Category Archives: word

Pronounced: fak-TISH-us, adj Notes: I thought that this word may be somehow about facts (but no) Yesterday’s word The word vaticination means prediction the act of prophesying First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s or early 1600s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word vates (prophet). Our wordContinue reading “factitious”

Pronounced: vuh-tih-suh-NAY-shun, noun Notes: Another word I don’t think I’ve run across Yesterday’s word The word proem is “an introduction, preface, or preamble” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1400s Background / Comments Our word came from the Old French word proeme, which came from the Latin word prooemium, which cameContinue reading “vaticination”

Pronounced: PRO-uhm (alt: PRO-em), noun Notes: Not a misspelling of “poem”; I’ve never heard of this word Yesterday’s word The word asperse means sprinkle – especially with holy water to attack with evil reports or false or injurious charges First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments I amContinue reading “proem”

Pronounced: uh-SPUHRS, verb Notes: Yet another word I’ve not run across Yesterday’s word The word secretory means “relating to the release of a substance from a cell, gland, or an organ” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word secernere (to distinguish),Continue reading “asperse”

Pronounced: si-KREE-tuh-ree, adj Notes: Looks like “secretary” misspelled, but that’s not it at all Yesterday’s word The word oleaginous means resembling or having the properties of oil; or containing or producing oil marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments Our wordContinue reading “secretory”

Pronounced: oh-lee-A-juh-nuhs, adj Notes: You may have a bit of a clue as to the meaning of this word Yesterday’s word The word grogram is “a course fabric of silk, combined with mohair or wool, and often stiffened with gum” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments Our wordContinue reading “oleaginous”

Pronounced: GROG-rum, noun Notes: This word is completely new to me Yesterday’s word The word pooh-bah is a person holding many public or private offices a person in high position or of great influence First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I have heardContinue reading “grogram”

Pronounced: POO-bah, noun Notes: I’ve heard this word, but had no clue as to the origination of it Yesterday’s word The word vizard is “a visor, mask, or disguise” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments Our word is a variant of “visor”, which comes from the Anglo-French wordContinue reading “pooh-bah”

Pronounced: VIZ-uhrd, noun Notes: Also spelled “visard”, this is not “wizard” misspelled Yesterday’s word The word cicerone is a guide who conducts sightseers mentor; tutor First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments When I saw our word, I thought of the Roman named “Cicero” – rather to my surprise,Continue reading “vizard”

Pronounced: si-suh-ROH-nee, noun Notes: I didn’t know the definition, but my tentative guess at the origin was correct Yesterday’s word The word cocker, as a verb, means “to pamper or spoil”. As a noun, it is “a breed of small spaniel dog” First usage The verb definition came into English in the late 1400; theContinue reading “cicerone”