Pronounced: POP-luh-riz-uhm, noun

Notes: This word looks a lot like “popularism”, but it isn’t related

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Yesterday’s word

The word chinoiserie is “a style in art (as in decoration) reflecting Chinese qualities or motifs; also, an object or decoration in this style”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the French word chinoiserie, which comes from chinois (Chinese). The first example of chinoiserie was a building King Louis XIV of France had built at Versailles. Such decorations were popular in the 1600s and 1700s; in the 1930s, there was a revival of the style.

Pronounced: sheen-WAHZ-ree, noun

Notes: Not a word I know

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Yesterday’s word

The word annelidous means “of or relating to worms”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the French word anneler (to ring), which came from the Latin word anellus, which is a diminutive of anus (ring). Note that our word is another one of those that contains all of the main vowels in order.

Pronounced: uh-NEL-uh-duhs, adj

Notes: I didn’t have a guess at to the meaning of this word

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Yesterday’s word

The word regnant means

• exercising rule; reigning
• having the chief power
• of common or widespread occurrence

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

As I noted yesterday, I have heard a similar expression to our word in the expression “regnal number”, which means the number after the monarch’s name, such as the “II” (2) in “Queen Elizabeth II”. Our word came from the Latin verb regnare (to reign), which traces back to the noun regnum (reign), which came from rex (king).

Pronounced: REG-nuhnt, adj

Notes: I have heard this word, but only in one particular usage

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Yesterday’s word

The word cyngetic means “relating to the chase or hunting”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1700s

Background / Comments

I was thinking of the word “cygnet” and thus was wondering if our word was somehow related, but (alas!) no. Our word came from the Greek word kunagos (hunter), which is made up of kuon (dog) and igetis (leader).

Pronounced: sigh-nuh-JET-ik, adj

Notes: I don’t know this word; I thought maybe it was related to swans

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Yesterday’s word

The word immure means

• to enclose within or as if within walls
• imprison
• to build into a wall; especially – to entomb in a wall

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Latin words in- (in; within) and murus (wall); thus, the literally meaning is “to wall in” or “to enclose with a wall”. It has been extended to mean “to imprison” and “to entomb”, and has even extended to meanings of “to shut in” or “to confine”.

Pronounce: ih-MYOOR, verb

Notes: This word sounded familiar, but I couldn’t define it

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Yesterday’s word

The word Coventry means “a state of ostracism”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1600s

Background / Comments

Yes, our word comes from the city in the UK. However, no one knows for sure how the sense of this word developed: one theory is that during the English Civil War the Royalist prisoners were send there.

Pronounced: CUV-uhn-tree, noun

Notes: Not the city in the UK; there is a different meaning

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Yesterday’s word

The word flat-hat means “to flow how in an airplane in a reckless manner; hedgehop”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1940s

Background / Comments

The word used in the definition above (“hedgehop”) is an older word. There is a story that in the days of the barnstormers, a low-flying plane crushed a pedestrian’s hat – the pilot was required to purchase a new hat for the pedestrian. The story is very likely made up, but our word is a nice, vivid word.

Pronounced: FLAT-hat, verb

Notes: I haven’t heard this word

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Yesterday’s word

The word Turveydropian means “overly concerned with one’s appearance, demeanor, etc”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word is named after the character of Mr Turveydrop in the 1852 book Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I haven’t read the book; I’m informed that Mr Turveydrop is a conceited humbug and obsessed with his deportment.

Pronounced: tuhr-vee-DROH-pea-uhn, adj

Notes: This word was new to me; well-read readers may be able to guess the meaning

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Yesterday’s word

The word cozen means

• to deceive or induce to something by artful coaxing or shrewd trickery
• to gain by artful coaxing or tricky deception

First usage

Our word came into English in the late mid-1500s

Background / Comments

There are some linguists that think our word came from the Italian noun cozzone (horse trader) — this would make sense, given the reputation of horse traders. However, it would seem that most linguists believe our word came from the Old North French word coçonner (to resell), which came from the Latin word coctionem, which is the accusitive form of coctio (dealer).

Pronounced: KUH-zuhn, verb

Notes: I see “cozy” in this word, so I was completely off on the meaning

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Yesterday’s word

The word sialoquent means “spraying saliva when speaking”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

I remember the phrase “say it, don’t spray it!”, but I didn’t know there was a word that describes this action. It came from the Greek word sialon (spit; saliva) combined with the Latin word loqui (to speak).