redbrick

Pronounced: RED-brick (as is appears), adj

Notes: This word has two definition; one is more obvious than the other

Yesterday’s word

The word recto is “the front of a leaf; the side that is to be read first”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1700s

Background / Comments

In an English book, the recto is the right-hand page; always with an odd number. Note that in languages written from right to left (as Hebrew), the recto is the left-hand page (but still an odd-numbered page). Our word came from the Latin phrase recto folio (right-hand leaf), which came from rectus (right).

recto

Pronounced: REK-toe, noun

Notes: Not what I thought, and very common

Yesterday’s word

The word desideratum is “something desired as essential”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

Our word is a close cousin of “desire”. Our word came from the Latin word desiderare (to long for), which was created be prepending de- to sider-, related to sidus (star; heavenly body).

desideratum

Pronounced: dih-sih-duh-RAH-tuhm, noun

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

Yesterday’s word

The word frangible means “readily broken; breakable”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1400s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Latin word frangere (to break). This word tends to refer to something that is easy to break. It is interesting that by removing letters (no rearranging), you can spell both “fragile” and “frail”.

frangible

Pronounced: FRAN-juh-bull, adj

Notes: I didn’t know this word existed

Yesterday’s word

The word manticore is “a legendary animal with the head of a man, the body of a lion, and the tail of a dragon or scorpion”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early to mid-1300s

Background / Comments

I think I’ve played some computer game that had a manticore as a creature to be dispatched, but I’m not sure. Our word came into Middle English from the Latin word mantichōrās, which came from a mis-reading of the Greek word martichṓras (note that the ‘r’ was changed to an ‘n’), which came from the Persian word mardom-khar (man-eating), which is made from martiya (man) and xvar (devour). It is possible that the word originally referred to some kind of man-eating tiger.

manticore

Pronounced: MAN-tih-core, noun

Notes: I knew our word, but didn’t know the proper definition

Yesterday’s word

The word quiescent means “still; inactive; not showing symptoms”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1600s

Background / Comments

I was aware of the ‘still’ and ‘inactive’ definitions of our word; it makes me think of “quiet” (note that that’s what you if you remove the letters ‘scen’). Anyway our word came from the Latin word quiescere (to rest), which came from quies (quiet).

quiescent

Pronounced: qwee-ES-uht (alt: kwhy-ES-uhnt), adj

Notes: I knew a couple of the definitions, but not one

Yesterday’s word

The word gormandize means “to eat greedily, gluttonously, or ravenously”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

Our word came from a modification of gourmand, which came from French as a synonym of glutton. By the mid-1700s, gourmand referred to someone who is heartily interested in good food and drink”. A related word with an entirely positive meaning – gourmet – came into English in the early 1800s. Like these words, our word has had the meaning softened over time, but not as much: these days it can imply that a big eater has a discriminating palate as well as a one with a generous appetite.

gormandize

Pronounced: GORE-muhn-dize, verb

Notes: This word is new to me

Yesterday’s word

The word saturnine means “sluggish” or “gloomy” or “cold”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1400s

Background / Comments

I was a bit off with our word – I thought it meant “dark” or “Satan-like”. Our word came from the Latin word Saturninus (of Saturn). People who believe in astrology believe that those born under the planet Saturn’s influence had its characteristics. Saturn was (in ancient times) the farthest known planet, and believed to be the coldest and slowest, and thus the meaning of our word.

saturnine

Pronounced: SAT-uhr-nine, adj

Notes: I’ve run across this word several times, but I didn’t have the correct definition

Yesterday’s word

The word gravid means

  • pregnant
  • distended with or full of eggs
  • full of meaning
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Latin word gravis (heavy). It can refer to an actual pregnancy; it can also refer to the figurative meaning of “pregnant”; that is, “full; teeming” or “meaningful”. Therefore, a writer can be gravid with ideas; clouds may be gravid with rain, or a speaker may make a gravid pause.

gravid

Pronounced: GRAH-vuhd, adj

Notes: Not a word I’ve heard of

Yesterday’s word

The word festinate, as a verb, means “to hurry; to hasten”. As an adjective, it means “hurried; hasty”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1600s

Background / Comments

I thought our word was somehow related to “fester”, but it isn’t. It came from the Latin word festinare (to hasten).

festinate

Pronounced: FESS-tuh-nate, verb/adj (alt – for adj only: FESS-tuh-nit)

Notes: Not a word I recognized

Yesterday’s word

The word jactitation is “a tossing to and fro or jerking and twitching of the body”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

Originally, our word had a legal meaning – it meant “a false claim or assertion being publicly thrown about to the detriment of another person”. The word jumped to the medical profession, where is has the meaning above (it is also spelled “jactation”). Our word came from the Latin word jactare (to throw).