6 Word for the day
Not so much 'word for the day', as words I've picked up over the days.
The first thing I do every day is read the news. As I do this invariably I come across a new word or one I've forgotten the meaning of, but most often, a word in common usage whose origin intrigues me. I kept forgetting what I'd looked up and decided to keep a log of them:
abstemious Indulging only very moderately in something, especially food and drink.
Origin: early 17th century: from Latin abstemius, (from ab- ‘from’ + a word related to
temetum ‘alcoholic drink’) + -ous.
acolyte 1. A person assisting a priest in a religious service or procession.
2. An assistant or follower.
Origin: Middle English: from Old French acolyt or ecclesiastical Latin acolytus, from Greek akolouthos ‘follower’.
acquiescence The reluctant acceptance of something without protest.
Origin: early 17th cent: from Latin acquiescere, from ad- ‘to, at’ + quiescere
‘to rest’.
actinic Of light or lighting; able to cause photochemical reactions, as in photography,
through having a significant short wavelength or ultraviolet component (e.g. 193nm).
Origin: mid 19th century: from Greek aktis, aktin- ‘ray’ + -ic.
adobe 1. A kind of clay used as a building material. 2. A brick formed from adobe.
3. A building constructed from adobe clay or bricks.
Origin: mid 18th century: from Spanish, from adobar ‘to plaster’, from Arabic a?-?ub,
from al ‘the’ + ?ub ‘bricks’.
aethon The colour red-brown, or tawny.
Origin: from ancient Greek 'aithôn' meaning 'burning', 'blazing' or 'shining'.
affectation Behaviour, speech, or writing that is pretentious and designed to impress.
Origin: mid 16th century: from Latin affectatio(n-), from the verb affectare.
ampersand (glyph) the symbol & sign
Origin: late 18th century: alteration of and per se and ‘ & by itself is and ’,
formerly chanted as an aid to learning the sign. It is a graphic representation of the
Latin 'et', which translates to 'and'.
aneurysm A weakening of an artery wall that creates a bulge, or distention, of the artery.
Origin: late Middle English: from Greek aneurusma ‘dilatation’, from
aneurunein ‘widen out’.
anosmia The loss of the sense of smell, either total or partial.
Origin: from Greek an- 'not, without' (an- + osme 'smell' (Doric odme), from odsme,
from PIE root hed- 'to smell' (odor) + abstract noun ending -ia.
antithesis 1. A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.
2. (in Hegelian philosophy) the negation of the thesis as the second stage in the
process of dialectical reasoning.
Origin: late Middle English (originally denoting the substitution of one grammatical
case for another): from late Latin, from Greek antitithenai ‘set against’, from
anti ‘against’ + tithenai ‘to place’.
aphasia An inability to comprehend and formulate language because of damage to specific brain
regions. This damage is typically caused by a cerebral vascular accident (stroke), or
head trauma
Origin: mid 19th century: from Greek, from aphatos ‘speechless’, from a- ‘not’ + phanai
‘speak’.
aphorism 1. A pithy observation which contains a general truth. "the old aphorism ‘the child is
father to the man’"
2. A concise statement of a scientific principle, typically by a classical author.
'the opening sentence of the first aphorism of Hippocrates'.
Origin: early 16th century: from French aphorisme or late Latin aphorismus, from Greek
aphorismos ‘definition’, from aphorizein ‘define’.
apropos With reference to; concerning
Origin: adv. 1660s, 'opportunely', from French à propos 'to the purpose', from propos
'thing said in conversation, talk; purpose, plan', from Latin propositium 'purpose',
past participle of proponere 'to set forth, propose'. Fr. meaning 'as regards', 1761.
ascetic Characterized by severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence,
typically for religious reasons.
Origin: mid 17th century: from medieval Latin asceticus or Greek asketikos, from
asketes ‘monk’, from askein ‘to exercise’.
asperand (Glyph) the symbol @; at sign.
Origin: A ligature, created originally by accountants, from the first letters of the
words 'at' and 'each' (the circle over the 'a' stands for the 'e' in 'each').
astronaut An astronaut is what Western countries, like the UK and America, call a person who goes
into outer space. The Soviet Union use the word cosmonaut. Astronauts are called
'taikonauts' in China or 'spationaute' in France.
Origin: the word 'astronaut' comes from the Greek words astron, meaning 'star', and
nautes, meaning 'sailor'.
atavistic Relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral.
Origin: late 19th century: based on Latin atavus ‘forefather’ + the suffix -istic .
autocratic Rule by absolute power, taking no account of other people's wishes or opinions:
tyrannical.
Origin: from French autocrate, from Latinized form of Greek autokrates 'ruling by
oneself, absolute, autocratic', from autos 'self' + kratia 'rule,' from kratos
'strength, power'.
autophagy A natural regeneration process at a cellular level in the body, reducing the likelihood
of contracting some diseases as well as prolonging lifespan.
Origin: from the Greek for 'self' and 'phagein', which means 'to eat'.
banal So lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.
Origin: 1840, from French banal, 'belonging to a manor, common, hackneyed, commonplace,
communal' (13c.), from decree; legal control; authorisation; payment for use of
communal oven, mill, etc.
bassinet A child's wicker cradle.
Origin: mid 19th century: from French, diminutive of bassin ‘basin’.
bescumber To discharge ordure or dung upon.
Origin: be + scumber; From Ancient Greek skómbros, possibly ultimately of
Pre-Greek origin.
blather Talk in a long-winded way without making very much sense.
Origin: late Middle English (as a verb; originally Scots and northern English dialect):
from Old Norse blathra ‘talk nonsense’, from blathr ‘nonsense’.
boorish Rough and bad-mannered; coarse; uncouth, uncultured, rustic, so low-bred in habits as
to be offensive.
Origin: 1560s, from boor (n.) + -ish. Related: Boorishly; boorishness.
bowser 1. A tanker used for fuelling aircraft and other vehicles or for supplying water.
2. (Oz/NZ) A petrol pump.
Origin: 1920s: from the name of a company of oil storage engineers.
cache 1. A collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place.
2. An auxiliary computer memory from which high-speed retrieval is possible.
3. To store away in hiding or for future use.
4. To store (data) in a cache memory.
Origin: late 18th century: from French, from cacher ‘to hide’.
cant Hypocritical and sanctimonious talk, typically of a moral, religious, or political
nature.
Origin: Early 16th century: probably from Latin cantare ‘to sing'. The early meaning
was ‘musical sound, singing’; in the mid 17th century this gave rise to the senses
‘whining manner of speaking’ and ‘form of words repeated mechanically in such a manner’
(for example a beggar's plea).
capricious Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behaviour.
Origin: early 17th century: from French capricieux, from Italian capriccioso.
caracal A caracal is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia
and India. The caracal is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face,
long tufted ears and long canine teeth.
Origin: mid 19th century: from French or Spanish, from Turkish karakulak, from kara
‘black’ + kulak ‘ear’ (because of its black ear tufts).
catatonic 1. Relating to or characterized by catatonia.
2. Of or in an immobile or unresponsive stupor.
Origin: Catatonia C20: New Latin, from German Katatonie, from cata- + -tonia, from
Greek tonos tension.
cathartic 1. Providing psychological relief through the open expression of strong emotions.
2. A purgative drug.
Origin: early 17th century (in medical use): via late Latin from Greek kathartikos,
from katharsis ‘cleansing’.
caveat A warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations.
Origin: mid 16th century: from Latin, literally ‘let a person beware’.
centurion The commander of a century in the ancient Roman army). Centuries, or centuriae,
developed from the Roman tribal system under the Servian reforms and could contain 200
to 1000 men.
Origin: late 13c., from Latin centurionem (nominative centurio), 'Roman army officer,
head of a centuria' (a group of one hundred).
coda 1. The concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically a basic structure addendum.
2. The concluding section of a dance, especially of a pas de deux or a ballet finale.
in which dancers parade before the audience. 3. A concluding event, remark, or section.
Origin: mid 18th century: Italian, from Latin cauda ‘tail’.
cohort An ancient Roman military unit, comprising six centuries, equal to one tenth of a
legion. Alt.. a group of people with a shared characteristic.
Origin: late Middle English: from Old French cohorte, or from Latin cohors,
cohort- ‘yard, retinue’.
concierge 1. (esp. France) a resident caretaker of a block of flats or a small hotel.
2. A hotel employee whose job is to assist guests by making reservations, etc.
3. House-porter, doorkeeper, caretaker; 4. (US) Janitor, custodian
5 . Lodge-keeper of a château; 6. keeper, jailor (prison)
Origin: unknown (assume French).
contemporaneous Existing at or occurring in the same period of time.
Origin: mid 17th century: from Latin, from con- ‘together with’ + temporaneus
(from tempus, tempor- ‘time’) + -ous.
covent A convent or monastery
Origin: C13: from Old French covent, from Latin conventus meeting, from convenire to
come together.
culpable Deserving blame.
Origin: Middle English (in the sense ‘deserving punishment’): from Old French coupable,
culpable, from Latin culpabilis, from culpare ‘to blame’, from culpa ‘fault, blame’.
curfew A rule or law that sets a time that certain people have to be off the streets.
Origin: from Old French cuevrefeu 'cover fire' from cuevre, cover and feu, fire.
In medieval Europe it was common for a bell to be rung at a certain hour in the evening
(often 8pm) indicating that all fires must be covered or put out, in order to prevent
domestic fires from accidentally burning down whole villages or towns.
Dafydd Welsh for Davy
defile A narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills
Origin: late Middle English: alteration of obsolete defoul, from Old French defouler
‘trample down’, influenced by obsolete befile ‘befoul, defile’
dementia A chronic or persistent disorder of mental processes caused by brain disease or injury
Origin: late 18th century: from Latin, from demens, dement- ‘out of one's mind’.
demotic 1. Demotic is the ancient Egyptian script derived from northern forms of hieratic used
in the Nile Delta, and the stage of the Egyptian language written in this script,
following Late Egyptian and preceding Coptic.
2. Ordinary colloquial speech.
Origin: C19: from Greek demotikos of the people, from demotes a man of the people,
commoner.
denouement 1. The final part of a play, film, or narrative in which the plot is explained or
resolved.
2. The outcome of a situation, when something is decided or made clear.
Origin: mid 18th century: French dénouement, from dénouer ‘unknot’.
deportment The way a person stands and walks, particularly as an element of etiquette.
Origin: early 17th century (denoting behaviour in general): from French déportement,
from the verb déporter meaning 'swerve'.
deposition 1. Taking testimony outside of court. 2. The removal of a person of authority from
political power. 3. A widespread initiation ritual for new students practiced from the
Middle Ages until the 18th century.
Origin: late Middle English: from Latin depositio(n-), from the verb deponere to lay
down or put aside.
dewar A double-walled flask of metal or silvered glass with a vacuum between the walls, used
to hold liquids at well below ambient temperature.
Origin: late 19th century: named after Sir James Dewar, the Scottish chemist who
invented the vacuum flask.
didactic 1. Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.
2. In the manner of a teacher, particularly so as to appear patronizing.
Origin: mid 17th century: from Greek didaktikos, from didaskein ‘teach’.
diorama A model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures, either in miniature or as a large-scale museum exhibit.
Origin: early 19th century: coined in French from dia- ‘through’, on the pattern of
panorama.
doyenne The most respected or prominent woman in a particular field.
Origin: mid 19th century: from French, feminine of doyen, meaning dean (the dean of a
group is the most important member of that group).
disavow Deny any responsibility or support for.
Origin: Middle English to Anglo-French; prefix des- and the verb avouer, meaning "to
avow." The prefix des- in turn derives from the Latin prefix dis-, meaning "apart."
disingenuous Not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than
one really does.
Origin: Disingenuous combines dis-, meaning not, with ingenuous (from the Latin gen-,
meaning born) which was originally used to distinguish free-born Romans from slaves,
and later came to mean honest or straightforward.
drat A mild expression of annoyance or irritation.
Origin: early 19th century: shortening of od rat, euphemism for God rot.
dysphoria A state of unease or generalized dissatisfaction with life.
Origin: mid 19th century: from Greek dusphoria, from dusphoros ‘hard to bear’.
edify Instruct or improve (someone) morally or intellectually.
Origin: Middle English: from Old French edifier, from Latin aedificare ‘build’, from
aedis ‘dwelling’ + facere ‘make’ (compare with edifice). The word originally meant
‘construct a building’, also ‘strengthen’, hence to ‘build up’ morally.
oenology The science and study of wine and winemaking.
Origin: early 19th century: from Greek oinos ‘wine’ + -logy.
effete 1. Affected, over-refined, and ineffectual. 2. No longer capable of effective action.
3. (Of a man) weak or effeminate.
Origin: early 17th cent ‘no longer fertile’ from Latin effetus ‘worn out by bearing
young’, from ex- ‘out’ + fetus ‘breeding’; related to fetus.
endemic 1. Of a disease or condition: found among particular people or in a certain area.
2. Of a plant or animal: native & restricted to a certain place.
3. Endemic plant or animal.
Origin: mid 17th century (as a noun): from French endémique or modern Latin endemicus,
from Greek endemios ‘native’ (based on demos ‘people’).
eremite A Christian hermit or recluse.
Origin: middle English: from Old French eremite from late Latin eremita (see hermit).
eugenics The study of or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human
species or a human population, especially by such means as discouraging reproduction by
persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits
(negative eugenics) or encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable
desirable traits (positive eugenics)
Origin: derived from Greek 'eugenes' meaning 'good in birth' or 'noble in heredity'.
ergo Latin: therefore
ergot A group of fungi of the genus Claviceps. The most prominent member of this group is
Claviceps purpurea ("rye ergot fungus").
Origin: late 17th century: from French, from Old French argot ‘cock's spur’ (because of
the appearance produced by the disease).
extirpated Eradicate or destroy completely.
Origin: late Middle English (as extirpation ): from Latin exstirpare, from ex- ‘out’ +
stirps ‘a stem’.
facade 1. The principal front of a building, that faces on to a street or open space.
2. A deceptive outward appearance.
Origin: mid 17th cent from French façade, from ‘face’, on the pattern of Italian
facciata.
fad 1. An intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, esp. short-lived; a craze.
2. An arbitrary like or dislike.
Origin: mid 19th century (originally dialect): probably the second element of fidfad,
contraction of fiddle-faddle.
fatuous Silly and pointless.
Origin: early 17th century: from Latin fatuus ‘foolish’ + -ous.
furlough Leave of absence, especially that granted to a member of the services or a missionary.
Origin: early 17th century: from Dutch verlof, modelled on German Verlaub, of West
Germanic origin and related to leave.
garrulous Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.
Origin: early 17th century: from Latin garrulus (from garrire ‘to chatter, prattle’) +
-ous.
ghrelin A hormone that is secreted by cells in the stomach and promotes hunger before an
expected meal, decreases in amount after eating, and promotes secretion of growth
hormone. aka 'hunger hormone', lenomorelin (INN), a peptide hormone produced by
ghrelinergic cells in the gastrointestinal tract which functions as a neuropeptide in
the central nervous system.
Origin: derived from: g(rowth) h(ormone) rel(easing peptide).
glib Fluent but insincere and shallow (adjective: of words or a speaker).
Origin: late 16th century (also in the sense ‘smooth, unimpeded’): ultimately of
Germanic origin; related to Dutch ‘slippery’ and German glibberig ‘slimy’.
glyph A hieroglyphic character or symbol.
Origin: late 18th century (in sense 2): from French glyphe, from Greek gluphe
‘carving’.
gullet 1. The passage by which food passes from the mouth to the stomach; the oesophagus.
2. The saddle tunnel underneath the fork that rides over the horse's withers.
Origin: middle English golet, from Old French goulet, from Latin gula,
from Proto-Indo-European ('throat').
hackney 1. A horse or pony of a light breed with a high-stepping trot, used in harness.
2. A horse-drawn hire vehicle.
Origin: mid 18th century: Middle English: probably from Hackney in East London, where
horses were pastured. Originally an ordinary riding horse (vs war horse or draught
horse), especially one available for hire: hence hackney carriage or coach, later made
commonplace by overuse.
hegemony Leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others
Origin: mid 16th century: from Greek hegemonia, from hegemon ‘leader’, from hegeisthai
‘to lead’.
hubris Excessive pride or self-confidence.
Origin: 1884: hubristic or from Greek hybris 'wanton violence, insolence, outrage,'
originally 'presumption toward the gods'; the first element probably PIE ud- 'up, out'.
The spelling 'hybris' began to appear in English in translations of Nietzsche c. 1911.
id The part of the mind in which innate instinctive impulses / primary processes are
manifest.
Origin: 1920s, from Latin, literally ‘that’, translating German es. First used in this
sense by Freud, following use in a similar sense by his contemporary, Georg Groddeck.
idiom 1. A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those
of the individual words. 2. A characteristic mode of expression in music or art.
Origin: late 16th century: from French idiome, or via late Latin from Greek idiōma
‘private property, peculiar phraseology’, from idiousthai ‘make one's own’,
from idios ‘own, private’.
iguanadon A genus of ornithopod dinosaur that existed roughly halfway between the first of the
swift bipedal hypsilophodontids of the mid-Jurassic and the duck-billed dinosaurs of
the late Cretaceous. Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Clade: Dinosauria;
Order: Ornithischia; Suborder: Ornithopoda; Family: Iguanodontidae.
Origin: Latin: iguana + Greek odous, odont- ‘tooth’.
indict Formally accuse of or charge with a crime.
Origin: middle English endite, indite, from Anglo-Norman French enditer, based on Latin
indicere ‘proclaim, appoint’, from in- ‘towards’ + dicere ‘pronounce, utter’.
inimical Tending to obstruct or harm.
Origin: early 16th century: from late Latin inimicalis, from Latin inimicus.
insensibility 1. Unconsciousness. 2.lack of awareness or concern; indifference
Origin: late Middle English: partly from Old French insensibilite or late Latin
insensibilitas (from in- ‘not’ + Latin sensibilis ‘sensible’, from sensus ‘sense’),
partly from in-1 ‘without’ + sensibility.
insinuate 1. Suggest or hint (something bad) in an indirect and unpleasant way.
2. Manoeuvre oneself into (a favourable position) by subtle manipulation.
Origin: early 16th century (in the sense ‘enter (a document) on the official
register’): from Latin insinuat- ‘introduced tortuously’, from the verb insinuare, from
in- ‘in’ + sinuare ‘to curve’.
invective Insulting, abusive, or highly critical language.
Origin: late Middle English (originally as an adjective meaning ‘reviling, abusive’):
from Old French invectif, -ive, from late Latin invectivus ‘attacking’, from invehere,
from late Latin invectiva (oratio) ‘abusive or censorious (language)’.
irascible Having or showing a tendency to be easily angered.
Origin: late Middle English: via French from late Latin irascibilis, from Latin irasci
‘grow angry’, from ira ‘anger’.
kerfuffle A commotion or fuss, especially one caused by conflicting views.
Origin: early 19th century: perhaps from Scots curfuffle (probably from Scottish Gaelic
car ‘twist, bend’ + imitative Scots fuffle ‘to disorder’), or related to
Irish cior thual 'confusion, disorder’.
kike A derogatory and insulting term for a Jewish person.
Origin: early 20th century, derived from the Hebrew word for circle, which is the mark
many jews made on their immigration papers when entering America (instead of an "x" for
their signature). Like many other racial slurs, it came from immigration officers who
used it as short-hand for a population group entering the country.
kilter Out of harmony or balance.
Origin: early 17th century: of unknown origin.
lament A passionate expression of grief or sorrow.
Origin: late Middle English (as a verb): from French lamenter or Latin lamentari, from
lamenta (plural) ‘weeping, wailing’.
leery Cautious or wary due to realistic suspicions.
Origin: late 17th century: from obsolete leer ‘looking askance’, from leer1 + -y1.
legend 1. A traditional story sometimes often regarded as historical but not authenticated.
2. A popular or notorious person, especially in a particular field. 3. Very well known.
Origin: 17th cent. Middle English (in the sense ‘story of a saint's life’):
from Old French legende, from medieval Latin legenda ‘things to be read’,
from Latin legere ‘read’.
libation 1. A drink poured out as an offering to a deity. 2. (In humour) a drink.
Origin: late Middle English: from Latin libatio(n- ), from libare ‘pour as an offering’
ligature A thing used for tying or binding something tightly. 2. Music: a slur or tie.
Origin: Middle English: via late Latin ligatura from Latin ligat- ‘bound’, from the
verb ligare.
limescale A hard chalky deposit, consisting mainly of calcium carbonate (CaCO3).
Origin: late 14c., from scale + lime, from Old English lim of German origin leim, glue
loquacious Tending to talk a great deal; talkative.
Origin: mid 17th century: from Latin loquax, loquac- (from loqui ‘talk’) + -ious.
mardy 1. A spoilt, overindulged, or badly behaved child.
2. A sulky mood or fit of petulant bad temper.
Origin: Late 19th century Northern/Midlands English
miasma An unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapour.
Origin: mid 17th century: from Greek, literally ‘defilement’, from miainein ‘pollute’.
miniver Plain white fur used for lining or trimming clothes, originally from a squirrel.
Origin: Middle English: from Old French menu vair ‘little vair’, from menu ‘little’ +
vair ‘squirrel fur’.
monocoque An aircraft or vehicle structure in which the chassis is integral with the body
Origin: early 20th century: from French, from mono- ‘single’ + coque ‘shell’.
Morton's Fork A dilemma, especially one in which both choices are equally undesirable.
Origin: an argument used by John Morton in demanding gifts for the royal treasury:
if a man lived well he was clearly rich and if he lived frugally he must have savings.
motte A mound forming the site of a castle or camp.
Origin: late 19th century: from French, ‘mound’, from Old French mote.
Mustang Descendant of Spanish or Iberian horses brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers in
the 16th century.
Origin: Derived from the Spanish word mustengo: 'ownerless beast' or 'stray horse'.
nefarious Wicked or criminal (typically of an action or activity).
Origin: early 17th century: from Latin nefarius, from nefas, nefar- ‘wrong’
(from ne- ‘not’ + fas ‘divine law’) + -ous.
neocon Neoconservative, relating to or denoting a return to a modified form of a traditional
viewpoint, in particular a political ideology characterized by an emphasis on free-
market capitalism and an interventionist foreign policy.
Origin: A political movement in the United States in the 1960s of liberals disenchanted
with the foreign policy platform of the Democratic Party.
numinous Having a strong religious or spiritual quality; indicating or suggesting the presence
of a divinity.
Origin: mid 17th century: from Latin numen, numin- ‘divine will’ + -ous.
oligarchy 1. A small group of people having control of a country or organization.
2. A country governed by an oligarchy. 3. Government by an oligarchy.
Origin: late 15th century: from Greek oligarkhia, from oligoi ‘few’ and arkhein ‘to
rule’.
omnishambles A situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations.
Origin: early 21st century: from omni- + shambles, first used in the British satirical
television series 'The Thick of It'.
opsimath A person who begins to learn or study only late in life.
Origin: late 19th century: from Greek opsimathes, from opse ‘late’ + math- ‘learn’.
pariah 1. An outcast. 2. A member of an indigenous people of southern India originally
functioning as ceremonial drummers but later having a low caste.
Origin: early 17th century: from Tamil paraiyar, plural of paraiyan '(hereditary)
drummer’, from parai ‘a drum’.
peristaltic Of, relating to, or resembling, peristalsis.
peristalsis The wavelike muscular contractions of the digestive tract or other tubular structures
by which contents are forced onward, often used to describe a rotary pump with one or
more vanes that act upon tubing.
Origin: modern Latin, from Greek peristaltikos, peristaltic, from peristellein,
to wrap around: peri-, peri- + stellein, to place; see stel- in Indo-European roots.
reliquary A container for holy relics.
Origin: mid 16th century: from French reliquaire, from Old French relique.
remission 1. The cancellation of a debt or penalty. 2. A temporary diminution of the severity of
disease or pain.
Origin: Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin remissio(n), from remittere
‘send back, restore’.
panjandrum A person who has or claims to have a great deal of authority or influence.
Origin: late 19th century: from Grand Panjandrum, an invented phrase in a nonsense
verse (1755) by S. Foote.
polemicist A person who engages in controversial debate.
Origin: 1815-25; < Greek polemistes warrior, equivalent to pólem(os) war + -istes -ist
precipitate (precipitately) 1. To hasten the occurrence of. 2. To cast down headlong abruptly.
Origin: early 16th century: from Latin praecipitat- ‘thrown headlong’, from the verb
praecipitare, from praeceps, praecip(it)- ‘headlong’, from prae ‘before’ +
caput ‘head’.
presser A press conference.
purdah The time between the announcement of an election in the UK. and the formation of the
new elected government.
Origin: early 19th century: from Urdu and Persian parda ‘veil, curtain’.
reprove Reprimand (someone).
Origin: Middle English (also in the senses 'reject' and 'censure'); from Old French
reprover, from late Latin reprobare 'disapprove'.
pallor An unhealthy pale appearance.
Origin: late Middle English: from Latin, from pallere ‘be pale’.
parabiosis The anatomical joining of two individuals, especially artificially in physiological
research.
Origin: early 20th century: modern Latin, from para-1 ‘beside, distinct from’ + Greek
biosis ‘mode of life’ (from bios ‘life’).
paradigm 1. A typical example or pattern of something; a pattern or model.
2. A set of linguistic items that form mutually exclusive choices in particular
syntactic roles.
Origin: late 15th century: via late Latin from Greek paradeigma, from paradeiknunai
‘show side by side’, from para- ‘beside’ + deiknunai ‘to show’.
paragon 1. A person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality.
2. A person or thing viewed as a model of excellence. 3. A perfect diamond of 100
carats or more.
Origin: mid 16th century: from obsolete French, from Italian paragone ‘touchstone to
try good (gold) from bad’, from medieval Greek parakone ‘whetstone’.
pellicle A thin skin, cuticle, membrane, or film.
Origin: late Middle English: from French pellicule, from Latin pellicula ‘small piece
of skin’, diminutive of pellis.
peripatetic 1. A person who travels from place to place, especially a teacher who works in more
than one school or college. 2. An Aristotelian philosopher.
Origin: late Middle English (denoting an Aristotelian philosopher): from Old French
peripatetique, via Latin from Greek peripatetikos ‘walking up and down’, from the verb
peripatein.
piccaninny A small black child.
Origin: mid 17th century: from West Indian creole, from Spanish pequeño or Portuguese
pequeno ‘little’, pequenino ‘tiny’.
pipkin An earthenware cooking pot used for cooking over direct heat from coals or a wood fire.
Origin: mid 16th century: of unknown origin.
pistol 1. A small firearm designed to be held in one hand.
2. A very energetic or enterprising person. 3. Shoot (someone) with a pistol.
Origin: mid 16th century: from obsolete French pistole, from German Pistole, from Czech
pist'ala, of which the original meaning was ‘whistle’, hence ‘a firearm’ by the
resemblance in shape.
pogrom The word pogrom comes from a Russian word meaning 'to destroy, to wreak havoc, to
demolish violently'. The term was first used to refer to outbreaks of anti-Jewish
violence by non-Jewish street mobs in the Russian Empire from 1881-1884.
predicate 1. The part of a sentence or clause containing a verb and stating something about the
subject. 2. Something which is affirmed or denied concerning an argument of a
proposition. 3. State, affirm, or assert (something) about the subject of a sentence or
an argument of a proposition. 4. Found or base something on.
Origin: late Middle English (as a noun): from Latin praedicatum ‘something declared’,
neuter of praedicatus ‘declared, proclaimed’, past participle of the verb praedicare,
from prae ‘beforehand’ + dicare ‘make known’.
proprioception The ability to sense stimuli arising within the body regarding position, motion, and
equilibrium.
Origin: from Latin proprius, meaning 'one's own', 'individual', and capio, capere, to
take or grasp.
prévôt A governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Régime France, typically
referring to a civil officer, magistrate, head of cathedral or church, often anglicised
as provos.
Origin. Late Middle English (in an earlier sense). From Anglo-Norman and Middle French
prevost.
posthuman (Or post-human) is a concept originating in the fields of science fiction, futurology,
contemporary art, and philosophy that literally means a person or entity that exists in
a state beyond being human.
pundit An expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called upon to give their
opinions to the public. variant form of pandit.
Origin: mid 17th century (in sense 2): from Sanskrit pa??ita ‘learned man’.
putsch A violent attempt to overthrow a government; a coup.
Origin: early 20th century: from Swiss German, literally ‘thrust, blow’.
rancour Bitterness or resentfulness, especially when long standing.
Origin: Middle English: via Old French from late Latin rancor ‘rankness’ (in the
Vulgate ‘bitter grudge’), related to Latin rancidus ‘stinking’.
regolith The layer of unconsolidated solid material covering the bedrock of a planet.
Origin: late 19th century: from Greek rhegos ‘rug, blanket’ + -lith.
recidivist A convicted criminal who re-offends, especially repeatedly.
Origin: late 19th century: from French récidiviste, from récidiver ‘fall back’, based
on Latin recidivus ‘falling back’, from the verb recidere, from re- ‘back’ + cadere ‘to
fall’.
recusal The act of abstaining from participation in an official action such as a legal
proceeding due to a conflict of interest of the presiding court official or
administrative officer.
Origin: derived from the Anglo-French word recuser, which comes from Latin recusare,
meaning "to refuse."
revamp Give new and improved form, structure, or appearance to.
Origin: A vamp is the portion of a shoe (or stocking) covering the front of the foot.
13th c. English derived from Old French avantpie, meaning in front of the foot. 1850,
from re- 'again' + vamp (v.) 'patch up, replace the upper front part of a shoe'.
rife 1. Of common occurrence (especially of something undesirable); widespread.
2. In an unchecked or widespread manner.
Origin: Old English rife 'abundant, common, prevalent', from Proto-Germanic rif-
(source also of Old Norse rifr, Swedish river, Norwegian riv, Middle Dutch riif,
Middle Low German rive 'abundant, generous'), said to be from PIE root rei-
'to scratch, tear, cut'.
rift 1. A crack, split, or break in something. 2. A serious break in friendly relations.
3. Form (terra) fissures or breaks.
Origin: Middle English: of Scandinavian origin, vs Norwegian & Danish: rift
‘cleft, chink’.
sauropod A 'lizard-hipped' dinosaur
Scientific name: Sauropoda; Phylum: Chordata; Higher classification: Sauropodomorpha;
Order: Saurischia; Rank: Infraorder
Origin: late 19th century: from modern Latin Sauropoda (plural), from
Greek sauros ‘lizard’ + pous, pod- ‘foot’.
schlep USA: 1. A tedious or difficult journey. 2. Haul or carry (something heavy or awkward).
Origin: early 20th century (as a verb): from Yiddish shlepn ‘drag’, from
Middle High German sleppen.
schmuck A foolish or contemptible person.
Origin: Late 19th century: from Yiddish shmok ‘penis’.
sedition Conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.
Origin: late Middle English (in the sense ‘violent strife’): from Old French, or from
Latin seditio(n- ), from sed- ‘apart’ + itio(n- ) ‘going’ (from the verb ire).
shtick 1. A gimmick, comic routine, style of performance, etc. assoc. with a particular person
2. A person's special talent, interest, or area of activity.
Origin: 1960s: Yiddish, from German Stück ‘piece’.
shun Persistently avoid, ignore or reject (someone / something) through antipathy / caution Origin: old English scunian ‘abhor, shrink back with fear from an enemy, etc’.
Shylock British: A heartless or demanding creditor.
USA: 1. A pitiless person in business dealings; exacting creditor, 2. Loan shark.
Origin: The name of the heartless usurer in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (1596)
Sirocco An Italian word meaning 'hot wind blowing from the Sahara Desert', sometimes
spelled 'scirocco'.
Origin: potentially from the Arabic 'sharqi', meaning 'Eastern' or 'the east wind'.
slake 1. Quench or satisfy (one's thirst). 2. Combine (quicklime) with water to produce
calcium hydroxide
Origin: Old English slacian ‘become less eager’, also ‘slacken’, from the adjective
slæc ‘slack’; compare with Dutch slaken ‘diminish, relax’.
slur Verb: speak (words) indistinctly so that the sounds run into one another.
Music: perform (a group of two or more notes) legato.
Noun: an insinuation or allegation about someone that is likely to insult them or
damage their reputation.
Origin: Middle English: originally as noun in sense ‘thin, fluid mud’, later as verb
meaning ‘smear, smirch’, ‘disparage (a person)’, ‘gloss over (a fault)’.
sophomoric pretentious or juvenile, from sophomore
sophomore A second-year university or high-school student.
Origin: said to come from Greek sophos 'wise' and moros 'fool'.
SPQR An initialism of a phrase in Latin: Senatus PopulusqQue Romanus ('The Roman Senate and
People', or more freely as 'The Senate and People of Rome', referring to the government
of the ancient Roman Republic, and used as an official emblem of the modern-day.
stellarator A toroidal chamber with external non-axisymmetric magnetic coils - aka a fusion energy
generating chamber
Origin: a simplistic derivation of 'harnessing the power source of stars.
stipend A fixed regular sum paid as salary or expenses to a clergyman, teacher, or
public official.
Origin: late Middle English: from Old French stipendie or Latin stipendium, from
stips ‘wages’ + pendere ‘to pay’
stratigraphy 1. The branch of geology concerned with the order and relative position of strata and
their relationship to the geological timescale: the analysis of the order and position
of layers of archaeological remains. 2. The structure of a particular set of strata.
Origin: mid 19th century: from stratum + -graphy.
stupor A state of near-unconsciousness or insensibility.
Origin: late Middle English: from Latin, from stupere ‘be amazed or stunned’.
succour Assistance and support in times of hardship and distress.
Origin: Middle English: via Old French from medieval Latin succursus, from Latin
succurrere ‘run to the help of’, from sub- ‘from below’ + currere ‘run’.
swansong The final performance or activity of a person's career.
Origin: the phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful song just
before their death, having been silent during most of their lifetime.
sward 1. An expanse of short grass. 2. the upper layer of soil, esp. when covered with grass.
Origin: old English sweard ‘skin’, and ‘upper layer of soil’ from late Middle English.
terracotta 1. A type of fired clay, typically of a brownish-red colour and unglazed, used as an
ornamental building material and in modelling.
2. A terracotta statuette or other object.
3. A strong brownish-red or brownish-orange colour.
Origin: early 18th century: from Italian terra cotta ‘baked earth’; Latin terra cocta.
tokomac A toroidal chamber with internal magnetic coils aka a fusion energy generating chamber.
Origin: borrowed from Russian, an acronym of (to(roidál'naja) ká(mera) (s) ma(gnítnymi)
k(atúkami): https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tokamak
tonsure The practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp, as a sign of
religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word tonsura
(meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in medieval
Catholicism, abandoned by papal order in 1972.
Origin: late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin tonsura, from tondere
‘shear, clip’.
totemic 1. Relating to or resembling a totem or totems.
2. Regarded as being symbolic or representative of a particular quality or concept.
Origin: mid 18th century: from Ojibwa nindoodem ‘my totem’.
trope A figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression. a significant or recurrent
theme; a motif.
Origin: mid 16th century: via Latin from Greek tropos ‘turn, way, trope’, from trepein
‘to turn’.
troubadour 1. French medieval lyric poetical composition and song in Provençal in the 11th to 13th
centuries, especially of courtly love. 2. A poet who writes verse to music.
Origin: French, from Provençal trobador, from trobar ‘find, invent, compose in verse’.
tycoon 1. A wealthy, powerful person in business or industry.
2. A title applied by foreigners to the shogun of Japan in power between 1857 and 1868.
Origin 19th century: from Japanese taikun ‘great lord’.
ungulate Any hoofed mammal.
Origin: Early 19th century: from late Latin ungulatus, from Latin ungula ‘hoof’.
upbraid Find fault with (someone); scold.
Origin: late Old English upbredan ‘allege (something) as a basis for censure’, based on
braid in the obsolete sense ‘brandish’. The current sense dates from Middle English.
valour Great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.
Origin: Middle English (denoting worth derived from personal qualities or rank): via
Old French from late Latin valor, from valere ‘be strong’.
vanquish Defeat thoroughly.
Origin: Middle English: from Old French vencus, venquis (past participle and past tense
of veintre), vainquiss- (lengthened stem of vainquir ), from Latin vincere ‘conquer’.
veracity Conformity to facts; accuracy.
Origin: early 17th century: from French véracité or medieval Latin veracitas, from
verax ‘speaking truly’.
vermin 1. Wild animals, parasitic worms, insects that are harmful;
2. People perceived as despicable and as causing problems for the rest of society.
Origin: Middle English (originally denoting animals such as reptiles and snakes): from
Old French, based on Latin vermis ‘worm’.
vernacular 1. The language or dialect that is most widely spoken by ordinary people in a region or
country. 2. The style of architecture in which ordinary people's houses are built in a
particular region.
Origin: C17: from Latin vernaculus belonging to a household slave, from verna household
slave.
visceral 1. Relating to the viscera. 2. Relating to deep inward feelings rather than intellect,
Origin: 1570s, 'affecting inward feelings', from Middle French viscéral, from Medieval
Latin visceralis 'internal,' from Latin viscera, plural of viscus 'internal organ', of
unknown origin (the bowels were regarded as the seat of emotion).
viticulture The agricultural endeavours of vine-growing and of grape-harvesting.
Origin: late 19th century: from Latin vitis ‘vine’ + culture, on the pattern of words
such as agriculture.
vitriol 1. bitter criticism or malice. 2. (archaic literary) sulphuric acid.
Origin: late Middle English (denoting the sulphate of various metals): from Old French,
or from medieval Latin vitriolum, from Latin vitrum ‘glass’. (the bayeux tapestry
mentions using iron).
Yiddish A language used by the Ashkenazi Jews in central & eastern Europe before the Holocaust.
Origin: Originally a German dialect with words from Hebrew and several modern
languages, short for Yidish Taitsh ('Judaeo-German'; 'Jewish German'):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yiddish
zany Amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic.
Origin: late 16th century: from French zani or Italian zan(n)i, Venetian form of
Gianni; Giovanni: ‘John’, generic name of the servants acting as clowns in the
commedia dell'arte.
A small cache of unusual words for items in everyday use:
Expressions
Hair of the dog - an alcoholic drink taken to cure a hangover; a shortening of 'a hair of the dog that bit you'. From an old belief that someone bitten by a rabid dog could be cured of rabies by taking a potion containing some of the dog's hair.
Tilting at windmills - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilting_at_windmills
Tilting at windmills is an English idiom that means attacking imaginary enemies. The expression is derived from the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, and the word 'tilt' in this context comes from jousting. The phrase also sometimes describes confrontations where adversaries are incorrectly
perceived.
Nonsensical sounding words and phrases I've devised over time
Blurbalism (the art of creating gumph)
Flappy Wingy Thing (bird)
Neurfgens (onions)
Skeligog (skeleton)
Squeaky beaky (bird)
Sniffy Pooey Thing (dog)
Thinky Thoughts (when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep)
Thinky Worms (earworms, again often in the middle of the night)
Worbules (words)
Cheap and nasty will not lasty