DarkRavie Posted September 26 Author Report Share Posted September 26 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." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted September 27 Author Report Share Posted September 27 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted September 28 Author Report Share Posted September 28 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted September 29 Author Report Share Posted September 29 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted September 30 Author Report Share Posted September 30 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 1 Author Report Share Posted October 1 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 2 Author Report Share Posted October 2 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 3 Author Report Share Posted October 3 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 4 Author Report Share Posted October 4 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 5 Author Report Share Posted October 5 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 6 Author Report Share Posted October 6 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 7 Author Report Share Posted October 7 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 8 Author Report Share Posted October 8 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 9 Author Report Share Posted October 9 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 10 Author Report Share Posted October 10 What's the Word: ORRERY pronunciation: [OR-ə-ree] Part of speech: noun Origin: English, early 18th century Meaning: 1. A mechanical model of the solar system, or of just the sun, Earth, and moon, used to represent their relative positions and motions. Examples: "The antique orrery held a place of honor in the library." "The miniature orrery received quite a bit of use in the science class." About Orrery You've likely made an orrery and didn't realize it. An orrery is a model of the solar system, or at least the sun, Earth, and moon. Technically it's supposed to be mechanical, but we'll still call your elementary school model of painted styrofoam balls an orrery. Did you Know? Models of the solar system have been created since ancient times, but the more modern versions are called orreries. There's no scientific origin for the name; the moniker is thanks to a commission from Charles Boyle, the Fourth Earl of Orrery. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 11 Author Report Share Posted October 11 What's the Word: FUGACIOUS pronunciation: [fyoo-GEY-shəs] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, mid-17th century Meaning: 1. Tending to disappear. 2. Fleeting. Examples: "Cookies are quite fugacious in my house." "The hummingbird made a fugacious stop on my flowers." About Fugacious Fugacious is often used in an ephemeral sense. For example, your sadness may be fugacious — better times are around the corner. The word also can be used in a physical sense, though. A gardener might describe a plant with falling leaves as fugacious. Did you Know? The Latin verb "fugere" means "to flee." Other words that come from this same root include "subterfuge," "fugitive," and "refuge." Think of the movie "The Fugitive," and you'll likely never forget the definition of "fugacious." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 12 Author Report Share Posted October 12 What's the Word: FLOCCULENT pronunciation: [FLAHK-yə-lənt] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, early 19th century Meaning: 1. Having or resembling tufts of wool. 2. Having a loosely clumped texture. Examples: "The flocculent sheep were ready for their spring shearing." "Your potting soil should be slightly damp and flocculent." About Flocculent If the word "flocculent" makes you think of a flock of sheep, you'd be correct. In Latin, "floccus" means "tuft of wool," so the adjective "flocculent" can apply to the woolly sheep themselves, or anything with a similarly tufted texture. Did you Know? The adjective "flocculent" describes a tufty texture, but there's also a noun, "flocculation." This chemical process occurs when clumps of a substance start to form. It's important for water-treatment processes and even beer brewing. Yeast flocculation is a vital step in brewing your favorite IPA. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 13 Author Report Share Posted October 13 (edited) What's the Word: TRANSPICUOUS pronunciation: [trans-PIK-yoo-əs] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, mid-17th century Meaning: 1. Transparent. 2. Easily understood, lucid. Examples: "My windows were transpicuous and sparkling after I cleaned both sides." "Your argument is well reasoned and transpicuous." About Transpicuous Transpicuous means something is transparent or can be seen through. It can be literal, as in a crystal-clear plate-glass window, or you can use it in a more figurative sense. For example, you might try to be transpicuous about your feelings for your new partner. Either way, it's easy to see. Did you Know? The Latin root for "transpicuous" is "transpicere," meaning "to look through," but "specere" on its own means "to look or see." A few other "seeing" words share this origin. "Conspicuous" means "attracting notice," and "inspect" means "to look at something closely." Edited October 14 by DarkRavie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 14 Author Report Share Posted October 14 What's the Word: AMBROSIA pronunciation: [am-BRO-zhə] Part of speech: noun Origin: Greek, mid-16th century Meaning: 1. Something very pleasing to taste or smell. 2. (Greek mythology) The food of the gods. Examples: "The dessert you served last night was pure ambrosia." "Ambrosia is a powerful element in many stories of Greek mythology." About Ambrosia In many stories of Greek mythology, gods who consumed ambrosia were given immortality. The word for "food of the gods" comes from the Greek word "ambrotos," meaning "immortal." You may feel godlike yourself if you claim your favorite dish is ambrosia upon your lips. Did you Know? The smell of freshly baked cookies in the air, the taste of ripe strawberries — anything that smells or tastes delicious can be called "ambrosia." But if you want to make ambrosia, there is a specific traditional Southern recipe. It's a salad (we're using that word loosely) that contains marshmallows, sour cream, shredded coconut, oranges, and pineapple. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted October 15 Author Report Share Posted October 15 What's the Word: AUTOSCHEDIASTIC pronunciation: [aw-toh-skeh-dee-AST-ik] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Ancient Greek, 17th century Meaning: 1. Impromptu, improvised, ex tempore or offhand. Examples: "At supper, the professor offered a fascinating autoschediastic history of the fall of Rome." "In Boston, our host offered to take us on an autoschediastic tour of Fenway Park and the surrounding neighborhood." About Autoschediastic “Autoschediastic” is based on the ancient Greek “αὐτοσχεδιαστικός,” meaning “extemporaneous.” Did you Know? While a prepared speech is how many people address a crowd, sometimes the most striking speeches are autoschediastic, or improvised. Many of history’s most famous autoschediastic speeches have been delivered by military leaders before battle — such as U.S. General George Patton’s notoriously bellicose and profane address to the Third Army ahead of the Allied invasion of France, or British Army Colonel Tim Collins’ speech to his troops before the Iraq War. Autoschediastic speeches can also occur in happier contexts, such as award shows, where off-the-cuff responses from winners (such as Jennifer Coolidge’s viral speech following her Golden Globes win for “The White Lotus”) can charm audiences far more than a speech delivered from notes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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