New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - CRAQUELURE

pronunciation: [KRAH-kə-looər]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, early 20th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A network of fine cracks in the paint or varnish of a painting.

 

Example:

"The painting’s craquelure helped preservationists estimate its age."

"Some of the fissures in the canvas were a result of craquelure."

 

About Craquelure

This word comes from the French “craqueler,” meaning “to chap,” plus “-ure,” a suffix forming abstract nouns of action. The suffix is from Old French “-ure,” originally from the Latin “-ura.”

 

Did You Know?

Craquelure is very useful to art historians and appraisers. The kind that develops on a painting’s surface over time has a different pattern from craquelure induced through chemical processes over a shorter period of time — the latter occurs in regular patterns, while the former shows is much more irregular. Craquelure is one of several factors appraisers analyze to determine the age and authenticity of a work — and ultimately its value.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - MAGNIFICO

pronunciation: [mag-NIF-ə-koh]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Italian, late 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. An eminent, powerful, or illustrious person.

 

Example:

"Arthur was considered a magnifico of the publishing industry."

"Despite his reputation as a magnifico of the art world, he’s very humble."

 

About Magnifico

This word stems from the Italian “magnificent,” originally used as a title for a Venetian magnate.

 

Did You Know?

While the noun is Italian in origin, “Magnifico” is a 2003 Filipino drama about a clever boy growing up in an impoverished home who changes the lives of everyone he meets by providing them with what need, whether it’s playing matchmaker for his brother, obtaining a wheelchair for his disabled sister, or working on his ailing grandmother’s burial arrangements. “Magnifico” won 31 awards and was deemed “Best Film of the Decade” in 2011 by the Gawad Urian Awards Committee, the preeminent Filipino film critics society.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - ACCOUTER

pronunciation: [ə-KOO-dər]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: French, mid 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Clothe or equip in something noticeable or impressive.

 

Example:

"Will and his friends accoutered themselves with new hiking gear before the trip."

"The king decided to accouter himself in his finest velvet cape."

 

About Accouter

This word stems from the French “accoutrer,” originally from Old French “acoustrer.” From “a-” (from Latin “ad,” meaning “to, at”) and “cousture,” meaning “sewing.”

 

Did You Know?

“Accoutre” is a variant of “accouter.” They both mean to clothe or equip something noticeable or impressive. A related word, “accoutrement,” means accessories or additional clothing items beyond a basic outfit.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - CERVINE

pronunciation: [SER-vihyn]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, mid 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Relating to deer; deerlike.

 

Example:

"The ballet dancer had a charming, cervine style for footwork."

"I made a cervine costume to go along with the woodland theme of the party."

 

About Cervine

This word comes from the Latin “cervinus,” a combination of “cervus,” meaning “deer,” and “-ine,” an adjective-forming suffix that means “belonging to; resembling in nature.”

 

Did You Know?

There’s a whole group of animal-related words that end in “-ine” beyond “cervine.” For instance, “bovine” is related to cows, “canine” to dogs, “equine” to horses, and “vulpine” to foxes.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - FILLIP

pronunciation: [FIL-əp]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Possibly of imitative origin, mid 15th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Something which acts as a stimulus or boost to an activity.

2. [Archaic] a movement made by bending the last joint of the finger against the thumb and suddenly releasing it; a flick of the finger.

 

Example:

"With a fillip of two fingers, Serena showed her irritation with the crowd."

"Springtime usually provides a fillip to automotive sales."

 

About Fillip

This word, whose origins aren’t certain, stems from the term “philippen,” meaning "to flip something with the fingers, snap the fingers." As a noun, from 1520s, it comes from “fyllippe.”

 

Did You Know?

“Fillip” can also be a verb that means to flick something with a finger, strike something sharply, or stimulate/urge someone or something. For example, “The doctor asked the patient a series of questions in an attempt to fillip her memory.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - LIGHTSOME

pronunciation: [LIHYT-səm]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Middle English, 14th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Merry and carefree.

2. Gracefully nimble.

 

Example:

"Maryann had a lightsome spirit that drew people to her."

"All the dancers in the American Ballet Theatre company are lightsome in their movements."

 

About Lightsome

This literary adjective pairs the uplifting and cheery definition of “light” with the suffix “-some,” meaning “very like” or “same as.”

 

Did You Know?

“Lightsome” can also mean something that is well-lit and bright. As an example: “The test kitchen was lightsome in order to create a fruitful learning environment and produce sharp, professional pictures of the food.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - UNIVOCAL

pronunciation: [yoo-nə-VOH-kəl]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. (Of a word or term) having only one possible meaning; unambiguous.

 

Example:

"The scientific term has a univocal definition."

"Aaron used univocal words so he could be perfectly understood."

 

About Univocal

This word comes from the Latin “univocus.” “Uni-” means “having one only,” and “vox” means “voice, sound, or utterance.”

 

Did You Know?

In linguistics, the contrast to a univocal term (or something with precisely one meaning) is an equivocal term. A word like "blanket" is equivocal because it could refer to the cozy bed cover, or it could be an adjective to describe complete coverage, such as "blanket statement."

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - TRIG

pronunciation: [trihg]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Middle English, 13th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Neat and smart in appearance.

 

Example:

"Sandra had a sharp, trig wardrobe that commanded respect."

"All the lawns in the subdivision were required to be kept trig. "

 

About Trig

This word comes from Middle English, meaning “trusty, nimble.” It is of Scandinavian origin and akin to the Old Norse “tryggr” and Old English “trēowe,” both meaning “faithful.”

 

Did You Know?

When people hear “trig,” they might have flashbacks to high-school math class. The noun “trig,” short for “trigonometry,” is a more common usage than the adjective version, which means neat and smart in appearance.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word? - ASSAY

pronunciation: [ah-SEY]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: French, 14th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Determine the content or quality of (a metal or ore).

2. Examine (something) in order to assess its nature.

 

Example:

"Herman assayed the ring to determine if it was white gold."

"Will wanted to assay his new computer to learn how to build it."

 

About Assay

This word stems from the Anglo-French “assaier,” from the Old French “assai,” which is a variant of “essai,” meaning “trial.”

 

Did You Know?

“Assay” is easily confused with “essay,” not only because they look alike but because they have the same root, the Middle French “essai.” At one point, they were synonyms, but now, most people associate the noun “essay” with the papers they were assigned in school.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SENSATE

pronunciation: [SEN-seyt]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 15th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Perceiving or perceived by the senses.

 

Example:

"The meditation teacher encouraged tapping into the sensate realm."

"Many animals have sharper sensate abilities than humans."

 

About Sensate

This word stems from the Late Latin “sensatus,” meaning "gifted with sense." Originates from “sensus,” meaning "perception, feeling, undertaking, meaning."

 

Did You Know?

There is a well-being device called Sensate that’s marketed as something to soothe your nerves. It serves as a form of biofeedback therapy which emits sub-audible sound waves that can be felt through the chest and can have a calming effect on the nervous system.

 

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: COPESTONE

pronunciation: [KOHP-stohn]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin and Germanic origin, 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A flat stone forming part of the coping of a wall; the highest stone in a building, wall, or structure.

2. A finishing touch or crowning achievement.

 

Example:

"The brickwork narrowed as it got higher until it formed a very small copestone."

"Stella felt earning her Ph.D was the copestone of her life."

 

About Copestone

This word is a combination of the Middle English “cope,” from a variant of the late Latin “cappa,” and the Old English “stān,” which is Germanic in origin and is related to the Dutch “steen” and German “Stein.”

 

Did You Know?

“Two Fragments of a Copestone” are two pieces of mottled red sandstone with delicate, intricate images of animals, plants, and patterns carved into them. They are from the sacred city of Mathura (in modern northern India) and are estimated to be from the period between 50 BCE and 5 CE. They can be seen at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ELDRITCH

pronunciation: [EL-driCH]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Uncertain origin but possibly Scottish, early 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Weird and sinister or ghostly.

 

Example:

"The abandoned house had a creaky, eldritch aura to it."

"My mother loves eldritch movies that leave you feeling jumpy."

 

About Eldritch

This word is possibly related to “elf,” which stems from Old English and is related to German “Alp,” meaning “nightmare.” It has been compared to the Scottish variant “elphrish.”

 

Did You Know?

Diehard Dungeons & Dragons fans might appreciate the “Eldritch Blast.” It’s described on dndbeyond.com as such: “A beam of crackling energy streaks toward a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. The spell creates more than one beam when you reach higher levels.” There is a Reddit thread that claims Eldritch Blast might be the most overpowered cantrip, questioning its true effectiveness compared to other spells.

 

Edited November 1, 2021 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EXIGUOUS

pronunciation: [ek-SIG-yoo-əs]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, mid 17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Very small in size or amount.

 

Example:

"The teacher is applying for a grant to supplement the exiguous resources."

"The recipe called for an exiguous amount of baking soda."

 

About Exiguous

This word stems from the Latin “exiguus,” meaning “scanty.” Originally from “exigere,” meaning “weigh exactly.”

 

Did You Know?

At first glance, you might think that “exiguous” sounds like a word that means expansive, extensive, or excess — essentially, more — because of the “ex-” prefix. But “ex-” in English usually means “out of” or “from.” It can also mean “upwards,” “completely,” “deprived of,” “without,” or “former.” The word’s root verb, “exigere,” can mean “to weigh or measure.” This idea of measuring precisely likely gave “exiguous” its current sense of stinginess.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: HAECCEITY

pronunciation: [hak-SEE-ə-dee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, mid 17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. The property of being a unique and individual thing.

 

Example:

"Each vase she sculpted has a particular haecceity."

"The teacher knew each child has haecceity and can’t be constrained by categories."

 

About Haecceity

This word stems from the medieval Latin “haecceitas.” It comes from the Latin “haec,” feminine of “hic,” meaning “this.”

 

Did You Know?

Haecceity is a deeply philosophical concept attributed to Scottish Catholic priest and university professor John Duns Scotus. He defined it as a non-qualitative property of a substance or thing that is responsible for its individuation and identity, such as a particular person’s unique identity. Interestingly, Scotus is also where the term “dunces” originated from. His opponents equated Duns’ followers, who argued against Renaissance humanism, to dullards incapable of scholarship.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CONATION

pronunciation: [koh-NAY-SHən]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, early 17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. The mental faculty of purpose, desire, or will to perform an action; volition.

 

Example:

"Monica had the conation to complete the Boston Marathon."

"Henry was frustrated that the decision to cancel the event negated his conation."

 

About Conation

This word comes from the Latin “conatio(n-),” originally from “conari,” meaning “to try.”

 

Did You Know?

According to the American Psychological Association, conation is one of three traditionally identified components of the human mind. The other two are cognition and affect. Conation in this sense is “the proactive (as opposed to habitual) part of motivation that connects knowledge, affect, drives, desires, and instincts to behavior.” Sometimes the behavioral basis of attitudes is called the “conative component.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: APORIA

pronunciation: [ə-POR-ee-ə]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. An irresolvable internal contradiction or logical disjunction in a text, argument, or theory.

2. (Rhetoric) the expression of doubt.

 

Example:

"Today’s English class will focus on rhetorical devices like aporia."

"Marc Antony gives a speech in the third act of “Julius Ceasar” dripping with aporia."

 

About Aporia

This word stems from late Latin via the Greek “aporos,” meaning “impassable.” “A-” means “without,” and “poros” means “passage.”

 

Did You Know?

“Aporia” is most commonly used as a rhetorical device, for an expression of doubt. Aporia pops up often in speeches, political rhetoric and literature, like Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43, which starts out with, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." Browning's claim that she might not remember all "the ways" is exactly what gives her an opportunity to enumerate them.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PURLIEU

pronunciation: [PURL-yoo]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, late 15th century

 

Meaning: 

1. The area near or surrounding a place; a person’s usual haunts.

2. (British historical) a tract on the border of a forest, especially one earlier included in it and still partly subject to forest laws.

 

Example:

"The purlieu of Mr. Collins’s property was unkempt."

"The auditorium was a natural purlieu for theater students. "

 

About Purlieu

This word is likely an alteration (suggested by the French lieu, meaning “place”) of the Anglo-Norman French “puralee,” meaning “a going round to settle the boundaries.”

 

Did You Know?

During medieval times in England, the lucky few who were able to acquire new land would hold many ceremonies to make it clear that the land belonged to them. This kind of ceremony was called a “perambulation,” where the landowner would walk around and record the boundaries of his property with witnesses around. If the land bordered a royal forest, there could be some confusion about the boundaries, but a perambulation made it possible for these owners to gain at least some degree of ownership — even if royals still had the right to hunt on them. This kind of regained forest property was called a “purlewe,” later changed to “purlieu.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: APOLOGUE

pronunciation: [AHP-pə-log]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, mid 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A moral fable, especially one with animals as characters.

 

Example:

"Jessica wrote an apologue that made it easy for children to absorb the story’s morals."

"“The Tortoise and the Hare” is a famous apologue."

 

About Apologue

This word stems from French, via Latin from the Greek “apologos,” meaning “story.”

 

Did You Know?

“Aesop’s Fables,” the most well-known collection of apologues, have been educating children for generations with morality tales delivered through talking animals. Stories such as “The Owl and the Grasshopper,” “The Bell and the Cat,” and “The Two Crabs” are short enough to keep a child’s attention and obvious enough to make their ultimate messages clear.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CLOVEN

pronunciation: [KLOH-vən]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Old English, 13th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Split or divided in two.

 

Example:

"Remember the story of Moses when he made the Red Sea cloven."

"By the time the storm subsided, the sailboat was nearly cloven."

 

About Cloven

This word comes from the Old English “clēofan,” a past participle adjective of “cleave,” meaning “to split, part or divide by force.” It is related to the Dutch “klieven” and German “klieben.”

 

Did You Know?

There are many animals with cloven hooves, like deer, pigs, cattle, antelopes, goats, and sheep. The hooves on horses, zebras, and donkeys are solid and singular-toed, while rhinoceroses have three toes.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ARCUATE

pronunciation: [ARK-yoo-eyt]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Old English, 13th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Shaped like a bow, curved.

 

Example:

"His smile was full and arcuate."

"The population of the arcuate chain of islands shared a common culture and language."

 

About Arcuate

This word stems from the Latin “arcuatus,” meaning “bow-like, arched.” It is a past participle of “arcuare,” meaning “to bend like a bow,” from “arcus,” meaning “a bow.”

 

Did You Know?

“Arcuate” is an adjective that describes a curved shape, and it has been applied to anatomy. The arcuate nucleus is located within the hypothalamus in the human brain. It is a critical component of regulating feeding and metabolism and reflects energy levels and nutrient availability.

 

Edited November 8, 2021 by DarkRavie