Locofoco

Pronounced: loh-kuh-FOH-koh, noun

Notes: I have not run across this word

Yesterday’s word

The word captcha is “a test used to make sure that a human is using a system, not a computer program” (the test usually consists of asking the subject to read and enter distorted text).

First usage

Our word came into English in the 2000s (that is, 2000-2009). This may be the newest word I’ve covered

Background / Comments

I have heard of captcha (and have used them on some web sites), but I did not know that it is an acronym; it stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. You may have heard of the Turing test: it is named after an early computer scientist (Alan Turing), who proposed that a computer could be considered intelligent if a human being interacting with a another human being that the computer cannot tell which is which. Thus, a captcha is a kind of reverse Turing test in which a computer is trying to determine if it interacting with a human or another computer.

captcha

Pronounced: KAP-chuh, noun

Notes: You probably know the meaning, but the background was interesting to me

Yesterday’s word

The word jalousie is

  • a blind with adjustable horizontal slats for admitting light and air while excluding sun and rain
  • a window made of adjustable glass louvers that control ventilation
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

It turns out that our word is the French word for “jealousy”, so the fact that I confused our word with jealousy isn’t that far off of the origin, even if the meaning doesn’t mean that. It is not clear why the French word for “jealousy” came to mean what it does: it is speculated that because such slats allow one to see without being seen, such things were used by jealous people.

jalousie

Pronounced: JAH-luh-see, noun

Notes: This word looks like an alternate spelling of “jealousy”, but…

Yesterday’s word

The word prebuttal is “an argument in anticipation of a criticism; a preemptive rebuttal”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1990s

Background / Comments

I was close; I knew that a “rebuttal” is a refutation of what another has said. Thus, I thought the word meant an argument before the rebuttal. Our word actually is a combination of pre- (before) and rebuttal (to refute), which comes from the Old French word rebouter (to push back).

prebuttal

Pronounced: prih-BUH-tl, noun

Notes: I didn’t know that this was a word

Yesterday’s word

The word struthious means “of or relating to the ostriches or other ratite birds”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1700s

Background / Comments

The definition given above is the scientific sense of our word (by the way, “ratite” refers to birds that have a flat, unkeeled sternum, such as the ostrich, emu, moa, and cassowary). Our word can also be used in a figurative sense meaning “ostrich-like”. I have heard all my life about an ostrich’s habit of burying its head in the sand; however, it turns out that this is a myth – they don’t do this. Instead, they lie down and flatten their neck and head against the ground. Our word came from the Late Latin word strūthiō (ostrich), which came from the Late Greek word strouthíōn, which came from the Greek word struthós (sparrow; bird). In Greek an ostrich is struthòs ho mégas – literally, “the big bird”.

struthious

Pronounced: STROO-thee-us, adj

Notes: Another new word to me

Yesterday’s word

The word quantum, as a noun means

  • a quantity or amount
  • a portion
  • a large amount
  • the smallest amount of something that can exist independently

As an adjective, it means

  • large
  • relating to the quantum theory
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

I find it interesting that the word can mean both “large” and “small” (the 3rd and 4th definition of the noun form above). In physics, a “quantum jump” or “quantum leap” is a small change, but non-physicists use the term to mean a large change – for example, “a quantum leap forward in our understand of X”. I also find the 4th definition amusing; when the word “atom” was coined, it was supposed to be the smallest amount of anything that could exist, but then the sub-atomic particles were discovered. Our word came from the Latin word quantus (how much; how great).

quantum

Pronounced: KWAHN-tuhm, noun/adj

Notes: I only know one meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word diablerie is

  • black magic; sorcery
  • a representation of sorcery in words or pictures
  • mischievous conduct or manner
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1700s

Background / Comments

I saw the word “diabolos” (Spaning for “devil”) in our word, and that was close to the first two meanings, but not the third one. Our word came from the French word diablerie, which came from the Late Latin word diabolus (devil). The third definition was a later, somewhat mollified one, and I didn’t know this meaning.

diablerie

Pronounced: dee-AH-bluh-ree, noun

Notes: You may be able to guess the definition

Yesterday’s word

The word ascesis (also spelled askesis) is “the practice of severe self-discipline or self-control”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

After seeing the definition, I wonder if our word is related to a word I do know (ascetic or asceticism). It appears that it is related: it came from the Greek word askesis (exercise; training), which came from the askein (to exercise; to work).

ascesis

Pronounced: uh-SEES-is, noun

Notes: Another new word to me

Yesterday’s word

The word pantheon means

  • a temple dedicated to all the gods, or the gods of a people
  • a group of illustrious persons
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1300s to early 1400s

Background / Comments

I noted yesterday that I was not familiar with one definition — specifically, the second definition above. When capitalized, our word referred to the circular domed temple built in Rome. The Romans borrowed the name of the temple from the Greek word (pantheion) for a temple honoring all their gods. That word comes from pan- (all) and theos (god). The second meaning above came into usage in the 1800s.

pantheon

Pronounced: PAN(t)-thee-ahn, noun

Notes: This word had a meaning I didn’t know

Yesterday’s word

The word senary means

  • relating to the number six
  • having sixth rank
  • having six parts of things
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

I was familiar with “sestet” and “sextet”, but not our word. Our word came from the Latin word senarious (consisting of six).

senary

Pronounced: SEN-uh-ree, adj

Notes: A new word to me

Yesterday’s word

The word qua means “in the capacity or character of; as”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

I remember this word from way back; I ran across it in the Lord Peter Wimsey novel Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers. (It is not the first book in the series, but it was the first one I read.) It was recommended to me by my tenth grade teacher as the subject for a book review. That particular teacher also liked mysteries and introduced me to the Lord Peter Wimsey novels. I may have run across the word elsewhere, but I do not remember. Our word came from Latin word qua (which way; as), which is itself a derivative of qui (who).