Category Archives: word

Pronounced: VAI-dih-muss, noun Notes: It looks Latin to me, but I don’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word Bonapartism means “a policy supporting dictatorial rule usually by a leader who has ostensibly received a popular mandate” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments You may have thoughtContinue reading “vidimus”

Pronounced: BO-nuh-par-tih-zuhm, noun Notes: Not quite what you might think Yesterday’s word The word quoz means “an odd person or thing” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments I know people who are odd, and even one who describes himself as odd, but I didn’t know that weContinue reading “Bonapartism”

Pronounced: kwaz, noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve every run across this word Yesterday’s word The word pantheon means a temple dedicated to all the gods; the gods of a people a group of illustrious persons First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s (but see the comments below) Background / CommentsContinue reading “quoz”

Pronounced: PAN-thee-ahn, noun Notes: I sort of knew this word, but not the complete set Yesterday’s word The word unco, as an adjective, means “unusual; remarkable; strange”. As an adverb, it means “remarkably; extremely”. As a noun, it can mean “stranger” or “news”. First usage Our word, surprisingly to me, came into English in theContinue reading “pantheon”

Pronounced: UNG-koh, adj/adv/noun Notes: Such an interesting word! I had a few surprises with this word Yesterday’s word The word unclubbable means “having or showing a disinclination for social activity; unsociable” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments It is thought that Samuel Johnson (he of the famousContinue reading “unco”

Pronounced: un-KLUH-buh-bull, adj Notes: I think I remember this word in my reading, but I would not define it well Yesterday’s word The word diel, as a noun, means “a period of 24 hours”. As an adjective, it means “lasting 24 hours or having a 24-hour period” First usage Our word came into English inContinue reading “unclubbable”

Pronounced: DY-uhl (alt: deel), noun/adj Notes: I’m surprised that I haven’t heard this word Yesterday’s word The word gadzookery is a British word, and means “the use of archaisms (as in a historical novel)” First usage Our word came into English in the 1950s Background / Comments I might be able to be accused ofContinue reading “diel”

Pronounced: gad-ZOO-kuh-ree, noun Notes: I’ve not run across this word Yesterday’s word The word yerk means, as a verb, “to rise, stir, strike, whip, pull, kick… and so on”. As a noun it means “a sudden movement, kick, jerk, stab, etc” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1400s Background / CommentsContinue reading “gadzookery”

Pronounced: yuhrk, verb/noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word Yesterday’s word The word hackle means the hair or feathers on the back of an animal’s neck temper, dander First usage Our word came into English in the first half of the 1400s Background / Comments Like you, I was aware of theContinue reading “yerk”

Pronounced: HAH-kuhl, noun Notes: I knew one definition (you probably do, too), but one was not known to me Yesterday’s word The word bacchant means “a boisterous reveler” First usage Our word came into English in the very late 1600 Background / Comments Even though it was the third pronunciation, it is how I wouldContinue reading “hackle”