New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FACTOTUM

pronunciation: [fak-TOH-dəm]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, mid-16th century

 

Meaning:

1. An employee who does all kinds of work.

 

Examples:

"I earned a reputation as a jack of all trades, but I prefer the more professional-sounding term 'factotum.'"

"You'd better give him a raise; he's a real factotum."

About Factotum

Benjamin Franklin is known as a writer, philosopher, scientist, inventor, statesman, and more. In his autobiography, he called himself a factotum, and gave the definition in a footnote: "one who makes himself generally useful; a 'do-all.'"

 

Did you Know?

Slang nicknames aren't just a modern invention. In the 16th century, a "Johannes Factotum" was what we would now call a "jack-of-all-trades." In medieval Latin, "fac" meant "to do" and "totum" meant "the whole thing."

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: BREVILOQUENT

pronunciation: [brə-VIL-ə-kwent]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, mid-19th century

 

Meaning:

1. (Of a person, speech, or style of writing) Using very few words; concise.

 

Examples:

"Usually he was breviloquent, but he went into great detail when describing his favorite book."

"If you find it hard to be breviloquent, ask someone to edit your paper before submitting it for a grade."

About Breviloquent

There's eloquent, and then there's breviloquent. If someone describes you as the former, they're admiring your ability to be fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing. If you're the latter, you may still be eloquent, but you're more concise about it.

 

Did you Know?

Brevity is the soul of wit. Thanks for that, Shakespeare. These words that appear in "Hamlet" sum up the opinion that less is more, at least when it comes to clever word choices.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PASTICHE

pronunciation: [pah-STEESH]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, late 19th century

 

Meaning:

1. An artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period.

2. An artistic work consisting of a medley of pieces taken from various sources.

 

Examples:

"I prepared a jazz pastiche to perform at the reception."

"It was clearly a pastiche, but I still admired the painting."

About Pastiche

You can't order it at a restaurant, but "pastiche" has etymological ties to your favorite bowl of carbs. The Latin word "pasta" means "paste," which turned into "pasticcio" in Italian and "pastiche" in French. You can turn a floury paste into pasta, or you can paste together various artistic styles to create your own work.

 

Did you Know?

Have you ever heard someone say there are no new ideas? That might be a bit extreme, but the word "pastiche" describes artistic work that imitates another. It could be a pastiche of a particular artist's style or just a tribute to an entire movement, such as cubism.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: TWITTERPATED

pronunciation: [TWIH-dər-pay-dəd]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: American English, 1940s

 

Meaning:

1. Infatuated or obsessed.

2. In a state of nervous excitement.

 

Examples:

"I'm twitterpated over the new collection from my favorite designer."

"The family was twitterpated as they waited for the announcement of the new baby."

About Twitterpated

This word has nothing to do with hashtags or the company formerly known as "Twitter." "Twitterpated" is a relatively modern term for being nervously excited or even overwhelmed by a crush. "Twitter" is a 17th-century word for "excitement,” and "pate" means "head." In 1940s slang, "twitterpated" described being so excited that you lose your head.

 

Did you Know?

Thank Walt Disney for this word. In the 1942 animated classic "Bambi," the wise owl explains to Thumper and Bambi the cause of all the excitement around them: "Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime." Quite simply, when animals (and people) fall in love, they get twitterpated.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: INCIPIENT

pronunciation: [in-SIP-ee-ənt]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, late 16th century

 

Meaning:

1. In an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop.

2. (Of a person) Developing into a specified type or role.

 

Examples:

"His incipient excitement built up the week before he started the new job."

"We started out as colleagues, but we're incipient friends."

About Incipient

The meaning of "incipient" changes slightly depending on whether it's being used to describe a thing or a person. For a person, "incipient" means they have the potential to develop into the role. For a thing, "incipient" means it's in the early stages.

 

Did you Know?

This adjective got its start as a noun in the 16th century. "Incipient" meant "a beginner." Today, you could use "novice," "amateur," "apprentice," "initiate," or "recruit" as a noun for someone just starting out.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: DIVARICATE

pronunciation: [di-VAR-ə-kayt]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Latin, early 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. Stretch or spread apart.

2. Diverge widely.

 

Examples:

"You'll want to divaricate the new plantings in the garden to allow the roots to grow."

"We divaricate on certain issues, but we agreed to put our differences aside for family dinner."

About Divaricate

Divaricate, meaning "stretching or spreading apart," traces back to Latin. "Varicare" means "to stretch the legs apart," and the prefix "di-" means "expressing intensive force."

 

Did you Know?

As a verb, "divaricate" means "to separate or diverge." It's also used in botany as a noun for a branching pattern of leaves. In that sense, it can be an adjective as well. Shrubs often have divaricating leaves.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CHIFFONADE

pronunciation: [shif-ə-NAHD]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, late 19th century

 

Meaning:

1. A preparation of shredded or finely cut leaf vegetables, used as a garnish for soup.

 

Examples:

"Sprinkle the soup with a chiffonade of basil before you serve it."

"The chef assigned the assistant to cut the chiffonade needed for the day."

About Chiffonade

A chiffonade is a quick way to add a splash of color and flavor to your food. Stolen from the French verb "chiffonner," meaning "to crumble," "chiffonade" is a noun for delicate strips of herbs. It can also be used as a verb to describe the process of slicing the greens.

 

Did you Know?

Even if you haven't heard the word, you'll likely recognize a chiffonade — it's the finely chopped preparation of herbs or greens sprinkled on top of your food. It looks fancy, but it's quite easy to do. Stack the leaves, roll them into a thin cigar shape, and then slice across the roll to form thin ribbons. Now you have a chiffonade of herbs to decorate and flavor your dish.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: NONPAREIL

pronunciation: [nahn-pə-REL]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, early 16th century

 

Meaning:

1. An unrivaled or matchless person or thing.

2. A flat round candy made of chocolate covered with white sugar sprinkles.

 

Examples:

"In my opinion, the 1961 version is the nonpareil of 'The Parent Trap' movies."

"I always indulge in a box of nonpareils when I go to the movies."

About Nonpareil

The Latin breakdown of this word is pretty simple. "Non" means "not," and "pareil" is "equal." The description means that the nonpareil is leaps and bounds better; it's so good that there can be no equal.

 

Did you Know?

We agree that nonpareils are quite unparalleled when it comes to chocolate treats, and you might love them even more when you find out how easy they are to make. Melt some bittersweet chocolate and mix it with a dab of vegetable shortening. Then spoon coin-sized circles of chocolate onto a baking sheet. Top with sprinkles, then cool until hard. Now you have your very own stash of nonpareils.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SUSURRUS

pronunciation: [soo-SUR-əs]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, mid-19th century

 

Meaning:

1. Whispering, or rustling.

 

Examples:

"The quiet susurrus of the wind is a soothing backdrop for reading."

"You could hear the susurrus of the audience before the curtain went up."

About Susurrus

It's not technically an onomatopoeia (a word that resembles a sound, such as "plop" or "meow"), but it's pretty close. "Susurrus" means "a soft whisper or murmuring sound." It's what you hear when the wind blows through fall leaves or waves are crashing on the shore.

 

Did you Know?

In Latin, "susurrus" is a noun for a whisper, and "susurrare" is the verb for "to murmur or hum." In English, we've maintained "susurrus" as a noun for a whispering noise, but you might also see it as "susurration." We prefer to stick to the more poetic and original Latin spelling.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PHILOMATH

pronunciation: [soo-SUR-əs]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Ancient Greek, early 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. A lover of learning; a student or scholar.

2. An astrologer or predictor.

 

Examples:

"If I've earned a reputation for anything, I hope it's for being a lifelong philomath."

"Go back in the family tree, and you'll find a few wise women and even a philomath."

About Philomath

If you've ever described yourself as an audiophile (a lover of high-quality music and audio equipment) or a bibliophile (a lover of books), you already understand half of this word. A philomath is a lover of learning — particularly mathematics, philosophy, and other humanities.

 

Did you Know?

The close cousin of a philomath is a polymath. The philomath truly loves learning in specific categories, but the polymath has a broad swath of knowledge. They may not have a deep well of knowledge in one subject, as a philomath might, but they are learned in many (poly) areas.

 

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: BÉCHAMEL

pronunciation: [bey-shə-MEL]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, late 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. A rich white sauce made with milk infused with herbs and other flavorings.

 

Examples:

"The secret to homemade mac and cheese is a good béchamel."

"To pass the French sauces class, each student had to make a perfect béchamel."

About Béchamel

Béchamel is a standard white sauce, made with butter, flour, and milk. As basic as the ingredients are, it can add a lot of depth to your cooking. It's usually spelled with an accent mark over the first "e," thanks to its French roots. The inventor of the sauce was the Marquis Louis de Béchamel, the steward to King Louis XIV of France.

 

Did you Know?

You might whip up a mean pancake breakfast, sear a perfect steak, or have a secret recipe for your chocolate chip cookies, but what about sauces? Professional chefs swear by the five French "mother sauces" — béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, and tomato. Master these, and you'll have the basic building blocks for all other sauces.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: TOOTHSOME

pronunciation: [TOOTH-səm]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: English, mid-16th century

 

Meaning:

1. (Of food) Temptingly tasty.

2. (Of a person) Good-looking; attractive.

 

Examples:

"The dessert case was bursting with toothsome pastries and pies."

"Look beyond his toothsome exterior and get to know his personality a bit."

About Toothsome

When talking about food, "toothsome" is usually paired with a diminutive noun: "morsel," "tidbit," "nibble." These delicate bites seem more toothsome than a big hunk of cheese or an oversized value meal.

 

Did you Know?

You look good enough to eat! The original usage of "toothsome" meant a general sense of attractiveness, going all the way back to Chaucer's time. But if we're talking about teeth, eating comes into play, and it makes sense that the usage of the adjective evolved to cover tasty treats.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EXTRAMUNDANE

pronunciation: [eks-trə-mən-DEYN]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. Outside or beyond the physical world.

 

Examples:

"My niece loves to pretend she is playing with fairies and other extramundane creatures."

"Mythology from almost every culture contains extramundane stories and folklore."

About Extramundane

Today, if you call someone "extra," it means they're over the top and dramatic. However, the Latin origin doesn't concern being "too much"; it just means "outside." Pair it with "mundus" for "the world," and "extramundane" describes something not of this physical world.

 

Did you Know?

Lightning, seasons, animal discoveries — we have many modern scientific explanations for phenomena that in the past was attributed to the supernatural in mythology and folklore passed down through generations and across cultures. Humans have always had an interest in what lies beyond our world. As an adjective, "extramundane" can be used to describe anything outside the earthly realm.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: TERMINUS

pronunciation: [tər-mən-əs]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, mid-16th century

 

Meaning:

1. A final point in space or time; an end or extremity.

2. The end of a railroad or other transportation route, or a station at such a point; a terminal.

 

Examples:

"The terminus of the highway construction is scheduled for April 2026."

"Take the subway to the terminus, and I'll meet you there."

About Terminus

You might recognize the adjective "terminal," meaning "situated at the end," but "terminus" is the noun form. Use this word to distinguish an end point, either in space or time. It's a handy word to pull out at the end of a party: "This is the terminus. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."

 

Did you Know?

Another usage of "terminus" is as a name for a specific architectural feature. In that case, a terminus is a figure of a human bust or an animal, ending in a square pillar from which it appears to spring. These features were originally used as boundary markers in ancient Rome.