Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounced: VAH-tik, adj
Notes: A new word for me
The word plutomania is “an obsession with money or wealth”
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
Our word comes from the Greek word pluto- (wealth) combined with the word -mania (excessive enthusiasm; craze).
Pronounced: ploo-tuh-MAY-nee-uh, noun
Notes: I was on the right track for this word, but had the wrong meaning
The word chiliad is
Our word came into English in the late 1500s
I am used to the term millennium for a 1,000-year period; however, chiliad is the older term (millennium came into English in the early 1600s). Our word comes from the Greek word chilioi (thousand). Just for the record, the word “millennium” came from the Latin word for “thousand”.
Pronounced: KIH-lee-ad, noun
Notes: I know a different word
The word luftmensch is “an impractical dreamer”
Our word came into English in the 1900s (1900-1909)
Our word came from the Yiddish words luft (air) and mensch (man; person).
Pronounced: LOOFT-mensh, noun
Notes: Not a word I’m familiar with
The phrase lord of misrule is “a master of Christmas revels in England especially in the 1400s and 1500s”
Our phrase came into English in the 1400s
The tradition back in medieval England in the royal court, in the houses of noblemen, and many colleges and universities was to appoint a lord of misrule (also called the “abott of misrule”) to manage their Christmas festivities. He had to arrange all of the Christmas entertainment – plays, processions, and feasts. He normally had some kind of mock court and received mock homage from the revelers. The name is thought to have originated from an older New Year’s celebration (“the Feast of Fools”).
Pronounced: LORD of miss-RULE, noun
Notes: Another phrase I think I’ve read, but I didn’t know the actual meaning
The word dactyloscopy is “the analysis of fingerprints for identification of individuals”
Our word came into English in the 1900s (that is, 1900-1909)
I normally hear and use the word “fingerprinting”, but this word would be a much more fun word to use. It comes from the Greek word dactylo- (finger; toe) and -scopy (observation).
Pronounced: dak-tuh-LOS-kuh-pee, noun
Notes: This is a fancy word for something else we knew
The word élan means “vigorous spirit or enthusiasm”
Our word came into English in the late 1800s
As I noted yesterday, I’ve run across this word in reading, but I could not recall the definition. Our word came (as you might expect) from the Middle French word eslan (dash; rush), which came from s’eslancer (“to hurl oneself forth” -that is, to rush or dash). When the word was adopted into English, we dropped the literal idea of “rush” or “dash” but used the word for the enthusiasm of such things.
Pronounced: ay-LAHN
Notes: I’ve run across this word in reading, but I wasn’t sure of the meaning
The word xerophilous means “adapted to a very dry or desert environment”
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
As I noted yesterday, I recognized part of the word — the suffix -philous (liking). The prefix is xero- (dry) — both of these came from the Greek language.
Pronounced: zee-ROF-uh-luhs, adj
Notes: Well, I recognized one part of this word, but it still didn’t help with the definition
The word tergiversation means
Our word came into English in the mid-1500s
Our word came from the Latin word tergiversari (to show reluctance), which is created from tergum (back) and versare (to turn). It would be fun to drop this word when dealing with someone who won’t give a straight answer.
Pronounced: ter-jih-ver-SAY-shun, noun
Notes: This is a word I could use, if I can remember to use it
The word teleology means
Our word came into English in the mid-1700s
As I noted, I ran across an adjectival form of our word; a memory stirred — I thought it was in a Lord Peter Wimsey story; possibly Clouds of Witness (by Dorothy Sayers) and was uttered by Peter’s policeman friend Charles. So, I retrieved the book from my library and looked for it; it turned out that I correctly remembered the book and the general location (which was gratifying to my ego). What Charles actually says is “There are many difficulties inherent in a teleological view of creation”. Charles enjoys evangelical theology and is known to relax by reading commentaries. Our word came from the Greek prefix tele- (far; end) and -logy (study).
Pronounced: tell-ee-AHL-uh-jee, noun
Notes: I didn’t recognize this word, but after I saw the definition, I’ve run across a form of it
The word balneology is “the science of the therapeutic use of baths”
Our word came into English in the late 1800s
As noted yesterday, I knew that the -ology ending meant “study” (but, as in our word, it can also mean “science”), but I didn’t know it had to do with baths. Our word came from the Latin word balneum (bath) and the -logy (science) ending.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day