Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounced: dih-PLOH-pee-uh, noun
Notes: This is a fancy word for something you’ve probably heard of
The word parthenogenesis is “reproduction without fertilization”
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
Our word came from two Greek words: partheno- (virgin; without fertilization) and -genesis (beginning; creation).
Pronounced: par-thuh-no-JEN-uh-sis, noun
Notes: You may know this word
The word salient means
Our word came into English in the mid-1500s
I was aware of the third definition, but not the other two; I’m used to hearing our word in the phrase “the salient points of the article”. When our word first came into English, is was used as a heraldic term meaning “rampant but leaning forward as if leaping”. As time passed, it acquired the first meaning above. Today, the third definition prevails; in addition to the figurative meaning to which I’ve already alluded, it can also be something physically prominent, such as salient ears or a salient nose. Our word came from the Latin verb salire (to leap).
Pronounced: SAY-lyent, adj
Notes: I thought I knew this definition
The word preternatural means “beyond what is natural or normal”
Our word came into English in the late 1500s
Our word came from the Latin words praeter- (beyond; past) and naturam (nature), so it still has the literal meaning of its two components. When I saw the definition, I thought it sounded a lot like “supernatural” and wondered what the difference between the two words is. They do share similarities, but our word focuses on the “beyond” part of the definition. The word “supernatural” can be used in the same way (beyond nature), but the “super-” prefix means “above” and can refer therefore to God or some deity or to things outside nature like ghosts or goblins. It can refer to the occult as well. It is interesting to me that our word, being less well known, has stuck to its definition, while “supernatural” has spread into multiple meanings.
Pronounced: pree-tuhr-NATCH-uh-ruhl (alt: prih-tuhr-NATCH-uh-ruhl), adj
Notes: An interesting word (see the discussion tomorrow)
The word extirpate means
Our word came into English in the mid-1500s
When our word first came into English, it meant “to clear of stumps” or “to pull something up by the root”. A plant (or weed) thus pulled is wiped out, and thus the first meaning above came into existence. Our word came from the Latin prefix ex- (out) and the Latin noun stirps (trunk; root).
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.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day