inanition

Pronounced: ih-nuh-NIH-shun, noun

Notes: I haven’t run across this word, and I’m a bit surprised that I haven’t

Yesterday’s word

The word astringent, as a noun, is “a substance that constricts body tissues”. As an adjective, it means

  • contracting or constricting
  • caustic; pungent
  • stern; austere
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

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).

astringent

Pronounced: uh-STRIN-juhnt, adj/noun

Notes: This doesn’t mean what I thought it did

Yesterday’s word

The word comix refers to comic books or comic strips (but see comments below).

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1960s

Background / Comments

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”.

comix

Pronounced: KAH-mix, noun

Notes: Perhaps not what you might think

Yesterday’s word

The word junto is “a small (usually secret) group of people united for a common purpose”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

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.

junto

Pronounced: JUHN-too, noun

Notes: I didn’t know this word in English

Yesterday’s word

The word arriviste means “one that is a new and uncertain arrival (in social position or artistic endeavor)”

First usage

Our word came into English in

Background / Comments

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).

arriviste

Pronounced: a-rih-veest, noun

Notes: We all probably have been one or know someone who has been one

Yesterday’s word

The word scop is “a poet or minstrel”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 800s

Background / Comments

A very old word! I don’t think I’ve run across is anywhere before. It came from the Old English word scop (poet; minstrel). As noted yesterday, it looks like it should be pronounced “skop”, but the first pronunciation listed is “shop”.

scop

Pronounced: shop (alt: skop), noun

Notes: I would not have guessed the first pronunciation

Yesterday’s word

The word epistolary means

  • of, relating to, or suitable to a letter
  • contained in or carried on by letters
  • written in the form of a series of letters
First usage

Our word came into English in the 1600s

Background / Comments

If you think that our word looks related to “epistle”, you are right – it was formed from that word. I have run across the last meaning, but didn’t know our word could be used to describe it — the first chapter of the Lord Peter Wimsey novel Busman’s Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers is written in an epistolary format; it is a collection of letters from various people, describing what has gone on thus far (from various points of view).

epistolary

Pronounced: ih-PISS-tuh-ler-ee, adj

Notes: This word meant more than I thought it did

Yesterday’s word

The word ye, as a definite article, means “the”. As a pronoun, it means “you”

First usage

The definite article came into English before the 1100s; the pronoun came into English before the 1200s

Background / Comments

So much to say about such a short word! First, the definite article: our word is merely the archaic spelling of “the”. We normally see our word in before “old” (or “olde”), as in “Ye Olde Bookshoppe”. Even it was “The Old Bookshop”, most people would pronounced it “thee” (instead of “thuh”) because we’ve been instructed to say “thee” before a vowel sound in the following word, and “thuh” before a consonant sound in the following word: thus, “the (thuh) key” versus “the (thee) apple”. Surprisingly, this is not an actual rule in English, though it is often taught as a rule. I’m familiar with the pronoun “ye”, so I’ve been mispronouncing the definite article for a long time. And not for the pronoun: as you may know, in older English, there were separate words for the second person pronouns – “thou, thee, & thy” were singular, and “ye, you, & your” were plural. (These days, we just use “you” and hope the meaning is clear – or we add things, like “all of you” or “y’all” [some Southern speakers claim “y’all” is singular and “all y’all” is plural]). Did you know that when the Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible was being translated, “thee, thou, & thy” were already no longer in use? The translators deliberately used these words so that readers would be able to tell when a passage was addressing a single person or multiple people. There are multiple places where singular and plural forms are mixed, and it makes for better understanding to note them. One examples is John 3:7, where Jesus says Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus (thus, the “thee”), but the messages is that Nicodemus and everyone (“ye”) must be born again.

ye

Pronounced: thee (definite article), yee (pronoun)

Notes: I didn’t know about the different pronunciations; should be a good discussion tomorrow

Yesterday’s word

The word weald is

  • a heavily wooded area; forest
  • a wild or uncultivated (usually upland) region
First usage

Our word came into English before the mid-1100s

Background / Comments

When I first saw our word, I saw “weal”, which I knew from the expression “for weal or woe” (through good times and bad times) that “weal” meant “good times” — and I thought our word might be related. But then, after seeing the definition, it sounded vaguely familiar to me. Our word comes from the Middle English word weeld, which came from the Old English word weald (forest). The equivalent German word is “Wald” – thus, “Schwarzwald” is the German name for the Black Forest (“Schwarz” [black] plus “Wald” [forest]). Back to English, a related word to weald is wold, which is an upland area that has no trees; that is, it is a plan or a stretch of rolling land.

weald

Pronounced: WIELD, noun

Notes: I was thrown off by this word

Yesterday’s word

The word nu, as an interjection, means “well” or “so. As a noun, it refers to the 13th letter of the Greek alphabet.

First usage

The interjection came into English in the late 1800s; the noun has been around since the early to mid-1400s

Background / Comments

Our word is another case when I felt rather foolish after seeing the definition; I have studied a little Greek, and I had to learn the alphabet, so I should have known that meaning of the noun. However, I have run across the Yiddish phrase more recently, but I was a bit off on the meaning: I thought it meant something like “isn’t that right?”.

nu

Pronounced: NEW (alt: nyoo), int/noun

Notes: A short word I kind of knew, but not well

Yesterday’s word

The word causerie is

  • an informal conversation; chat
  • a short informal essay
First usage

Our word first appeared in English in the early 1800s

Background / Comments

I thought that our word should have three syllables (caw-suh-ree), so seeing the correct pronunciation was a surprise to me. Our word came from the French word causer (to chat), which came from the Latin word causa (cause; reason). The original meaning was an informal chat, but in the mid-1800s, a French literary critic published a column called Causeries du lundi (Monday chats). After that, the word came to also mean a brief, informal article.