aerie

Pronounced: ER-ee, noun

Notes: You probably know this word; I included it for the pronunciation

Yesterday’s word

The word cimmerian means “very dark or gloomy”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word came from Homer’s Odyssey; the Cimmerians, who were a mythical people who lived in perpetual darkness at the entrance of Hades. Note: there are also a real people named “Cimmerians” — dwellers in Crimea, but they are unrelated to our word (except, of course, for the spelling being the same).

cimmerian

Pronounced: sih-MIR-ee-uhn, adj

Notes: I have no memory of running across this word

Yesterday’s word

The word moiety is

  • one of two equal or approximately equal parts
  • one of the portions into which something is divided
  • one of two basic complementary tribal subdivisions
First usage

Our word came into English in around the mid-1400s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Anglo-French word moité (a half; part of something), which came from the Late Latin word medietat- (half), which came from the Latin word medius (middle).

moiety

Pronounced: MOT-uh-tee, noun

Notes: I didn’t know this at all

Yesterday’s word

The word lubricious means

  • lecherous
  • salacious
  • shifty; tricky
  • smooth and slippery
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Latin word lubricus (slippery; smooth). I guess this is why the word looked like “lubricant” to me.

lubricious

Pronounced: loo-BRISH-uhs, adj

Notes: Another word that doesn’t mean what I thought

Yesterday’s word

The word netsuke is “a small and often intricately carved toggle (wood, ivory, or metal, for example) used to fasten a small container to a kimono sash”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

A netsuke is traditionally part of a Japanese man’s kimono; they would often attach a medicine box, pipe, or tobacco pouch to the sash (obi). In old days, people below the rank of samurai were not permitted to wear jewelry, they used a netsuke. At the end of the Tokugawa regime, the dress code was changed, and the netsuke became obsolete — even though obsolete, they still were made for tourists. Note that the plural of our word can either be “netsuke” or “netsukes”.

netsuke

Pronounced: NETS-kay, noun

Notes: The pronunciation was not at all what I thought

Yesterday’s word

The word macher is

  • a person of influence; one who gets things done
  • a self-important overbearing person
First usage

Our word came into English in the 1910s

Background / Comments

As I noted yesterday, I didn’t know what our word meant, but I thought it looked like “maker”… as it turns out, our word came from the Yiddish word makher, which came from the German word macher (maker; doer).

macher

Pronounced: MOCK-uhr, noun

Notes: I wasn’t right in the definition, but I was close in the origin

Yesterday’s word

The word argy-bargy is “a lively discussion; argument; dispute”

First usage

Our word came into English around 1600

Background / Comments

I think that the alternate pronunciation was new to me because I have heard this word on some show from the UK using the first pronunciation. There is also a variant (“argle-bargle”). Both argy and argle are words that in some English and Scottish dialects of the word “argue”. However, there is no record of a word “bargy” or “bargle”; it is thought that the final word was added as a king of singsong reduplication of argy/argle. Synonyms are “donnybrook” and “contretemps”, but “donnybrook” implies a fight or brawl, and “contretemps” implies just an embarrassing mischance.

argy-bargy

Pronounced: are-jee-BAR-jee (alt: are-gee-BAR-gee), noun

Notes: The alternate pronunciation was new to me

Yesterday’s word

The word ganef is “a thief, swindler, or rascal”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1920s

Background / Comments

As I noted yesterday, I have run across a variant of our word; specifically, “gonif” in some novel or short story. The meaning was clear from the context, but I was completely unaware that there were alternate spellings. Our word came from Yiddish, which came from the Hebrew word gannabh (thief).

ganef

Pronounced: GAH-nuff, noun

Notes: Also spelled gonif, goniff, or ganif – I have run across one of these variants

Yesterday’s word

The word bodacious means

  • outright; unmistakable
  • remarkable; noteworthy
  • voluptuous
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

I have a recollection from my youth of reading some comic strip that was about hillbillies, and our word was used. The title escapes me, but I think it may have been “Snuffy Smith”. The background to this question is not known for certain; it is thought that it may be a combination of “bold” and “audacious”. In addition, there is a British word “boldacious” that may be linked in some manner to our word.

bodacious

Pronounced: boh-DAY-shuhs, adj

Notes: I have read this word, but I didn’t know all of the definitions

Yesterday’s word

The word pernancy means “a taking or receiving of rent, profit, etc”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

Our word is another one that came about by switching some sounds around – it came from the Anglo-French word pernance (taking), which came from prendre, which came from the Latin word prehendre (to seize). It’s a nice fancy word for “collect rent”, but I don’t recall running across this word.

pernancy

Pronounced: PURR-nun-see, noun

Notes: Another word I don’t know

Yesterday’s word

The word refractory means

  • resisting control or authority; stubborn; unmanageable
  • resistant to treatment or cure
  • capable of enduring high temperatures
First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1600s

Background / Comments

After reading the definition (especially the first one), a faint chord of remembrance stirred — I think I have run across our word somewhere. Our word came from the Latin word refragari (to oppose).