probity

Pronounced: PRO-bih-tee, noun

Notes: I wasn’t sure about this using this word, but I decided to do so

Yesterday’s word

The word multifarious means “having or occurring in great variety; diverse”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word is not related at all to “nefarious”, as I thought. Our word came from the Latin word multifariam (in many places; on many sides). Interestingly, in the century before our word came into being, a similar word was in use: “multifary” (in many ways). That word did not last long; it was gone long before our word appeared.

multifarious

Pronounced: mull-tuh-FERR-ee-us, adj

Notes: This word reminds me of “nefarious”, but the meaning isn’t the same

Yesterday’s word

The word anodyne, as an adjective, means

  • relieving pain; soothing
  • bland or insipid: not likely to provoke or offend

As a noun, it means

  • something that soothes or comforts
  • a medicine that relieves pain
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

As I said, I have a recollection that I have read this word somewhere — I’m just not sure where. Our word came from the Latin word anodynos, which came from the Greek word anodynos, which is made up of a- (not) and odyne (pain).

anodyne

Pronounced: AN-uh-dine, adj/noun

Notes: I did not know the definition, but I think I have run across it in some reading

Yesterday’s word

The word calumet is “a highly ornamented ceremonial pipe of the American Indians”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1600s

Background / Comments

The more well-known term for our word is “peace pipe”. Our word came from the American French word calumet, who began using it in the 1600s to refer to the highly ornamented clay pipes of the American Indians. The French word came from the Latin word calamus (reed; pen), which came from the Greek word kalamos (reed; pen).

calumet

Pronounced: KAL-yuh-met, noun

Notes: There is a well-known alternative to this word

Yesterday’s word

The word brabble means “to argue over petty matters”

First usage

Our word came into English in the very early 1500s

Background / Comments

This word would be a good one to use; it comes from the Middle Dutch word brabbelen (to quarrel or jabber).

brabble

Pronounced: BRAB-uhl, verb

Notes: I don’t know this word either

Yesterday’s word

The word fauve means

  • of or relating to painters practicing Fauvism
  • vivid in color
First usage

Our word came into English in the 1910s

Background / Comments

Our word is related to painting and painters, about which I have a pretty limited knowledge. There is a movement called “Fauvism”, which started in the early 1900s. The group used vivid coloring, and our word came to mean anything vivid in color. Our word comes from the French word fauve (wild beast).

fauve

Pronounced: fove, adj

Notes: This word is related to an area in which I do not have much expertise

Yesterday’s word

The word sooterkin means

  • a sweetheart or mistress
  • a kind of false birth or an afterbirth formerly believed to be gotten by Dutch women by warming themselves on stoves
  • Something imperfect or unsuccessful
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from the Dutch word zoet (sweet). From the “false birth” of the second definition, the third definition arose with the idea of something does doesn’t quite work.

sooterkin

Pronounced: SOO-tuhr-kin, noun

Notes: I’ve not heard this word

Yesterday’s word

The word univocal means

  • having one meaning only
  • unambiguous
First usage

Our word came into English in the very late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word and “equivocal” are related: they are antonyms, both coming into English at the same time. We tend to use “unequivocal” today instead of univocal, but perhaps I will start to use univocal. Our word comes from the Latin word univocus (one voice), which is composed of uni- (one) and vox (voice). There is an obsolete meaning that was close to the origin: “speaking in one voice; unanimous”.

univocal

Pronounced: you-NIH-vuh-kuhl, adj

Notes: Our word reminds me of “equivocal”, but is this a coincidence?

Yesterday’s word

The word outro is “the concluding part of a piece of music, program, etc”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1960s

Background / Comments

Musical pieces have an introduction (also called an “intro”). Someone apparently thought that the ending out to also have a word, so “outro” was coined for the ending.

outro

Pronounced: OW-troh, noun

Notes: I’ve never run across this word

Yesterday’s word

The word vespertine means

  • of, relating to, or occurring in the evening
  • active, flowering, or flourishing in the evening
First usage

Our word came into English in the very late 1400s or very early 1500s

Background / Comments

After reading the definition (especially the first one), I realized that I should have known the word, as I am acquainted with the word vespers from reading Dorothy Sayers. In at least one story (possibly more), there is talk of attending vespers, which I looked up and learned that it meant an evening service. Our word comes from the Latin word vespertīnus, which comes from vesper (evening star; evening), which came from the Greek word hesperos (evening). Some related words: Today we know the evening star as “Venus”, but it was one known as “Vesper”. The word “vespertilian” means bat-like.

vespertine

Pronounced: VESS-per-tine, adj

Notes: I should have known this word, but I just saw in it a relative of “serpentine”

Yesterday’s word

The word quodlibetal means “relating to a question or topic for debate or discussion”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

As I noted yesterday, I was thrown off the correct track because I have run across the word quodlibet in a difference context. A musical humorist named Peter Schickele created a fictional youngest son of J S Bach called “P D Q Bach” and writes various humorous music attributed to this person. If you enjoy music-based humor, you should look it up. One of his compositions is called “The Quodlibet” — until our word came up, I thought that this was just a made-up Latin-sounding word. I have looked it up, and the word has an actual musical meaning: a musical composition that combines several different melodies (usually popular tunes) in counterpoint and often in a light-hearted, humorous manner”. The first Peter Schickele work I heard is called “The Unbegun Symphony”, which Peter Schickele said he “wrote”. In the introduction, he explained that the symphony only has a 3rd and 4th movement because he was born too late to write the 1st and 2nd movements. He also said that his old friends called it “The Pathetic Symphony”, but he acquired a new set of friends and it is now called “The Unbegun Symphony”. Getting back to our word, it comes from the Latin word quodlibetum (whatever pleases), from quod (what) and libet (it pleases). It had an earlier meaning of a mock exercise in discussion or debate. As a final note, our word is one of those that contain all the common vowels, but not in order.