Cryptesthesia

Word of the Day for Friday 21^st November 2014

Cryptesthesia \krip-tuhs-THEE-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh\

Noun 1. Psychology. Allegedly paranormal perception, as clairvoyance or clairaudience.

Quotes

Some experts attribute the jerking of the rod to cryptesthesia, some to divine or devilish inspiration, others to unconscious muscular activity, “sympathy,” they call it, between the diviner and the object. -- Michael Knight, Divining Rod, 2010

Origin

Coined in the 1920's, cryptesthesia is a combination of crypt(o)-, meaning "hidden," and esthesia referring to "capacity for sensation or feeling."

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Oeuvre

Word of the Day for Thursday 20^th November 2014

Oeuvre \œ-vruh\

Noun 1. French. The works of a writer, painter, or the like, taken as a whole. 2. French. Any one of the works of a writer, painter, or the like.

Quotes

I am very fond of our body of work together, our oeuvre, even though logging 24-hour days for years on end for a band is not the easiest way to lead a life that could have been very creative in its own right. -- Ian Faith, interviewed by Chick Hadrian, "Spinal Tap: The Unauthorized Sequel," Spy, July/August, 1992

Origin

Oeuvre comes to English by way of French and can ultimately be traced to the Latin word for "work," opus. It entered English in the late 1800’s. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Crapehanger

Word of the Day for Wednesday 19^th November 2014

Crapehanger \KREYP-hang-er\

Noun 1. A person who sees the gloomy side of things; pessimist. Also, crepehanger.

Quotes

Ordinarily Encore would have suggested, with amiable malice, that Gottlieb was a "crapehanger" who wasted time destroying the theories of other men instead of making new ones of his own. -- Sinclair Lewis, Arrowsmith, 1925

Origin

Crapehanger is an Americanism with roots in the custom of hanging crepe paper as a sign of mourning. It came into popular usage in the 1920’s. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Sinistral

Word of the Day for Tuesday 18^th November 2014

Sinistral \SIN-uh-struhl\

Adjective 1. Left-handed. 2. Of, pertaining to, or on the left side; left (opposed to dextral).

Quotes

During our years of separation (quite painless for us both), he had changed from a poor, wiry student with animated, night-dark eyes and a beautiful, strong, sinistral handwriting into a dignified, rather corpulent gentleman… -- Vladimir Nabokov, "Ultima Thule," The New Yorker, April 7, 1973

Origin

Sinistral is related to the word sinister and meant "unlucky" when it entered English in the 1400s. It was extended to mean "on the left side" in the early 1800’s. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Comeuppance

Word of the Day for Monday 17^th November 2014

Comeuppance \kuhm-UHP-uhns\

Noun 1. Informal. Deserved reward or just deserts, usually unpleasant: He finally got his comeuppance for his misbehaviour.

Quotes

It’s hard to conceive a bigger comeuppance than the one Faustus receives at the end of the play, when the clock ticks down on his two-dozen years. -- John J. Miller, "Sympathy for the Devil," The Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2014

Origin

Comeuppance comes from the verbal phrase come up meaning "present oneself for judgment before a tribunal." It is an Americanism that gained popularity in mid-1800’s. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Horology

Word of the Day for Friday 14^th November 2014

Horology \haw-ROL-uh-jee, hoh-\

Noun 1. The art or science of making timepieces or of measuring time.

Quotes

From a scientific perspective, the theory and practice of horology touches on all forms of scientific endeavour--it has always been especially important in the histories of astronomy and navigation. -- Jonathan Betts, Time Restored, 2006

Origin

Horology shares roots with the word hour in the Greek term hṓrā, which means "time, season, hour." It entered English in the early 1800’s. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Kickshaw

Word of the Day for Thursday 13^th November 2014

Kickshaw \KIK-shaw\

Noun 1. A tidbit or delicacy, especially one served as an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre. 2. Something showy but without value; trinket; trifle.

Quotes

When a stale cold fool is well heated, and hashed by a satirical cook, he may be tossed up into a kickshaw not disagreeable. -- Alexander Pope (1688–1744), Letter to Mr. Caryll, The Works of Alexander Pope: Volume VIII, 1824

Origin

Kickshaw comes from an English pronunciation of quelque chose meaning "something" or "a little something." It entered English in the late 1500’s. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Pusillanimous

Word of the Day for Wednesday 12^th November 2014

Pusillanimous \pyoo-suh-LAN-uh-muhs\

Adjective 1. Lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid. 2. Proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.

Quotes

…in the intervals of their debauches of brutality they are oily and ingratiating, make favourites, offer pusillanimous apologies, protest humane intentions, and allege absurd excuses for past outages. -- Julian Hawthorne, The Subterranean Brotherhood, 1914

Origin

Pusillanimous is derived from the Latin words pusillis meaning "small" and animus meaning "spirit." It entered English in the late 1500’s. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Anatine

Word of the Day for Tuesday 11^th November 2014

Anatine \AN-uh-tahyn, -tin\

Adjective 1. Resembling a duck. 2. Of or pertaining to the family Anatidae, comprising the swans, geese, and ducks.

Quotes

I took refuge in wild theorizing,--if Angels be the next higher being from Man, perhaps the Duck had 'morphos'd into some Anatine Equivalent, acting as my guardian… -- Thomas Pynchon, Mason & Dixon: A Novel, 1997

Origin

Anatine comes from the Latin word for "duck," anas. It entered English in the mid-1800’s. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Gapeseed

Word of the Day for Monday 10^th November 2014

Gapeseed \GEYP-seed, GAP-\

Noun 1. British Dialect. A person who gapes or stares in wonder, especially a rustic or unworldly person who is easily awed. 2. British Dialect. A daydream or reverie.

Quotes

I'm retired: sort of a gapeseed, a daydreamer, you know. -- D. Keith Mano, Take Five, 1982

Origin

Gapeseed is formed from the verb gape meaning "to open the mouth wide." It entered English in the late 1500’s. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Mythomane

Word of the Day for Friday 7^th November 2014

Mythomane \MITH-uh-meyn\

Noun 1. A person with a strong or irresistible propensity for fantasizing, lying, or exaggerating.

Quotes

"Having lived with a mythomane," she wrote, "I know they believe everything they say; they are not conscious liars, they invent to increase everything about themselves and their lives and believe it." -- Nicholas Shakespeare, “A Life Less Ordinary,” Granta, 1998,

Origin

Mythomane emerged in the 1950’s and may be a back formation of mythomania meaning "lying to an abnormal degree." Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Conk

Word of the Day for Thursday 6^th November 2014

Conk \kongk, kawngk\

Verb 1. To go to sleep (usually followed by off or out). 2. To break or fail, as a machine or engine (often followed by out): The engine conked out halfway there.

Quotes

The poor thing was so exhausted she probably conked out the minute she hit the bed. -- Bonnie K. Winn, Family Found, 2014

Origin

Conk is of unknown origin, but it may be imitative. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Duple

Word of the Day for Wednesday 5^th November 2014

Duple \DOO-puhl, DYOO-\

Adjective 1. Having two parts; double; twofold. 2. Music. Having two or sometimes a multiple of two beats in a measure: duple meter.

Quotes

About the same number of poems set to duple or mixed meter tunes have the most characteristic poetic meter of six-syllable lines. -- Timothy J. Cooley, Making Music in the Polish Tatras, 2005

Origin

Duple entered English in the mid-1500’s. It comes from the Latin word duplus which meant "double." Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Deiform

Word of the Day for Tuesday 4^th November 2014

Deiform \DEE-uh-fawrm\

Adjective 1. Godlike or divine in form or nature.

Quotes

Here chiefly, in the aggrandizement of a huge and fearsome animal to deiform proportions, does Melville surpass all other poets of his century in the rejuvenation of myth. -- Newton Arvin, Herman Melville, 1950

Origin

Deiform comes from the Medieval Latin word deiformis, a combination of dei- (meaning "god") and -formis (meaning "having the form of"). Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Hallux

Word of the Day for Monday 3^rd November 2014

Hallux \HAL-uhks\

Noun 1. The first or innermost digit of the foot of humans and other primates or of the hind foot of other mammals; great toe; big toe. 2. The comparable, usually backward-directed digit in birds.

Quotes

All fingers and toes, except the hallux, have claws. The hallux has a flat nail which is opposable to the others. -- Eman P. Fridman and Ronald D. Nadler, Medical Primatology: History, Biological Foundations and Applications, 2002

Origin

Hallux entered English in the 1820’s. It is a corruption of the Latin word allex meaning "great toe." Thanks to: www.dictioary.com

Cline

Word of the Day for Friday 31^st October 2014

Cline \klahyn\ Noun 1. Linguistics. (in systemic linguistics) a scale of continuous gradation; continuum. 2. Biology. The gradual change in certain characteristics exhibited by members of a series of adjacent populations of organisms of the same species. Quotes The cline of register, then, represents the progression followed by social groups and individuals as the meanings which they exchange develop an increasing cognitive and functional complexity. -- Helen Leckie-Tarry, Language and Context, 1995 Origin Cline is derived from the Greek word klīnein. It entered English in the 1930’s. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Realpolitik

Word of the Day for Thursday 30^th October 2014

Realpolitik \rey-AHL-poh-li-teek, ree-\

Noun 1. Political realism or practical politics, especially policy based on power rather than on ideals.

Quotes

Alas, when one advances blindly across the boggy ground of realpolitik, when pragmatism takes up the baton and conducts the orchestra, ignoring what is written in the score, you can be pretty sure that, as the imperative logic of dishonour will show, there are still, after all, a few more steps to descend. -- José Saramago, Death with Interruptions, 2005

Origin

Realpolitik comes directly from the German word of the same spelling which means "politics of realism." It emerged in English in the 1910’s. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Pavonine

Word of the Day for Wednesday 29^th October 2014

Pavonine \PAV-uh-nahyn, -nin\

Adjective 1. Of or like a peacock. 2. Resembling the feathers of a peacock, as in colouring.

Quotes

In her hands the curtains rustle; she hangs silks purchased this morning on Princess Road, colour stirring pavonine in the lamplight of her bedroom. -- Kate Moses, Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath, 2003

Origin

Pavonine is derived from the Latin word for peacock, pāvō, with the suffix -ine, a suffix of adjectives of Greek or Latin origin, meaning “of or pertaining to,” as in marine. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Exiguous

Word of the Day for Tuesday 28^th October 2014

Exiguous \ig-ZIG-yoo-uhs, ik-SIG-\

Adjective 1. Scanty; meagre; small; slender: exiguous income.

Quotes

His exiguous nautical pension is hardly enough to pay for the one cockroach infested room which he inhabits in the slum area behind Tatwig Street... -- Lawrence Durrell, Justine, 1957

Origin

Exiguous is related to the term exigent and comes from the Latin word exiguus meaning "scanty in measure or number." Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Cloister

Word of the Day for Monday 27^th October 2014

Cloister \KLOI-ster\

Verb 1. To confine in retirement; seclude. 2. To confine in a monastery or convent.

Quotes

That's when I began to cloister myself, when I saw her strength, her determination to pull me out of my brooding. -- Manil Suri, The City of Devi, 2013

Origin

Cloister comes from an Anglo-French blend of cloison, meaning "partition," and clostre, from the Late Latin word meaning "enclosed place." Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Boobook

Word of the Day for Friday 24^th October 2014

Boobook \BOO-book, -book\

Noun 1. A small, reddish-brown spotted owl, Ninox boobook, native to Australia and New Zealand.

Quotes

It has large, staring eyes that are brilliant yellow, not greenish-toned as in Southern Boobook, which usually displays obvious dark markings (rather like black-eye bruises) around the eyes that are absent in the larger Barking Owl. -- Iain Campbell, Sam Woods, Nick Leseberg, Birds of Australia, 2014

Origin

Boobook comes from Dharuk, a now-extinct Australian aboriginal language. The word is said to be imitative of the sound the bird makes. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Tutoyer

Word of the Day for Thursday 23^rd October 2014

Tutoyer \too-twah-YEY; Fr. ty-twa-YEY\

Verb 1. To address (someone), especially in French, using the familiar forms of the pronoun “you” rather than the more formal forms; address familiarly.

Quotes

An officer doesn't tutoyer a subordinate, unless they work closely in the same unit. -- Kevin G. Karpiak, edited by William Garriott, "La Police," Policing and Contemporary Governance, 2013

Origin

Tutoyer entered English in the late 1600s from the French word of the same spelling. In French tu is the informal form of address, and so to use it with someone is to display familiarity rather than deference. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Azoth

Word of the Day for Wednesday 22^nd October 2014

Azoth \AZ-oth\

Noun 1. The universal remedy of Paracelsus. 2. Mercury, regarded by alchemists as the assumed first principle of all metals.

Quotes

As he had suspected, it was an azoth. He whistled on a small footlight he had noticed earlier, holding the azoth low enough to keep the driver from seeing it, should he look over his shoulder. -- Gene Wolfe, Litany of the Long Sun, 2000

Origin

Azoth is derived from the Arabic word az zā'ūq which meant quicksilver or mercury. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Foremost

Word of the Day for Tuesday 21^st October 2014

Foremost \FAWR-mohst, -muhst, FOHR-\

Adjective, adverb 1. First in place, order, rank, etc.: the foremost surgeons.

Quotes

Although Higgins has never been to Syria, and until recently had no connection to the country, he has become perhaps the foremost expert on the munitions used in the war. -- Patrick Radden Keefe, "Rocket Man," The New Yorker, Nov. 25, 2013

Origin

Foremost has been in English since before 1000. It replaced the Old English word formest, which is related to the word first. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Wisenheimer

Word of the Day for Monday 20^th October 2014

Wisenheimer \WAHY-zuhn-hahy-mer\

Noun 1. A wiseacre or smart aleck.

Quotes

She scoffed at Cindi Su's meekness and diffidence, but she also thought if you were a girl in these United States, being agreeable and dithering probably got you further than being a hulking wisenheimer who skipped grades in school and aspired to be a race car driver. -- Karen Karbo, The Stuff of Life, 2003

Origin

Wisenheimer is an Americanism that arose in the 1910’s. It is a combination of wise with heimer as an extracted form from surnames with this ending. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Frisson

Word of the Day for Friday 17^th October 2014

Frisson \free-SOHN; Fr. free-SAWN\

Noun 1. A sudden, passing sensation of excitement; a shudder of emotion; thrill: The movie offers the viewer the occasional frisson of seeing a character in mortal danger.

Quotes

More likely, "frisson" is to be taken figuratively, referring to shivers that are the result of strong emotion. -- Emile Talbot, Reading Nelligan, 2003

Origin

Frisson entered English in 1770’s from the French word for "shiver" or "shudder." Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Ci-devant

Word of the Day for Thursday 16^th October 2014

Ci-devant \seeduh-VAHN\

Adjective 1. French. former: used especially in reference to a retired office holder.

Quotes

This self-indulgent aristo, the ci-devant banker Amédé Vincent, who had expiated his villainies upon the guillotine, was known to have been successful in abstracting the bulk of his ill-gotten wealth and concealing it somewhere... -- Baroness Emmuska Orczy, The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, 1919

Origin

Ci-devant comes from the French word of the same spelling which literally means "heretofore." Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Demesne

Word of the Day for Wednesday 15^th October 2014

Demesne \dih-MEYN, -MEEN\

Noun 1. Possession of land as one's own: land held in demesne. 2. An estate or part of an estate occupied and controlled by, and worked for the exclusive use of, the owner.

Quotes

As the foregoing analysis has demonstrated, the proportion between land held indemesne and land held by subtenants seems to have been relatively stable throughout the later Anglo-Saxon period and even beyond the Conquest. -- Francesca Tinti, Sustaining Belief, 2010

Origin

Demesne is derived from the Middle English word demeine. It is related to the more common word domain, which also comes from the Latin word dominicus meaning "of a master." Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Exilic

Word of the Day for Tuesday 14^th October 2014

Exilic \eg-ZIL-ik, ek-SIL-\

Adjective 1. Pertaining to exile, especially that of the Jews in Babylon.

Quotes

However, Ovid can serve as an exilic model in a more subtle manner, as several chapters demonstrate in their exploration of a range of other, less obvious, Ovidian moves and poses. -- Jennifer Ingleheart, "Introduction," Two Thousand Years of Solitude, 2011

Origin

Exilic entered English in the 1870’s. It is a combination of the word exile and -ic, a suffix that forms adjectives from other parts of speech, occurring originally in Greek and Latin loanwords, as in poetic and metallic. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Hempy

Word of the Day for Monday 13^th October 2014

Hempy \HEM-pee\

Adjective 1. Scot. Mischievous; often in trouble for mischief.

Quotes

...and that there could not be a surer proof of the young hempy being his get, than that he had been a thief... -- John Galt, The Stolen Child, 1833

Origin

Hempy comes from the late Middle English word hempi, which meant "made of hemp." This is thought to be a dark joke about one being fit for hanging by a hemp rope, and, by attenuation, mischievous. Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Hebdomadal

Word of the Day for Friday 10^th October 2014

Hebdomadal \heb-DOM-uh-dl\

Adjective 1. Taking place, coming together, or published once every seven days; weekly: hebdomadal meetings; hebdomadal groups; hebdomadal journals. Noun 1. A weekly magazine, newspaper, etc.

Quotes

The Methodists of Octavius looked upon him as a queer fish, and through nearly a dozen years had never quite outgrown their hebdomadal tendency to surprise at seeing him enter their church. -- Harold Frederic, The Damnation of Theron Ware, 1896

Origin

Hebdomadal ultimately comes from the Greek term hébdomos meaning "seventh."

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Nidificate

Word of the Day for Thursday 9^th October 2014

Nidificate \NID-uh-fi-keyt\

Verb 1. To build a nest.

Quotes

Many nidificate in holes of trees, or in the earth; the eggs are white and subspherical. -- Richard Owen, On the Anatomy of Vertebrates, Vol. II, 1866

Origin

Nidificate entered English in the early 1800’s from the Latin nīdificāre meaning "to build a nest." Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

Chansonette

Word of the Day for Wednesday 8^th October 2014

Chansonette \shahn-saw-NET; English shan-suh-NET\

Noun 1. French. A little song; ditty.

Quotes

She laughed and now John knew that it was she whom he had heard singing the chansonette in that low murmuring tone. What was that little song? -- Joseph Alexander Altsheler, The Forest of Swords, 1915

Origin

Chansonette comes to English from the French chanson meaning "song" and the diminutive ending -ette.

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com