Category Archives: word

Pronounced: EN-uhr-vate, verb; ih-NURR-vit, adj Notes: One of those words in which the two parts of speech are pronounced differently Yesterday’s word The word meliorism is “the belief that the world tends to improve and that humans can aid its betterment” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / CommentsContinue reading “enervate”

Pronounced: MEEL-yuh-rih-zuhm, noun Notes: An interesting word, but I didn’t know it Yesterday’s word The word oppugn means “to call in question; to contradict; to dispute” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments I had a kind of sense of the meaning, so my idea of “run down (asContinue reading “meliorism”

Pronounced: uh-PYOON, verb Notes: I was pretty close to the meaning Yesterday’s word The word sockdolager is First usage Our word came into English in the early to mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word is an Americanism; the theory is that it comes from the word sock (to punch) and a corruption of the wordContinue reading “oppugn”

Pronounced: sock-DAH-lih-juhr, noun Notes: This is a word I know of, but I didn’t know the definition – do you know it? Yesterday’s word The word precipitous means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I am familiar with the third definition (as in the phrase ‘let’s not takeContinue reading “sockdolager”

Pronounced: prih-SIP-ih-tuss, adj Notes: I know one of definitions Yesterday’s word The word gravamen is “the material or significant part of a grievance or complaint” First usage Our word came into English in the very late 1500s (maybe very early 1600s). Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin verb gravare (to burden), whichContinue reading “precipitous”

Pronounced: gruh-VAY-muhn, noun Notes: A new word to me Yesterday’s word The word fructuous means “productive; fruitful; fertile” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments I think our word confuses me because it looks like “fructose”. It came from the Latin word fructus (fruit), which itself came from fruiContinue reading “gravamen”

Pronounced: FRUHK-choo-us (alt: FROOK-choo-us), adj Notes: It’s been multiple years since I ran across this word, but I remembered it Yesterday’s word The word epigram is First usage Our word has a couple of entrances into English; one in the 1400s, and a second in the late 1700s (see below) Background / Comments As IContinue reading “fructuous”

Pronounced: EH-puh-gram, noun Notes: This was a borderline case for me (more tomorrow) Yesterday’s word The word prolegomenon is “a critical, introductory discussion, especially an introduction to a text”. First usage Our word came into English around 1600 Background / Comments I don’t know if I have ever read a prolegomenon. It seems a bitContinue reading “epigram”

Pronounced: proh-lih-GOM-uh-non (alt: proh-lih-GOM-uh-nuhn), noun Notes: Quite a mouthful of a word! Yesterday’s word The word deke means “to fake an opponent out of position (as in ice hockey)” First usage Our word came into English in the 1950s Background / Comments Our word is a shortened form of decoy. It was used as aContinue reading “prolegomenon”

Pronounced: DEEK, verb Notes: Not a word I’ve heard of Yesterday’s word The word livelong means “whole” or “entire” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments One might think the word refers to someone who lives a long time. However, as a child, I heard the song I’ve BeenContinue reading “deke”