Category Archives: word

Pronounced: dih-PLOH-pee-uh, noun Notes: This is a fancy word for something you’ve probably heard of Yesterday’s word The word parthenogenesis is “reproduction without fertilization” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word came from two Greek words: partheno- (virgin; without fertilization) and -genesis (beginning; creation).

Pronounced: par-thuh-no-JEN-uh-sis, noun Notes: You may know this word Yesterday’s word The word salient means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I was aware of the third definition, but not the other two; I’m used to hearing our word in the phrase “the salient points of the article”.Continue reading “parthenogenesis”

Pronounced: SAY-lyent, adj Notes: I thought I knew this definition Yesterday’s word The word preternatural means “beyond what is natural or normal” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin words praeter- (beyond; past) and naturam (nature), so it still has the literalContinue reading “salient”

Pronounced: pree-tuhr-NATCH-uh-ruhl (alt: prih-tuhr-NATCH-uh-ruhl), adj Notes: An interesting word (see the discussion tomorrow) Yesterday’s word The word extirpate means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments When our word first came into English, it meant “to clear of stumps” or “to pull something up by the root”. A plantContinue reading “preternatural”

Pronounced: EK-stir-pate, verb Notes: Not a word I know Yesterday’s word The word Frankenfood is “genetically modified food” First usage Our word came into English in the 1990s Background / Comments If you thought of Frankenstein’s monster, you’d probably get the meaning of this word. Contrary to popular usage, the monster is not Frankenstein; FrankensteinContinue reading “extirpate”

Pronounced: FRANG-kuhn-food, noun Notes: You may know this word, or be able to guess it Yesterday’s word The word viridity means First usage Our word came into English in the first half of the 1400s Background / Comment If I had thought of “verdigris”, I would have had the definition correct, but I thought ofContinue reading “Frankenfood”

Pronounced: vuh-RIH-duh-tee, noun Notes: This word had a surprise definition for me Yesterday’s word The word opprobrium means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I have run across this word somewhere (probably in reading) and had the impression of the first definition. But it is a word thatContinue reading “viridity”

Pronounced: uh-PRO-bree-um, noun Notes: I was pretty close on this one, but I don’t know how well-known it is Yesterday’s word The word rococo means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Another word with only one vowel. I knew that our word referred to some particular artistic style,Continue reading “opprobrium”

Pronounced: ruh-KOH-koh, adj Notes: I’ve heard this word, but couldn’t definite is accurately Yesterday’s word The word parastatal means, as a noun, “a company or agency owned wholly or partly by the government”. As an adjective, it refers to such an organization. First usage Our word came into English in the 1940s Background / CommentsContinue reading “rococo”

Pronounced: par-uh-STATE-l, noun/adj Notes: I didn’t know this word existed Yesterday’s word The word emprise is “an adventurous, daring, or chivalric enterprise” First usage Our word came into English in the second half of the 1200s Background / Comments Our word came from the Anglo-French word emprendre (to undertake). Our word was used in TheContinue reading “parastatal”