esemplastic

Pronounced: eh-sem-PLAS-tik, adj

Notes: I thought this was a specialized type of plastic

Yesterday’s word

The word swidden is “an area of land cleared for farming by slashing and burning the vegetation”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

As noted, people with knowledge of farming may know our word. I’ve heard of the practice, but our word is new to me. It came from a Northen England dialect swithen (to burn), which came from the Old Norse word svithna (to be singed).

swidden

Pronounced: SWID-n, noun

Notes: You might need special knowledge to get this word

Yesterday’s word

The word oneiric means “of or relating to dreams; dreamy”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

When I saw this word, I thought it might be related to wine (thinking of oenophile, I guess). It came from the Greek word óneiros (dream) with -ic added to make it on adjective. Interestingly enough, in the early 1600s, the following related words referring to dream interpreters or interpretation were in use: “oneirocriticism”, “oneirocritical”, and “oneirocritic”. About that time, there was an interest by English scholars in a book called Oneirocritica, which is about dream interpretation by a Greek soothsayer named Artemidorus Daldianus, which may be the origin of these words.

oneiric

Pronounced: oh-NIGH-rick, adj

Notes: Not at all what I thought it meant

Yesterday’s word

The word turbid means

  • unclear; opaque
  • dark or dense (as smog or clouds)
  • confused or muddled
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

I think I was confused (turbid) because of the somewhat similar “turgid”, which has a different meaning. Our word came from the Latin word turba (turmoil; crowd).

turbid

Pronounced: TURR-bid, adj

Notes: I’m pretty sure I’ve read this word, but I wasn’t sure of the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word ketzenjammer means

  • hangover
  • distress
  • a discordant clamor
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Our word was originally used to describe hangovers or other distressing inner states. Over time, the idea of distress caused by outer commotion was added. Our word is made up of two German words Katze (cat) and Jammer (distress), so it pretty accurately described any state in which you can related to a cat wailing. There was a comic strip called Katzenjammer Kids that was the longest running comic strip ever (it ran from 1897 to 2006).

katzenjammer

Pronounced: KAT-suhn-jah-muhr, noun

Notes: A longish word, but I don’t know it

Yesterday’s word

The word tenebrous means “dark, gloomy, or obscure”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1400s

Background / Comments

It’s a nice word to use as a substitute. Our word came from the Old French tenebreus, which came from the Latin word tenebrosus (dark), which came from tenebrae (darkness).

tenebrous

Pronounced: TEN-uh-bruss, adj

Notes: A handy word, but not one I knew

Yesterday’s word

The word demiurge is “one that is an autonomous creative force or decisive power”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

In the Platonic school of philosophy, the Demiurge is a deity who fashions the physical world in the light of external ideas. In the Timaeus, Plato credits the Demiurge with taking preexisting materials of chaos and arranging them in accorance with the models of eternal forms. Today, our word refers to the individual or group chiefly responsible for a creative idea. Our word came from Late Latin, and into there from the Greek word dēmiourgos (artisan; one with special skill), which is made up of demi- (from dēmos [people]) and ergon (worker).

demiurge

Pronounced: DEH-me-urge, noun

Notes: Not what I thought

Yesterday’s phrase

The phrase Jerusalem syndrome is “a phenomenon in which a visitor to a holy place suffers from religious psychosis, such as believing himself or herself to be a messiah”.

First usage

Surprisingly, our phrase came into English in the 1980s

Background / Comments

The phenomenon described in the definition was first described by the psychiatrist Heinz Herman in the Israel city Jerusalem.

Jerusalem syndrome

Pronounced: jih-ROOS-uh-luhm SIN-drome, noun

Notes: I have never heard this phrase

Yesterday’s phrase

The phrase vade mecum means

  • a book for ready reference; manual
  • something regularly carried about by a person
First usage

Our phrase came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

Our phrase came from the Latin phrase vade mecum (go with me). It has long been used to refer to manuals or guidebooks that could be carried about. It is also used to refer to things that are carried by a person – money, medication, word of wisdom. The most common usage today refers to a work that serves as a one-stop reference or guide to a particular subject. I ran across this word in one of the Lord Peter Wimsey novels by Dorothy Sayers (I’m not sure which one).

vade mecum

Pronounced: vay-dee-ME-kuhm, noun

Notes: I’ve come across this word in reading and didn’t pronounce it correctly; in addition, I wasn’t sure of the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word spaniel, of course, refers to the dog, but it also means “a submissive or fawning person”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1300s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Old French word espaignol/espaigneul (Spanish dog), which came from Hispaniolus (Spanish), which came from Hispania (Spain).

spaniel

Pronounced: SPAN-yull, noun

Notes: This word has another meaning besides the dog breed – do you know it?

Yesterday’s word

The word antimacassar is “a piece of covering placed over the back or arms of a seat to protect from hair oil, dirt, etc”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

As I noted, I recognized this word; I thought of the Mrs Pollifax books by Dorothy Gilman, and so I checked. I was correct; it is used early in the first book (The Unexpected Mrs Pollifax), but (to my shame), I didn’t look up the word. From the context, it is clear that is a some crocheted thing, but I didn’t know exactly what… now I do. Our word came from anti- (against) and Macassar oil (a hair oil, supposedly made from ingredients from Macassar). The city is now spelled Makassar; it is a city in Indonesia.