Category Archives: word

Pronounced: sir-kuhm-VAL-ate, verb Notes: Well, I knew part of the word, but not the whole thing Yesterday’s word The word amaranthine means of or relating to an amaranth (ANNOYING definition!!) not fading or dying: immortal being dark reddish purple First usage This word showed up in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I don’t like itContinue reading “circumvallate”

Pronounced: a-muh-RAN(T)-thuhn, adj Notes: Quite a mouthful, with one particularly annoying definition Yesterday’s word The word malfeasance is probably well known; the meaning is “an illegal action, especially by a public official”. First usage It’s not new; it goes back to the mid-1600s Background / Comments The word comes from Anglo-Norman malfaisance (wrongdoing), which inContinue reading “amaranthine”

Pronounced: mal-FEE-zuhns, noun Notes: I was pretty close with this one, but I decided to add it to write about the similar-looking words “misfeasance” and “nonfeasance” Yesterday’s word The word carrefour means crossroads square, plaza First usage This word came into English in the 1400s Background / Comments Even though we see the word ‘four’Continue reading “malfeasance”

Pronounced: kah-ruh-FOUR, noun Notes: I couldn’t even begin to guess at the meaning of this word Yesterday’s word The word inscape refers to “the unique essence of a person, place, or thing (especially as expressed in a word of art such as a poem)” First usage The word came into being in the mid-1800s. BackgroundContinue reading “carrefour”

Pronounced: IN-scape, noun Notes: I know escape, but not this word Yesterday’s word The word envisage means to view or regard in a certain way to have a mental picture of (especially in advance of realization) First usage The word first showed up in the 1600s Background / Comments This word comes from French envisager.Continue reading “inscape”

Pronounced: in-VIH-zihj, verb Notes: I actually did know this word, but it has an interesting history, so check it out tomorrow Yesterday’s word The word kinesics is “the study of body movements, such as gestures or facial expressions, as a form of communication. Background / Comments This word was created by Ray Birdwhistell. It comesContinue reading “envisage”

Pronounced: kuh-NEE-sicks, noun (alternate pronunciations: “ky” instead of “kuh” in the first syllable, and “zicks” instead of “sicks” for the last syllable) Notes: I was kind of close to the meaning of this word Yesterday’s word The word reticulate means resembling a net being or involving evolutionary change dependent on genetic recombination involving diverse interbreedingContinue reading “kinesics”

Pronounced: rih-TIH-kyoo-luht, adj Notes: This word has a general meaning, and pretty scientific one Yesterday’s word The word wale means, as a noun a streak mark raised on the skin, as by a whip one of the series of ribs in a fabric such as corduroy a plank along the side of a wooden shipContinue reading “reticulate”

Pronounced: this word is pronounced like “whale”, noun/verb Notes: A nice, short word that I didn’t know Yesterday’s word The word Byzantine, when capitalized means “of, relating to, or typical of ancient Byzantium or the Eastern Roman Empire”. Another meaning, usually not capitalized, means “intricately involved and often devious”. Background / Comments It is namedContinue reading “wale”

Pronounced: BIH-zuhn-teen, adj (the vowel in “zuhn” is almost not pronounced) Notes: This word can also be lowercase (byzantine); I almost didn’t include this word Yesterday’s word The word dree means (as a verb) “to endure or suffer”. As an adjective, it means “tedious or dreary” Background / Comments The word comes from Old EnglishContinue reading “Byzantine”