Category Archives: word

Pronounced: JAH-kuhnd, adj Notes: This was a borderline case; I was a little familiar with the word Yesterday’s phrase The phrase Paul Pry is “an excessively inquisitive person” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I have a recollection of running across our word somewhere. For some reason, IContinue reading “jocund”

Pronounced: (like it looks) Notes: I think I’ve run across the word somewhere Yesterday’s word The word controvertible means “capable of being disputed or opposed by reason” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments I find it interesting that the more common opposite word – incontrovertible – isContinue reading “Paul Pry”

Pronounced: KAHN-truh-ver-tuh-buhl, adj Notes: I should have known the definition Yesterday’s word The word Lorelei is “a dangerously seductive woman” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments I happen to know a teenager named Lorelei; she most certainly is nothing like her name definition. Our word came fromContinue reading “controvertible”

Pronounced: LORE-uh-lie, noun Notes: Not a word I know, but I do know a person with this name Yesterday’s phrase The phrase big data is “an accumulation of data that is too large and complex for processing by traditional database management tools” First usage Our phrase came into English around 1980 Background / Comments OurContinue reading “Lorelei”

Pronounced: big DAY-tuh, noun Notes: I wasn’t quite sure of the meaning of our phrase Yesterday’s phrase The phrase pro rata means, as an adverb, “proportionally”. As an adjective, it means “proportional” First usage Our phrase came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments As I noted, I’ve run across the phrase, andContinue reading “big data”

Pronounced: pro RAY-tuh (alt: pro-RAH-tuh), adv/adj Notes: This is one of the words that I’ve run across, but wasn’t completely sure of the definition Yesterday’s word The word glom means First usage Our word came into English in the very late 1800s Background / Comments This entry was odd. I ran across our word inContinue reading “pro rata”

Pronounced: GLAHM, verb Notes: I’m puzzled by the definition I have for the word; it doesn’t match the usage I have run across Yesterday’s word The word doryphore is “a pedantic or persistent critic” First usage Our word came into English in the 1950s Background / Comments Frankly, I don’t quite understand the background ofContinue reading “glom”

Pronounced: DOR-uh-for, noun Notes: I don’t recall seeing this word before this Yesterday’s word The word euphony means “a harmonious succession of words or sounds” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments In college, I briefly studied Greek, so I recognized the two parts of our word: eu-Continue reading “doryphore”

Pronounced: YOU-fuh-nee, noun Notes: I could trace the etymology of our word, but I wasn’t quite right with the definition Yesterday’s word The word ratty means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments The first definition is obvious; however, in the course of my reading, I’ve run across bothContinue reading “euphony”

Pronounced: RAT-ee, adj Notes: Do you know all of the definitions? Yesterday’s word The word undulant means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments I am familiar with the verb undulate (to form or move in waves). I did not know that it was also used as anContinue reading “ratty”