Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day
Words that I do not know
Pronounced: oh-NIGH-rick, adj
Notes: Not at all what I thought it meant
The word turbid means
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
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).
Pronounced: TURR-bid, adj
Notes: I’m pretty sure I’ve read this word, but I wasn’t sure of the meaning
The word ketzenjammer means
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
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).
Pronounced: KAT-suhn-jah-muhr, noun
Notes: A longish word, but I don’t know it
The word tenebrous means “dark, gloomy, or obscure”
Our word came into English in the early 1400s
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).
Pronounced: TEN-uh-bruss, adj
Notes: A handy word, but not one I knew
The word demiurge is “one that is an autonomous creative force or decisive power”
Our word came into English in the late 1500s
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).
Pronounced: DEH-me-urge, noun
Notes: Not what I thought
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”.
Surprisingly, our phrase came into English in the 1980s
The phenomenon described in the definition was first described by the psychiatrist Heinz Herman in the Israel city Jerusalem.
Pronounced: jih-ROOS-uh-luhm SIN-drome, noun
Notes: I have never heard this phrase
The phrase vade mecum means
Our phrase came into English in the mid-1600s
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).
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
The word spaniel, of course, refers to the dog, but it also means “a submissive or fawning person”
Our word came into English in the late 1300s
Our word came from the Old French word espaignol/espaigneul (Spanish dog), which came from Hispaniolus (Spanish), which came from Hispania (Spain).
Pronounced: SPAN-yull, noun
Notes: This word has another meaning besides the dog breed – do you know it?
The word antimacassar is “a piece of covering placed over the back or arms of a seat to protect from hair oil, dirt, etc”
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
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.
Pronounced: an-tih-mus-KASS-suhr, noun
Notes: I recognize our word, but not meaning (more tomorrow)
The word luciferin is “any of various organic substances that upon oxidation produce a virtually heatless light” (such as the light fireflies produce).
Our word came into English in the late 1800s
Many people know that Lucifer is a name for the devil; however, it is a Latin word meaning “light-bearing”. It means this because it is made up of luc- (light) and -fer (bearing; producing).
Pronounced: loo-SIH-fruhn (alt: loo-SIH-fuh-run), noun
Notes: This word has nothing to do with the devil
The phrase mala fide means “in bad faith”
Our word came into English in the mid-1500s
As I noted yesterday, I was aware of the phrase bona fides (in good faith), but I didn’t know that this phrase existed. It came from the Latin phrase mala fide, made of maus (bad) and fides (faith).
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