Category Archives: word

Pronounced: PIH-puhn, noun Notes: There are two meanings that don’t seem to be related – do you know either? Yesterday’s word The word abstentious means “self-retraining, especially in eating or drinking” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word looks like “abstinence”, so readers may have been ableContinue reading “pippin”

Pronounced: abs-TEN-shus, adj Notes: This word was a near thing (whether or not to use it) Yesterday’s word The word cachinnate is “to laugh loudly or immoderately” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin verb cachinnare (to laugh loudly); it is thoughtContinue reading “abstentious”

Pronounced: KAH-kuh-nate, verb Notes: Not at all what I thought. Yesterday’s word The word colophon is First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I knew that our word was related to books, but I did not know the exact meaning. It came from the Latin word colophon, which cameContinue reading “cachinnate”

Pronounced: KOL-uh-fon (alt: KOL-uh-fun), noun Notes: I have read the word, but I didn’t know the definition Yesterday’s word The word redbrick means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1700s Background / Comments The first definition is kind of “duh!”; it’s what most people would think it meant. The second meaningContinue reading “colophon”

Pronounced: RED-brick (as is appears), adj Notes: This word has two definition; one is more obvious than the other Yesterday’s word The word recto is “the front of a leaf; the side that is to be read first” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments In an EnglishContinue reading “redbrick”

Pronounced: REK-toe, noun Notes: Not what I thought, and very common Yesterday’s word The word desideratum is “something desired as essential” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word is a close cousin of “desire”. Our word came from the Latin word desiderare (to long for), which wasContinue reading “recto”

Pronounced: dih-sih-duh-RAH-tuhm, noun Notes: You may be able to guess the meaning of this word Yesterday’s word The word frangible means “readily broken; breakable” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin word frangere (to break). This word tends to refer to something thatContinue reading “desideratum”

Pronounced: FRAN-juh-bull, adj Notes: I didn’t know this word existed Yesterday’s word The word manticore is “a legendary animal with the head of a man, the body of a lion, and the tail of a dragon or scorpion” First usage Our word came into English in the early to mid-1300s Background / Comments I thinkContinue reading “frangible”

Pronounced: MAN-tih-core, noun Notes: I knew our word, but didn’t know the proper definition Yesterday’s word The word quiescent means “still; inactive; not showing symptoms” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments I was aware of the ‘still’ and ‘inactive’ definitions of our word; it makes me thinkContinue reading “manticore”

Pronounced: qwee-ES-uht (alt: kwhy-ES-uhnt), adj Notes: I knew a couple of the definitions, but not one Yesterday’s word The word gormandize means “to eat greedily, gluttonously, or ravenously” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments Our word came from a modification of gourmand, which came from French as aContinue reading “quiescent”