Category Archives: word

Pronounced: gal-ee-ON-ik, adj Notes: Another word that is new to me Yesterday’s word The word boniface is “the proprietor of a hotel, nightclub, or restaurant” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments In Latin, boniface means “doer of good”. Our word came from the name of an innkeeper inContinue reading “Gallionic”

Pronounced: BAH-nuh-fuhs, noun Notes: I’m a bit surprised that I haven’t run across this word before Yesterday’s word The word meech means to move in a furtive manner to loiter to whine First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments The third meaning seems a little familiar, but asContinue reading “boniface”

Pronounced: meech, verb Notes: I have no recollection of running across this word Yesterday’s word The word chauffeur is (as I’m sure you know) “a person employed to drive a motor vehicle” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments I had assumed that our word just the FrenchContinue reading “meech”

Pronounced: SHOW-fuhr, noun Notes: Yes, we all know the definition, but I’m including this for the interesting background Yesterday’s word The word steganography is “the art of practice of concealing a message, image, or file within another message, image, or file” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s (but see the comments)Continue reading “chauffeur”

Pronounced: steh-guh-NAH-gruh-fee, noun Notes: I didn’t know that there was a word for this Yesterday’s word The word smatchet is “an insignificant contemptible person” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word came from Scotland.

Pronounced: SMACH-uht, noun Notes: I’ve not run across this word, but it is a useful word Yesterday’s word The word plaudit is an act or round of applause enthusiastic approval (usually used in plural) First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I have runContinue reading “smatchet”

Pronounced: PLAW-dit, noun Notes: I’ve run across this word, but wasn’t sure of the meaning Yesterday’s word The word canicular means “related to the dog days” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word canicularis (relating to the dog star – Sirius),Continue reading “plaudit”

Pronounced: kuh-NICK-yuh-luhr, adj Notes: I’ve not run across this word Yesterday’s word The word bathetic means “characterized by triteness or sentimentalism” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word is the noun-to-adjective ending -etic combined with the noun bathos (a ludicrous descent from the exalted to the commonplace;Continue reading “canicular”

Pronounced: buh-THEH-tick, adj Notes: Sounds like, and is spelled like, “pathetic”, but with an initial “b” instead of “p” Yesterday’s word The word scrooch means to crouch or huddle to squeeze First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I was surprised when our word turned up; I have memoriesContinue reading “bathetic”

Pronounced: skrooch, verb Notes: I didn’t know that this was a real word Yesterday’s word The word deracinate means uproot to remove or separate from a native environment or culture (especially to remove the racial or ethnic characteristics or influences from) First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / CommentsContinue reading “scrooch”