Category Archives: word

Pronounced: ih-PISS-tuh-ler-ee, adj Notes: This word meant more than I thought it did Yesterday’s word The word ye, as a definite article, means “the”. As a pronoun, it means “you” First usage The definite article came into English before the 1100s; the pronoun came into English before the 1200s Background / Comments So much toContinue reading “epistolary”

Pronounced: thee (definite article), yee (pronoun) Notes: I didn’t know about the different pronunciations; should be a good discussion tomorrow Yesterday’s word The word weald is First usage Our word came into English before the mid-1100s Background / Comments When I first saw our word, I saw “weal”, which I knew from the expression “forContinue reading “ye”

Pronounced: WIELD, noun Notes: I was thrown off by this word Yesterday’s word The word nu, as an interjection, means “well” or “so. As a noun, it refers to the 13th letter of the Greek alphabet. First usage The interjection came into English in the late 1800s; the noun has been around since the earlyContinue reading “weald”

Pronounced: NEW (alt: nyoo), int/noun Notes: A short word I kind of knew, but not well Yesterday’s word The word causerie is First usage Our word first appeared in English in the early 1800s Background / Comments I thought that our word should have three syllables (caw-suh-ree), so seeing the correct pronunciation was a surpriseContinue reading “nu”

Pronounced: koze-REE, noun Notes: I may have run across this word in reading; it seems faintly familiar Yesterday’s word The word aa is “lava having a rough surface” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word came from the Hawaiian word aa (to burn). And, yes, there isContinue reading “causerie”

Pronounced: AH-ah, noun Notes: This is a word you either know or don’t know Yesterday’s phrase The phrase golden handcuffs are “special benefits offered to an employee an an inducement to continue service” First usage Our phrase came into English in the 1970s Background / Comments I have heard of a “golden parachute”, which refersContinue reading “aa”

Pronounced: As it sounds: GOHL-den HAN(D)-cuffs, noun Notes: I’ve not run across this word; have you? Yesterday’s word The word heimisch means “homely; unpretentious” First usage Our word came into English in the 1960s Background / Comments Our word came from the Yiddish word heymish (domestic), which came from the Old High German word heimContinue reading “golden handcuffs”

Pronounced: HAY-mish (alt: HI-mish), adj Notes: Also spelled heimish or haimish Yesterday’s word The word lamster is “a fugitive; especially one from the law” First usage Our word came into English in the 1900s (1900-1910) Background / Comments I should have figured out our word, as I’m familiar with the phrase “on the lam” forContinue reading “heimisch”

Pronounced: LAM(P)-stir, noun Notes: This is not a special kind of hamster… Yesterday’s word The word acerbate means “to irritate; to aggravate” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments There are three similar words in English: acerbate (our word), exacerbate, and exasperate. Do you know the difference? Our wordContinue reading “lamster”

Pronounced: AS-uhr-bate, verb Notes: You may know this word Yesterday’s word The word bootless does NOT mean “not wearing a boot”, but “useless; unprofitable” (but see the comments below) First usage Our word came into English before 1000 Background / Comments Okay, our word has been used to mean “not wearing boots”, but our meaningContinue reading “acerbate”