Category Archives: word

Pronounced: em-PRIZE, noun Notes: An old word, but I didn’t know it Yesterday’s word The word defervescence is “the abatement of a fever” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1700s Background / Comments When I saw our word, I thought of effervescence, and thought it might be related, but while theyContinue reading “emprise”

Pronounced: dee-fur-VESS-uhns, noun Notes: Not at all what I thought Yesterday’s word The word farceur means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Like me, you probably thought that our word had something to do with “farce” (and we were right), but I was unaware of the firstContinue reading “defervescence”

Pronounced: far-SUHR, noun Notes: You may be able to guess one of the definitions Yesterday’s phrase The phrase ex post means, as an adjective, “based on past events; actual, rather then predicted”. As an adverb, it means “retrospectively” First usage Our phrase came into English in the 1930s Background / Comments I don’t know ifContinue reading “farceur”

Pronounced: ex-POST, adj/adv Notes: I could not quite define this phrase correctly Yesterday’s word The word gruntle means “to put in a good humor” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments You probably got the definition right if you thought of “disgruntle” (to make ill-humored). That word has beenContinue reading “ex post”

Pronounced: GRUHN-t(uh)l, verb Notes: You may know this word (or be able to guess it), but it is interesting Yesterday’s word The word bryology is “the branch of botany that deals with mosses, liverworts, and hornworts” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I had no idea that thereContinue reading “gruntle”

Pronounced: bry-OL-uh-jee, noun Notes: Clearly, a study of (something)… Yesterday’s word The word ponderous means First usage Our word came into English around 1400 Background / Comment I knew the first two definition; however, the third one I didn’t know. Our word came from the Middle French word ponderos [alt: pondereuse] (heavy), which came fromContinue reading “bryology”

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”