natant

Pronounced: NAY-t(uh)nt, adj

Notes: Another word that I guessed incorrectly (very much so!)

Yesterday’s word

The word pathography is “a biography that focuses on the negative”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

I tried to be smart when trying to figure out what our word meant: I know that “pathology” is the study of diseases, so I figured that our word was a book about diseases. I was right about the origins of our word; it came from the Greek word patho- (suffering; disease) combined with -graphy (writing). It turns out that originally, the word referred to a description of a disease. Over time it changed to mean the study of an individual or a community as relating to the influence of a disease. With more time and change, it has (mostly) assumed our present meaning.

pathography

Pronounced: puh-THOG-ruh-fee, noun

Notes: Not what I thought it was

Yesterday’s word

The word usufruct is

  • the legal right of using and enjoying the fruits or profits of something belonging to another
  • the right to use or enjoy something
First usage

Our word came into English in the early to mid-1600s

Background / Comments

I wrote yesterday that we have “kind of” seen this word before because the word of the day for 18 Oct 2023 was fructuous (fruitful); in the comments, I happened to mention our word and its meaning. As these writings continue, it will become harder to remember if I have used a word before — especially since I get words from multiple sources. More than once, I caught one source repeating a word that I used from a different source. However, I cannot be sure that I have caught all such occurrences, or that I will catch them in the future. (Thus, one of these days, I’ll add a disclaimer to the “About” page). I ran across our word in the Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe story The Rubber Band. I confess that this is another case in which I gleaned an idea of the meaning from the context and did not actually look up the word. Our word came originally from the Latin phrase usus et fructus (use and enjoyment), which was condensed to ususfructus, and from thence to English.

usufruct

Pronounced: YOU-zuh-frukt, noun

Notes: We’ve seen this before (kind of)

Yesterday’s word

The word sinecure is “a position in which one is paid for little or no work”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

When I was in high school (a long time ago), I subscribed to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (EQMM). Like most collections, there were stories I enjoyed very much, and others I didn’t; I always read every story, but there are some I never went back to. It is still running today, but is now known as Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. It is the longest-running mystery fiction magazine in existence. I bring this up because it was in a story in EQMM that I first ran across our word. As is common with some words, I had an idea of the meaning from the context, but I didn’t bother to look it up. Knowing the correct definition, there are many jobs, both in government areas and in businesses that could be described with our word. It came from the Latin phrase beneficium sine cura – a church position that did not involve caring for the souls of the parishoners: the phrase uses the words sine (without) and cura (care).

sinecure

Pronounced: SIGH-ni-kyoor (alt: SIN-ih-kyoor), noun

Notes: I’ve read this word, and got a general idea from context. Do you know it?

Yesterday’s word

The word effulgence means “radiant splendor; brilliance”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1600s

Background / Comments

When I first glanced at our word, I swapped the “u” and the “l” and thought it was “efflugence”, which I thought was related to “effluence” (an outflow; I’ve heard it used in a euphemistic sense for the outflow of toilets). But all that was error; Our word came from the Latin word fulgēre (to shine). It does have a related word – “refulgence” – which has a similar meaning, but implies reflection.

effulgence

Pronounced: ih-FULL-gen(t)s, noun

Notes: I transposed a couple of letters and had the totally wrong meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word laissez-aller means “unrestrained freedom”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

I believe that unrestrained freedom is a very bad thing; we need some kind of check on our bad (evil) impulses. With no restraints at all, we would merely became self-centered and self-indulgent. Our word came from the French word laisser-aller (to allow to go).

laissez-aller

Pronounced: less-ay-ah-LAY, noun

Notes: Also spelled laisser-aller; a new word to me

Yesterday’s word

The word halcyon means

  • of or relating to the kingfisher
  • calm; peaceful
  • happy; golden
  • prosperous; affluent
First usage

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

Background / Comment

I knew the third definition above, but certainly not the first one. However, the background of the word makes sense: In Greek mythology, Alkyone, a daughter of the god of the winds, was very upset when her husband was killed in a shipwreck. So was so distraught that she threw herself into the sea and was changed into a kingfisher. The Greeks called these birds alkyon (or halkyon). Legends say that the birds built floating nests on the sea, where they were able to charm the wind god so that unusual calm would last until the eggs hatched. Thus, the word referred to the kingfisher, and then to the calm, and then spread to the other meanings.

halcyon

Pronounced: HAL-see-uhn, adj

Notes: There are multiple definitions; I knew one of them

Yesterday’s phrase

The phrase de rigueur means “required by fashion, custom, or etiquette”

First usage

Our phrase came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

I know I have read this phrase; I think it was in one of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories by Dorothy Sayers, but I could not begin to guess at which novel. I had a very general sense of the phrase from the context, but I don’t know that I could define it properly. Our phrase (as you might guess) came from the French phrase de rigueur (“of strictness”), which came from the Latin word rigor.

de rigueur

Pronounced: duh-ree-GURR, adj

Notes: The phrase is familiar to me, but I didn’t know the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word chin-wag means “conversation; chat”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word is an informal British word (perhaps slang): I don’t believe I’ve heard or read it in America. I did read it in the Dorothy Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey books, which were written between the first and second World War. I thought that the word was obsolete, but then – rather to my surprise – I was watching a British show in which the presenter used our word. Thus, it is apparently still in use (although I’ve not heard it used anytime I was staying in Yorkshire). Similar words and phrases are “chinfest” (chat), “chin music” (idle talk; chatter), and “chin” (as either a verb [to chat] or a noun [a chat]).

chin-wag

Pronounced: (as it looks), noun

Notes: This may be as easy one

Yesterday’s word

The word politesse means “formal politeness or courtesy”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1600s

Background / Comments

Like me, you may not be familiar with our word, but you could probably guess the meaning. It came from the Old French word politesse (cleanness; polished state), which came from the Italian word politezza (polish; smoothness), which came from the Latin word polire (to polish).

politesse

Pronounced: pol-ih-TESS (alt: poe-lee-TESS), noun

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

Yesterday’s word

The word esemplastic means “shaping or having the power to shape disparate things into a unified whole”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1800s

Background / Comments

I was very surprised to see the early date of this word, as I was under the impression that plastic was invented after World War II (incidentally, I was wrong). However, the word plastic predates (by a long way) the invention of plastic. Our word was coined by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It was a combination of the Greek phrase es hen (into one) with plastic (capable of being molded), which came from the Latin word plasticus (that which may be molded) which came from the Greek word plastikós.