Category Archives: word

Pronounced: dih-MAIN (alt: dih-MEEN), noun Notes: Not only could I not pronounce this word, I didn’t know what it meant Yesterday’s word The word equanimous means “even-tempered: calm and composed in all circumstances” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word is a straightforward Latin word: aequs (equal;Continue reading “demesne”

Pronounced: ih-KWAN-uh-muss, adj Notes: I’ve seen the word in reading, but could not properly define it Yesterday’s word The word rusticate means “to go to, stay, live in, or sojourn in, the country” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments The proper bit of our word to recognize isContinue reading “equanimous”

Pronounced: RUSS-tih-kate, verb Notes: You may know this word; I keep seeing “rust” and go down the wrong path Yesterday’s phrase The phrase dog whistle, as a noun, refers to “a coded message that appears innocuous to the general publish, but that has an additional interpretation meant to appeal to the target audience”. As anContinue reading “rusticate”

Pronounced: as written, noun/adj Notes: You may know this term if you spend time in the arena in which this is used Yesterday’s word The word desiderium means “an ardent longing, as for something lost” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1700s Background / Comments Our word made me think ofContinue reading “dog whistle”

Pronounced: des-ih-DEER-ee-uhm, noun Notes: Even if you don’t know this word, you may be able to guess it Yesterday’s word The word logrolling means the exchange of favors, especially by legislators by voting for each other’s legislation a sport in which two players stand on a floating log and try to knock each other offContinue reading “desiderium”

Pronounced: LOG-roh-ling, noun Notes: I know one of the two meanings Yesterday’s word The word diffluence is the act of flowing off or away the act or process of dissolving into a liquid; liquefaction; deliquescence First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I did not know the meaning ofContinue reading “logrolling”

Pronounced: DIFF-loo-uhns, noun Notes: You may had an idea of this word’s meaning (I didn’t) Yesterday’s word The word shermanesque means unequivocal, especially in refusing to run for an office brutally thorough, especially in defeating someone First usage Our word came into usage in the 1910s Background / Comments If you thought that our wordContinue reading “diffluence”

Pronounced: shur-muh-NESK, adj Notes: You may know the origin of the word, but do you know the meaning? Yesterday’s word The word galoot means “an awkward, eccentric, or foolish person” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments In my mind’s eye, I can hear Yosemite Sam using theContinue reading “shermanesque”

Pronounced: guh-LOOT, noun Notes: I’ve heard this word in Bugs Bunny (Yosemite Sam), but I didn’t quite know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word fane means “a place of worship” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Latin word fanum (temple).

Pronounced: FAIN, noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve every run across this word Yesterday’s word The word hallux is, in humans, “the big toe”, or, more technically, “the first of innermost digit of the foot of humans and primates”. In bird, it refers to “the comparable, usually backward-directed digit”. First usage Our word came intoContinue reading “fane”