DarkRavie Posted March 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 What's the Word? - GNOMIC pronunciation: [NOH-mik] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Greek, early 19th century meaning: 1. Expressed in or of the nature of short, pithy maxims or aphorisms. 2. Enigmatic; ambiguous. Example: "He seemed incapable of original thought, only speaking in gnomic riddles." "The campaign speech excited the voters but remained gnomic in substance." About Gnomic At first glance you might assume this adjective is of the garden-gnome variety. You CAN use it to describe anything gnome-like but it's better used to describe advice given through short, commonplace adages. Just don't go asking your garden gnome for his opinions; he'll probably remain fairly silent. Did you Know? The roots of this speech-related adjective are the same for the fairytale creature. In Greek, "gnōmē" means thought or judgment. Gnomes have served many purposes in fantastical stories, but they are often storytellers, or givers of advice. The adjective gnomic became applied to trite sayings in the 19th century, well after stories of magical gnomes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 What's the Word? - GLISSADE pronunciation: [ɡlə-SAHD] Part of speech: noun Origin: French, mid-19th century meaning: 1. A way of sliding down a steep slope of snow or ice, typically on the feet with the support of an ice axe. 2. (Ballet) A movement, typically used as a joining step, in which one leg is brushed outward from the body, which then takes the weight while the second leg is brushed in to meet it. Example: "Attempting a glissade was the only way down the mountain." "The glissade serves as the transition between the more difficult dance steps." About Glissade The glissade comes from the French verb "glisser," meaning to slip or slide. In English we use glissade as a noun to describe movements that take on this slipping and sliding characteristic. But it can also be used as a verb — "glissading down the mountain in a glissade." It's not the strongest writing, but it's still accurate. Did you Know? A glissade is a type of movement, but the exact execution of it depends on the context. If you're on an icy mountain, you can slide down in a glissade. The glissade might occur on the dance floor, or you might be disarming your fencing opponent with a glissade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2020 What's the Word? - INVEIGLE pronunciation: [in-VAY-ɡəl] Part of speech: verb Origin: French, late 15th century meaning: 1. Persuade (someone) to do something by means of deception or flattery. 2. Gain entrance to (a place) by persuading (someone) with deception or flattery. Example: "We must inveigle him into participating in the auction." "Her name wasn't on the guest list, but she still inveigled her way into the party." About Inveigle Inveigle is a verb that can be used with an object — "She inveigled him into giving her a better table." Or it can be used in a sense specifically related to gaining entry to a place — "He inveigled himself into the meeting room." Either way, there's some trickery afoot. Did you Know? You might claim that you made a good case for your request, but if your persuasion involved deception or flattery, you need to learn the verb "inveigle." It comes from an Old French verb "aveugler," meaning to blind. Just don't turn a blind eye to your true motivations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2020 What's the Word? - FUSTY pronunciation: [fəs-tee] Part of speech: adjective Origin: French, late 15th century meaning: 1. Smelling stale, damp, or stuffy. 2. Old-fashioned in attitude or style. Example: "Please open the windows in your room, because it's starting to smell fusty." "The substitute teacher has a fusty reputation." About Fusty Aged wine is certainly desirable, but fusty has also come to mean anything old-fashioned, tired, and stale. The original aged meaning holds, but the additional connotation can apply literally to old and moldy food, and also figuratively in the personality department. Did you Know? Fusty might sound like a word made up to serve as a rhyme of dusty, but it has an enological (relating to wine) origin. The Old French word "fuste" means smelling of the cask. So if you've ever been in a wine cellar and smelled the particular aroma of aging wine, that's fusty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 5, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 What's the Word? - FRONTISPIECE pronunciation: [FRUHN-tiss-pees] Part of speech: noun Origin: Latin, late 16th century meaning: 1. An illustration facing the title page of a book. 2. (Architecture) The principal face of a building. Example: "The special edition includes a frontispiece drawn by the author's husband." "We're hoping to raise enough money to repair the frontispiece of the old headquarters." About Frontispiece The noun frontispiece has a few applications, all relating to the, well, front of something. In a book it's the illustrated page in front of the title page. In architecture it's the front of a building. When you're using a word as fancy as frontispiece, you can expect the illustration or design to be pretty elaborate and ornamental. Did you Know? The Latin word "frontispicium" means facade. It was originally used in architecture to describe elaborately carved entrances. The publishing industry began to use the term in the 17th century to describe the illustrated page facing the title, because it was at the front, and it usually featured columns and other architectural elements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 6, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2020 What's the Word? - DIPHTHONG pronunciation: [DIF-thawng] Part of speech: noun Origin: Greek, 15th century meaning: 1. A sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another (as in coin, loud, and side). 2. A digraph representing the sound of a diphthong or single vowel (as in feat). Example: "Practicing a new diphthong was the most difficult part of her Chinese lesson." "As a songwriter she has to account for how the diphthong of the word affects the musicality." About Diphthong Don’t let the “PHTH” scare you off. You use diphthongs every time you speak. It’s the linguistic term for using two vowel sounds together. It starts off as one vowel and then progresses to another. Even a short word like “cry” contains a diphthong — that “Y” is pronounced with an “I” moving into “EE.” Did you Know? Within the same language you’ll find the diphthongs changing to reflect regional dialects and accents. With a Midwestern American English accent, dog is pronounced with a single “O” sound. But with a New York accent, it turns into a diphthong with an “AW” sound. You can listen for the diphthong, and you can see it reflected through special linguistic symbols (digraphs) also called diphthongs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2020 What's the Word? - EDACIOUS pronunciation: [ə-DAY-shəs] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin. early 19th century meaning: 1. Relating to or given to eating. 2. Having an insatiable appetite Example: "Her priority was planning the edacious elements of the party." "She knew her edacious uncle would eat at least twice as much as any other guest." About Edacious If edacious is an adjective to describe the insatiable quality of a hunger, then edacity is the noun given to that particular desire. English language construction rules give us a few options to apply to Latin roots. A word ending in “-ious” will most likely be an adjective, and “-ity” words will be your nouns. Did you Know? This hungry adjective comes from the Latin word “edax” (gluttonous), coming from the verb “edere,” which means to eat. Edacious went through a similar transition, as initially it meant anything related to eating, but it evolved to specifically imply a voracious, devouring appetite. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 What's the Word? - PRÉCIS pronunciation: [pray-SEE] Part of speech: noun Origin: French, mid-18th century meaning: 1. A summary or abstract of a text or speech. 2. An outline of main points or facts. Example: "I read the précis of the required textbook and decided that I didn’t want to take the course." "Before you put pen to paper, it’s helpful to make a précis to guide your writing." About Précis Précis is exactly what it looks like — it’s taken from the French word “précis,” which means precise. English has adopted this French adjective and turned it into a noun. A précis is a summary of the main points in a speech or piece of writing. It could be a formal part of a paper, or you could be giving a précis of the TV show you watched last night. Just be precise about your summary. Did you Know? Some words are borrowed from French and we Anglify them — energy, facade, heritage, and hotel have all dropped an accent mark and adjusted pronunciation. But then we pretend to be a little French with some words. Précis has held onto its precise accent mark and French pronunciation: pray-SEE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 What's the Word? - GAMBOL pronunciation: [GAM-bəl] Part of speech: verb Origin: Italian, early 16th century meaning: 1. Run or jump about playfully. 2. (British English) Do a forward roll. Example: "I love watching the squirrels gambol and play when I take my lunch in the park." "The gymnastics routine included a gambol and two cartwheels." About Gambol Gambol can be used as both a verb and a noun. As a verb you’re skipping and frisking about, without a care in the world. When you want to give a name to those movements, gambol is used as a noun. The same verb/noun distinction applies to the British sense of gambol, which concerns a forward roll. Did you Know? The French word “gambade” originally meant the frolicking prances of a horse. When gambol moved over to English, the playful jumps were applied to humans and equines alike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 (edited) What's the Word? - FRANGIBLE pronunciation: [FRAN-jə-bəl] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, 15th century meaning: 1. Fragile; brittle. 2. Easily breakable. Example: "The tiny puppy felt frangible, but he was growing quickly." "Kids weren't allowed into the antique store, because it was full of frangible valuables." About Frangible Frangible is an adjective describing anything delicate or breakable. It can describe a brittle texture that could snap or crumble in your hands. But you could also use it in a more figurative sense for easily bruised and broken feelings. Did you Know? Frangible has taken a journey from the ancient Latin verb “frangere,” meaning to break, to medieval Latin frangibilis, over to Old French, and then finally to its current state in Middle English. It’s a sturdy progression for such a flimsy word. Edited March 10, 2020 by DarkRavie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2020 What's the Word? - HYPNAGOGIC pronunciation: [hip-nə-GAH-jik] Part of speech: adjective Origin: French, late 19th century meaning: 1. Relating to the state immediately before falling asleep. 2. Encouraging sleep. Example: "He listened to instrumental music to relax into a hypnagogic state." "My mom always told me warm milk was hypnagogic, but I've never felt sleepy after drinking it." About Hypnagogic This word might look familiar to you because of its trancelike cousins. The Greek root “hypn” means sleep, so it’s applicable for the adjective hypnagogic, and also the noun hypnosis and the verb hypnotize. Did you Know? The hypnagogic state is the hazy transitional period from awake to asleep. You might cruise on into slumber, or you could experience a mental disturbance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 12, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2020 (edited) What's the Word? - INTERSTICE pronunciation: [in-tər-stəs] Part of speech: noun Origin: Latin, 15th century meaning: 1. An intervening space, especially a very small one. 2. A short period of time in between events. Example: "I saw the neighbor’s dog’s eye peeking through the interstice of the fence." "His birthday falls during the interstice between Christmas and the New Year." About Interstice Read between the lines — an interstice is the space between. It can apply to a physical gap between objects, or it can be used in a more figurative sense, such as time periods or even emotional space. Did you Know? You might recognize “inter” as between. Interstice comes from the Latin word “intersistere,” which means standing between. It’s an impressive word for a tiny gap. Edited March 12, 2020 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 13, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2020 What's the Word? - CRINKUM-CRANKUM pronunciation: [KRING-kəm-KRANG-kəm] Part of speech: noun Origin: English, mid-18th century meaning: 1. Elaborate decoration or detail. 2. Something full of twists and turns. Example: "I love Victorian architecture with the woodwork overflowing with crinkum-crankum." "The reviews of the latest book in the mystery series promised a tale filled with crinkum-crankum." About Crinkum-crankum They all sound quite silly, but only tilly-willy is a made-up word. Crinkum-crankum describes something elaborately detailed. Hodgepodge is a confused mixture, and a bumbershoot is an umbrella. Did you Know? It might sound like a nonsense word, but it has roots in very real terms. It’s an alteration of crinkle, meaning a wrinkle or crease on the surface of something, and crankle, which comes from the Latin word “crincum.” It means a bend or twist. Crinkum-crankum is just a fun way to describe something delightfully elaborate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 14, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2020 (edited) What's the Word? - SCANTLING pronunciation: [SKANT-ling] Part of speech: noun Origin: Old French, early 16th century meaning: 1. A specimen, sample, or small amount of something. 2. The size to which a piece of wood or stone is measured and cut. Example: "There's only a scantling of milk left, so please pick up a new carton." "The shed door was built to a scantling of 7 feet tall." About Scantling In addition to describing a small amount, scantling can apply to measurements of all sizes in woodworking or building. It can be the size of a certain cut of wood or stone. Or it could be a set of standard dimensions in shipbuilding. Then scantling could also just be a name for a particular type of wood. Use your context clues to decipher the scantling. Did you Know? Scantling, a little bit of something, comes from the Old French word "escantillon," which means sample. While the words look very similar, scant (barely amounting to a specified number or quantity) does not share this root. Scant comes from the Old Norse word "skammr," meaning short. Edited March 14, 2020 by DarkRavie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2020 What's the Word? - WANGLE pronunciation: [WANG-ɡəl] Part of speech: verb Origin: Unknown, late 19th century meaning: 1. Manage to obtain (something) by persuading or cleverly manipulating someone. 2. Manipulate a situation in your favor. Example: "She was desperate to wangle an invitation to the exclusive party." "If you can wangle it, we have room in the car for one more." About Wangle The origin of wangle is unknown because it doesn’t seem to be inspired by another language, but that’s not to say we don’t know where it started. “Wangler'' was printer’s slang in the 19th century, meaning to fake. Wangle came to be used outside of the print shop to refer to any kind of manipulation. Did you Know? Wangle is a fun bit of slang to describe coercion or manipulation, but it had largely fallen out of use. That is until J.K. Rowling slipped it into “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” If a word is good enough for the Minister of Magic, it deserves to wangle its way back into our vocabulary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2020 What's the Word? - STENTORIAN pronunciation: [sten-TOHR-ee-ən] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Greek, early 17th century meaning: 1. (of a person's voice) loud and powerful. 2. Capable of robust sound. Example: "A successful candidate requires a stentorian voice that carries above the cheering crowds." "It was a surprise to hear a stentorian voice coming from such a small body." About Stentorian Stentorian is the adjective for a loud, booming voice. Stentor is the proper noun, or name, of the original loudmouth. Then stentor can be used as a common noun for anyone with a powerful voice. Did you Know? Thank Homer for this one. In the classic tale the “Iliad,” Stentor is the name of the herald who delivered proclamations to the Greek army during the Trojan War. It was said that his voice was as loud as 50 men put together, but you don’t have to be quite that loud to still be called stentorian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2020 What's the Word? - NOSEGAY pronunciation: [NOHZ-gey] Part of speech: noun Origin: Middle English, 15th century meaning: 1. A small bunch of flowers, typically one that is sweet-scented. 2. A gift of a small bouquet of flowers. Example: "Her daughter picked a nosegay that was mostly weeds, but she still loved it." "Each of the bridesmaids received a small nosegay wrapped in lace." About Nosegay Nosegay is a uniquely English term. Nose is, well, nose, and gay meant ornament in the 15th century. You could technically call the sparkly stud in your nostril a nosegay, but we'll stick to a small bouquet of flowers. Stay traditional and wrap it in a doily or even a silver nosegay holder. Did you know? While today a nosegay is a small bunch of flowers often used at weddings, it used to be a common and useful accessory. In the 15th century hygiene wasn't up to our modern standards, and people were quite a bit smellier. A sweetly scented nosegay held to the face helped to avoid the most noxious aromas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 (edited) What's the Word? - BILDUNGSROMAN pronunciation: [BIL-dungz-ro-mahn] Part of speech: noun Origin: German, early 20th century meaning: 1. A novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education. 2. Coming-of-age story Example: "She had an entire shelf in her home library devoted to Bildungsroman." "The Bildungsroman told the story of his journey from a one-room schoolhouse to graduating from medical school." About Bildungsroman It's an intimidating word for a literary style popular with all types of readers. "Bildung" is German for education, and "roman" is a novel. Simply put, it's a coming-of-age book. Now you can feel snooty about reading your guilty pleasure Young Adult books.. Did you know? "Emma" by Jane Austen, "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Huston, and "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee — all Bildungsroman. Any story that concerns the moral, educational, and philosophical development of a young person falls into this family. Edited March 19, 2020 by DarkRavie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2020 What's the Word? - LETHOLOGICA pronunciation: [lee-thə-LAH-jih-kə] Part of speech: noun Origin: Greek, early 20th century meaning: 1. The inability to remember a particular word or name. Example: "Her lethologica increased when she was meeting multiple people at a time." "Use mnemonic devices to avoid lethologica when you're studying for a big test." About Lethologica We’ve got the Greek word “lethe” for forgetfulness and the Greek word “logos” for word, and you can understand lethologica as being unable to remember a word or a name. It can be a symptom of a medical condition, or it can just be a case of forgetfulness. Did you know? Lethe comes from Greek mythology — it’s the river in Hades that makes the souls of the dead forget their previous life. Lethologica is a somewhat obscure term for being unable to remember a certain word. A related medical condition is called aphasia — loss of ability to understand or express speech. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted March 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 (edited) What's the Word? - INFINITESIMAL pronunciation: [in-fin-ih-TIS-ə-məl] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, mid-17th century meaning: 1. Extremely small. 2. Too small to be measured. Example: "The weatherman said there's an infinitesimal chance it will rain today, but I'm still taking my jacket." "Infinitesimal traces of chicken fell on the floor, but my dog immediately smelled them." About Infinitesimal As an adjective, infinitesimal means incredibly small — or in a technical sense, too small to be measured by standard means. But it can also be used as a noun to describe an amount. In this sense it’s mostly used by mathematicians, as the concept that a number or quantity can be divided endlessly into smaller fractions, or infinitesimals. Did you know? You might recognize the word infinite at the start of this long word, but it’s not used to refer to endlessly long numbers. Instead, infinitesimal is a description of very small size. There may be an infinite number of fish in the ocean, but a single speck of plankton is infinitesimal. Edited March 20, 2020 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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