Category Archives: word

Pronounced: PAHN-druhs (alt: PAHN-duh-ruhs) Notes: I did not know all the meanings of this word Yesterday’s word The word cento is “a literary work (especially a poem) composed of parts taken from works of other authors” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments Our word is new toContinue reading “ponderous”

Pronounced: SEN-to, noun Notes: This word is new to me Yesterday’s word The word divarication means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word originally had the literal definition of spreading apart (as two roads may do). Over time, the meaning spread to a metaphorical sense (asContinue reading “cento”

Pronounced: die-ver-uh-KAY-shun, noun Notes: I didn’t know there was a word for this thing Yesterday’s word The word doggerel is First usage Our word came into English in the early 1400s Background / Comments I am not sure how well known this word is; I have both read it and heard it (both UK sources).Continue reading “divarication”

Pronounced: DAH-guhr-uhl (alt: DOG-uhr-uhl), noun Notes: I don’t know how well known this word is Yesterday’s word The word convoke means “to call together to a meeting” First usage Our word came into English in the very late 1500s Background / Comments I didn’t know our word, but when I saw the definition, I thoughtContinue reading “doggerel”

Pronounced: kuhn-VOKE, verb Notes: Interesting thoughts Yesterday’s word The word epigram is “a short witty saying, often in verse” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I confused our word with “pangram”. A famous Benjamin Franklin epigram is “Little strokes/Fell great oaks”. Our word came from the Latin wordContinue reading “convoke”

Pronounced: EP-ih-gram, noun Notes: I get this word confused with another word Yesterday’s word The word prolix means First usage Our word came into English around 1400 Background / Comments I like having an alternative to “verbose” and “wordy”; in addition, I thought that this would be a great Scrabble word. It seems that ourContinue reading “epigram”

Pronounced: PRO-licks, adj Notes: An interesting word Yesterday’s word The word clerihew is “a humorous, pseudo-biographical verse of four lines of uneven length, using the rhyming scheme AABB and with the first line containing the name of the subject” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments Our word cameContinue reading “prolix”

Pronounced: KLER-uh-hyoo, noun Notes: I save off words to use in these posts; this word I ran across nine years ago, and I don’t remember it at all. Yesterday’s word The word depredate means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I get ourContinue reading “clerihew”

Pronounced: DEH-pruh-date, verb Notes: I get this word confused with a similar one Yesterday’s word The word tumulus is First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments I have heard “barrow” for many years, but I’ve never heard our word used. It came from the Latin word tumere (toContinue reading “depredate”

Pronounced: TOO-myuh-luhs (alt: TYOO-myuh-luhs), noun Notes: I’ve never heard this word, but I do know a synonym Yesterday’s word The word phatic means “of, relating to, or being speech used for social or emotive purposes rather than for communicating information” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments If youContinue reading “tumulus”