Category Archives: word

Pronounced: LISS-it, adj Notes: You probably know this definition, but I didn’t know this word existed Yesterday’s word The word sodality means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments As I mentioned, I just see “soda” in this word. If I don’t pay close attention, I can almostContinue reading “licit”

Pronounced: so-DALL-ih-tee (alt: suh-DALL-ih-tee), noun Notes: It looks like it should have something to do with soda Yesterday’s word The word refect means “to refresh with food or drink” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments Another useful word to drop into conversation. It comes from the LatinContinue reading “sodality”

Pronounced: rih-FEKT, verb Notes: This just looks like a misspelling of “reflect” to me Yesterday’s word The word mackle, as a noun, means “a blured mark in printing as from a double stroke or impression”. As a verb, it means “to make or print a blurred mark (as from a double impression in printing)” FirstContinue reading “refect”

Pronounced: MACK-uhl, verb/noun Notes: I think many of us have experience with this word, but we may not know that there was a word for this action/thing Yesterday’s word The word angor means “extreme anguish or mental distress” First usage Our word is relatively old; it came into English in the mid-1400s Background / CommentsContinue reading “mackle”

Pronounced: ANG-guhr, noun Notes: No, this is not ‘anger’ misspelled Yesterday’s word The word mysophobia means “an excessive fear of dirt or filth” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Everyone probably recognizes the -phobia (fear) suffix. The first part comes from the Greek word mýsos (pollution; defilement).Continue reading “angor”

Pronounced: my-suh-FOE-bee-uh Notes: Okay; it’s a fear of something, but what? Yesterday’s word The word succus means “juice; fluid” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments As I noted, I didn’t know this word, but I did know (and I suppose most of you know) the word ‘succulent’, whichContinue reading “mysophobia”

Pronounced: SUCK-uhs, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, but I do know a related word Yesterday’s word The word clairaudience means “the power to hear sounds said to exist beyond the reach or ordinary experience or capacity (such as hearing the voices of the dead). First usage Our word came into English in theContinue reading “succus”

Pronounced: klare-AW-dee-uhns, noun Notes: You may get partially there, as I did Yesterday’s word The word natant means “swimming or floating” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments I was so sure that this had to do with birth (thinking of “natal”). It comes from Latin word natare (toContinue reading “clairaudience”

Pronounced: NAYT-nt, adj Notes: I thought I knew the definition, but when I looked it up, I was wrong Yesterday’s word The word pabulum means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-to-late 1800s Background / Comments I confused our word with “pablum”, which rather means the opposite of our word: it isContinue reading “natant”

Pronounced: PAB-yuh-luhm, noun Notes: Not at all what I thought Yesterday’s word The word happenchance means, as a noun, “a chance occurrence”. As an adjective, it means “resulting from chance” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I’ve never run across this word; I do now the word happenstance;Continue reading “pabulum”