jackanapes

Pronounced: JAH-kuh-napes, noun

Notes: You may know this word, but I found the origin interesting

Yesterday’s word

The word basilic means “kingly; royal”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1700s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Latin word basilicus, which came from the Greek word basilikos (royal). As I noted yesterday, I “mostly” know a root – I briefly studied Koine Greek, and the Greek word for “kingdom” is basileia, which is pretty close to our word. However, I didn’t recognize it until after reading the background.

basilic

Pronounced: buh-SIL-ick (alt: buh-ZIL-ick), adj

Notes: I didn’t know the word, but I mostly know a root

Yesterday’s word

The word abyssal means

  • unfathomable
  • of or relating to the bottom waters of the ocean depths
First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1600s

Background / Comments

There is some strange things about our word: the noun form of our word (“abyss”) is much better known than our adjective form. A synonym of the noun form is “abysm”, which is not well known, but the adjective form (“abysmal”) is well known. All of these words came from the Late Latin word abyssus, which came from the Greek word abyssos (“bottomless”). However, even though the nouns are synonyms, the adjectives are not. The first definition of our word is not a sense of the word “abysmal”; the second meaning is the more commonly used one for abyssal, and “abysmal” can mean this, but the more common usage of “abysmal” is “immeasurably deep” or “absolutely wretched”.

abyssal

Pronounced: uh-BIH-suhl, adj

Notes: When I first glanced at this word, I thought it was “abysmal” (which meaning I know)

Yesterday’s word

The word interregnum means “the period between the end of a reign and the beginning of the next; a time when there is no ruler”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

I remember running across this word in the Isaac Asimov novel Foundation – the first in “The Foundation Trilogy”, but now called “The Foundation Series” (because, roughly 30 years after the original trilogy, he added another four novels to the series, so it was no longer a “trilogy”). He uses interregnum to refer to the time of chaos between civilizations, and so I incorrectly thought it meant “a time of chaos”. Our word came from Latin, and is a combination of inter- (between) and regnum (reign).

interregnum

Pronounced: in-tuhr-REG-nuhm, noun

Notes: I ran across this word in reading, but didn’t have the meaning quite right

Yesterday’s word

The word welter means

  • write; toss; wallow
  • to become deeply sunk, soaked, or involved
  • to be in turmoil
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1200s

Background / Comments

Our word can also be a noun, but that is about 300 years later than the verb. Our word came from Dutch and German words meaning “to roll”.

welter

Pronounced: WELL-tuhr, verb

Notes: I know what a “welt” is, but not our word

Yesterday’s word

The word vole, as a noun, means

  • any of various rodents of the genus Microtus and related genera
  • the winning of all the tricks in some card games

As a verb, it means

  • to risk everything in the hope of great rewards (usually used in the phrase “go the vole”)
  • to try every possibility
First usage

The first definition came into English in the early 1800s; the other definitions game into English in the late 1600s

Background / Comments

The only definition I knew was the first one; I thought a vole was a kind of rodent. This first definition is short for volemouse, which came from the Norwegian word vollmus, which is made up up voll (field) and mus (mouse); thus, “a fieldmouse”. The other definitions came from the French word voler (to fly), which came from the Latin word volare (to fly).

vole

Pronounced: vohl, noun/verb

Notes: There are definitions I didn’t know

Yesterday’s word

The word Barmedical means “providing only the illusion of abundance”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Well, our word does NOT come from Shakespeare (as I thought). It comes from a tale that is part of The Thousand and One Nights (also known as The Arabian Nights). In the tale, there is a family named Barmecide: one prince has fun with (toys with?; torments?) a beggar by inviting him to a huge feast, at which all of the dishes are imaginary. The beggar plays along, pretends to get drunk on imaginary wine, and then knocks down his patronizing host.

Barmecidal

Pronounced: bar-muh-SIGH-duhl, adj (the final syllable is the “d” and “l” with just a hint of the vowel)

Notes: I thought this was another Shakespeare character, but it isn’t

Yesterday’s word

The word Prospero is “someone who is capable of influencing others’ behavior or perceptions without their being aware of it”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1700s

Background / Comments

I knew that Prospero was a (another) Shakespeare character and was from The Tempest, but I did not know enough about the story to be able to generalize what kind of a person our word might indicate. In The Tempest, he is the deposed Duke of Milan and also a magician.

Prospero

Pronounced: PROSS-puh-roh, noun

Notes: I know who this is, but not what the word means

Yesterday’s word

The word declivity means

  • downward inclination
  • a descending slope
First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1600s

Background / Comments

Our word (the main root) came from the Latin word clivus (slope; hill). There are three English words that come from the same root, but having different prefixes. Probably the most common of these words is “proclivity” with the prefix pro- (forward) and thus refers to a personal predisposition or leaning. The other word is acclivity using the prefix ad- (to; toward) and thus is “an upward slope”. Our word has the prefix de- (down; away) and thus the definition.

declivity

Pronounced: dih-KLIH-vuh-tee, noun

Notes: I had a vague sense of the meaning of this word

Yesterday’s word

The word Timon is “one who hates or distrusts humankind”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

This is another word that comes from a Shakespeare play — specifically, Timon of Athen. Timon is the misanthropic hero of the play. This is a Shakespeare play that I don’t know at all.

Timon

Pronounced: TIE-muhn, noun

Notes: Another word I don’t know

Yesterday’s word

The word cap-a-pie means “head to foot”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word goes back to medieval times, when knights were completely encased in armor (from head to foot). They were said to be “armed cap-a-pie”, which came from the Middle French phrase de cap a pe (from head to foot). These days, our word can refer to figurative order. Interestingly (but this is merely speculation), the phrase “apple-pie order” may be derived from a corruption of our word “cap-a-pie order”.