anthophilous

Pronounced: an-THAH-fuh-luhss, adj

Notes: I didn’t know there was such a word; it’s good to learn it

Yesterday’s word

The word zymology is “the science of fermentation”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1700s

Background / Comments

People who work in certain industries (such as making yeast, making wine, or brewing beer) probably know our word, as would anyone who has dabbled with brewing as a hobby. After reading the definition, I’m certain that I’ve run across this word or a closely related one in Isaac Asimov’s book The Caves of Steel. Our word came from the Greek word zym- (ferment) combined with -logy (study; science).

zymology

Pronounced: zy-MOLL-uh-jee, noun

Notes: People in certain professions or with certain hobbies will know this word (I didn’t)

Yesterday’s word

The word conurbation is “an aggregation or continuous network of urban communities”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1910s

Background / Comments

When I saw the definition, I thought it was a fancy word for what used to be called “urban sprawl”, but they have sufficiently different meanings that they don’t appear to be synonyms of each other. The phrase “urban sprawl” indicates unplanned growth of a city, whereas our word means cities that have grown together and yet retain their identity (such as Scottsdale, Tempe, and Pheonix). Our word was coined by Sir Patrick Geddes in his book Cities in Evolution. Our word was constructed from the Latin prefix con- (together) with the Latin noun urbs (city) and the English noun suffix -ation.

conurbation

Pronounced: kah-nuhr-BAY-shuhn, noun

Notes: Another word that is new to me

Yesterday’s word

The word scandent means “climbing; ascending”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1600s

Background / Comments

Our word is a good one for general use. It came from the Latin word scandere (to climb). The same Latin word is also the root of “ascend” and “descend”.

scandent

Pronounced: SKAN-duhnt, adj

Notes: A new word to me, but a useful one

Yesterday’s word

The word ludic means “of, relating to, or characterized by play; playful”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1930s

Background / Comments

Psychologists wanted a word do describe what children do — apparently, the word “playing” didn’t sound good enough for them — and came up with the phrase ludic activity, and then the word ludic caught on. These days it can refer to playful architecture, or narrative that is humorous, or even light literature. Our word came from the Latin noun ludus (stage shows; games; shorts; jokes). Our word ludicrous comes from the same Latin source.

ludic

Pronounced: LOO-dick, adj

Notes: Not a word I’ve run across

Yesterday’s word

The word oneiric means “of or relating to dreams; dreamy”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Greek word oneiros (dream).

oneiric

Pronounced: oh-NYE-rick, adj

Notes: Not at all what I thought it meant!

Yesterday’s word

The word victual means “food usable by people”. The more common plural form means “supplies of food”. I think I have only seen the plural form of our word.

First usage

Our word came into English around 1300s

Background / Comments

Well, I ran across conflicting information when looking up information about this word. There is a word “vittles”, which one source says came into English before our word, so it cannot be just an alliterative misspelling of our word. However, another source says that “vittles” came into English around 1600. I may try to drag the singular word into conversation. Our word came from Middle English from Anglo-French from the Latin noun victus (nourishment; way of living), which is derived from the Latin word vivere (to live).

victual

Pronounced: vih-tuhl, noun

Notes: This word is much more common in the plural: do you know the meaning of the singular form?

Yesterday’s word

The word klatsch is “a casual gathering of people for conversation, etc”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1950s

Background / Comments

I have always heard people say “clutch” instead of “clatch” for the pronunciation, but such a pronunciation is not supported by the dictionaries I looked at. Our word comes from the German word Klastch (gossip).

klatsch

Pronounced: KLACH (alt: KLAHCH), noun

Notes: I usually hear this word mispronounced

Yesterday’s word

The word fillip means

  • to strike by holding the nail of a finger against the ball of the thumb and then suddenly releasing it
  • to urge on; to stimulate
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

I was aware of the second meaning, although I have more often seen it used an a noun: person A uses something as a fillip to get person B to do something. The first definition I always thought was called “flick” (you cover the fingernail with your thumb and then straighten the finger). The write-up of our word says that it such an action is commonly called a “flick”, but the online dictionary I looked at does not have this meaning.

fillip

Pronounced: FIH-lup, verb

Notes: I sort of knew one of the definitions

Yesterday’s word

The word impedimenta is “baggage, supplies, or equipment related to an activity or expedition, especially when regarded as slowing one’s progress”

First usage

Our word came into English around 1600

Background / Comments

Our word came from Latin, which is the plural of impedimentum, which came from impedire (to impede), which came from im-/in- and ped (foot).

impedimenta

Pronounced: im-ped-uh-MEN-tuh, plural noun

Notes: This word looks familiar, but I could not define it

Yesterday’s word

The word chthonic means “of or relating to the underworld; infernal”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Greek word chthōn (earth), which was associated with things that dwell in or under the earth. Our word can be used to describe earthly or natural things instead of things that are elevated or celestial.