Category Archives: word

Pronounced: ih-FUHL-juhnt (alt: ih-FOOL-juhnt), adj Notes: Another unknown word to me Yesterday’s word The word galumph means “to move clumsily or heavily” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word is another one coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass (as I have previously noted, the correctContinue reading “effulgent”

Pronounced: guh-LUMF, verb Notes: I kind of knew this word, but could not properly define it, so I add it here Yesterday’s word The word sternutation means “the act of sneezing” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word sternūtātiōn, related to sternūtātus,Continue reading “galumph”

Pronounced: stur-nyuh-TAY-shun, noun Notes: I think this is a word I keep learning and forgetting; I seem to remember running across it previously. Perhaps posting it here will help me remember it in future. Yesterday’s word The word clarigation is “a demand for restitution for some wrong, as a precursor to declaring war” First usageContinue reading “sternutation”

Pronounced: klar-ih-GAY-shun, noun Notes: Not a word I’ve run across Yesterday’s word The word comminate means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments I thought of ‘commune’ or ‘communicate’, but those are clearly not close to the meaning at all. Our word is a back formation (that meansContinue reading “clarigation”

Pronounced: KOM-uh-nate, verb Notes: My guess at the meaning was way off Yesterday’s word The word afflated means “having inspiration; inspired” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word comes from the obsolete verb afflate (to inspire), which came from the Latin word afflātus, which is the pastContinue reading “comminate”

Pronounced: uh-FLAY-tid, adj Notes: I haven’t run across this word, and could not figure out the meaning Yesterday’s word The word slithy means “smooth and active; slimy; slithery” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments This word was created by Lewis Carroll in the novel Through the Looking-GlassContinue reading “afflated”

Pronounced: SLIH-thee, adj Notes: You may know this word (I recognized it, but could not properly define it) Yesterday’s word The word sororal means “of, relating to, or characteristic of, a sister or sisters; sisterly” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments When I saw this word, I thoughtContinue reading “slithy”

Pronounced: suh-RAWR-uhl (alt: suh-ROAR-uhl), adj Notes: This is one of those words that I didn’t know, but after I saw the definition, I thought “Of course! I should have known this word!” Yesterday’s word The word blet means “to over-ripen to the point of rotting” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800sContinue reading “sororal”

Pronounced: blet, verb Notes: I didn’t know this word existed Yesterday’s word The word rubricate means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments When I saw the second definition, I thought “What does rubrics mean?” While it can refer to a heading in a book that is done isContinue reading “blet”

Pronounced: ROO-brih-kate, verb Notes: You may be able to guess at the meaning Yesterday’s word The word exaptation means “the adaptation of a trait for a purpose other than for which is was evolved” First usage This word was created in the 1980s Background / Comments The word was coined by Stephen J Gould inContinue reading “rubricate”