Category Archives: word

Pronounced: ap-roh-BAY-shun, noun Notes: I think I’ve run across this word, but I didn’t know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word apologia means “a defense especially of one’s opinions, position, or actions First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Our word may look like “apology”, but while theContinue reading “approbation”

Pronounced: ah-puh-LOH-juh (alt: ah-puh-LOH-jee-uh), noun Notes: I know a related word Yesterday’s word The word polydipsia means “excessive or abnormal thirst” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments As I said yesterday, I recognized “poly” part of our word. In fact, it comes from the Greek words poly- (much,Continue reading “apologia”

Pronounced: paw-lee-DIP-see-uh, noun Notes: I recognized “poly” meaning many or much, but I didn’t know the word Yesterday’s word The word garble means to so alter or distort as to create a wrong impression or to change the meaning to sift impurities from First usage Our word came into English in the early or middleContinue reading “polydipsia”

Pronounced: GAR-bull, verb Notes: This word has a second meaning that I didn’t know Yesterday’s word The word homonymous means ambiguous having the same designation of, relating to, or being homonyms First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments The third definition above is the one I knew. SomeContinue reading “garble”

Pronounced: ho-MAH-nuh-muhs, adj Notes: I knew one of the definitions Yesterday’s word The word amerce means “to punish; especially by a fine whose amounts are fixed by a court” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1200s Background / Comments Our word started with the Old French phrase a merci (at [one’s] mercy).Continue reading “homonymous”

Pronounced: uh-ERS, verb Notes: It looks like a word I know, but I didn’t know it Last word The word niddering means “a coward” First usage Our word came into English around 1600 (it is considered archaic today) Background / Comments As I noted, the word looks like a verb. It is a variant ofContinue reading “amerce”

Pronounced: NID-uhr-ing, noun Notes: It looks like it might be a verb, but it isn’t Yesterday’s word The word gregarious means tending to associate with others of one’s kind; social marked by or indicating a liking for companionship; sociable (plants) living or growing in a cluster or a colony First usage Our word came intoContinue reading “niddering”

Pronounced: grih-GER-ee-uhs, adj Notes: I keep thinking this word means “talkative”, but that’s not right Yesterday’s word The word tammany means “relating to political corruption” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Originally, Tammany (also Tamanend) was a wise and peaceful Delaware Indian chief; he became known as theContinue reading “gregarious”

Pronounced: TAM-uh-nee, adj Notes: The word was slightly familiar to me, but I did not know the definition Yesterday’s word The word sclaff means “to scrape the ground instead of hitting the ball cleanly on a golf stroke” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Those of youContinue reading “tammany”

Pronounced: sklaf, verb Notes: Many people may know this word; I didn’t — do you? Yesterday’s word The word extrality is “exemption from local laws: the privilege of living in a foreign country, but subject only to the home country’s jurisdiction” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments OurContinue reading “sclaff”