New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - ASTROLATRY

pronunciation: [ə-STRAH-lə-tree]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: English, late 17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. The worship of stars and other celestial objects.

 

Example:

"My grandmother believed in astrolatry so much that she named all of her children after stars."

"There's more to astrolatry than just following the phases of the moon."

 

About Astrolatry

Not astrology, but close. Where astrology looks to the stars for guidance, astrolatry takes it one step further and worships the stars.

 

Did you Know?

The "-latry" suffix comes from Greek and denotes worship of a certain thing. In addition to worshipping idols (idolatry) and stars (astrolatry), you can worship books (bibliolatry), Shakespeare (bardolatry), the sun (heliolatry), images (iconolatry), and animals (zoolatry).

 

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - BUCK-AND-WING

pronunciation: [bə-kən-wiNG]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: American English

 

Meaning: 

1. A lively solo tap dance, typically done in wooden-soled shoes.

 

Example:

"Get the music started, and let's watch some buck-and-wing!"

"I won first place for my buck-and-wing at the county fair."

 

About Buck-And-Wing

Before tap dancing, there was buck-and-wing. This fast and flashy type of dance combined elements of Irish clogging and African rhythms for a style that was very popular in 19th-century minstrel shows.

 

Did you Know?

It's believed that Irish indentured servants and African enslaved people shared their dancing and musical heritages on Southern plantations, and these styles influenced the modern traditions of tap dancing. Buck-and-wing was an early style of tap dance, performed solo with heavy wooden shoes.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - SURREY

pronunciation: [SUH-ree]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: English, late 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A light four-wheeled carriage with two seats facing forward.

 

Example:

"The old surrey is still out there behind the barn."

"I'm looking for a picture of a surrey with two black horses."

 

About Surrey

You can call it a buggy, but a surrey is a particular type of horse-drawn carriage. It has four wheels and two seats, capable of carrying four passengers. The name comes from the British county of Surrey, where the cart was originally invented.

 

Did you Know?

Broadway fans will surely be familiar with the tune "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, "Oklahoma!" When handsome cowboy Curley wants to take a girl for a ride in a surrey, "Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry."

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - MISCELLANY

pronunciation: [MIH-sə-leh-nee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, late 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A group or collection of different items; a mixture.

2. A book containing a collection of pieces of writing by different authors.

 

Example:

"There's just a bunch of miscellany in the attic — nothing valuable."

"My poem will be published in an upcoming volume of miscellany."

 

About Miscellany

From Latin, "miscellanea" is the plural noun for miscellaneous items. The French borrowed it for "miscellanées" and we use "miscellany" as a more charming description for a collection of items that don't deserve to be called junk.

 

Did you Know?

As a publishing term, "miscellany" describes a volume that collects work from different authors or sources. It could even be a novelty book gathering trivia or bits of memorabilia. Miscellaneous writing and knowledge can be gathered in a miscellany.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - HARDSCAPE

pronunciation: [HARD-skayp]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: American English

 

Meaning: 

1. The man-made features used in landscape architecture, e.g. paths or walls, as contrasted with vegetation.

 

Example:

"I would like some hardscape, but my husband only wants greenery in the yard."

"The garden will feature a fountain and some additional hardscape."

 

About Hardscape

Hardscape is the name for the manmade elements you'll find in landscaping, such as paved paths or statues or a gazebo. Your landscape architect will consider the hardscape just as much as the natural environment.

 

Did you Know?

Xeriscape is a type of landscaping that requires little to no water. It features rocks and drought-resistant plants to make a beautiful landscape in a dry climate, possibly with some hardscape as well.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - SONIFEROUS

pronunciation: [sə-NIF-ə-rəs]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, early 18th century

 

Meaning: 

1. That conveys or bears sound.

2. That produces (a lot of) sound.

 

Example:

"The bell is so soniferous it can be heard from the edge of town."

"We need a more soniferous system to reach the full crowd."

 

About Soniferous

This is a pretty high-falutin' way to say "it's loud." In Latin, "son" words have to do with sound and "ifer" means bearing or carrying. Add an "-ous" in English and you have an adjective describing something carrying sound. It could be any old sound, but it's most often LOUD.

 

Did you Know?

If you followed the Grateful Dead in the '70s you would have witnessed the soniferous display of "The Wall of Sound," a massive PA system thought to be the largest of its time. This soniferous system of amps, speakers, subwoofers, and tweeters stood over three stories tall and 100 feet wide.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - NEOPHILIA

pronunciation: [nee-ə-FIL-ee-ə]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: American English, late 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Love of, preference for, or great interest in what is new.

2. A love of novelty.

 

Example:

"My neophilia means I always buy the new generation of iPhone as soon as it's released."

"I accused my father of neophilia when he brought home yet another smart gadget."

 

About Neophilia

The great thing about Ancient Greek is that so many new words can be created from its roots. "Neo" means new and "philia" means fondness. Neophilia, quite simply, is a love or preference for all that is new and trendy.

 

Did you Know?

The first documented usage of "neophilia" was in "Political Science Quarterly," an academic journal founded in the late 19th century. Millennial and Gen Z social media influencers are the perfect purveyors of neophilia, or a love of new trends.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - ARBORIST

pronunciation: [AR-bə-rəst]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, mid-18th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A tree surgeon.

 

Example:

"We need to call an arborist to look at the elm in the backyard."

"Talk to an arborist about those dead branches before they fall on the roof."

 

About Arborist

The Latin word for tree — "arbor" — has been used to create a variety of tree-like words. Arbor in English means a shady alcove created by trees. Arboriculture means cultivation of trees, and arboretum is a botanical garden devoted entirely to trees. An arborist, a tree surgeon, helps these trees grow strong and healthy.

 

Did you Know?

If you have a problem with trees, you're going to want to call an arborist. An arborist, or a tree surgeon, will be able to diagnose a fungus, or pests, or some other thing that only an arborist will be able to identify.

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - MOLESKIN

pronunciation: [MOHL-skin]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Middle English, 17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. The skin of a mole used as fur.

2. A thick, strong cotton fabric with a shaved pile surface

 

Example:

"I found a vintage coat lined with moleskin in exactly my size."

"I need to buy three yards of moleskin to make my new comforter."

 

About Moleskin

While moleskin originally meant the fur from an actual mole, it now applies to a cotton fabric with a soft nap, similar to the animal's fur. It's also used in American English to refer to the soft adhesive fabric you'll put in a new shoe to avoid blisters.

 

Did you Know?

Say "moleskin" and people might think you're talking about Moleskine, an Italian stationery company. It produces notebooks, sketchbooks, and various writing accessories favored by writers and creative types across the world.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - BERGAMUT

pronunciation: [BER-gə-mot]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Italian, late 17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. An oily substance extracted from the rind of the fruit of a dwarf variety of the Seville orange tree. It is used in cosmetics and as flavoring in tea.

2. A dessert pear of a rich and sweet variety.

 

Example:

"The house tea blend has strong notes of bergamot."

"We're serving poached bergamot for dessert."

 

About Bergamut

In Northern Italy there's a city and province called Bergamo. But there's also a Turkish word — "begarmudu" — that means "prince's pear." Between the orange extract and the pear, bergamot is likely a mix of these origins.

 

Did you Know?

So many versions of bergamot, so little time! A Seville orange tree produces the fruit from which bergamot is extracted for Earl Grey tea. Then there's also a variety of herb in the mint family called bergamot, and finally we have a type of pear called bergamot.

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - PANTOPHAGOUS

pronunciation: [pan-TAH-fə-ɡəs]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Greek, mid-19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Eating all kinds or a great variety of food.

2. Omnivorous.

 

Example:

"We promise the wedding reception menu will be pantophagous."

"I've always been a pantophagous eater, and I don't have any food aversions."

 

About Pantophagous

You might have thought "omnivorous" was a fancy way of saying you eat everything, but we'll give you one level up with "pantophagous." The prefix "panto-" is Greek for "all," and "-phagous" means subsisting on a specific food. All food, that is.

 

Did you Know?

To be pantophagous can mean that you have a preference for a variety of foods, but evolution also has something to do with it. If a carnivorous (meat eating) species cannot find enough meat in their environment, they might adapt to eat more vegetation. Being pantophagous usually means that a species has more food security during stressful times.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - SCUTTLEBUTT

pronunciation: [SKUH-dl-bət]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: North American English, early 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Rumor.

2. Gossip.

 

Example:

"Tell me everything! I need the scuttlebutt."

"The scuttlebutt is that she's found a new job."

 

About Scuttlebutt

Sailors have the best words for things. On a 19th century ship, a "butt" was a cask of drinking water, and a "scuttle" was the hole made for drinking. The sailors would gather at the scuttlebutt for a bit of chit-chat. Now we have the term "scuttlebutt" for watercooler gossip.

 

Did you Know?

If you're in Australia, "furphy" is slang for a story too good to be true. It comes from the name of the manufacturer of water carts used to supply soldiers in World War I. Scuttlebutt or furphy, it's all just a bit of watercooler gossip.

 

Edited September 27, 2020 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - ADYNATON

pronunciation: [a-dih-NAH-tən]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, mid-17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A figure of speech by which an impossible (or highly unlikely) situation is used for emphasis; an instance of this.

 

Example:

"With a bit of adynaton, the story went from mundane to fantastic."

"It's just adynaton, but the campfire story was so impossibly scary none of us could sleep."

 

About Adynaton

If you take a rhetoric class, you'll learn tools for persuasive writing and public speaking. One of these tricks is adynaton, or a figure of speech in which an impossible situation is described to make a point. Think: "raining cats and dogs" or "when pigs fly."

 

Did you Know?

Parents might use the tale of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" as adynaton to teach their children not to exaggerate or tell false stories. In this case, a bit of exaggeration is used as a lesson about the dangers of exaggeration.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - SEMPITERNAL

pronunciation: [sem-pə-TUHR-nl]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 15th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Eternal and unchanging; everlasting.

 

Example:

"As an astronaut, I'm intrigued by the sempiternal vastness of space."

"The young couple's heartfelt vows promised their love was sempiternal."

 

About Sempiternal

You might have seen monuments and memorials engraved with the words "semper fidelis," meaning "always faithful." The Latin words "semper," means always. Joined with the word "aeternus," or eternal, it represents a word with an enduring, everlasting presence.

 

Did you Know?

Bring Me the Horizon, a British metalcore band, had their 2013 album "Sempiternal" debut at No. 3 on the UK Album Chart — an album that later went on to receive critical acclaim. The band obviously wanted their album to last forever; whether they succeeded or not is up to their fans.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - TOMBOLA

pronunciation: [tom-BOH-la]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Italian, 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A game in which people pick tickets out of a revolving drum and certain tickets win immediate prizes, typically played at a fete or fair.

 

Example:

"I hear Jonathan is running the tombola stall at the fair this year."

"The young child was an expert at tombola, always seeming to pick a ticket that won a prize."

 

About Tombola

This word will make you want to do a flip. "Tombola" comes from the Italian word "tombolare," which means "to turn a somersault." It's not just limited to a tombola; bingo callers have their own somersaulting cages.

 

Did you Know?

If you have participated in a charity raffle you might have played a tombola. Traditionally from Italy, tombola games have tickets that are attached to immediate prizes — provided you pick the right one, of course.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - CETOLOGY

pronunciation: [see-TA-lə-gee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. The branch of zoology that deals with whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

 

Example:

"The marine biologist was also an expert in the field of cetology."

"Captain Ahab reviewed his cetology notes to learn more about the white whale he pursued."

 

About Cetology

The Latin word for whale, "cetus," joins with "-ology," the Latin suffix for "the study of a subject." Many other words are paired with "-ology" — biology (the study of life), psychology (the study of how people think), and entomology (the study of insects).

 

Did you Know?

While cetology is the study of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, a person who has committed to studying these same animals is a cetologist. It is fair to say that a cetologist will have a deep love and interest in whales — childhood fans of "Free Willy," might have considered becoming such a scientist.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - ADHOCRACY

pronunciation: [ad-HOC-rə-see]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 20th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A flexible, adaptable, and informal organizational structure without bureaucratic policies or procedures.

 

Example:

"The council was formed as an adhocracy so everyone felt comfortable contributing."

"The Star Trek crew came across an alien civilization that operates as a successful adhocracy."

 

About Adhocracy

This word, created in the 1960s, is a combination of the Latin phrase "ad hoc" (meaning something created for a specific purpose) and "bureaucracy," a system where elected officials make decisions. Your book club is likely an adhocracy — it was created for the purpose of discussing the latest novels, but it's a loose structure without a lot of rules.

 

Did you Know?

If you've ever been a part of a group or a project with loose rules and regulations, or one that is generally informal, that's an adhocracy. If you think it sounds too good to be true, it's no surprise that adhocracies feature in many a science fiction fantasy.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - BLARNEY

pronunciation: [BLAR-nee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Irish, 18th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Talk that aims to charm, pleasantly flatter, or persuade.

2. Amusing and harmless nonsense.

 

Example:

"She certainly was a charmer as she relied on blarney to persuade her coworkers to share details about their lives."

"The kindergarten teacher playfully asked her class if they had an actual question or just more blarney."

 

About Blarney

The word "blarney" comes from Blarney Castle and its famous stone, which is supposed to give whoever kisses it the gift of blarney, or persuasive, charming, flattering speech.

 

Did you Know?

Have you ever been told that you have the gift of gab? In Ireland, the person who manages to reach and kiss the Blarney Stone is rumored to be blessed with the gift of persuasive speech that can charm and flatter any listeners.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - TOPONYM

pronunciation: [TA-pə-nim]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Greek, 20th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A place name, especially one derived from a topographical feature.

 

Example:

"J.R.R. Tolkien created many new words in his books, but also the toponym of Mount Doom."

"The toponym for the new neighborhood is Pond Place, thanks to all the small pools on the golf course."

 

About Toponym

Those of you familiar with "topography," the study of the shape and attributes of land, might know that "top" is from the Greek word "topos," or place, while the Greek root word "nym" means name. A toponym is a name of a specific place. It could be a country, like France, or a general region, such as Wine Country

 

Did you Know?

Toponymy is the study of place names. As times have changed, so too have the names, toponyms, of different locations. By studying toponymy, experts are able to find out information about the development and exchange of language, historical landmarks, and features of the area.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - COUTURIER

pronunciation: [koo-TOOR-ee-ey]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, late 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A fashion designer who manufactures and sells clothes that have been tailored to a client's specific requirements and measurements.

 

Example:

"The top couturiers will all be showing at Fashion Week."

"He worked in a dry cleaner doing alterations, but his dream was to be a couturier."

 

About Couturier

"Naturellement," this fashionable word comes from French. "Couture" means sewing or dressmaking in French, but it has come to refer to a specific design of high-fashion garments made to specific measurement. "Couturier" is the word for the person who makes such specialized clothes.

 

Did you Know?

Not just any fashion designer can be called a couturier. If a designer qualifies in France, they could be invited to be a member of the "Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture." Well-known members include Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Schiaparelli, and Giambattista Valli.