Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounced: EK-stir-pate, verb
Notes: Not a word I know
The word Frankenfood is “genetically modified food”
Our word came into English in the 1990s
If you thought of Frankenstein’s monster, you’d probably get the meaning of this word. Contrary to popular usage, the monster is not Frankenstein; Frankenstein is the scientist that created him. Our word, in fact, came from Frankenstein’s monster, and is used in a disparaging way.
Pronounced: FRANG-kuhn-food, noun
Notes: You may know this word, or be able to guess it
The word viridity means
Our word came into English in the first half of the 1400s
If I had thought of “verdigris”, I would have had the definition correct, but I thought of “virture” and “virility” and didn’t know what to make of our word. Our word (which, by the way, only has the vowel ‘i’) came from the Middle French word viridité, which came from the Latin word viriditas (greenness), which came from viridis (green). This same root is the source of the word “verdant”, which I do know.
Pronounced: vuh-RIH-duh-tee, noun
Notes: This word had a surprise definition for me
The word opprobrium means
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
I have run across this word somewhere (probably in reading) and had the impression of the first definition. But it is a word that I don’t see very much, so I used it. Our word came from the Latin word opprobrium (reproach), which is composed of ob- (against) and probrum (infamy; reproach).
Pronounced: uh-PRO-bree-um, noun
Notes: I was pretty close on this one, but I don’t know how well-known it is
The word rococo means
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
Another word with only one vowel. I knew that our word referred to some particular artistic style, but I was confused and later amused by the second definition. The background I read for our word said that French artists created the rococo style our of rebellion against the baroque style. Our word came from the French word rocaille (use of pebbles and shells in ornamental work; pebble-work). As rococo fell out of style, the second definition arose, and that is what I found amusing: the second definition close enough to one meaning of “baroque” (extravagantly ornate, florid, and convoluted in character or style) that I would consider them synonyms. Pretty amusing for a word that started off in rebellion against the baroque style.
Pronounced: ruh-KOH-koh, adj
Notes: I’ve heard this word, but couldn’t definite is accurately
The word parastatal means, as a noun, “a company or agency owned wholly or partly by the government”. As an adjective, it refers to such an organization.
Our word came into English in the 1940s
There are probably several examples of our word: a government may own a gift shop or a utility company. I didn’t know that we had a word like our word to identify such things. Our word came from the Greek word para- (beside) combined with “state”, which came from the Latin word status (condition). You will note that our word is another one with only one vowel.
Pronounced: par-uh-STATE-l, noun/adj
Notes: I didn’t know this word existed
The word emprise is “an adventurous, daring, or chivalric enterprise”
Our word came into English in the second half of the 1200s
Our word came from the Anglo-French word emprendre (to undertake). Our word was used in The Canterbury Tales talking about – of course – a knight.
Pronounced: em-PRIZE, noun
Notes: An old word, but I didn’t know it
The word defervescence is “the abatement of a fever”
Our word came into English in the early 1700s
When I saw our word, I thought of effervescence, and thought it might be related, but while they share a root, the meanings are quite different. Our word came from Latin words de- (away from) and fevere (to boil; to be hot). As an interesting side note, this is another word that only contains one vowel.
Pronounced: dee-fur-VESS-uhns, noun
Notes: Not at all what I thought
The word farceur means
Our word came into English in the late 1700s
Like me, you probably thought that our word had something to do with “farce” (and we were right), but I was unaware of the first meaning. In fact, the first meaning was the original meaning – our word came to us from Modern French, and to Modern French from the Middle French word farcer (to joke). The word farce originally meant “forcemeat”; that is, seasoned meat used for a stuffing. Both “farce” and our word ultimately go back to the Latin word farcire (to stuff); one can think that a farce is silly humor “stuffed” with a contrived plot.
Pronounced: far-SUHR, noun
Notes: You may be able to guess one of the definitions
The phrase ex post means, as an adjective, “based on past events; actual, rather then predicted”. As an adverb, it means “retrospectively”
Our phrase came into English in the 1930s
I don’t know if I new our phrase was a thing; I am used to the phrase “ex post facto” (literally, ‘after the fact’ – retroactively). Our phrase came from the two Lain words ex (from) and post (after).
Pronounced: ex-POST, adj/adv
Notes: I could not quite define this phrase correctly
The word gruntle means “to put in a good humor”
Our word came into English in the 1920s
You probably got the definition right if you thought of “disgruntle” (to make ill-humored). That word has been around since the late 1600s and never had an opposite until writers tried (supposedly humorously) to create an opposite for it. I knew that our word existed, but I didn’t realize how much time there was between the two words.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day