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.

mew

Pronounced: myoo, noun/verb

Notes: I was sure I knew this word, but it had eight definitions; I knew three of them

Yesterday’s word

The word bandbox is

  • a usually cylindrical box for holding light articles of attire
  • a structure (such as a baseball park) having relatively small interior dimensions
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

In the 1600s, a “band” could refer to ruffs – the large round collars of pleated muslin or linen worn by men and women of the time; the bandbox was the item that held these bands. The box had a flimsy cardboard structure, and people began using bandbox for any flimsy object — especially a small and insubstantial one. However, people also appreciated the neat, sharp appearance of ruffs just taken from a bandbox and used the word in a complimentary way: one phrase was “she looked as if she came out of a bandbox” (and this phrase is one that I’m virtually certain I’ve run across in reading). These days, that sense of our word can be used as an adjective meaning “exquisitely neat, clean, or ordered”.

bandbox

Pronounced: BAN(d)-box, noun

Notes: I think I’ve run across the word, but I didn’t know what it is

Yesterday’s word

The word quiff means

  • a tuft of hair brushed up above the forehead
  • a woman considered to be promiscuous
First usage

The first definition came into English in the late 1800s; the second definition came into English in the 1920s

Background / Comments

It is thought that the first definition might be related to the word coif (short for coiffure). If you are familiar with TinTin, he has a quiff (a bit of hair brushed up above his head). The origin of the second definition is unknown.

quiff

Pronounced: kwif, noun

Notes: I didn’t know either of the definitions of this word

Yesterday’s word

The word cathexis is “investment of mental or emotional energy in a person, object, or idea”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1920s

Background / Comments

I confused our word with “catharsis”, which is a purging of emotions through art. The origin for our word is different — it came from New Latin, which came from the Greek word kethexis (holding), which came from katechein (to hold fast; occupy), which came from the verb echein (to have; to hold).

cathexis

Pronounced: kuh-THEK-suhs, noun

Notes: I confused this word with another word

Yesterday’s word

The word Hamlet means

  • an apprehensive, indecisive person
  • (lowercase) a small villiage (but see the Comments below)
First usage

The first definition came into English in the 1900s (1900-1910); the second definition came into English in the mid-1300s

Background / Comments

I knew the origin of the first definition (after the main character in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet), but I didn’t think of an indecisive person. There is an expression Hamlet without the Prince, which refers to an event taking place without its main character. In a reversal for the second definition, I knew what it meant, but not the origin: it came from the Old French word hamelet, which is a diminutive of hamel (village), which itself is a diminutive of ham (village). Note that in British English, hamlet has a more traditional, specific meaning – but variously described as “a settlement that does not have both a church and a pub”; or “a settlement that does not have a church”; or “a settlement that does not have both a church and a meeting place, such as a town hall or pub”. The next size up (a village) must have both of these.

Hamlet

Pronounced: HAM-lit, noun

Notes: There are a couple of meanings; one is pretty well known, but the other one is surely related to the Shakespeare play

Yesterday’s word

The word consigliere is “counselor; advisor”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1600s (but see Comments below)

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Italian word consigliere (someone who served on a council in Italy). The word came into more common usage in the 1960s due to The Godfather series of films. Our word still commonly refers to advisers to the Mafia, but the meaning has expanded over time to be any trusted adviser.

consigliere

Pronounced: cone-sill-YEH-reh, noun

Notes: The word looks Italian to me, but I didn’t know the definition

Yesterday’s word

The word Bardolphian means “have a red complexion, especially a red nose”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1700s

Background / Comments

I was way off on my guess at the meaning of our word; I saw the “Bard” part and thought of Shakespeare — perhaps a devoted fan of the Bard? The only thing I had right is the Shakespeare reference — Bardoph was a character in the plays Henry IV, Henry V, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. He was noted for his red nose, and thus our word.

Bardolphian

Pronounced: bar-DOL-fee-uhn, adj

Notes: I’ve not run across this word

Yesterday’s phrase

The phrase warp speed is “the highest possible speed”

First usage

Our phrase came into English in the 1960s (possibly the 1970s)

Background / Comments

If you thought that warp speed was related to the speed of light, you probably enjoy science fiction. Our phrase existed before it was used in the 1960s television show Star Trek. The show rapidly gained a devoted following that discussed many aspects of the show, including warp speed. The phrase found its way into public usage, but lost the technical meaning, taking on the definition above.