balletomane

Pronounced: bah-LEH-tuh-mane, noun

Notes: Not what I thought after seeing the pronunciation

Yesterday’s word

The word enervate means, as a verb, “to deprive of strength or vitality”. As an adjective, it means “deprived of strength; weakened”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1600s

Background / Comments

For a long time, I thought our word meant something like “to get up the nerve (to)”. Our word came from the Latin word enervare (to weaken), which is made of ex- (out) and nervus (sinew).

enervate

Pronounced: EN-uhr-vate, verb; ih-NURR-vit, adj

Notes: One of those words in which the two parts of speech are pronounced differently

Yesterday’s word

The word meliorism is “the belief that the world tends to improve and that humans can aid its betterment”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

British novelist George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) claimed to have created both our word and the word ‘meliorist’; however, the latter version had been around for decades. Nevertheless, she does get credit for the first documented use of our word. The word came from the Latin word melior (better). The same Latin word is behind the words ‘melioriate’ and ‘ameliorate’, both of which means “to make better”. As far as the belief goes, it is a nice, comforting belief; however, the Bible teaching that sin has brought a curse on both man and the earth, and that both are degrading over time would seem to fit better. Despite that, I do think that humans can choose to make the world better, so I agree with the last bit of our word’s definition.

meliorism

Pronounced: MEEL-yuh-rih-zuhm, noun

Notes: An interesting word, but I didn’t know it

Yesterday’s word

The word oppugn means “to call in question; to contradict; to dispute”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1400s

Background / Comments

I had a kind of sense of the meaning, so my idea of “run down (as of someone’s character)” was pretty close. Our word came from the Latin word oppugnare (to fight or oppose), which came from ob- (against) and pugnare (to fight), which came from pugnus (fist).

oppugn

Pronounced: uh-PYOON, verb

Notes: I was pretty close to the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word sockdolager is

  • something that settles a matter; a decisive blow or answer
  • something outstanding or exceptional
First usage

Our word came into English in the early to mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Our word is an Americanism; the theory is that it comes from the word sock (to punch) and a corruption of the word doxology – a stanza sung at the end of church services – and that the word thus meant “a blow that ends something”; much like we would use the term “knockout punch”. The reason I know the word is that a different form of it (sockdolagizing) was coined by a man named Tom Taylor for a play he had written called Our American Cousin. You may recognize the play: it is what Abraham Lincoln was watching at Ford’s Theater when he was shot. His assassin, John Wilkes Booth, knew the play: one of the lines (“Don’t know the manners of good society, eh? Well, guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal — you sockdolagizing old man-trap.”) received the biggest laugh of the play and John Wilkes Booth planned his attack to coincide with the line. Thus, it is possible that this word was one of the last words heard by our 16th President.

sockdolager

Pronounced: sock-DAH-lih-juhr, noun

Notes: This is a word I know of, but I didn’t know the definition – do you know it?

Yesterday’s word

The word precipitous means

  • resembling a precipice (a cliff with a nearly vertical overhanging face)
  • extremely steep
  • abrupt, rapid, or hasty (applied to a worsening situation)
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

I am familiar with the third definition (as in the phrase ‘let’s not take any precipitous actions’), but when I saw the first two definitions, they are logical, giving the related word precipitous. Our word came from the obsolete French word precipiteux, which came from the Latin word praécipitare (to cast down headlong), which is made up of prae- (before) and caput (head).

precipitous

Pronounced: prih-SIP-ih-tuss, adj

Notes: I know one of definitions

Yesterday’s word

The word gravamen is “the material or significant part of a grievance or complaint”

First usage

Our word came into English in the very late 1500s (maybe very early 1600s).

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Latin verb gravare (to burden), which came from the adjective gravis (heavy). I don’t think I’ve run across our word; I usually use the phrase “the main complaint” instead of our word.

gravamen

Pronounced: gruh-VAY-muhn, noun

Notes: A new word to me

Yesterday’s word

The word fructuous means “productive; fruitful; fertile”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1300s

Background / Comments

I think our word confuses me because it looks like “fructose”. It came from the Latin word fructus (fruit), which itself came from frui (to enjoy).

fructuous

Pronounced: FRUHK-choo-us (alt: FROOK-choo-us), adj

Notes: It’s been multiple years since I ran across this word, but I remembered it

Yesterday’s word

The word epigram is

  • a terse, sage, or witty and often paradoxical saying
  • expression in the manner of such a saying
First usage

Our word has a couple of entrances into English; one in the 1400s, and a second in the late 1700s (see below)

Background / Comments

As I said yesterday, this was a borderline case; I kind of knew the meaning (I was a little off), but after reading the history of the word, I decided to include it. When our word first came into English, it referred to a poem and dealt concisely, pointedly, and satirically with a single idea or event. But by the second date above, our word came to be used for terse, witty sayings and not poetry. It’s not clear if the word was in usage throughout the 300-plus years, and the meaning just changed, or if the word was re-introduced. In any event, it is like having a double entrance into English. Our word came from the ancient Roman word epigramma, which came from the Greek word epigraphein (to write on), which is composed of epi- (upon) and graphein (to write). Both the Greeks and the Romans used the word to refer to short, witty, and (usually) satirical verse. There was a Roman poet named Martial who was a master of epigrams and published eleven books of epigrams between 86 and 98 AD.

epigram

Pronounced: EH-puh-gram, noun

Notes: This was a borderline case for me (more tomorrow)

Yesterday’s word

The word prolegomenon is “a critical, introductory discussion, especially an introduction to a text”.

First usage

Our word came into English around 1600

Background / Comments

I don’t know if I have ever read a prolegomenon. It seems a bit specialized to drop into everyday speech. Anyway, our word came from the Greek word prolegómenon, which came from prolegein (to say beforehand), which is made up of pro- (before) and legein (to say).

prolegomenon

Pronounced: proh-lih-GOM-uh-non (alt: proh-lih-GOM-uh-nuhn), noun

Notes: Quite a mouthful of a word!

Yesterday’s word

The word deke means “to fake an opponent out of position (as in ice hockey)”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1950s

Background / Comments

Our word is a shortened form of decoy. It was used as a noun by Ernest Hemingway (in Across the River and into the Trees) to refer to hunting decoys. It then began to show up in Canadian writings with the meaning given above, and has spread in usage to other sports. I don’t recall hearing it used in college football, which is about the only sport I watch.