Monday, February 28, 2011

Galvanize

Galvanize \GAL-vuh-nahyz\ , verb;
1. To stimulate by, or as if by a galvanic current
2. Medicine/Medical: To stimulate or treat (muscles or nerves) with induced direct current (distinguished from faradize)
3. To startle into sudden activity; stimulate
4. To coat (metal, especially iron or steel) with zinc

This word has a surprisingly amphibious history: Inky Fool

Cosset

Cosset \KOSS-it\ , transitive verb;
1. To treat as a pet; to treat with excessive indulgence; to pamper
noun;
1. A pet, especially a pet lamb

The noun form of this word dates to the 1570's and possibly comes from Old English cot-sæta ("one who dwells in a cot"). Using cosset to refer to person dates to the 1590's and the verb form is first attested around 1650.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Monday, February 28
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Rubicund

Rubicund \ROO-bih-kund\ , adjective;
1. Inclining to redness; ruddy; red

This word dates to the 1500's and either comes from French rubicond or directly from Latin rubicundus, which is derived from rubere ("to be red").

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Sunday, February 27
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Halcyon

Halcyon \HAL-see-uhn\ , noun;
1. A kingfisher
2. A mythical bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was fables to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation
adjective;
1. Calm; quiet; peaceful; undisturbed; happy (e.g. "deep, halcyon repose")
2. Marked by peace and prosperity (e.g. "halcyon years")

This word dates to the 1540's in the phrase halcyon dayes. It comes from Latin and/or Greek, but it wasn't adopted as much as it was sort of translated. The Latin phrase is alcyonei dies and the Greek is alkyonides hemerai, they are both variants (or misspellings) of alkyon, which is a combination of hals + kyon ("sea, salt" + "conceiving") that means "kingfisher". Kyon is the present participle of kyein ("to conceive", literally means "to swell") which derives from the Proto-Indo-European base *keue- ("to swell"). Halcyone was the mythological daughter of Aeolus who threw herself into the sea and became a kingfisher after she was widowed.
http://petcaregt.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/kingfisher.jpg
A Kingfisher
Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Saturday, February 26
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

*Photo credit: PetcareGT.com

Friday, February 25, 2011

Lexicography

Lexicography \lek-suh-KAH-gruh-fee\ , noun;
1. The writing or compiling of dictionaries; the editing or making of dictionaries
2. The principles and practices applies to writing dictionaries

This word dates to the 1650's from French lexicographe, which means "lexicographer". The French word is derived from Greek lexikographos, which is a combination of lexikon + -graphos ("wordbook" + "writer"). -Graphos comes from the word graphein, meaning "to write". Lexikon comes from the neuter form of lexikos ("pertaining to words"), which comes from lexis ("word"), which comes from legein (the forebear of lecture, "say").

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Friday, February 25
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Hypnagogic

Hypnagogic \hip-nuh-GOJ-ik\ or \hip-nuh-GOH-jik\ , adjective;
1. Of, pertaining to, or occurring in the state of drowsiness preceding sleep.

This word dates to 1886 from French hypnagogique which derives from Greek hypnos + agogos ("sleep" + "leading"). Hypnos ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European base *swep- meaning "sleep". Agogos comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ag- ("to drive"), which is also the forebear of English act.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Thursday, February 24
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Nimbus

Nimbus \NIM-buhs\ , noun;
1. (Fine Arts) Any circle, or disk, or any indication of radiant light around the heads of divinities, saints, and sovereigns, upon medals, pictures, etc.; a halo
2. A cloud or atmosphere (as of romance or glamour) that surrounds a person or thing
3. (Meteorology) A rain cloud

This word dates to the 1610's and originally meant "bright cloud surrounding a god" from Latin nimbus ("cloud"). It may be related to nebula, which means "cloud, mist". The meaning of "halo" is first attested in 1730 and the meteorological sense is from 1803. Later words like nimbostratus (1932) and cumulonimbus (1887) were coined for meteorological purposes.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Wednesday, February 23
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Bailiwick

Bailiwick \BAY-luh-wik\ , noun;
1. A person's specific area of knowledge, authority, interest, skill, or work
2. The office or district of a bailiff

This word, alternately baillifwik, dates to the mid-15th century with the first definition listed. It is a combination of bailiff and Old English wic ("village"). The second definition is first attested in 1843.


Bailiff dates to the mid-13th century and comes from Old French baillif ("administrative official, deputy"). The Old French word derives from Vulgar Latin *bajulivus ("official in charge of a castle"), which comes from Latin bajulus ("porter"). Middle English bailiff was used to refer to a public administrator of a district, a chief officer of a Hundred, or an officer under a sheriff.

The Modern English wick that the above etymology refers to is not the same thing as a lamp or candle wick. Instead, it is a mostly obsolete word that most recently meant "dairy farm" which today only survives as a localism in East Anglia or Essex. That wick comes from Old English wic, which originally meant "dwelling place abode", then "village, hamlet, town" and eventually "dairy farm". Wic entered the Germanic language family at some point as a borrowing from Latin vicus ("village, hamlet").

The other wick comes from Old English weoce, which is derived from West Germanic *weukon of unknown origin.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Tuesday, February 22
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Monday, February 21, 2011

Inkhorn

Inkhorn \INK-horn\ , adjective;
1. Affectedly or ostentatiously learned; pedantic
noun;
1. A small bottle of horn or other material formerly used for holding ink

This word dates to the late 14th century from ink + horn. The use as an adjective for things (especially vocabulary) supposed to be beloved by scribblers and bookworms is first attested to the 1540's.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Monday, February 21
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Malinger

Malinger \muh-LING-guhr\ , intransitive verb;
1. To feign or exaggerate illness or inability in order to avoid duty or work

This word dates to around 1785 and comes from French malingrer. Malingrer means "to suffer", but it could also imply "pretend to be ill" from malingre ("ailing, sickly"), which is possibly a blend of mingre ("sickly, miserable") and malade ("ill"). Mingre is a blend of maigre ("meager") and haingre ("sick, haggard"), which may be derived from a Germanic root because of the Middle High German word hager, which means "thin".

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Sunday, February 20
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Lucubration

Lucubration \loo-kyoo-BRAY-shun\ or \loo-kuh-BRAY-shun\ , noun;
1. The act of studying by candlelight; nocturnal study; meditation
2. That which is composed by night; that which is produced by meditation in retirement; hence (loosely) any literary composition

This word, with the definition of "literary work showing signs of too-careful elaboration", dates to the 1590's and comes from Latin lucubrationem, the nominative of lucubraio ("nocturnal study, night work"). Lucubario derives from lucubratus, the past participle of lucubrare which is literally "to work by artificial light" from the stem lucere ("to shine").

My mind has been blown. I saw this word and immediately thought of the word lucubrious from the song 'I'll Do Anything' by Jason Mraz. I tried to look it up and first off, it's spelled lacubrious. Second, it's made up! No wonder I never knew what that meant!

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Saturday, February 19
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Friday, February 18, 2011

Libation

Libation \ly-BAY-shun\ , noun;
1. The act of pouring a liquid (usually wine) either on the ground or on a victim in sacrifice to some deity; also, the wine or liquid thus poured out
2. A beverage, especially an alcoholic beverage
3. An act or instance of drinking

This word dates to the late 14th century and comes from Latin libationem, which is the nominative of libatio, or "a drink offering". Libatio is derived from libare ("pour out (an offering)") which comes from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leib- ("to pour, drop"), an enlargement of the base *lei- ("to pour, to flow"). The sense of "liquid pour out to be drunk" is first attested in 1751.

Oddly enough, we do know the Proto-Indo-European word for "to pour a libation" and it not related to libation at all. It may be, however, the forebear of god:

Old English god ˚ corresponds to similar words in Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Dutch, Old High German, Old Norse, and Gothic, so it is a decidedly Germanic (also called Teutonic) word. The Old Teutonic form is *guðo and before that, the etymology is a little shaky. Based on the Old Teutonic word, the pre-Germanic (i.e. Proto-Indo-European) form is probably either *ghudho- or *ghutó. This, however, is a reconstruction based on the mathematical proof-like rules that historical linguists follow to piece together ancestral languages, not a traced etymology. Using *ghudho- as the root doesn't really go anywhere, but *ghutó leads us to *gheu- because it is the neuter of the passive participle of that root. *Gheu- is the forebear of two Sanskrit words, one meaning "to invoke" and the other "to pour, offer sacrifice", so it might make sense for it to also lead to a Germanic word meaning "an object of worship". Some scholars have posited that "to pour" invokes a sense of a "molten image", thereby explaining the leap from "to pour" to "an object of worship" without any intermediary steps.


˚ God was the masculine singular form of the word, since Old English had case and grammatical gender there were other forms (plural plural godu, godo neuter, godas masculine).

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Friday, February 18
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Ululate

Ululate \UL-yuh-layt\ or \YOOL-yuh-layt\ , intransitive verb;
1. To howl, as a dog or a wolf; to wail


Ululation dates to the 1590's and comes from Latin ululationem, the nominative of uluatio ("a howling or wailing") from the past participle stem ululare ("ululate") which is a reduplicative* imitative base. Ululate dates to the 1620's and either comes from ululation or directly from Latin ululatus, the past participle of uluare.

*Reduplication is when a word or a portion of a word is doubled to indicate some sort of emphasis or pluralization.

Anyone else think ul- sounds onomatopoeic? 

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Thursday, February 17
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Factotum

Factotum \fak-TOH-tuhm\ , noun;
1. A person employed to do all kinds of work or business

This word dates to the 1560's and comes from Middle Latin factotum, which is a compound of fac + totum. Fac is the imperative of facere ("do") and totum means "all". Facere is derived from the Proto-Indo-European base *dhe- meaning "to put, to do". It is also the forebear of French faire and Spanish hacer.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Wednesday, February 16
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Uxorious

Uxorious \uk-SOR-ee-us\ or \ug-ZOR-ee-us\ , adjective;
1. Excessively fond of, or submissive to a wife

This word dates to the 1590's and is borrowed from Latin uxorious ("of or pertaining to a wife"), which comes from uxor ("wife") of unknown origin. Uxorial is first attested around 1800 and is sometimes used in the same sense of uxorious even though its definition is "relating to a wife or wives". Uxoricide as a verb meaning "the murder of one's wife" dates to 1854 and as a noun ("one who kills his wife") dates to 1860.

Since we're on the topic: pussy-whipped is first attested in 1953.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Tuesday, February 15
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Monday, February 14, 2011

Burlesque

Burlesque \ber-LESK\
noun;
1. An artistic composition, especially literary or dramatic, that, for the sake of laughter, vulgarizes lofty materials or treats ordinary material with mock dignity
2. Any ludicrous parody or grotesque caricature
3. Also, bur·lesk: A humorous and provocative stage show featuring slapstick humor, comic skits, bawdy songs, striptease acts, and a scantily clad female chorus
adjective;
1. Involving ludicrous or mocking treatment of a solemn subject
2. Of, pertaining to, or like stage-show burlesque
verb (used with object);
1. To make ridiculous by mocking representation
verb (used without object);
1. To use charicature

Dating to the 1660's, burlesque originally meant "derisive imitation, grotesque parody" and came from French burlesque. The French word dates to the 16th century and comes from Italian burlesco which derives from burla ("joke, fun, mockery"). Burla possibly descends from Late Latin burra, which is literally "flock of wool", but really conveys a sense of "trifle, nonsense". The verb form of burlesque dates to the 1670's while the use as "sketches at the end of minstrel shows" is first attested in 1857. Our American English usage as "a variety show featuring striptease" dates to the 1870's.

I was inspired to write about this word after listening to Tom Ashbrook's show 'Gypsy Rose Lee & Burlesque's Allure' on NPR's 'On Point'. Click on the link to read about Gypsy Rose Lee, watch a video of her in action, and listen to the NPR show, which aired January 26, 2011.

Inveigle

Inveigle \in-VAY-guhl\ or \in-VEE-guhl\ , transitive verb;
1. To persuade by ingenuity or flattery; to entice
2. To obtain by ingenuity or flattery

This word dates to the late 15th century and originally meant "to blind (someone's) judgment". It comes from Middle French aveugler ("delude, make blind") which derives from Vulgar Latin *aboculus ("without sight, blind"). The Vulgar Latin word is based on Latin ab- + oculus ("without" + "eye"). The sense of winning over by deceit or "seduce" dates to the 1530's.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Monday, February 14
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Buss

Buss \BUS\ , noun;
1. A kiss; a playful kiss; a smack
transitive verb;
1. To kiss; especially to kiss with a smack

They did this word a day early! Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, silly dictionary website...

This word dates to the 1560's with the meaning "a kiss". It is probably of imitative (or onomatopoeic) origin since it is specifically attached to those noisy kisses that make a smacking sound. Similar words exist in Welsh and Gaelic, where bus means "kiss, lip". In Spanish the word is buz and in dialectal German it is buss. French baiser dates to the 12th century and is derived from Latin basiare.

Now go give your sweetie a buss...and don't forget the flowers and chocolate tomorrow!

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Sunday, February 13
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Risible

Risible \RIZ-uh-buhl\ , adjective;
1. Capable of laughing; disposed to laugh
2. Exciting or provoking laughter; worthy of laughter; laughable; amusing
3. Relating to, connected with, or used in laughter; as, "risible muscles"

This word, meaning "given to laughter", dates tot he 1550's and comes from Late Latin risibilis ("laughable, able to laugh"). Risibilis derives from Latin risus, the past participle of ridere ("to laugh"). The sense of "capable of exciting laughter, comical" is first attested in 1727.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Saturday, February 12
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Friday, February 11, 2011

Imbroglio

Imbroglio \im-BROHL-yoh\ , noun;
1. A complicated and embarassing state of things
2. A confused or complicated disagreement or misunderstanding
3. An intricate, complicated plot, as of a drama or work of fiction
4. A confused mass; a tangle

This word dates to 1750 and comes from Italian imbroglio. Imbrolio derives from imbrogliare ("confuse, tangle"), which is a combination of in- + brogliare ("in"+ "embroil"). Brogliare is probably from Middle French brouiller ("confuse") which is also the forebear of broil.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Friday, February 11
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Harbinger

Harbinger \HAR-bing-uhr\ , noun;
1. A person who goes ahead and makes known the approach of another; herald
2. Anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign
3. A person sent in advance of troops, a royal train, etc., to provide or secure lodgings and other accommodations
verb;
4. To act as harbinger to; herald the coming of.

Dating to the late 15th century, this word originally referred to "one sent ahead to arrange lodgings" for a monarch, an army, etc. and it was spelled herbengar. It is an alteration of Middle English herberger "provider of shelter, innkeeper". The Middle English word dates to the late 12th century and comes from Old French herbergeor, which evolved from herber ("lodging, shelter") via herbergier ("provide lodging"). Herber is derived from Frankish *heriberga ("lodging, inn").

I've been reading "Decision Points" by George W. Bush and this seems to be a favorite word of his. He says something like, "this was a harbinger of things to come" quite a bit. The first time I saw it I had to look it up because I had never seen or heard this word before, but his (over?) use is really ingraining this word into my vocabulary.

Daedal

Daedal \DEE-duhl\ , adjective;
1. Complex or ingenious in form or function; intricate
2. Skillful; artistic; ingenious
3. Rich; adorned with many things

This word dates to the 1580's and originally meant "skillful, cunning". It comes from Greek daidalos ("skillful, cunningly wrought") via Latin daedalus. It has also been used as an Anglicized form of the name Daedalus from Greek mythology. That version dates to the 1610's.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Thursday, February 10
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Doppelganger

Doppelganger \DOP-uhl-gang-uhr\ , noun;
1. A ghostly double or counterpart of a living person
2. Alter ego; double

This word dates to 1830 and comes from German Doppelgänger, which is literally "double-goer" and originally had a ghostly sense. Sometimes it is half-Anglicized as doubleganger.
The fact that doppel and double sound similar and have similar meanings seems to be an accident of language change because English double dates to the early 13th century and comes from Old French doble which derives from Latin duplus. Duplus is a combination of duo- + -plus ("two" + "plus"). Duo and a plethora of other languages' words for "two" ultimately derive from Proto-Indo-European *duwo.
Gänger and English gang, on the other hand, are definitely related. Old English gang ("a going, journey, way, passage") came from Proto-Germanic *gangaz, which is also the forebear of the gang that appears in Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Danish, Dutch, Old High German, and German. *Gangaz derives from the Proto-Indo-European base *ghengh- ("to step") which is also the forebear to Sanskrit jangha ("shank"), Avestan zanga- ("ankle"), and Lithuanian zengiu ("I stride"). Around the mid-14th century gang meant "a set of articles that are usually taken together in going", as in a set of tools or something similar. By the 1620's its usage had extended in nautical speech to mean "a company of workmen" which is still reflected in the words gangway and gangplank. About a decade later gang was being used to refer to "any band of persons traveling together" with a negative overtone. This is, of course, one of the senses that survives in 20th and 21st century Modern English with street gang, gangsters, and the like.

My doppelganger. Yeah, right...  
Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Wednesday, February 9
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Philomath

Philomath \FIL-uh-math\ , noun;
1. A lover of learning; a scholar

This word dates to the early 1600's and comes from Ancient Greek ϕιλομαθής ("fond of learning"). It is also related to philomathematic which entered the language slightly later.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Tuesday, February 8
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Monday, February 7, 2011

Desideratum

Desideratum \dih-sid-uh-RAY-tum\ or \dih-sid-uh-RAH-tum\ , noun;
1. Something desired or considered necessary

This word and its plural desiderata date to the 1650's and come from straight from Latin where it literally means "something for which desire is felt" from the past participle stem desiderare ("to long for, wish for; demand, expect"). The original sense of desiderare may have been "await what the stars will bring" from the phrase de sidere ("from the stars"). Sidere derives from sidus (the genitive of sideris), which means "heavenly body, star, constellation".

Unsurprisingly, the Latin word is also a forebear of the verb desire, which dates to the early 13th century and came to Middle English via Old French desirrer. The noun version came about 100 years later from Old French desir, derived from desirer. The sense of "lust" was first recorded another 200 or so years later in the mid-14th century. Modern French désirer means "to wish to do something".

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Monday, February 7
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Vituperate

Vituperate \vahy-TOO-puh-reyt\ or \vahy-TYOO-puh-reyt\ or \vi-\ instead of \vahy-\ , verb;
1. To address with harsh or abusive language; revile

This word dates to the 1540's and comes from Latin vituperatus, the past participle of vituperare. Related to vituperated, vituperating, and vituperative.

See also: A Walk in the WoRds

Definition from Dictionary.com
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Vicar

Vicar \VIK-er\ , noun;
1. Church of England:
     a. A person acting as priest of a parish in a place of the rector, or as representative of a religious community to which tithes belong
     b. The priest of a parish the tithes of which are impropriated and who receives only the smaller tithes or a salary
2. Protestant Episcopal Church:
     a. A member of the clergy whose sole or chief charge is a chapel dependent on the church of a parish
     b. A bishop's assistant in charge of a church or mission
3. Roman Catholic Church: An ecclesiastic representing the pope or a bishop
4. A person who acts in place of another; substitute
5. A person who is authorized to perform the functions of another; deputy

For the some interesting info about this word, see Inky Fool

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Verdant

Verdant \VUR-dnt\ , adjective;
1. Green with vegetation; covered with green growth
2. Green
3. Lacking experience or sophistication; naive

Hmmm, interesting word considering most of the country is completely blanketed in snow...

This word, meaning "green", dates to the 1580's and comes from Middle French virdeant ("becoming green"). Virdeant is the present participle of Old French verdeiier ("becoming green") which derives from *viridiare ("grow green, make green), the Vulgar Latin version of Latin's viridis ("green").

For a refresher on what 'Vulgar Latin' is, read my post on Bonanza.

Since we're on the topic of green...Go Pack!

Taken from NFL.com

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Sunday, February 6
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Abscond

Abscond \ab-SKOND\ , intransitive verb;
1. To depart secretly; to steal away and hide oneself -- used especially of persons who withdraw to avoid arrest or prosecution

This word dates to the 1560's and comes from Middle French abscondre, which is directly borrowed from Latin abscondere ("to hide, conceal, put out of sight"). It is a combination of ab(s)- + condere ("away" + "put together, store"). Condere is also a combination form: com- + dere ("together" + "put"), the latter part derives from Proto-Indo-European *dhe- ("to put, place, make").

Scoundrel is a possible relative of abscond. It dates to the 1580's from skowndrell and is technically of unknown origin. One theory, however, is that it come from Anglo-Saxon escoundre which derives from Old French escondre. The Old French word comes from Vulgar Latin *excondere which brings us back to Latin condere. Apparently the main objective to this theory is that hundreds of years lie between skowndrell  and escoundre.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Saturday, February 5
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Other

As in "every other day": The Virtual Linguist

Friday, February 4, 2011

Infant

Infant \in-FENT\ , noun;
1. Baby, or child younger than 1 year old

This word dates to the late 14th century and originally applied to a wider range of ages, sometimes as old as 7. It comes from Latin infantem ("young child, babe in arms") which was the noun usage of an adjective meaning "unable to speak" from in- + fans ("not" + "speak").

Thanks Inky Fool!

Effluvium

Effluvium \ih-FLOO-vee-uhm\ , noun;
1. A slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, especially one that is disagreeable

Effluvium dates to the 1640's and comes from Latin effluvium ("a flowing out") which derives from effluere. The plural is effluvia.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Friday, February 4
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Eclat

Eclat \ey-KLAH\ , noun;
1. Brilliance of success, reputation, etc.
2. Showy or elaborate display
3. Acclamation; acclaim

This word is so obviously French it almost hurts. It dates (in English) to the 1670's with the meaning "showy brilliance". The French word it comes from is éclat ("splinter, fragment" or "flash of brilliance") which dates to the 12th century and derives from eclater ("burst out, splinter"). Eclater comes from the Old French word esclater ("smash, shatter into pieces") of uncertain origin, but possibly from a West Germanic word related to slit or to Old High German sleizen ("tear to pieces; to split, cleave"). The sense of "conspicuous success" is first attested in English in 1741.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Thursday, February 3
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Elide

Elide \ih-LAHYD\ , verb;
1. To suppress; omit; ignore; pass over
2. To omit (a vowel, consonant, or syllable) in pronunciation
3. In law, to annul or quash

This word dates to the 1590's as a legal term meaning "to annul, do away with" from Middle French elider (16th century). Elider derives from Latin elidere ("strike out"), which is a combination of ex- + -lidere ("out" + "to strike"). The phonological sense dates to 1796. The word elision entered the language a little before this one (1580's) and comes from the past participle stem of elidere, which is elisionem.

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Wednesday, February 2
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Ambisinister

Ambisinister \am-bi-SIN-uh-ster\ , adjective;
1. Clumsy or unskillful with both hands

This word isn't in the online OED, which is weird, so let's talk about its component parts instead. 

Sinister dates to the early 15th century meaning "prompted by malice or ill-will". It comes from Old French sinistre ("contrary, unfavorable, to the left") which derives from Latin sinister ("left, on the left side"), the opposite of dexter. The etymology of the Latin word is not completely certain, but there are a couple of theories: it may be from the base *sen- ("the slower or weaker hand") or might be a euphemism connected with the root of Sanskrit saniyan ("more useful, more advantageous"). It was used in the sense of "unlucky, unfavorable" because an seeing an omen to one's left was regarded as signaling bad luck or misfortune. This is where the sense of "harmful, unfavorable, adverse" came from. Interestingly, the left was the favorable side in traditional Roman auspices, but the influence of Greeks switched that sentiment. The prefix ambi- is a combining form meaning "both, on both sides" from Latin ambi- ("around, round about") which derives from Proto-Indo-European *ambhi- ("around"). The Proto-Indo-Europen root was probably an ablative plural of *ant-bhi ("from both sides") which comes from *ant- ("front, forehead").

So ambisinister is something like "both left" so this word is the manual answer to "two left feet": "having two left hands" or "clumsy with both hands".

As a side note: Mr. B guessed the meaning of this word immediately because he is left-handed and apparently lefties are completely aware of the meaning of sinister. So the question is, would an ambisinister lefty be highly dexterous rather than clumsy/unskillful? I wonder...

Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Tuesday, February 1
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com