Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounced: RAH-fish, adj
Notes: I think I’ve run across this word in reading
The word codex is “a manuscript volume (as opposed to a scroll), especially of an anicent text”
Our word came into English in the late 1500s
As noted, I get our word confused with another word – coda (a closing passage at the end of a musical composition). Our word came from the Latin word codex (tree trunk; wood block; book).
Pronounced: KOH-decks, noun
Notes: I keep getting this word and another one confused
The word jawboning is “the use of public appeals to influence the actions especially of business and labor leaders” – such an appeal is often made by a political leader such as a president.
Our word came into English in the 1960s
One of my thoughts upon seeing our word was that it meant something like “idle chatter”. The other was caused by thinking about Samson of Biblical fame, who killed a lot of men with a jawbone, so if our word didn’t mean “chatter”, I thought it may have something to do with a figurative slaughter — perhaps “talking an idea to death”… so much for my guesses. Back in the late 1800s, the word “jawbone” meant “credit”… possibly because one had to talk people into lending money on credit. By the mid-1960s, as a verb, “jawbone” meant “to talk about to gain some end”, and our word was born a few years later.
Pronounced: JAW-boh-ning
Notes: I had two different thoughts about the meaning; neither were correct
The word bibligony is “the art of producing or publishing books”
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
An alternative word to our word is “bibliogenesis” (of which I would have been able to guess the meaning). Our word came from the Greek words biblio- (book) and -gony (origin).
Pronounced: bib-lee-OG-uh-nee, noun
Notes: I saw “biblio-” at the start of the word and thought that I would know it, but I didn’t
The word pleonasm is “the use of more words than those necessary to denote mere sense; redundancy”
Our word came into English in the late 1500s.
A great word! We’ve probably all run across redundant words, and this is a nice word (even if it is a bit fancy) to describe such writing. It came from the Late Latin word pleonasmus, which came from the Greek verb pleonazein (to be or have more than enough), which ultimately came from the Greek word pleōn (more). I was guilty of a pleonasm in college: while writing a paper, I had shorted some writing, but left myself with the phrase While this fact is true…, which the teacher caught, circled in red, and noted “facts are always true”. Generally, a pleonasm is considered poor style, but there are times when it can be used for emphasis — for example, the phrase I saw it with my own eyes!, while strictly speaking, is a pleonasm (who else’s eyes would you see it with?), it has a nice rhythm and emphasis.
Pronounced: PLEE-uh-nah-zuhm, noun
Notes: A great word to know and use – it was unknown to me
The word hauteur means “haughtiness”
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
Our word kind of looks like “haughty” (if you take a quick glance). It came from the French word hauteur (haughtiness; height), which came from the Latin word altus (high).
Pronounced: hoe-TURR, noun
Notes: You may know, or be able to guess, the meaning
The word inanition is
Our word came into English in the second half of 1300s
Our word describes a state of suffering due to emptiness — either literally due to lack of nourishment or metaphorical due to no interest or energy. Our word was originally in-anisioun, and came from the Latin verb inanire (to make empty), which came from the Latin noun inanis (empty). A much more well-known word also came from this Latin noun – inane (and in case you don’t know the definition, it is something lacking substance or significance).
Pronounced: ih-nuh-NIH-shun, noun
Notes: I haven’t run across this word, and I’m a bit surprised that I haven’t
The word astringent, as a noun, is “a substance that constricts body tissues”. As an adjective, it means
Our word came into English in the mid-1500s
I was thinking that our word referred to sarcastic comments, and perhaps that is close to the middle definition for the adjective. Our word came from the Latin word astringere (to bind fast), which is made up from ad- (toward) and stringere (to bind).
Pronounced: uh-STRIN-juhnt, adj/noun
Notes: This doesn’t mean what I thought it did
The word comix refers to comic books or comic strips (but see comments below).
Our word came into English in the 1960s
Some people make a distinction between our word and “comics” by saying that our word refers to graphic novels intended for a mature audience – not necessarily prurient material; it could also be luridly political. I’m not really into comic books, so I’ve never run across our word. It is just comics with “cs” changed to “x” — much like “chicken pox” was once “chicken pocks”.
Pronounced: KAH-mix, noun
Notes: Perhaps not what you might think
The word junto is “a small (usually secret) group of people united for a common purpose”
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
Our word came from the Spanish/Portuguese word junta (committee; association), which came from the Latin word jungere (to join). I was familiar with ‘junta’ — especially the phrase “military junta”; I was not aware that there was an Anglicized equivalent.
Pronounced: JUHN-too, noun
Notes: I didn’t know this word in English
The word arriviste means “one that is a new and uncertain arrival (in social position or artistic endeavor)”
Our word came into English in
I assume that we can all remember joining a new group or starting at a new school; in that case, we are the arriviste. I’m pretty sure that we can also remember a new student or member of a group and being uncertain of their standing. Such is the idea of our word, although it can have a negative connotation, which would indicate that the newcomer is trying too hard to fit in. A synonym for our word is “parvenu”. Our word was borrowed from French in the 1900s (1900-1910).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day