Category Archives: word

Pronounced: (well, really! – as it sounds), noun/verb Notes: I know some of the definitions; some were unknown to me Yesterday’s word The word mantic means “of or relating to the faculty of divination; prophetic” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, when IContinue reading “fig”

Pronounced: MAN-tick, adj Notes: I confused this word with another word Yesterday’s word The word birch, as a noun means any of various hardy trees or shrubs of the genus Betula a birch twig or bundle of them As a verb, it means to beat with (or as if with) a birch to admonish orContinue reading “mantic”

Pronounced: buhrch, noun/verb Notes: I know the noun, but the verb was new to me Yesterday’s word The word primogeniture is the state of being the firstborn of the children of the same parents an exclusive right of inheritance belonging to the eldest son First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600sContinue reading “birch”

Pronounced: pry-moh-JEH-nuh-chur, noun Notes: I kind of knew this word; it’s related to a word I’ve never heard of Yesterday’s word The word palmary means “of supreme importance; outstanding; praiseworthy” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word palmarius (deserving or carrying theContinue reading “primogeniture”

Pronounced: PAL-muh-ree, adj Notes: Not at all what I thought this word meant Yesterday’s word The word jabberwocky is “meaningless speech or writing” First usage Our word came into English in the 1900s (first decade of the 1900s) Background / Comments Like me, you probably know the poem “Jabberwocky” in Through the Looking Glass andContinue reading “palmary”

Pronounced: JA-buhr-wah-kee, noun Notes: I know bits of the poem, but I wasn’t sure of the meaning; you might know it Yesterday’s phrase The phrase sleeping beauty is “someone or something that lies dormant for a long time” First usage Our phrase came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments Our phrase came fromContinue reading “jabberwocky”

Pronounced: (as it sounds), noun Notes: I know the story of Sleeping Beauty, but I didn’t know it was a word Yesterday’s word The word wyvern is “a mythical animal usually represented as a two-legged winged creature resembling a dragon” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments TheContinue reading “sleeping beauty”

Pronounced: WHY-vuhrn, noun Notes: I recognized the word, but could not properly define it Yesterday’s word The word Goldilocks means “just right; a happy medium; optimum; not at either extreme” First usage Our word came into English in the 1940s Background / Comments As you might express, our word comes from the fairy tale GoldilocksContinue reading “wyvern”

Pronounced: GOL-dee-locks, adj Notes: I had no idea that this was an actual word – do you know the meaning? Yesterday’s word The word aghast means “struck with terror, amazement, or horror; shocked and upset” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1200s Background / Comments If you are aghast, you might lookContinue reading “Goldilocks”

Pronounced: uh-GAST, adj Notes: You probably know this word, but I wanted to share its background Yesterday’s word The word concupiscence is “strong desire; lust” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1300s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word concupiscere (to desire ardently), which is made up of con-Continue reading “aghast”