Category Archives: word

Pronounced: mahr-MORE-ee-uhn, adj Notes: Also spelled marmoreal; I think I’ve seen this word somewhere, but I didn’t know the definition Yesterday’s word The word favonian means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word Favōniānus (Favonius, the Roman personification of the west wind).

Pronounced: fuh-VOH-nee-uhn, adj Notes: I think I’ve run across this word, but I didn’t know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word afflatus is “a creative impulse or inspiration” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word afflatus (a breathing on), from ad- (to)Continue reading “favonian”

Pronounced: uh-FLAY-tuhs, noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve ever run across this word Yesterday’s word The word panegyric means “a lofty oration or writing in praise of a person or thing; eulogy; formal or elaborate praise” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I am pretty sure thatContinue reading “afflatus”

Pronounced: pan-ih-JIR-ick (alt: pan-ih-JAYE-rick), noun Notes: I’ve run across this word, but couldn’t define it well Yesterday’s word The word chunter means “to mutter, grumble, or chatter” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word is considered an imitative word – saying “chunter” several times run togetherContinue reading “panegyric”

Pronounced: CHUHN-tuhr, verb Notes: I think I’ve run across this word, but I didn’t know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word gapeseed is mostly used in Britain and means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I don’t think I’ve ever seen this word, but mostly being aContinue reading “chunter”

Pronounced: GAPE-seed (alt: GAP-seed), noun Notes: It looks like “grapeseed”, but it is not related to it Yesterday’s word The word susurrate means “to make a whispering or rustling sound” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments I think this is a neat word. I ran across thisContinue reading “gapeseed”

Pronounced: SOO-suh-rate, verb Notes: I don’t think this word is well known, but I have run across it Yesterday’s word The word nonesuch means “a person or thing without equal; paragon” First usage Our word came into usage in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word is a combination of none and such. AsContinue reading “susurrate”

Pronounced: NUN-such, noun Notes: I thought this word was an adjective, not a noun Yesterday’s word The word gnar means “to snarl or growl” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s. Background / Comments It is thought to be of imitative origin (that gnar sounds like a snarl or growl).

Pronounced: nar Notes: Also spelled gnarr. Another word I’ve no run across Yesterday’s word The word subrogate means First usage The second definition above was the first meaning in the first half of the 1400s; the first meaning comes from the mid-1500s. Background / Comments I think I confused our word with subjugate (to bringContinue reading “gnar”

Pronounced: SUB-ruh-gate, verb Notes: This word has a much more common synonym Yesterday’s word The word puissant means “potent” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments Our word sounds a lot more run to use that ‘potent’. If you think it looks French, you are correct: it came intoContinue reading “subrogate”