corrigendum

Pronounced: core-uh-JEN-duhm, noun

Notes: Not a word knew, but I have run across one (you may have, too)

Yesterday’s word

The word tontine is “a form of investment in which participants pool their money into a common fund and receive an annuity. Each person’s share increases as members die until the last survivor takes the whole.

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1700s

Background / Comments

As I noted yesterday, I didn’t recognize the word at first, but after reading the definition, I’m pretty sure that I’ve read the word used in a mystery story (I think it was a story by Agatha Chrisite). Tontines were eventually made illegal, as there would be a temptation to speed the death of the other owners. Our word came from the French word tontine, which came from the name of the person (Lorenzo Tonti, a banker from Naples) who started the scheme in France.

tontine

Pronounced: TON-teen (alt: ton-TEEN), noun

Notes: I didn’t recognize the word, but after reading the definition, I have seen it in a book

Yesterday’s word

The word derogate means

  • to cause to seem inferior; disparage
  • to take away a part of as to impair; detract
  • to act beneath one’s position or character
First usage

Our word came into English around 1400

Background / Comments

Our word is the verb form of the more common adjective “derogatory”; however, our word came into English before “derogatory”, even though it is no longer well known. Our word came from the Late Latin word derogatus, the past participle of the verb derogare (to detract; to annul).

derogate

Pronounced: DER-uh-gate, verb

Notes: You may be able to guess the meaning of this word

Yesterday’s word

The word mazarine is “a deep, rich shade of blue”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1600s

Background / Comments

Our word is named after either Cardinal Jules Mazarin or his niece Duchess Hortense Mancini. However, it is not known why the color is associated with them.

mazarine

Pronounced: maz-uh-REEN (alt: MAZ-uh-reen; MAX-uh-rin), adj

Notes: A word I have not run across

Yesterday’s word

The word kanban is “a manufacturing strategy wherein parts are produced or delivered only as needed” (a “just-in-time” method)

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1970s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Japanese word kanban (sign; placard). In the system, each part comes with a kanban, and when that part supply is low, the kanban is sent to the suppliers, who then send another shipment of parts. The Toyota Motor Company is credited with developing the system.

kanban

Pronounced: CAN-ban, noun

Notes: Not a word I’ve run across

Yesterday’s word

The word letimotif is “a recurrent theme in a piece of music or literature, situation, etc”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1930s

Background / Comments

A humorist defined leitmotif (or leitmotiv) as “a signature tune”. Our word came from the Germain word Lietmotiv (lead motif), which comes from leit- (leading) and Motiv (motive).

leitmotif

Pronounced: LIGHT-moh-teef, noun

Notes: Also spelled “leitmotiv”

Yesterday’s word

The word verdure means

  • the greenness of growing vegetation; also, the vegetation itself
  • a condition of health and vigor
First usage

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

Background / Comments

I recognized the root of our word as “green”; however, I was unaware of the second meaning above. Our word came from the Latin word virere (to be green).

verdure

Pronounced: VUHR-juhr, noun

Notes: Another word you might be able to guess one of the definitions

Yesterday’s word

The word sitzkrieg is “a period of war marked by little or no active hostilities”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1940s

Background / Comments

If you thought that the word was related to “blitzkrieg” — you are correct. The German word sitzen (to sit) combined with Krieg (war). If you remember World War II history, you’ll remember that Germany invaded Poland in Sep 1939. France and Britain declared war, but didn’t do much until May of 1940. This period was called the sitting war, or sitzkrieg. It was also called the Phoney War, the Twilight War, and the Bore War (a pun on “Boer Wars”).

sitzkrieg

Pronounced: SITS-kreeg, noun

Notes: Your guess at the meaning may be correct

Yesterday’s word

The word parietal means

  • of or relating to the walls of a part of cavity
  • of or relating to college living or its regulation
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

The second definition above is the one that was utterly unknown to me. As for the first definition, my understanding of the word was that it referred to certain bones of the skull (probably from reading Sherlock Holmes; possibly Agatha Christie or some other mystery writer). It turns out that when the word first came into being, it referred to these bones, but was then used for structures found in the same general area. In the mid-1800s, Harvward College establish a Parietal Committee which was in charge of “all offences against good order and decorum with in the walls”. Our word traces back o the Latin word paries (wall of a cavity or hollow organ).

parietal

Pronounced: puh-RYE-uh-t(uh)l, adj

Notes: I was our of date on one definition, and didn’t know the other

Yesterday’s word

The word optics means

  • the study of light, vision, etc
  • the way a situation or action is perceived by the public
First usage

The first meaning came about in the mid-1500s; the second meaning in from the 1970s (quite a spread!)

Background / Comments

The first meaning I suspect most people know, but I’ve not run across the word using the second meaning. Perhaps it came about from the way the public “sees” a thing.

optics

Pronounced: OP-ticks, noun

Notes: This word has a meaning of which I was unaware

Yesterday’s word

The word anthophilous means “feeding upon or living among flowers”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Our word is certainly an interesting one and may be worth dropping into a conversation. It came from the Greek word anthos (flower) and -philos (loving). I did recognize the second part of the word, but I was thinking of “anthro” for the first part and thus was wrong on my guess at the meaning. Other from the same area: “ornithophilous” flowers are those pollinated by birds (from the Greek word ornis [bird]), while “melittophilous” flowers are pollinated by bees (from the Greek word melitta [bee]).