Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounced: THIM-bull-rig, verb
Notes: I’ve run across this word somewhere, but wasn’t sure of the meaning
The word prorogue means
Our word came into English in the early 1400s
Our word came from the French word proroger (to adjourn), which came from the Latin word prorogare (to prolong; to defer), which is made up of pro- (before) and rogare (to ask).
Pronounced: pro-ROHG, verb
Notes: Looks like being for a thief
The phrase tabula rasa means
Our phrase came into English in the mid-1500s
There is an ancient idea that babies are born with completely blank minds – that state has been known as tabula rasa, which came from a Latin phrase meaning “smooth or erased tablet”. Over time, a more figurative meaning (the second one) came into usage.
Pronounced: ta-byoo-luh-RAH-zuh, noun
Notes: Not a phrase I recognize
The word deportment is “the manner in which one conducts oneself in public”
Our word came into English in the early 1600s
As I noted, which I first came across this word, I didn’t really know the definition, but in the meantime between then and entering it, I have learned the word. I properly defined it when I saw it again. But it was a word I didn’t know, so I decided to include it anyway. Our word came from the French word déportement, which came from the Latin word deportare, which is composed of de- (away) and portare (carry).
Pronounced: dih-PORT-ment, noun
Notes: I didn’t know this word when I first saw it, but I have learned it by now – I’m including it nevertheless
The word debouch means
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
I think I have run across our word in describing Jonah and the “whale” (really identified merely as a “great fish” in the Bible). Anyway I’m pretty sure I read the Jonah was “debouched” on to land. Our word came from the French word déboucher, composed of dé- (away) and boucher, a verbal form of bouche (mouth) — and this latter word came from the Latin word bucca (cheek; jaw).
Pronounced: di-BOWCH, verb
Notes: This word I have read, but could not well define
The phrase a fortiori means “for an even stronger reason; even more so”
Our word came into English in the mid-1500s
Our word came from Latin, where is literally means “from the stronger”.
Pronounced: ah-fort-tee-OR-ee (alt: ay-for-shee-OR-eye), adv
Notes: Not a phrase I recognize
The word erne means “eagle; especially a long-winged sea eagle witha short white wedge-shaped tail (Häliaetus albicilla)”
Our word came into English before 1000
Our word came from the Middle English word ern/arn, which came from the Old English earn, which is related to the Old High German word arn/arne, which traces back to Greek órnīs (bird). Here are some bird names in Old English — the basic name is still the same over 1,000 years, even if the spelling has changed a bit: earn (erne), crāwe (crow), finc (finch), wrenna (wren), ūle (owl), spearwa (sparrow).
Pronounced: urn, noun
Notes: A nice simple word, but I didn’t know it
The word vouchsafe means
Our word came into English in the early 1300s
I think I was lead astray by the first part of our word (“vouch”), so I thought that our word meant something like “to swear to as true” or “to verify”. Our word comes to use from French, which came from the Latin word vocare (to call) combined with salvus (whole; intact).
Pronounced: vouch-SAFE, verb
Notes: This word doesn’t mean what I thought it meant
The word empyreal means
Our word came into English in the late 1400s
When our word first came into English, it referred to things related to the “empyrean” – the highest heaven or outermost heavenly sphere of ancient and medieval cosmology (it was thought to contain or be composed of fire). In the words of Dante (Divine Comedy) and Milton (Paradise Lost), it was used to refer to their idea of the Christian paradise. These days, it is used in the broader sense of “celestial” or “sublime”. Our word came from the Late Latin word empyreus, a variant of empýrius, which came from the Greek word empyrios (fiery), which is made up of em- (in; within; inside) and pŷr (fire) and -ios (an adjectival suffix).
Pronounced: em-pie-REE-uhl, adj
Notes: The pronunciation reminds me of sidereal
The word disaffect means “to alienate the support of loyalty of someone”
Our word came into English in the early 1600s
As I noted, I was exactly on the fence as to whether or not to use our word. I had a pretty good idea of the meaning, but I was not (and still am not) sure how well the word was known. I decided to go ahead and use it. Our word came from the Latin words dis- (away) and affectare (to aim at; to strive after) – the latter is made up of ad- (to) and facere (to do).
Pronounced: dis-uh-FEKT, verb
Notes: This word was exactly on the border
The word aperçu is
Our word came into English in the early 1800s
Our word was borrowed in its entirety from French – in French, the word aperçu is the past participle of the verb apercevoir (to perceive; to comprehend). It is also a noun meaning “glimpse; outline; general idea”.
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