Category Archives: word

Pronounced: mon-uh-FOE-bee-uh, noun Notes: I almost didn’t use this one; I think it’s guessable Yesterday’s word The word quantal means “of, relating to, or having only two experimental alternatives (such as dead or alive, all or none)”. It can also refer to something that relates to a quantum. First usage This word is relatively recent,Continue reading “monophobia”

Pronounced: KWAHN-tuhl, adj (the “uh” is barely pronounced) Notes: Interesting word Yesterday’s word The word segue means (as a verb) “to make a smooth transition from once section or topic to another, in conversation, music, film, etc. As a noun, it refers to such a transition. First usage This word came into English in theContinue reading “quantal”

Pronounced: SEG-way (alternatively, SAY-gway), verb/noun Notes: This is a word I know in pronunciation (you probably do, too), but I wasn’t aware of the correct spelling Yesterday’s word The word sprachgefühl means “an intuitive sense of what is linguistically appropriate” First usage This word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments AsContinue reading “segue”

Pronounced: SPRACK-guh-fuel, noun Notes: This is a great word to know Yesterday’s word The word sophrosyne means “soundness of mind, as expressed in moderation, self-control, and prudence First usage This word goes back to the late 1800s Background / Comments The word comes from the Greek word sophrosyne which comes from sophon (of sound mind,Continue reading “sprachgefühl”

Pronounced: suh-FROZE-uh-nee, noun Notes: Strange pronunciation for a word I didn’t know Yesterday’s word The word palliate means to cover by excuses and apologies to moderate the intensity of First usage This word traces back to the 1400s Background / Comments We go back to Roman times for this word. The Romans had a cloakContinue reading “sophrosyne”

Pronounced: PAH-lee-ate, verb Notes: I’ve run across this word in reading Yesterday’s phrase The phrase black dog means “depression” First usage This word showed up (with this meaning) in the mid-1600s Background / Notes As you might expect, this word was originally used for a canine of dark complexion. People started using the expression forContinue reading “palliate”

Pronounced: as it sounds, noun Notes: Even if you know the word, it has an interesting history Yesterday’s word The word antonomasia means “the use of a proper name to designate a member of a class; also: the use of an epithet or title in place of a proper name First usage This word hasContinue reading “black dog”

Pronounced: an-tuh-no-MAY-zhuh (alt: an-tun-no-MAY-zhee-uh), noun Notes: A good word to know; this kind of thing is relatively common Yesterday’s word The word gobemouche is “a gullible or credulous person” First usage This word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments The word comes from French gobe-mouche (flycatcher, sucker), from gober (to suckContinue reading “antonomasia”

Pronounced: GOB-moosh, noun Notes: I don’t remember ever running across this word Yesterday’s word The word commove means to move violently; agitate to rouse intense feeling in; excite to passion First usage This word goes back to the 1300s Background / Comments This is a rare word; Samuel Johnson declared the word “not in use”;Continue reading “gobemouche”

Pronounced: kuh-MOVE, verb Notes: I could not guess the meaning of this word Yesterday’s word The word ikistics means “the study of human settlements, drawing on such disciplines as city planning, architecture, sociology, etc.” First usage The word goes back to the 1960s Background / Comments The word was coined by Constantinos A Doxiadis, GreekContinue reading “commove”