm).

Pronounced: kuhn-STAY-tiv (alt: KON-stuh-tiv), noun/adj

Notes: Not a word I know

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Yesterday’s word

The word operose means

• done with, or involving, much labor
• busy or industrious, as a person

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

After seeing the definition, I was reminded of “opus” (work). In fact, our word comes from the Latin word operōsus (busy, active), from oper-, a stem of opus (work).