Category Archives: word

Pronounced: WIH-thee, noun Notes: Another word I’ve never run across Yesterday’s word The capriole means a playful leap; caper a leap made by a trained horse involving a backward kick of the hind legs at the top of the leap First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments OurContinue reading “withy”

Pronounced: CAP-ree-ol, noun Notes: I did not know this word Yesterday’s word The word contumely is “harsh language or treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments If you know Shakespeare well, you may have known our word. It occurs in the famousContinue reading “capriole”

Pronounced: kahn-TOO-muh-lee, noun Notes: I have run across this word (or a close relative), but I couldn’t properly define it Yesterday’s word The word winkle means, as a noun, “a periwinkle, any of various mollusks with a spiral shell”. As a verb, it means “to extract with difficulty”. First usage Our word came into EnglishContinue reading “contumely”

Pronounced: WING-kuhl, noun/verb Notes: I knew the verb meaning, but not the noun Yesterday’s word The word presage means to give an omen or warning of; foreshadow foretell; predict to make or utter a prediction First usage Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1300s Background / Comments Our word – theContinue reading “winkle”

Pronounced: PREH-sij, verb Notes: Another word I don’t recall having seen (and my guess was way off) Yesterday’s word The word pullulate means to sprout or breed to swarm or teem to increase rapidly First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments Our word came from the Latin wordContinue reading “presage”

Pronounced: PULL-yuh-late, verb Notes: A new word for me Yesterday’s word The word fructuous means “fruitful” First usage Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1300s Background / Comments I had the meaning wrong because when I saw our word, I saw a similarity to the word “fractious”; had I thought ofContinue reading “pullulate”

Pronounced: FREK-chuh-wuhs, adj Notes: I didn’t get this word right; you may know it Yesterday’s word The word magpie means any of various birds, typically having a long tail and black-and-white plumage (also used of other birds that resemble a magpie) a chatterer a person who indiscriminately collects things (especially things of little value) FirstContinue reading “fructuous”

Pronounced: MAG-pie Notes: I knew some of the meanings, but not all of them Yesterday’s word The word trattoria means “a restaurant; specifically a usually small Italian restaurant” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments In thinking about our word, I don’t think I have run across it –Continue reading “magpie”

Pronounced: trah-tuh-REE-uh, noun Notes: This word seems a bit familiar to me, but I don’t remember running across it Yesterday’s word The word dotterel is any of the various plovers (birds) breeding in mountainous areas someone who is easily duped First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments I haveContinue reading “trattoria”

Pronounced: DOT-uhr-uhl, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, but it turns out I did know some of the background Yesterday’s word The word cognizable means capable of being judicially heard and determined capable of being known First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments I knew the secondContinue reading “dotterel”