Category Archives: word

Pronounced: KWING-kuhngks (alt: KWIN-kuhngks), noun Notes: A neat word for something… it would be neat to find uses for this word Yesterday’s word The word lateritious means “resembling, made of, or the color of bricks” First usage This word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I had noContinue reading “quincunx”

Pronounced: lat-uh-RISH-uhs, adj Notes: I didn’t know that there was a word for this Yesterday’s word The word gynarchy means “government by women” First usage The word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word is a combination of the Greek word gynḗ (woman; female) and the suffix -archy (rule; government).Continue reading “lateritious”

Pronounced: JIN-er-kee (alt 1: GIE-ner-kee; alt 2: JIE-ner-kee), noun Notes: You may be able to get this one Yesterday’s word The word debunk means (as you probably know) “to expose the falseness of a claim, myth, belief, etc” First usage This word came into usage in the 1920s Background / Comments The background is whyContinue reading “gynarchy”

Pronounced: di-BUNK, verb Notes: Yes, you know this word. I’m adding it because I enjoyed the etymology of it Yesterday’s word The word internecine means mutually destructive of, or related to, a struggle or conflict within a group deadly; characterized by great slaughter First usage Our word came into being in the mid-1600s Background /Continue reading “debunk”

Pronounced: in-ter-NEE-seen (alt 1: in-ter-NEE-sine; alt 2: in-ter-NESS-een; alt 3: in-ter-NESS-ine), adj Notes: A lot of different pronunciations; I didn’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word antitussive, as an adjective, means “suppressing of relieving coughing”. As a noun, it refers to “something that suppresses or relieves coughing” First usage This word came into EnglishContinue reading “internecine”

Pronounced: an-tee-TUSS-iv (alt: an-tie-TUSS-iv), adj/noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, but the background was enlightening. Yesterday’s word The word serotinal means “pertaining to or occurring in late summer” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments It is a bit of a mystery how our word came toContinue reading “antitussive”

Pronounced: sih-ROT-n-l (alt: ser-uh-TINE-l), adj Notes: Another useful word that I didn’t know Yesterday’s word The word locarnize means “to bring about peace or settle a disagreement by negotiation” First usage The word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments Our word is named after Locarno, Switzerland. In Oct 1925 the countries Germany,Continue reading “serotinal”

Pronounced: LO-kuhr-nize, verb Notes: A word I’ve not run across Yesterday’s word The word rupestrine means “living or growing among rocks” First usage The word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Our word has Latin roots: rūpēs (steep cliff; crag) combined with the ending -trine which was take from lacustrine (livingContinue reading “locarnize”

Pronounced: roo-PESS-trin, adj Notes: I could not figure out how to parse this word to get the definition Yesterday’s word The word solesize means “to make an error in language, etiquette, etc” First usage This word came into usage in the mid-1600s Background / Comments You may be familiar with the noun form – solecism.Continue reading “rupestrine”

Pronounced: SOL-uh-size, verb Notes: Another word I’ve run across, but I only picked up the general meaning Yesterday’s word I had trouble in looking the up meaning of chambray: the place I got this word from says only that it is “a finely woven cloth (of cotton, silk, or linen) with an equal mix ofContinue reading “solecize”