Category Archives: word

Pronounced: TUFF-it, noun Notes: Most of us have heard the nursery rhyme “Little Miss Muffet/Sat on a tuffet…”, but what is a tuffet? (and is that the only definition?) Yesterday’s word The word foible is First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I was aware of the second definition;Continue reading “tuffet”

Pronounced: FOY-bull, noun Notes: I knew one of the meanings, but not the other one Yesterday’s word The word struldbrug is “someone very old and decrepit” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments Our word is another one that came from the book Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. TheContinue reading “foible”

Pronounced: STROOLED-bruhg, noun Notes: I don’t remember every running across this word Yesterday’s word The word conclave means First usage Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1300s Background / Comments I am familiar with our word as used in its Roman Catholic meaning; I was not aware of the second definitionContinue reading “struldbrug”

Pronounced: KAHN-klave, noun Notes: Many people probably know one definition of our word Yesterday’s word The word shirttail means, as a noun As an adjective, it means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments As I noted, I knew the first meaning as a noun, but I didn’t haveContinue reading “conclave”

Pronounced: SHURT-tale, noun/adj Notes: Yes, this is the bottom part of the shirt that reaches below the waist, but what then does the adjective mean? Yesterday’s word The word gadarene means “without pause or deliberation; headlong; precipitate” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments I was astonished when IContinue reading “shirttail”

Pronounced: GA-duh-reen, adj Notes: I didn’t know the word, but I was amazed at the background Yesterday’s word The word balk (baulk), as a verb, means As a noun, it means First usage Our word came into English as a noun in the late 800s; as a verb, it came into English in the lateContinue reading “gadarene”

Pronounced: bawk, noun/verb Notes: Also spelled “baulk”; there is one definition of this word that I did not know Yesterday’s word The word delectation means “delight; enjoyment” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments Our word came from the Middle English word delectacioun, which came from the LatinContinue reading “balk”

Pronounced: dee-lek-TAY-shun, noun Notes: A nice, useful word to add to one’s vocabulary Yesterday’s word The word consanguineous means “related by blood; having a common ancestor” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word consanguineus, which is made up of con- (with)Continue reading “delectation”

Pronounced: kon-sang-GWIN-ee-uhs, adj Notes: You may be able to figure out the meaning of this word Yesterday’s word The word fulminate means “to complain loudly or angrily; to send forth censures or invectives” First usage Our word came into English around 1400 (either in the late 1300s or the early 1400s) Background / Comments IContinue reading “consanguineous”

Pronounced: full-muh-nate, verb Notes: I think I confused this word with another word Yesterday’s word The word yichus means “prestige, social status, or pedigree” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Our word came from the Yiddish word yichus/yikhus (pedigree), which came from the Hebrew word yihus (pedigree).Continue reading “fulminate”