Category Archives: word

Pronounced: met-uh-NOY-uh, noun Notes: Another word I could find a use for – I’m more familiar with a different way to express this meaning Yesterday’s word The word probity means “adherence to the highest principles and ideals : uprightness” First usage This word dates back to the early 1500s Background / Comments As I noted,Continue reading “metanoia”

Pronounced: PRO-buh-tee, noun Notes: This is kind of a “cheating” entry; I know this word, but I don’t know how well-known it it. I’ve run across it in some older English reading. Yesterday’s word The word Marinism means “a literary style marked by extravagant imagery, elaborate metaphors, etc.” First usage This word showed up inContinue reading “probity”

Pronounced: muh-REE-nih-zuhm, noun Notes: I had not heard of this word before Yesterday’s word The word lorn means “desolate; forsaken” First usage Another old word, going back to the late 1200s Background / Comments If you are thinking that this word means the same as “forlorn”, you’re right; they are synonyms. Our word comes fromContinue reading “Marinism”

Pronounced: lorn, adj Notes: A good word to know! Yesterday’s word A wen is a benign tumor of the skin a large overcrowded city First usage Very old; it goes back to the year 1000. Background / Comments It comes from the Old English word wen (tumor, wart). This is the same source for theContinue reading “lorn”

Pronounced: wen, noun Notes: This is exactly how I pronounced “when”, but some people may distinguish between the “w” in this word and the “wh” in when — possibly using more air in the latter. Yesterday’s word The word passim means “here and there” First usage This word came into English in the mid-1600s BackgroundContinue reading “wen”

Pronounced: PAH-sum, adv Notes: A really cool word that I wish I had known when doing document reviews Yesterday’s word The word skail, as a noun means “a scattering or dispersal”. As a verb, it means to scatter out, spill, or disperse to dismiss or to disband an assembly, group, etc First usage This wordContinue reading “passim”

Pronounced: scale, verb/noun Notes: A short word that I didn’t know Yesterday’s word The word foison means rich harvest (archaic) physical energy or strength (used in Scotland) (plural) resources (obsolete) First usage The word has been around since the early 1300s Background / Comments It is very unlikely that anyone will have run across thisContinue reading “skail”

Pronounced: FOY-z(uh)n, noun Notes: It’s not a typo for poison. This word is oldish Yesterday’s word The word demit means to give up an office or a position; to dismiss to resign First usage This word came into usage in the mid-1500s Background / Comments The word comes from Old French demettre, which came fromContinue reading “foison”

Pronounced: dih-MITT, verb Notes: I know remit, but not demit Yesterday’s word The word rearguard means “of or relating to resistance especially to sweeping social forces” First usage This word showed up in the late 1800s Background / Comments There is a noun “rear guard” that goes back to the late 1400s. It refers toContinue reading “demit”

Pronounced: REAR-guard, adj Notes: I had an idea of the meaning; also, the background was interesting Yesterday’s word The word impend can mean to be about to happen; to loom to threaten or menace First usage The word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments This word comes from Latin perpendere (to weighContinue reading “rearguard”