Category Archives: word

Pronounced: prih-HEN-suh-bull, adj Notes: I got this word unnecessarily confused with another word Yesterday’s word The word scrutable means “capable of being understood” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments We are all more familiar with ‘inscrutable’; I was not aware that scrutable was a word. It comesContinue reading “prehensible”

Pronounced: SCREW-tuh-bull, adj Notes: Another word that you can probably figure of the meaning of Yesterday’s word The word zoanthropy refers to “a mental disorder in which one believes oneself to be an animal” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments As noted, many jokes begin with “Doctor, doctor!Continue reading “scrutable”

Pronounced: zoh-AN-thruh-pee, noun Notes: The subject of many jokes Yesterday’s word The word clement mean “mild; gentle; lenient” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word clemens (gentle; mild). The opposite word ‘inclement’ (normally used with weather) is much better known. RejectedContinue reading “zoanthropy”

Pronounced: KLEM-uhnt, adj Notes: You may know this word Yesterday’s word The word commensal, as an adjective, means “eating together at the same table”. As a noun, it means “a table companion” Note: This word also has a meaning in ecology: as an adjective, it means “organisms that live with, on, or in one another,Continue reading “clement”

Pronounced: kuh-MEN-sull, adj/noun Notes: I should have been able to get close to this definition (but I didn’t) Yesterday’s word The word peccable means “imperfect; flawed; capable of sinning” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments The more familiar word is ‘impeccable’ (without sin; perfect). I didn’t knowContinue reading “commensal”

Pronounced: PECK-uh-bull, adj Notes: If you don’t know this word, you can probably figure it out (I didn’t know this word existed) Yesterday’s word The word tenebrific means “producing darkness” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word is a potentially useful word; I’ve never run across it.Continue reading “peccable”

Pronounced: tenebrific, adj Notes: I saw nothing at all familiar in this word to give me a clue to its meaning Yesterday’s word The word licit means “legal or legitimate” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I assume most people realized that ourContinue reading “tenebrific”

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 fellowship; comradeship an association or society 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’tContinue 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”