repine

Pronounced: rih-PINE, verb

Notes: I think I’ve only run across this word in a song

Yesterday’s word

The word gemeinschaft is “social relationships based on personal ties, affection, kinship, etc”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1930s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the German word Gemeinschaft (community), which is made up of gemein (common) and schaft (-ship). There is a word that is a counterpart: “Gesellschaft”, which is a social relationship marked by impersonal ties, such as duty to a society or organization.

gemeinschaft

Pronounced: guh-MYN-shaft, noun

Notes: I don’t think I’ve ever run across this word

Yesterday’s word

The word protean means

  • of or resembling Proteus in having a varied nature or ability to assume different forms
  • displaying great diversity or variety; versatile
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word came from Greek mythology (when I was in school I read a lot of Greek and Roman mythology, but I don’t remember this guy): Proteus was the shepherd of Poseidon’s sea creatures – he had the gift of prophecy, but he didn’t care to share his knowledge. When people came to talk with Proteus, he would change his shape. Supposedly, to get an answer from him, one would have to sneak up on him and take hold of him — and keep holding on while Proteus changed from shape to shape. Eventually, he would give up and then answer the question. Our word came to mean anyone or anything that is changeable or adaptable as the mythological Proteus.

protean

Pronounced: PRO-tee-uhn, adj

Notes: I think I may have seen this word somewhere, but I didn’t know the definition

Yesterday’s word

The word gleichschaltung means “the forced standardization of political, economic, and cultural institutions, as in an authoritarian state”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1930s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the German word gleichschalten (to bring into line), from gleich (same) and schalten (to switch; to turn). The term was used by the Nazis for totalitarian control.

gleichschaltung

Pronounced: GLICK-shalt-toong, noun

Notes: Not a word I know; it seems a bit limited for general use

Yesterday’s word

The word Cockaigne is “an imaginary land of great luxury and ease”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1200s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Middle French phrase pais de cocaigne (the land of plenty). There was a French poem in the 1200s called (in English) The Land of Cockaigne. Among other things, the shops supplied good for free. The history of our word before the poem is not clear.

Cockaigne

Pronounced: kah-CANE, noun

Notes: I’ve not run across this word before

Yesterday’s word

The word ambagious means “roundabout; circuitous”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

Our word is a nice one to use in place of “roundabout” – it came from the Middle English word ambages (equivocation), which traces to the Latin word ambages, composed of ambi- (both; around) and agere (to drive).

ambagious

Pronounced: am-BAY-juhs, adj

Notes: It looks like ambiguous misspelled

Yesterday’s word

The word scaramouch (can also be spelled scaramouche) is

  • a cowardly buffoon
  • rascal; scamp
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

People with a background in or knowledge of theater or pantomime may know our word — or at least probably know the term commedia dell’arte (Italian comedy). I was introduced to it through the writings of Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers; there are some references to the commedia dell’arte, and several references to Harlequin, one of the stock characters in the commedia dell’arte. Our word comes from another character in the commedia dell’arte called Scaramouch – he was often beaten by Harlequin because of his boasting or cowardice. Scaramouch actually came from the Italian word meaning “skirmish; a minor fight”. In the late 1600s, our word was used in a derogatory sense for a cowardly buffoon. It’s not heard very often these days, but I’m told that it is used in the relatively well-known rock song “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. In addition, you can sound erudite by using it in the appropriate conversational place.

scaramouch

Pronounced: SCAR-uh-moosh, noun

Notes: Although the word looks familiar, I didn’t know the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word wonted means “usual; accustomed”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1400s

Background / Comments

I don’t think that our word is very well known; personally, I’m more familiar with the phrase “as was his wont” to describe a habit. Our word came from the Middle English word woned or wont (accustomed), which was the past participle of wonen (to be used to; well).

wonted

Pronounced: WAHN-tid

Notes: Not a misspelling of “wanted”

Yesterday’s word

The word interdigitate means “to become interlocked like the fingers of folded hands”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

I thought our word meant to lace the fingers; it means other things that are look like it (as muscle fibers, or the teeth of old-fashioned bear traps). Our word came from a combination of the prefix inter- (between) and the Latin word digitus (finger).

interdigitate

Pronounced: in-tuhr-DIH-juh-tate, verb

Notes: The word doesn’t mean what I thought it might mean

Yesterday’s word

The word frustraneous means “useless; unprofitable”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

A fun word to drop into conversations. Our word came from the Latin word frustra (in vain).

frustraneous

Pronounced: fruhs-TRAY-nee-uhs, adj

Notes: A nice word to be able to use

Yesterday’s word

The word futurity means

  • time to come; future
  • the quality or state of being future
  • future events or prospects
First usage

Our word came into English around 1600

Background / Comments

Our word would appear to be coined by Shakespeare in the play Othello. It was also used by Benjamin Franklin and Sir Walter Scott. It is merely a combination of future and the suffix -ity. There is also a “futurity race” (usually for two-year-old horses) in which entries for the race are made are made well before the event — usually at the birth of the horse (or even before then).