Category Archives: word

Pronounced: lep-tuh-DUHR-muhs, adj Notes: I thought this was someone related to butterflies (nope!) Yesterday’s word The word hereditament means “heritable property” First usage The word showed up in the mid-1400s Background / Comments You can see what looks like a noun form of “heredity” in this word. As you might expect, it comes from MedievalContinue reading “leptodermous”

Pronounced: her-uh-DIH-tuh-munt, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word existed Yesterday’s word The word railbird means a horse-racing enthusiast a spectator at a contest an observer who offers uninvited advice or criticism First usage This word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments I find it interesting to see how a word’sContinue reading “hereditament”

Pronounced: RALE-bird, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, but the definition makes sense Yesterday’s word The word decoct means to extract the flavor of by boiling boil down, concentrate First usage The reference I looked at is not sure; either the late 1300s or the early 1400s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday,Continue reading “railbird”

Pronounced: dih-KAHKT, verb Notes: I know “concoct”, but not this word Yesterday’s word The word mooncalf is a daydreamer or absent-minded person a fool or simpleton a congenitally deformed person First usage This word was first used in the mid-1500s Background / Comments In early times, it was believed that a misshapen birth was aContinue reading “decoct”

Pronounced: MOON-kaf, noun Notes: I hadn’t heard of this word Yesterday’s word The word nomenclator means a book containing collections or lists of words one who gives names to or invents names for things First usage This word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments In ancient Rome, a nomenclator (Latin for “nameContinue reading “mooncalf”

Pronounced: NO-muhn-clay-tuhr, noun Notes: Your guess would probably be close Yesterday’s word The word ochlocracy means “government by the mob; mob rule” First usage This word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments The word came into English from the Middle French word ochlocratie (mob rule), which came from the Greek wordContinue reading “nomenclator”

Pronounced: ahk-LAHK-ruh-see, noun Notes: I keep seeing “och-” and thinking it has something to do with eight (but no) Yesterday’s word The word collimate means “to make parallel” (usually refers to light rays) First usage The word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Notes I have heard of this word relating toContinue reading “ochlocracy”

Pronounced: ih-nan-tee-uh-DROH-mee-uh, noun Notes: I’m in a quandry about this word; I didn’t know the word, but I don’t believe the philosophy it describes (more tomorrow). Yesterday’s word The word splenetic means “marked by bad temper, malevolence, or spite” First usage This word came into English in the late-1300s Background / Comments I should haveContinue reading “enantiodromia”

Pronounced: KAH-luh-mate, verb Notes: Nothing to do with collies… I have heard the word, but wasn’t sure of the meaning Yesterday’s word The word enantiodromia is “the tendency of things, beliefs, etc, to change into their opposites. First usage This isn’t that old; it came into English in the early 1900s Background / Notes IContinue reading “collimate”

Pronounced: splih-NEH-tick, adj Notes: This is a word I should have known, but didn’t Yesterday’s word The word cremnophobia is “a fear of precipices or cliffs” First usage This is a relatively recent word; it showed up in the early 1900s Background / Comments As I noted, this is not fear or cremation; the -phobiaContinue reading “splenetic”