Pronounced: TUB-thuhm-puhr, noun

Notes: I thought I knew the origin of this word, but I was incorrect

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Yesterday’s word

The word ordonnance is “the systematic arrangement of parts in art, literature, architecture, etc”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

Our word came from French, being changed from the Old French word ordenance (order), which came from the Latin word ordinantia, which came from ordinare (to put in order), which came from ordo (order). There are three similar words (they call come from the same French source): ordnance, ordinance, and ordonnance – the first is military supplies; the second in an order, decree, law, etc; the last is our word.

Pronounced: OR-dn-uhns (alt: or-duh-NAHNS), noun

Notes: This word could be confused with two other similarly spelled words

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Yesterday’s word

The word florescence is “a state or period of flourishing”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1700s

Background / Comments

I confused our word with “fluorescence”, which refers to light that substances emit under certain circumstances. Our word came from the New Latin word florescentia (blossoming), which is related to the Latin verb florēre (to blossom or flourish), which traces back to flos (flower).

Pronounced: flaw-REH-s(uh)nts, (alt-1: floh-REH-s[uh]nts; alt-2: fluh-REH-s[uh]nts), noun

Notes: I had totally confused this word with another one

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Yesterday’s word

The word cliticize means “to attach or become attached”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1970s

Background / Comments

Our word is a verb that was created from the noun clitic, which came into English in the 1940s. The root word is klinein (to lean), which came from klitos (slope). Although these words look like Greek words (Greek nouns often end in –os), my reference information did not identify the language. Our word is primarily used in linguistics. In British English, the word ends in –ise instead of –ize (which is one of the common differences between American and British English).

Pronounced: CLIT-uh-size, verb

Notes: This is NOT “criticize” misspelled

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Yesterday’s word

The word eupeptic means

• of, relating to, or having good digestion
• cheerful, optimistic

First usage

Our word came into English around 1700 (maybe slightly earlier)

Background / Comments

As I noted yesterday, I recognized the eu- part of this word, but not the second part. In fact, our word is composed of the Greek words eu- (good; well; easily) and -pepsia (digestion) — thereby, we have the first definition above. The second definition came from the idea that if a person has a good digestive system, he is likely to be cheerful. On the flip side, if one has a poor digestion, it may cause one to be cranky: the word for this is “dyspeptic”, which can suggest ill humor as well. I’ve definitely run across this word in novels by either Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers (or both).

Pronounced: you-PEP-tick, adj

Notes: I recognize one part of the word, but it doesn’t help me to the meaning

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Yesterday’s word

The word fomites are “inanimate objects, such as surfaces, that can transmit germs from one person to another”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1800s

Background / Comments

As noted, our word is a plural noun. It is the plural of fomes; however, because the usual convention is to add an ‘s’ to make a plural, people assumed that the singular form is fomite. This assumption was so widespread that fomite is now considered a legitimate singular form. Our word came from the Latin word fomites, which is the plural of fomes (touchwood; tinder), which came from fovere (to warm).

Pronounced: FOAM-uh-teez (alt: FOH-mites)

Notes: Our word is a plural noun, but the singular form is NOT fomite

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Yesterday’s word

The word chatelaine is

• the wife of a castellan [governor of a castle]
• the mistress of a chateau, household, or large establishment
• a clasp or hook for a watch, purse, or bunch of keys

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

As I noted, I had the idea that our word referred to someone like a hostess; that is pretty close to the first two meanings. However, I was completely unaware of the third meaning. It is, however, a logical progression: our word (which came from the French word châtelaine) originally had the first definition, and broadened to the second definition. However, a woman in charge of castle (or household) must, of necessity, have a complete set of keys, and our word was used for a decorative hook or clasp from which keys could be suspended. From there, other things were hung (a watch, a purse, etc), but the word remained.

Pronounced: SHA-tuh-land, noun

Notes: I have heard this word and had a vague idea of the meaning, but there was a meaning I didn’t know

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Yesterday’s word

The word zoonosis is “any disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late mid-1800s

Background / Comments

I am pretty sure I’ve heard this word when discussing diseases, but I didn’t recall it. Our word came from the Greeks words zoo- (animal) and nosos (disease).

Pronounced: zoh-AHN-uh-sis (alt: zoh-uh-NOH-sis)

Notes: I’ve probably heard this word; I just don’t remember hearing it

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Yesterday’s word

The word syllepsis means “the use of a word in the same grammatical relation to two different adjacent words in the context with one literal and the other metaphorical in sense”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Here is an example of a syllepsis taken from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens: he wrote that one of his characters “went straight home, in a flood of tears and a sedan chair”. When I read that, it sounded a lot like a recent entry. It does seem to me to be similar to zeugma, which I did last month. However, the search revealed that I also used zeugma as my word eight months earlier (oops; my apologies, gentle reader). From my research, a syllepsis can refer to such cases in which there is a problem with verb/subject agreement. In the syllepsis “She exercises to keep healthy and I to lose weight.”, the word “exercises” agrees with “she” but does not agree with “I”. Our word came from the Greek word syllēpsis, which came from syllambanien (to gather together).

Pronounced: suh-LEP-suhs

Notes: I have posted a similar word before

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Yesterday’s word

The word topsy is “something growing without intention or direction”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

Quite a coincidence: I’m sure I’ve never run across our word, but the day after I wrote the entry for it, I was reading something and ran across our word. Any,way our word came from a character in a book: specifically, Topsy, a young slave girl in the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin (by Harriet Beecher Stowe). I’ve never read that book — if you have, you might have known our word (or at least the character). She had a cute reply when she was asked who made her, and it became popular and thus became a word in English for unplanned growth.

Pronounced: TOP-see

Notes: I’ve never run across this word (but see tomorrow’s comments), but if you are sufficiently well-read, you may know it

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Yesterday’s word

The word veridical means

• truthful; veracious
• not illusory; genuine

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

As I noted yesterday, I saw the “ver” and thought “green”, and then I saw the similarity to “vertical” and thought it may be related. Our word came from the Latin word veridicus, which is made up of verus (true) and dicere (to say). The second meaning above tends to be limited to the philosophical and psychological fields.