Category Archives: word

Pronounced: rih-FUL-jen(t)s, adj Notes: Long time readers with excellent memory (I’m not sure I have any of these) have seen this earlier Yesterday’s word The word settlor is “one who makes a settlement of property” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments Our word is more common inContinue reading “refulgence”

Pronounced: SET-luhr (alt: SET-lore), noun Notes: Not a misspelling Yesterday’s word The word tub-thumper is “a vociferous supporter” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I was sure that this came from politicians beating on an upturned tub to make their point; however, the earliest tub-thumpers were preachers whoContinue reading “settlor”

Pronounced: TUB-thuhm-puhr, noun Notes: I thought I knew the origin of this word, but I was incorrect Yesterday’s word The word ordonnance is “the systematic arrangement of parts in art, literature, architecture, etc” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word came from French, being changed from theContinue reading “tub-thumper”

Pronounced: OR-dn-uhns (alt: or-duh-NAHNS), noun Notes: This word could be confused with two other similarly spelled words Yesterday’s word The word florescence is “a state or period of flourishing” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments I confused our word with “fluorescence”, which refers to light that substancesContinue reading “ordonnance”

Pronounced: flaw-REH-s(uh)nts, (alt-1: floh-REH-s[uh]nts; alt-2: fluh-REH-s[uh]nts), noun Notes: I had totally confused this word with another one Yesterday’s word The word cliticize means “to attach or become attached” First usage Our word came into English in the 1970s Background / Comments Our word is a verb that was created from the noun clitic, which cameContinue reading “florescence”

Pronounced: CLIT-uh-size, verb Notes: This is NOT “criticize” misspelled Yesterday’s word The word eupeptic means First usage Our word came into English around 1700 (maybe slightly earlier) Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I recognized the eu- part of this word, but not the second part. In fact, our word is composed of theContinue reading “cliticize”

Pronounced: you-PEP-tick, adj Notes: I recognize one part of the word, but it doesn’t help me to the meaning Yesterday’s word The word fomites are “inanimate objects, such as surfaces, that can transmit germs from one person to another” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments As noted,Continue reading “eupeptic”

Pronounced: FOAM-uh-teez (alt: FOH-mites) Notes: Our word is a plural noun, but the singular form is NOT fomite Yesterday’s word The word chatelaine is First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments As I noted, I had the idea that our word referred to someone like a hostess; that isContinue reading “fomites”

Pronounced: SHA-tuh-land, noun Notes: I have heard this word and had a vague idea of the meaning, but there was a meaning I didn’t know Yesterday’s word The word zoonosis is “any disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans” First usage Our word came into English in the late mid-1800s Background / CommentsContinue reading “chatelaine”

Pronounced: zoh-AHN-uh-sis (alt: zoh-uh-NOH-sis) Notes: I’ve probably heard this word; I just don’t remember hearing it Yesterday’s word The word syllepsis means “the use of a word in the same grammatical relation to two different adjacent words in the context with one literal and the other metaphorical in sense” First usage Our word came intoContinue reading “zoonosis”