Category Archives: word

Pronounced: SLEEV-luhs (alt: SLEEV-lis), adj Notes: Besides the obvious, this had a meaning I didn’t know Yesterday’s word The word caravansary means an inn surrounding a court in eastern countries where caravans rest hotel; inn First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word came from the MiddleContinue reading “sleeveless”

Pronounced: ker-uh-VAN(T)-suh-ree, noun Notes: A new word to me Yesterday’s word The word hackle, as a verb, means “to comb flax, hemp, or other fibers with a hackle”. As a noun, it means: hairs or feathers on the neck or back of some animals that stand up when the animal is agitated temper; anger aContinue reading “caravansary”

Pronounced: HACK-uhl, noun/verb Notes: I didn’t know one of the noun meanings, nor did I know the verb meaning Yesterday’s word The word saccade means “a small rapid jerky movement of the eye especially as it jumps from fixation on one point to another (as in reading)” First usage Well, our word with the aboveContinue reading “hackle”

Pronounced: sa-KAHD, noun Notes: Totally known word to me Yesterday’s word The word bivouac, as a noun, means “a temporary encampment in the open air, usually without tents or cover”. As a verb, it means “to take shelter temporarily for the night”. First usage The noun came into English in the early 1700s; the verbContinue reading “saccade”

Pronounced: BI-vuh-ack (alt: BIV-wak, BIV-oo-ack), noun/verb Notes: I was a little off on the meaning Yesterday’s word The word quash means “to nullify, especially by judicial action” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1300s Background / Comments I had thought that word meant something like “squash”. In doing research, I foundContinue reading “bivouac”

Pronounced: kwash, verb Notes: To my surprise, this didn’t mean what I thought it meant Yesterday’s phrase The phrase Scarborough warning means “a very short notice or no notice” First usage Our phrase came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments Our phrase is named after the UK coastal town of Scarborough, although itContinue reading “quash”

Pronounced: SKAR-buh-ruh war-ning Notes: A phrase I didn’t know Yesterday’s word The word per contra means on the contrary; by way of contrast as an offset First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments Our word comes from Italian, where it means “by the opposite side of the ledger”. AContinue reading “Scarborough warning”

Pronounced: purr-KAHN-truh, adv Notes: I didn’t know this word, but you may be able to guess the meaning Yesterday’s word The word mensch means “a decent, upright, honorable person” First usage Our word came into English in the 1910s Background / Comments Our word is a Yiddish word; it comes from mentsh (man, human being),Continue reading “per contra”

Pronounced: mench (alt: mensh), noun Notes: I’ve run across this word in reading, but wasn’t sure of the meaning Yesterday’s word The word semelparous means “reproducing or breeding only once in a lifetime” First usage Our word came into English in the 1950s Background / Comments Our word comes the Latin parts semel (once) andContinue reading “mensch”

Pronounced: seh-MEL-puh-ruhs, adj Notes: A completely new word to me Yesterday’s word The word approbation means “approval, commendation, or official sanction” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments Our word looks like “approval” and so is the meaning, so it’s easy to remember. It came from the LatinContinue reading “semelparous”