Category Archives: word

Pronounced: SNOW-klone, noun Notes: I have run across snowclones, but did not know this word Yesterday’s word The word frisson means “a sudden, passing sensation of excitement; a shudder of emotion; thrill” First usage Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1700s Background / Comments The key part of this definition isContinue reading “snowclone”

Pronunciation: free-SONE, noun Notes: I’ve run across the word, but could not properly define it Yesterday’s word The word windrow, as a noun, means a row of raked hay laid to dry in the wind before being baled a row of leaves, dust, snow, or other material swept together As a verb, it meas “toContinue reading “frisson”

Pronounced: WIND-roh, noun/verb Notes: Looks like “window” misspelled Yesterday’s word The word cacography means poor penmanship; bad handwriting incorrect spelling First usage Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1500s Background / Comments I recognized recognized the parts of our word caco- (bad), which comes from the Greek word kakos (bad) andContinue reading “windrow”

Pronounced: kuh-KOG-ruh-fee, noun Notes: You might be able to figure out this word Yesterday’s word The word unwonted means “unusual or unaccustomed” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I’ve run across this word in reading, and I had a sense of the meaning from the context. However, IContinue reading “cacography”

Pronounced: un-WON-tid, adj Notes: This word is a bit of a cheat; I do happen to know the word, but I don’t think it is well known. However, I did not know if well enough to pronounce it properly. Yesterday’s word The word lambent means dealing lightly and gracefully with a subject; brilliantly playful runningContinue reading “unwonted”

Pronounced: LAM-bunt, adj Notes: A word I don’t know Yesterday’s word The word gapeseed means one who stares especially with an open mouth something that is an object of staring; anything unusual First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word is a combination of gape, which comesContinue reading “lambent”

Pronounced: GAPE-seed, noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word Yesterday’s word The word rallentando means “slackening; becoming slower or winding down”; it is used as a musical direction. First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments I know the abbreviation used on sheet music (rall.), butContinue reading “gapeseed”

Pronounced: rah-luhn-TAHN-doe, adj/adv Notes: This is a word that I knew, but didn’t know that I knew Yesterday’s word The word veracious means “truthful; honest; accurate” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments As I noted, our word is pretty close in pronunciation to voracious; we tend toContinue reading “rallentando”

Pronounced: vuh-RAY-shuss, adj Notes: No, this is not voracious misspelled! Yesterday’s word The word louche means “shifty; disreputable; shady; sketchy” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments My theory (by which I mean that I reasoned this out without reading about this elsewhere; it may be that manyContinue reading “veracious”

Pronounced: loosh, adj Notes: I have a theory about this word (which I didn’t know) Yesterday’s word The word irresolute means “uncertain or indecisive” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word in- (not) combined with resoltus, a past participle of resolvere (toContinue reading “louche”