Category Archives: word

Pronounced: JUHN-too, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word in English Yesterday’s word The word arriviste means “one that is a new and uncertain arrival (in social position or artistic endeavor)” First usage Our word came into English in Background / Comments I assume that we can all remember joining a new group or startingContinue reading “junto”

Pronounced: a-rih-veest, noun Notes: We all probably have been one or know someone who has been one Yesterday’s word The word scop is “a poet or minstrel” First usage Our word came into English in the late 800s Background / Comments A very old word! I don’t think I’ve run across is anywhere before. ItContinue reading “arriviste”

Pronounced: shop (alt: skop), noun Notes: I would not have guessed the first pronunciation Yesterday’s word The word epistolary means of, relating to, or suitable to a letter contained in or carried on by letters written in the form of a series of letters First usage Our word came into English in the 1600s BackgroundContinue reading “scop”

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 a heavily wooded area; forest a wild or uncultivated (usually upland) region First usage Our word came into English before the mid-1100s Background / Comments When I first sawContinue 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 an informal conversation; chat a short informal essay 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),Continue 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”