Category Archives: word

Pronounced: VURR-mil (alt: VURR-mile), adj/noun Notes: This word is one I often get wrong Yesterday’s word The word horripilation means “goose flesh; goose bumps; a bristling of the hair on the skin from cold or fear” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I could see parts of theContinue reading “vermeil”

Pronounced: haw-rip-uh-LAY-shun (alt: hoe-rip-uh-LAY-shun) Notes: Though I didn’t know the right definition, I did recognize parts of this word Yesterday’s word The word teal, as an adjective, means “of greenish blue color”. As a noun, it means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1300s Background / Comments I had our wordContinue reading “horripilation”

Pronounced: teel, noun/adj Notes: You probably know this word, but I found the background interesting Yesterday’s word The word stertor means “a heavy snoring sound” First usage Our word came into English around 1800 Background / Comments I thought that that there was a word that referred to a loud voice that might be anotherContinue reading “teal”

Pronounced: STUR-ter, noun Notes: I think I know a form of this word Yesterday’s word The word marrowsky is a synonym of ‘spoonerism’, which you may know. In case you don’t, it refers to the transposition of the initial sounds of words (usually the initial sounds, but no always). For example, saying “Is the beanContinue reading “stertor”

Pronounced: MUH-rau-ski, noun Notes: I’ve not run across this word, but you probably know its synonym Yesterday’s word The word abrade means “to scrape off or to wear off or down by scraping or rubbing” First usage Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1600s Background / Comments I think I’ve runContinue reading “marrowsky”

Pronounced: uh-BRADE, verb Notes: This word sounds like one I should know Yesterday’s word The word nullifidian means, as a noun, “an atheist; a person who has no religious faith or belief in God (or any gods)” As an adjective, it means “having no faith or belief” First usage Our word goes way back toContinue reading “abrade”

Pronounced: null-uh-FID-ee-uhn, noun/adj Notes: You might be able to work this one out Yesterday’s word The word procellous means “stormy, as on the sea” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word comes to us from Latin; specifically, the word procellōsus (stormy), which came from procella (a storm)Continue reading “nullifidian”

Pronounced: pro-SELL-us, adj Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word Yesterday’s word The word mithridatism means “the developing of immunity to a poison by gradually increasing the dose” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word is named after King Mithridates VI (king of Pontus, anContinue reading “procellous”

Pronounced: MITH-rih-day-tiz-um, noun Notes: I ran across this word while researching a recent word, and thought the background was interesting (and it gave me a laugh) Yesterday’s word The word boscage is “a mass of trees or shrubs” First usage Our word came into English in the second half of the 1300s Background / CommentsContinue reading “mithridatism”

Pronounced: BAHS-kij, noun Notes: Not a cage for your boss… Yesterday’s word The word tachyphylaxis means “successively decreased response to a drug or a toxin over time” First usage Our word came into English in the 1910s Background / Comments As an avid reader of detective/crime/mystery stories, one of the good plots involves tachyphylaxis –Continue reading “boscage”