peculate

Pronounced: PECK-yuh-late, verb

Notes: I know a related word; do you know this one?

Yesterday’s word

The word potboiler is “a usually inferior work (as of art or literature) produced chiefly for profit

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

The reason I had a debate with myself over posting this word is that I know it; I know it from the Dorothy Sayers novel Gaudy Night with Lord Peter Wimsey (that story is the longest one and concludes the trilogy about his relationship with Harriet Vane – begun in Strong Poison and continued in Have His Carcass). Gaudy Night has a mystery, but also has a lot of introspection by Harriet Vane as well as thoughts on various topics. One such topic is the question of whether an excellent artist in hard times paint potboilers to get the money he needs to support himself and his family. Is such an action being untrue to himself or to his art? Some people find the topics and the introspection irksome; I quite enjoy it. Our word goes way back to a time when the fire on the hearth always needed to be running for cooking and/or warmth. Thus, they needed fuel to “keep the pot boiling” — when artists and writers wrote quick, cheap stuff designed to sell fast, but not containing much artistic value, critics called such works “potboilers”.

potboiler

Pronounced: POT-boy-ler, noun

Notes: I had a debate about posting this word (more tomorrow)

Yesterday’s word

The word ambit means “scope; range; limit; or boundary”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1300s

Background / Comments

I’ve never run across our word, but it is a nice, useful word. It comes from the Latin word ambitus (going around), which comes from ambire (to go around), which is composed of ambi- (both; around) and ire (to go).

ambit

Pronounced: AM-bit, noun

Notes: Interesting word

Yesterday’s word

The word vertiginous means

  • characterized by, suffering from, or causing vertigo or dizziness
  • inclined to frequent change
First usage

Our word came into English around 1600

Background / Comments

At first, the definitions look quite different, but if you think about frequent and rapid changes occurring about an individual, it could be dizzying. Our word comes from the Latin adjective vertiginosus, of which the noun form, vertigo (a turning or whirling action), which comes from vertere (to turn). You probably know the word vertigo, which came into English in the 1400s.

vertiginous

Pronounced: ver-TIH-juh-nuss, adj

Notes: There are two definitions that don’t appear to be related at all

Yesterday’s word

The word sternutate means “to sneeze”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1700s

Background / Comments

I hope I remember to use this once in a while to be different from “sneeze”. What a great word! It comes from the Latin word sternuere (to sneeze).

A Note

This post is number 1,000 in this sequence.

sternutate

Pronounced: stir-NEW-tate (alt: stir-NYOU-tate), verb

Notes: A great word to know and use

Yesterday’s phrase

The phrase qui vive means “alert; lookout”

First usage

Our phrase came into English in the 1700s (probably mid-1700s)

Background / Comments

I am not sure where I first read this word, but I have certain read the phrase “on the qui vive”; I also remember seeing it abbreviated as “on the q.v.”, so I assumed that shortcut matched the pronunciation. When I first ran across the phrase, I thought that “qv” was short for “quiver” and someone was so alert that he was quivering. Our phrase originated as a French sentinel’s challenge: Qui vive? (literally, “who lives?”, more properly translated as “Long live who?”) Thus, the expression “on the qui vive” means to be on lookout or alert, and thus our noun phrase came to our meaning above.

qui vive

Pronounced: key-VEEV, noun

Notes: I do know this word, but not the origin or the correct pronunciation

Yesterday’s word

The word ingurgitate means “to swallow greedily or in large amounts”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

I did not know that this word exists, but it is surely very similar to the verb “wolf” (as in “wolf one’s food”, except that our word applies to drink instead of food. It sounds like a fun word to drop into conversation (if it can be remembered). It comes from the Latin word gurgitare (to flood), which came from gurges (whirlpool).

ingurgitate

Pronounced: in-GUR-jih-tate, verb

Notes: Interesting word, but it’s new to me

Yesterday’s word

The word eisteddfod is “a (usually Welsh) competitive festival of the arts especially in poetry and singing”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early 1800s

Background / Comments

As the spelling (especially the double-‘d’) indicates, this is a Welsh word; my understanding is that the Welsh letter ‘dd’ is pronounced like the ‘th’ in “then”. Our word comes from the Welsh word esiteddfod (session). The eisteddfod goes back to Medieval times, but the practice had declined by the 1600s. It was in the 1800s that they came back. My reference material says that there is still a National Eidsteddfod of Wales held each year – there are awards for music, prose, drama, and art, but the main event is poetry.

eisteddfod

Pronounced: aye-STETH-vahd, noun

Notes: The spelling and punctuation give a clue to where the word comes from

Yesterday’s word

The word emollient, as an adjective, means “soothing or softening”. As a noun, it means “something that soothes or softens”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

I didn’t expect this meaning at all; I seem to recall reading or hearing some similar word related to nobility: I thought it meant something like ‘the advantages that comes with the position’. However, I don’t remember where I ran across it, so I cannot check what the actual word was — but clearly not our word, which comes from the Latin word emollire (to soften), which is composed of ex-, an intensifier prefix and mollire (to soften), which comes from mollis (soft).

emollient

Pronounced: ih-MOLL-yuhnt, adj/noun

Notes: This word doesn’t mean what I thought it meant

Yesterday’s word

The word lagniappe is “a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase; in a broad sense, something given or obtained gratuitously”.

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Some reference material notes that our word is mainly used in southern Louisiana and southeast Texas. Our word came to us from the word lagniappe, which was used by French-speaking citizens of Louisiana. However, they in turn took it from the Spanish words la ñapa (the addition; the bonus) which originated with the Qeuchua word yapa (that which is added).

lagniappe

Pronounced: LAN-yap, noun

Notes: I’ve read this word, but did not know the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word probity means “integrity and honest”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1400s

Background / Comments

I was uncertain of whether or not to use our word; I now know the meaning, but when I first ran across our word cold, I was not certain of the meaning. Thus, I decided to use it. Our word comes from the Latin word probus (upright; good).