Category Archives: word

Pronounced: DER-uh-gate, verb Notes: You may have an idea of the meaning of this word Yesterday’s word The word funicular is “a cable railway ascending a mountain” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1900s Background / Comments Our word started as an adjective meaning “relating to a cord under tension” andContinue reading “derogate”

Pronounced: fyoo-NIH-kyuh-luhr, noun Notes: I have heard this word, but I couldn’t define it on seeing it Yesterday’s word The word chicane means, as a verb, “to trick or deceive”. As a noun, it means deception an artificial narrowing or a turn added to a road to slow traffic down First usage Our word cameContinue reading “funicular”

Pronounced: shi-CANE, verb/noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve ever run across this word Yesterday’s word The word stolid means “having or expressing little or no sensibility : unemotional” First usage Our word came into English in around 1600 (sort of; see Background below) Background / Comments When our word first came into English, it describedContinue reading “chicane”

Pronounced: STAH-luhd, adj Notes: I look at this word and see “solid”, which is a kind of a hint Yesterday’s word The word brio means “vigor or vivacity” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments Our word is a nice, useful word — I hope I can bring itContinue reading “stolid”

Pronounced: BREE-oh, noun Notes: I don’t know this word, but it looks like an incomplete word Yesterday’s word The word rescript has multiple meanings, some of which you’d probably guess: a written answer (as of a Roman emperor or a pope) to a written question or petition an edict, decree, or official pronouncement something rewrittenContinue reading “brio”

Pronounced: REE-script, noun Notes: You might be able to guess this meaning Yesterday’s word The word popinjay is “someone who indulges in vain and empty chatter” First usage Our word is old; it came into English in the early 1300s Background / Comments Once again, I’m going by a memory that may or may notContinue reading “rescript”

Pronounced: POP-in-jay, noun Notes: I think I’ve heard the word, but I couldn’t define it well Yesterday’s word The word Brobdingnagian means “marked by tremendous size” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments I think I read this word in CS Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia — possibly inContinue reading “popinjay”

Pronounced: brab-ding-NAH-gee-uhn, adj Notes: People who know this word are better read than I am Yesterday’s word The word starets is “a religious teacher or adviser” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments People familiar with the Eastern Orthodox Church (also known as Greek Orthodox) may know this word.Continue reading “Brobdingnagian”

Pronounced: STAR-its (alt: STAR-yits), noun Notes: The plural is interesting (“startsy”). Another word I’ve not run across (I don’t think I read the right kind of books to run across the word) Yesterday’s word The word denegation means “denial” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments If youContinue reading “starets”

Pronounced: deh-nih-GAY-shun, noun Notes: A simpler definition that I thought Yesterday’s word The word paries is “a wall of a body part or cavity” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments I cannot recall ever running across this word; however, it is related to the word “parietal”, whichContinue reading “denegation”