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.

quodlibetal

Pronounced: kwod-LIB-uh-tuhl, adj

Notes: My guess of the meaning was off, because I have run across another form of this word

Yesterday’s word

The word propitious means

  • favorably disposed; benevolent
  • being of good omen; auspicious
  • tending to favor; advantageous
First usage

Our word came into English in the early to middle 1400s

Background / Comments

I am familiar with the third definition, and is how I use the word. The second definition is close in meaning, but the first one I have not heard. Our word has synonyms of ‘favorable’ and ‘auspicious’; all of which have the general idea of “pointing toward a happy outcome”, but (as is common with synonyms) each has slightly different idea: favorable has the connotation that persons or circumstances are helpful; auspicious indicates that there is a good omen or sign before or at the start of some event; propitious indicates continuing good or helpful conditions. Our word comes from the Middle English word propicius from the Latin word propitius (favorably inclined).

propitious

Pronounced: pruh-PIH-shuhs, adj

Notes: I am familiar with one of the definitions

Yesterday’s word

The word adventious means

  • coming from outside: not inherent or native
  • happening by chance
  • appearing in an unusual or abnormal place
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

As you can see, nothing to do with the word “adventure”. Our word is a variant spelling of adventitious, which comes from the Latin word adventicius (coming from without), which comes from advenire (to arrive), which is made up of ad- (toward) and venire (to come). By the way, this is another word of recent entries that have all of the common vowels in order.

adventious

Pronounced: ad-VEN-shuhs, adj

Notes: I (incorrectly) see “adventure” when I look at this word

Yesterday’s word

The word caesura is “a pause or break in a melody or line of verse”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

Our word claims to be a break in a melody, but most of the amplification comments discuss the slight pauses we naturally do when speaking verse. I somewhat familiar with music arranged for choirs, but have not run across our word, even though some arrangements have deliberate pauses, which would seem to fit the definition above. Our word comes from the Latin word caesus (cut), which is the past participle of caedere (cut).

caesura

Pronounced: si-ZYOOR-uh, noun

Notes: I haven’t run across this word, and I’m a bit surprised

Yesterday’s word

The word intrapreneur means “an employee who works as an entrepreneur within an established company, having the freedom to take risks and act independently”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1970s

Background / Comments

Our word is a combination of intra- (within) and entrepreneur, which comes from the French word entreprendre (to undertake), which comes from the Latin word inter- (between) and prendere (to take). The best example I can think of is a man named Art Fry, who worked for 3M – another worker had developed a weak kind of adhesive. Art Fry, looking for a use for this adhesive, created Post-It notes.

intraprenuer

Pronounced: in-truh-pruh-NUHR (alt-1: in-truh-pruh-NOOR; alt-2: in-truh-pruh-NYOOR), noun

Notes: I know “entrepreneur”, but not this word

Yesterday’s word

The word rhadamanthine means “rigorously strict or just”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

Our word comes from Greek mythology: in the underworld (Hades), there were three judges: Minos, Aeacus, and Rhadamanthus. Minos had been the king of Crete; Aeacus had been king of Aegina; and Rhadamanthus had been king of the Cyclades Islands. Rhadamanthus was known for being inflexible in his judgment, and thus our word came into being from his name. Because our word came from someone’s name, it is often seen capitalized.