Category Archives: word

Pronounced: KAB-ij, noun/verb Notes: I don’t mean the plant or the food; it has other meanings that surprised me. Do you know them? Yesterday’s word The word plenipotentiary means invested with full power of or relating to a person invested fully to transact any business Background / Comments The word derives from two Latin roots:Continue reading “cabbage”

Pronounced: pleh-nuh-puh-TEN-shuh-ree (also pleh-nuh-puh-TEN-shree), adj Notes: Today’s word is long, but I’ve run across it in reading Yesterday’s word The word baragnosis means “loss of the ability to sense weight” Background / Comments Even after reading the definition, I’m was uncertain of what it meant: did it mean unaware of one’s own weight? (the sampleContinue reading “plenipotentiary”

Pronounced: bar-ag-NO-sis or ba-RAG-no-sis, noun Notes: I recognized part of the word, but I had no idea of the meaning… and even after reading the definition, I’m not sure I really understand the word. Yesterday’s word The word meme means an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a cultureContinue reading “baragnosis”

Pronounced: meem, noun Notes: I think a lot of people know at least one meaning; the word has an interesting background Yesterday’s word The word louche means “not reputable or decent” Background / Comments I have heard the phrase (or thought I heard) “loose morals” or “loose living” for many years, but now I’m wonderingContinue reading “meme”

Pronounced: loosh, adj Notes: I didn’t know this word, but it made me wonder about a few things (see tomorrow’s comments) Yesterday’s word The word bathophobia is “a fear of depths or of falling from a height” Background / Comments As you may have figured out, this is a Greek-based word; a combination of bathosContinue reading “louche”

Pronounced: bath-uh-FOE-bee-uh, noun Notes: I went for the obvious (fear of taking a bath) and that’s not right Yesterday’s word The word quincunx refers to an arrangement of five things in a rectangle (or square) with four of the ‘things’ at each corner and one in the middle. Background / Comments This word comes toContinue reading “bathophobia”

Pronounced: KWIN-kuhnks, noun Notes: You may be able to guess part of the meaning; it’s quite a fun word to say, so I’m hoping to find occasion to drag it into conversations Yesterday’s word The word binnacle is “a container for housing instruments on a ship’s deck, in a car’s dashbord, etc. Background The wordContinue reading “quincunx”

Pronounced: BIH-nih-kuhl, noun Notes: I thought this was something on a ship, but that wasn’t entirely correct Yesterday’s word As most probably know, a cubit is an ancient unit of length based on the length of the forearm to the tip of the middle finger. Background / Comments The word comes from a Latin sourceContinue reading “binnacle”

Pronounced: KYOO-buht, noun Notes: Anyone with some familiarity with the Bible probably knows this word, but this is one that I found the background interesting. Yesterday’s word The word titfer is rhyming slang for “hat” Background / Comments As in the case with rhyming slang, there is a fairly well-know expression (tit for tat); hatContinue reading “cubit”

Pronounced: TIT-fur, noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word… it’s another case of rhyming slang (and, unlike the last post, this one is guessable) Yesterday’s Phrase A parting shot, as you probably know, is “a threat, insult, sarcastic retort, or the like uttered upon leaving”. Background / Notes As I noted yesterday,Continue reading “titfer”