Category Archives: word

Pronounced: val-ih-DIK-shun, noun Notes: I didn’t know the meaning of this word; it reminded me of a word I do know Yesterday’s word The word stenophagous means “feeding on a limited variety of food” First usage The word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments I am not sure how “limited” the foodContinue reading “valediction”

Pronounced: stuh-NOFF-uh-gus, adj Notes: Another really nifty, useful word Yesterday’s word The word besot means to inspire with admiration to the point of foolishness to make dull or stupid (as by drunkenness) First usage This word can be traced back to the mid-1500s Background / Comments I was so sure I was right on thisContinue reading “stenophagous”

Pronounced: bih-SAHT, verb Notes: I know the general meaning (you probably do, too), but I was a little off because I attempted to parse the word… and I was wrong Yesterday’s word The word irenic means “tending to promote peace and reconciliation” First usage This word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / CommentsContinue reading “besot”

Pronounced: aye-ren-ick (alt: aye-ree-nick), adj Notes: The “aye” above is supposed to be the long “i” sound (as in “time”). At one time, I worked for someone named “Irene”, and I just saw her name and could not guess the meaning Yesterday’s word The word zetetic means, as an adjective, “proceeding by inquiry, search, orContinue reading “irenic”

Pronounced: zuh-TET-ick, adj/noun Notes: An interesting word; I don’t think I’ve run across it Yesterday’s word The word stelliferous means “abounding or full with stars” First usage This word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments You did better than I if you saw “stellar” in the word. Our word comes fromContinue reading “zetetic”

Pronounced: steh-LIHF-er-us, adj Notes: Another word I couldn’t guess the meaning of, but after reading it, it makes sense Yesterday’s phrase The phrase mise en abyme means “self-reflection in a literary work, a work of art, etc” First usage A fairly recent word; it came into English in the 1960s Background / Comments As youContinue reading “stelliferous”

Pronounced: mee-zan-nah-BEEM, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word clinquant means, as an adjective, “glittering; decked out with tinsel of garish finery or jewelry”. As a noun, it means “imitation gold leaf; gold tinsel” First usage This word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments The word comesContinue reading “mise en abyme”

Pronounced: KLING-kuhnt, adj/noun Notes: Another word I have no recollection of reading Yesterday’s word The word untrack means “to remove from a track; change course” First usage This word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Our word is a combination of English and French words. From English, the word un- (aContinue reading “clinquant”

Pronounced: uhn-TRACK, verb Notes: I don’t think I’ve every run across this word (aside from vocabulary lists) Yesterday’s word The word reify means “to convert something abstract into a concrete thing; to make a thought or wish into an action or object” – I think of it as “to make real” First usage This wordContinue reading “untrack”

Pronounced: REE-uh-fie (alt: RAY-uh-fie), verb Notes: I didn’t know this word Yesterday’s word The word mediocracy means “rule by the mediocre” (not the media, as I guessed) First usage This word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Given the definition, you can tell it is mediocre combined with -ocracy (rule). So, byContinue reading “reify”