Dogberry

Pronounced: DOG-ber-ee (alt DOG-buh-ree), noun

Notes: I didn’t know this word – I blame it on a gap in my education

Yesterday’s word

The word touchstone is

  • a fundamental or quintessential part of feature
  • a test or criterion for determining the quality of genuineness of a thing
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1400s

Background / Comments

I was more familiar with the second definition; the first meaning was new to me: nevertheless, I feel satisfied because the second meaning is closer to the original meaning. Originally a touchstone was a method of testing the purity of a sample of gold: one rubs the sample on a piece of dark quartz or jasper (the touchstone). The mark it made was compared to known rubbings from gold of known purity on the touchstone. Even today, jewelers still use touchstones.

touchstone

Pronounced: TOUCH-stone, noun

Notes: I had an idea of the meaning, but I was a little off

Yesterday’s word

The word viperine means “of or relating to a viper; venomous; malicious”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

I thought that our word mean “snake-like”, but a viper is more specific: most snakes lay eggs, but most vipers give birth to live young. Thus, our word came from the Latin word vipera (snake), which came from a mispronunciation and/or contraction of vivipera which came from vivus (alive) combined with parere (to give birth).

viperine

Pronounced: VIE-purr-in (alt: VIE-puh-rin), adj

Notes: This may mean what you think

Yesterday’s word

The word ergogenic means “enhancing physical performance”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1900s (meaning 1900-1910)

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Greek word ergon (work) combined with -genic (producing; causing).

ergogenic

Pronounced: uhr-guh-JEH-nick, adj

Notes: You may be able to guess the definition, if you recognize the root parts of the word

Yesterday’s word

The word lazaretto is

  • a medical facility for people with infectious diseases
  • a building or ship used for quarantine
  • (on a ship) a space between decks used as storage
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Italian word lazzaretto, which is a blend of lazzaro and Nazareto. Lazzaro is the Italian version of “Lazarus”, the name of a beggar in the Bible (the New Testament) who was covered in sores. Nazareto was the nickname of a hospital located in Venice and run by the church called “Santa Maria di Nazareth”.

lazaretto

Pronounced: laz-uh-RET-oh, noun

Notes: Not a word I’ve ever run across

Yesterday’s word

The word hypocorism is

  • a pet name
  • the use of pet names
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Before I started this blog, I did a year of vocabulary entries on Facebook, but I found a blog like this to be better. Before I started vocabulary words on Facebook, I posted vocabulary words at work on the instant messaging system. I said all of this to note that I’m pretty certain that I’ve used our word before. I checked this blog, and I’ve not used it here, so it was either a FB post, or one from work. Since those don’t count, I’m posting it here. Our word came into English from Late Latin word hypocorisma (a pet name), which came from the Greek word hypokorisma (a pet name), which came from the Greek verb hypokorizesthai (to call by pet names), which came from korizesthai (to caress). There was a brief time when our word referred to adult baby talk – the speech adults use when (supposedly) imitating babies.

hypocorism

Pronounced: hi-PAH-kuh-rih-zuhm, noun

Notes: See tomorrow’s comments about this word

Yesterday’s word

The word Methuselah means

  • an extremely old person
  • an oversized wine bottle holding about six liters
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1300s

Background / Comments

Methuselah is a biblical figure from the Old Testament – he is the longest lived individual, having lived 969 years. Adam, by contrast, lived to be 930 years. Most of the pre-flood individuals lived very long lives; Bible scholars believe that there are two primary reasons: first, since sin entered with Adam, it hadn’t done the damage that it did later (as time passed). Secondly, it is thought that the pre-flood earth was surrounded by a kind of watery canopy, which kept the temperature very moderate and screened out harmful rays. After the flood, the length of people’s lives decreased dramatically. I have no idea why a certain size wine bottle is called by this name.

Methuselah

Pronounced: meh-THOO-zuh-luh, noun

Notes: There are a couple of meanings; I knew one, and was a bit fuzzy about the other

Yesterday’s word

The word bumptious means “presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive; obtrusive”

First usage

Our word came into English around 1800

Background / Comments

My idea about our word was that it mean clumsy, thinking of someone bumping into other people. That is kind of the right idea, but not because of clumsiness — think of a self-important person not bothering to look where he is going. It is thought that the word was created from the noun bump plus the adjectival ending -tious. When our word first entered English, it meant “conceited”.

bumptious

Pronounced: BUM(P)-shus, adj

Notes: I had an idea about this word, but it was (mostly) wrong

Yesterday’s word

The word Ananias means “a liar”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Bible; specifically, the book of Acts in the New Testament. But I did not learn our word from there — it was in a collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov (the “Black Widower” series) that used and defined this word in one of the stories. In chapter 5 of Acts, Ananias and his wife lied, apparently to make themselves look important. Both were struck dead — I suppose this dramatic story is why the name is remembered. I am always amazed at this because just a few chapters later (Acts 9), there is a faithful servant of the Lord also called Ananias who first met Saul the apostle when he came to Damascus.

Ananias

Pronounced: an-uh-NY-uhs, noun

Notes: I did know this word; I find the origin interesting

Yesterday’s phrase

The phrase Sturm und Drang means “turmoil”

First usage

Our phrase came into English in the late 1700s

Background / Comments

As you might expect, our word came from German, which it means “storm and stress”. When it first came into English, our word was used to identify a German literary movement — such works were filled with rousing action and high emotionalism. Our more modern and simpler definition began to be used in the mid-1800s.

Sturm und Drang

Pronounced: shtourm-unt-DRANG, noun

Notes: People who know German may know this word

Yesterday’s word

The word mew can mean, as a noun

  • a cage for hawks, especially when molting
  • a place for retiring or hiding
  • (UK) [pluralized] stables with living quarters, or a row of apartments converted from stables
  • the high-pitched sound of a cat
  • the characteristic sound of a gull
  • a seagull

As a verb, it can mean

  • to confine
  • to molt
First usage

Various; the first three nouns and the verbs came into English in the late 1300s. The sound definitions (fourth and fifth above) came into English in the mid-1300s. The final noun definition came into English before the 1100s.

Background / Comments

I knew the word for the sound a cat makes. I also knew the UK definition (mews), but the others were new to me. The first three noun definitions as well as the verb definitions came from the Old French word muer (to molt), which came from the Latin word mutare (to change). It it believed that the definitions for the cat and gull sounds are imitative in origin. The final noun definition came from the Old English word maew.