Category Archives: word

Pronounced: DOG-ber-ee (alt DOG-buh-ree), noun Notes: I didn’t know this word – I blame it on a gap in my education Yesterday’s word The word touchstone is a fundamental or quintessential part of feature a test or criterion for determining the quality of genuineness of a thing First usage Our word came into English inContinue reading “Dogberry”

Pronounced: TOUCH-stone, noun Notes: I had an idea of the meaning, but I was a little off Yesterday’s word The word viperine means “of or relating to a viper; venomous; malicious” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I thought that our word mean “snake-like”, but a viper isContinue reading “touchstone”

Pronounced: VIE-purr-in (alt: VIE-puh-rin), adj Notes: This may mean what you think Yesterday’s word The word ergogenic means “enhancing physical performance” First usage Our word came into English in the 1900s (meaning 1900-1910) Background / Comments Our word came from the Greek word ergon (work) combined with -genic (producing; causing).

Pronounced: uhr-guh-JEH-nick, adj Notes: You may be able to guess the definition, if you recognize the root parts of the word Yesterday’s word The word lazaretto is a medical facility for people with infectious diseases a building or ship used for quarantine (on a ship) a space between decks used as storage First usage OurContinue reading “ergogenic”

Pronounced: laz-uh-RET-oh, noun Notes: Not a word I’ve ever run across Yesterday’s word The word hypocorism is a pet name the use of pet names First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Before I started this blog, I did a year of vocabulary entries on Facebook, but I foundContinue reading “lazaretto”

Pronounced: hi-PAH-kuh-rih-zuhm, noun Notes: See tomorrow’s comments about this word Yesterday’s word The word Methuselah means an extremely old person an oversized wine bottle holding about six liters First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments Methuselah is a biblical figure from the Old Testament – he is theContinue reading “hypocorism”

Pronounced: meh-THOO-zuh-luh, noun Notes: There are a couple of meanings; I knew one, and was a bit fuzzy about the other Yesterday’s word The word bumptious means “presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive; obtrusive” First usage Our word came into English around 1800 Background / Comments My idea about our word was that it meanContinue reading “Methuselah”

Pronounced: BUM(P)-shus, adj Notes: I had an idea about this word, but it was (mostly) wrong Yesterday’s word The word Ananias means “a liar” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Our word comes from the Bible; specifically, the book of Acts in the New Testament. But IContinue reading “bumptious”

Pronounced: an-uh-NY-uhs, noun Notes: I did know this word; I find the origin interesting Yesterday’s phrase The phrase Sturm und Drang means “turmoil” First usage Our phrase came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments As you might expect, our word came from German, which it means “storm and stress”. When it firstContinue reading “Ananias”

Pronounced: shtourm-unt-DRANG, noun Notes: People who know German may know this word Yesterday’s word The word mew can mean, as a noun a cage for hawks, especially when molting a place for retiring or hiding (UK) [pluralized] stables with living quarters, or a row of apartments converted from stables the high-pitched sound of a catContinue reading “Sturm und Drang”