Category Archives: word

Pronounced: pro-KRUS-tee-uhn, adj Notes: This word can be upper case as well Yesterday’s word The word apricity means “warmth of the sun; basking in the sun” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments A neat little word. It comes from the Latin word apricari (to bask in theContinue reading “procrustean”

Pronounced: a-PRISS-ih-tee, noun Notes: This word has nothing to do with apricots (in case you were wondering) Yesterday’s word The word effulgent means “shining forth brilliantly; radiant” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word effulgent, which traces back to ef- (out; thoroughly)Continue reading “apricity”

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 to threaten with divine punishment or vengeance to curse 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 atContinue 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”