New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CONFUTE

pronunciation: [kən-FYOOT]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Prove (a person or an assertion) to be wrong.

 

Example:

"The student confuted the professor with a logical proof."

"After some research, I was able to confute the belief that fruit trees couldn’t grow in this climate."

 

About Confute

“Confute” is derived from the Latin “confutare,” meaning “to answer conclusively.” It builds upon “refutare,” the basis of similar word “refute,” adding the prefix “con-,” meaning “altogether.”

 

Did You Know?

“Confute” is similar to “refute” and shares an etymological root. The difference between the two words is that “confute” has traditionally been a verb applied to proving a person or people wrong, while “refute” is applied only to proving ideas wrong. Consequently, one may refute a claim, or confute the person who made the claim.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: MAHALO

pronunciation: [mə-HA-loh]

 

Part of speech: exclamation

Origin: 19th century, Hawaiian

 

Meaning: 

1. (mainly in Hawaii) used to express gratitude.

 

Example:

"The woman handed me a lei, and I said “mahalo.”"

"My aunt expressed her mahalo at the beauty of the world to which she woke every morning."

 

About Mahalo

“Mahalo” appeared in English for the first time in American missionary Lorrin Andrews’s 1865 English-Hawaiian dictionary. In modern use, “mahalo” is frequently used as a Hawaiian stand-in for “thanks,” though prior to contact with Europeans, Hawaiians had no specific equivalent term for “thank you.”

 

Did You Know?

The Hawaiian “mahalo” is believed to be derived from the proto-Polynesian word “masalo,” and both express a form of significant gratitude more firmly rooted in the culture than simply saying “thank you.” In fact, using “mahalo” to mean “thank you” is a modern innovation: in its original form, “mahalo” is more of a statement about one’s gratitude for being alive, and to other people and the natural world for coexisting alongside one.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FIRTH

pronunciation: [fərTH]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Old Norse, 15th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A narrow inlet of the sea; an estuary.

 

Example:

"At the mouth of the Clyde river outside of Glasgow, there’s a firth with the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles."

"A firth can provide a natural demarcation point, such as the Solway Firth, which is used to divide England from Scotland."

 

About Firth

“Firth” entered Middle English through the Scots language, which took it from the Old Norse word “fjǫrthr.” This is also the root of “fjord,” a similar term, though a fjord is partly defined by its position in a narrow valley between high cliffs. By contrast, a “firth” need only be a smaller inlet, without any other geographical specificity.

 

Did You Know?

While similar types of inlets exist all over the world’s waterways, the ones called “firths” are primarily found in Scotland, which was where the word developed from its Old Norse roots and entered English. The difference between firths and estuaries is not always distinct in Scotland. Estuaries are usually coastal bodies of water connected to the sea where freshwater and seawater mingle, while firths contain only salt water. However, because there’s rarely a clear demarcation between firth and estuary, some Scots use the two terms interchangeably.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: APPROBATE

pronunciation: [AP-rə-beyt]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Latin, 15th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Approve formally; sanction.

 

Example:

"In order to build a shed, the city council needed to approbate my project with a building permit."

"My boss approbated my expenses from my trip to the trade show."

 

About Approbate

“Approbate” is derived from Latin, mingling “ad-” (meaning “to”), “probare” (meaning “try” or test”), and “approbat,” meaning “approved.” Together the term suggests the kind of approval that can stand up to tests of its legitimacy. Though the term was common among English-speaking countries, it fell out of use in Europe in the 17th century and has continued to be used primarily in the United States.

 

Did You Know?

“Approbate” is often used in the context of legal wills, where it is frequently paired with the contrary verb “reprobate,” meaning (in the legal context) “to reject.” In legal discussions, “approbate” often means “accept” rather than “formally approve.” The most common pairing of these verbs is used to suggest a person cannot approbate a will while also reprobating it. In plainer language, that means someone cannot accept the terms of some part of a will (for example, the part in which they receive inheritance) while also denying the legitimacy of other parts of the will — perhaps to argue another person should not receive an inheritance.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: VISCERAL

pronunciation: [VISS-ə-rəl]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Relating to the viscera.

2. Relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect.

 

Example:

"A visceral reaction is an emotion one feels in one’s guts."

"Visceral art often exposes the viewer to intense images and provokes equally intense emotions."

 

About Visceral

“Visceral” is based on the Latin “viscus,” meaning the internal organs (or “bowels”) of the torso, which are known in English as “viscera.” As an adjective, “visceral” refers to that which affects the body’s internal organs, and is used in both a literal and figurative sense.

 

Did You Know?

Those who don’t know the word “visceral” still likely know “gut feeling,” which is a more accessible expression of the same idea. Thanks to the late-medieval idea that the body’s viscera are a repository for feelings, wisdom, and instincts, English-speakers have long associated the gut with emotions of many kinds — from uncertainty to repulsion to trust to gratitude. Any time a person reports a feeling deep in their guts, what they’re describing is a visceral experience.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PALLADIUM

pronunciation: [pə-LAY-dee-əm]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A safeguard or source of protection.

2. The chemical element of atomic number 46, a rare silvery-white metal resembling platinum.

 

Example:

"During hard times, Ellen treated her faith as a palladium that would protect her from despair."

"For many young viewers, TV host Mr. Rogers was a palladium of childhood."

 

About Palladium

“Palladium” is named for Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of war and wisdom believed to protect and watch over Greek cities — above all Athens, after which she was named (and not vice versa). By the 14th century, anything that offered protection was sometimes called a “palladium” in her honor.

 

Did You Know?

“Palladium” has two completely different definitions. In one case, the word describes something that offers protection, but it’s also a rare metallic element, resembling both platinum and silver. Chemist William Hyde Wollaston discovered the substance in 1803 and named it “palladium” after the asteroid Pallas, which had been identified the previous year.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ASTERN

pronunciation: [ə-STERN]

 

Part of speech: adverb

Origin: Middle English, 17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Behind or toward the rear of a ship or aircraft.

2. (of a ship) Backward; stern foremost.

 

Example:

"Emma’s daughter sat in the front of the boat while Emma sat astern and talked with the man working the outboard motor."

"In a traditional canoe, the paddler who sits astern is responsible for steering the vessel."

 

About Astern

“Astern” is simply a compound of “a-” (meaning “toward”) and “stern,” a term derived from the Old Norse “stjórn,” meaning “control.” It’s also a root for the word “to steer.”

 

Did You Know?

Nautical terms for direction are different from those used on land. The opposite of “stern,” meaning the rear of a vessel, is “bow,” meaning the front. In place of “left” and “right,” nautical language uses “port” and “starboard.” All of these terms entered English between the 16th and 17th centuries, mostly from Old Norse and Germanic roots. However, while the words “astarboard,” “a-port,” and “abow” still exist in rare occasions, only “astern” is an adverb still in common usage.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: REPETEND

pronunciation: [REP-ə-tend]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 18th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A recurring word or phrase; a refrain.

 

Example:

"The song ended in a repetend of the first line of the chorus, which the singers repeated at least 10 times."

"Edgar Allen Poe uses the repetend “Nevermore” several times in the poem “The Raven” to great effect."

 

About Repetend

The term is derived from the Latin “repetendum,” meaning “something to be repeated.” The Latin root itself is related to “repetere,” from which the English verb “repeat” is derived.

 

Did You Know?

In poetry, a repetend (or refrain) has the effect of focusing the reader on a recurring motif. Each time a poem returns to its repetend, it provides an increasingly strong reminder of the ideas or images the poet wishes the reader to consider. Repetends often appear at the beginning or end of poetic verses, such as Walt Whitman repeating “O Captain! my Captain!”, or Robert Frost’s repetend of “And miles to go before I sleep.” Positioning a repetend as the first or last part of a verse helps remind readers these repeated motifs are central to the poem.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: NOUMENON

pronunciation: [NOO-mə-nahn]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Greek, 18th century

 

Meaning: 

1. (in Kantian philosophy) a thing as it is in itself, as distinct from a thing as it is knowable by the senses through phenomenal attributes.

 

Example:

"The subject of my philosophy dissertation is the Kantian noumenon."

"Natural elements such as mountains are often used as an example of a “noumenon” in philosophy class."

 

About Noumenon

“Noumenon” is based on the Greek “νοούμενον,” meaning “something that is conceived with the mind.” This was in direct contrast to “phenomenon,” which came from the Greek “φαινόμενον,” meaning “that which appears visibly.”

 

Did You Know?

German philosopher Immanuel Kant coined the word “noumenon” (and the plural “noumena”) in 1783 in an effort to describe things occurring outside of appearances visible to human beings. “Noumenon” describes a transcendental thing too great to be fully conceived with limited human capacities. Kant used the word in direct contrast to “phenomenon,” which is a fact or event perceptible to humans through their senses.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CICATRIX

pronunciation: [SIH-kə-triks]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. The scar of a healed wound.

 

Example:

"Though the wound in Roger’s leg healed quickly, it left a distinct cicatrix."

"A teenage bicycle accident left me with a cicatrix on my forehead that’s only visible when I’ve got a tan."

 

About Cicatrix

The word is drawn directly from the Latin “cicatrix,” meaning “a scar” or “a bruise,” and refers to the scar created by new tissue that the body generates to heal a wound.

 

Did You Know?

A cicatrix, or scar, has a job in healing. In the early stages of recovering from injury, the body first generates a fresh layer of tissue to protect the wound, before gradually developing a cicatrix that will be strong enough to protect the healing wound from a variety of stimulation, such as pressure, stretching, or scratching. The tissue that develops into a cicatrix is slightly different from healthy skin, in part because it needs to be elastic to be protective. For this reason, a cicatrix is often a different color or texture than the skin around it.

 

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: YEGG

pronunciation: [yeg]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Early 20th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A burglar or safecracker.

 

Example:

"Old Jones was a former yegg who had a reputation as a master safecracker."

"My father told me to find an honest line of work, and keep away from the yeggs trying to tempt me with the promise of easy money."

 

About Yegg

“Yegg” appeared as an informal term for “safecracker” in the early 20th century and has long been associated with the culture of train-hopping, which peaked during the Great Depression.

 

Did You Know?

A “safecracker” has never really been a viable profession, but a century ago, “yegg” was the name for that job. Also called a “yegg-man,” this slang term for a burglar (specifically of safes) was popular in the early 1900s. The word can be traced back to the Pinkerton Detective Agency which was known for tracking down funds stolen from county post offices. The name “Yegg” is likely a pseudonym for one of the thieves.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PREHENSILE

pronunciation: [pre-HEN-səl]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 18th century

 

Meaning: 

1. (chiefly of an animal's limb or tail) capable of grasping.

 

Example:

"The monkey used its prehensile tail to turn the doorknob and free itself."

"My cat’s tail is so strong it’s almost prehensile."

 

About Prehensile

“Prehensile” was drawn directly from the French “préhensile,” based on the Latin prefix “prehēns” (meaning “to grasp”).

 

Did You Know?

Some monkeys in Central and South America have prehensile tails, while those across Asia and Africa do not. Prehensile tails are often associated with monkeys, but they appear in many different types of mammals, including rodents and marsupials, as well as reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Not all prehensile tails are equal: some have bare patches of skin for friction and are better equipped for gripping and climbing, while others are hairy and best used for balance.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: TITTUP

pronunciation: [TID-əp]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: British, late 18th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Move with jerky or exaggerated movements.

 

Example:

"The horse will tittup to his stall even after a long ride."

"Jim Carrey has tittuped his way through some of his most famous movie roles."

 

About Tittup

This verb comes from the noun “tittup,” coined in the 1700s to describe the sound of a horse's hooves on the ground when moving between a trot and a gallop.

 

Did You Know?

“Tittup” was a term coined in the early 18th century to describe the specific sound a horse makes when moving between a canter (a controlled three-beat gait) and a gallop (a faster, four-beat variation of the same gait). Toward the end of the century, people began to use “tittup” as a verb to describe people who moved in an exaggerated fashion. Usage of the word became less common as horses became a less-favored mode of transportation.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EBULLIENT

pronunciation: [ih-BOOL-yənt]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, late 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Cheerful and full of energy.

2. [Archaic] (of liquid or matter) boiling or agitated as if boiling.

 

Example:

"The child had an ebullient laugh that charmed his parents."

"The stew was ebullient until Mom turned the burner down."

 

About Ebullient

This word stems from the Latin verb “ebullire.” “E-,” a variant of “ex-,” means “out,” and + “bullire” means “to boil.”

 

Did You Know?

When the word “ebullient” was initially used in the late 16th century, it closely adhered to its root Latin meaning of “boiling over.” It was only used to describe literal boiling substances, like water. But like many words, “ebullient” grew in scope to describe people with “bubbly” personalities. The first recorded use of the word in this figurative sense is from the 1660s.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: RELIQUARY

pronunciation: [REL-ə-kwer-ee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, mid-16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A container for holy relics.

 

Example:

"The church had a collection of ornate reliquaries."

"Sometimes an archaeological dig will render a reliquary or two."

 

About Reliquary

This word stems from the French “reliquaire,” from the Old French “relique.” This comes from the Late Latin “reliquiæ,” meaning "the remains of a martyr."

 

Did You Know?

Reliquaries and the relics they hold have been historically significant to Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and other religions. They were often displayed in houses of worship so followers could make pilgrimages to gain blessings. But reliquaries were not just for the faithful; the term is sometimes used to describe containers that held body parts of non-religious people. For instance, many French kings specified that their hearts and other organs be buried in a different location from their primary burial site.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ARENACEOUS

pronunciation: [ar-ə-NEY-shəs]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, mid-17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. (Geology) Consisting of sand or particles of a substance similar to sand.

2. (Biology — of animals or plants) living or growing in sand.

 

Example:

"Quartz sandstone is a type of arenaceous rock."

"Kalyn looked for arenaceous plants that would thrive in her desert locale."

 

About Arenaceous

This word stems from the Latin “arenaceus” and “harenaceus,” originally from “harena,” meaning "sand, sandy place." The figurative sense of "dry" is from 1870.

 

Did You Know?

Not all flora requires rich, dark, moist soil. Some plants actually grow best in arenaceous settings. Black-eyed susans, lavender, hibiscus, potatoes, cucumbers, beans, salvia, and, of course, cacti and other succulents thrive in sandy locales, especially in the American Southwest.

 

[DarkRavie]

Thursday's Word

 

What's the Word: NOETIC

pronunciation: [no-ED-ik]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Greek, mid-17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. (Formal) Relating to mental activity or the intellect.

 

Example:

"The philosophy department attracts noetic students."

"Noah was equally athletic and noetic."

 

About Noetic

This word stems from the Greek “noētikos,” from “noētos,” meaning “intellectual.” This comes from “noein,” meaning “perceive.”

 

Did You Know?

The Institute of Noetic Sciences is a nonprofit research center in Petaluma, California. Former astronaut Edgar Mitchell co-founded the center in 1973 after claiming he entered a meditative trance upon his return to Earth after the Apollo 14 moon landing. He also said he conducted ESP experiments with earthbound friends during spaceflight. The institute conducts research on topics like consciousness-based healthcare, spontaneous remission, survival of consciousness after bodily death, psychokinesis, and alternative healing practices.

 

Edited April 15, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CAVORT

pronunciation: [kə-VORT]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: American English, 18th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Jump or dance around excitedly.

 

Example:

"Each evening I watch the possums cavort in my backyard."

"Elated partygoers cavorted beneath the light of a disco ball."

 

About Cavort

“Cavort” has an unclear etymology, but it is believed to be an alteration of the now-rare verb “curvet,” describing hind-leg jumps performed in series by trained horses. Some documents report “cavort” emerged from Tennessee or the surrounding Southern states. By the late 19th century, slang dictionaries recorded the existence of “cavaulting ”— which became “cavorting” — as a vulgarization of “curveting.” Interestingly, dictionaries at that time connected “cavorting” to the term “horsing” (as in “horsing around”).

 

Did You Know?

To “cavort” has always been associated with animals, beginning with the word’s root in “curvet,” describing performing horses. As a result, “cavort” as a verb can be used to describe animal playfulness, and also to suggest people behaving like excited animals. In modern usage, “cavort” can suggest scandalous behavior, but it’s more often used generally to describe actions that make people seem like playful animals.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EIDETIC

pronunciation: [i-DED-ik]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Greek, 1920s

 

Meaning: 

1. Relating to or denoting mental images having unusual vividness and detail, as if actually visible.

 

Example:

"The artist recalled things she’d seen with eidetic clarity and painted from those crisp images."

"Thanks to his eidetic memory, Terry never forgets which section of the parking lot where he’s left his car."

 

About Eidetic

Though “eidetic” is based on the Ancient Greek “εἰδητικός” (meaning “constituting an appearance”) the word was only coined in the early 1900s. German psychologist Erich Rudolf Jaensch coined the term “eidetisch” based on the Greek to describe the particular precision of mental images that were different from and far clearer than regular memories.

 

Did You Know?

Many people are familiar with the idea of “eidetic memory,” even if they haven’t heard that term. “Eidetic” is often used interchangeably with “photographic” to describe the capacity for incredibly detailed and precise memories. There is a minor difference between the two terms, however; photographic memory usually describes the ability to recall detailed information (including texts and numbers), while “eidetic memory” describes an ability to maintain a vivid picture of something after it is gone, even experiencing a feeling of the image still being present.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PINNIPED

pronunciation: [PIN-ə-ped]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A carnivorous aquatic mammal of the order Pinnipedia, such as a seal or walrus.

 

Example:

"Seals, sea lions, and walruses are all pinnipeds — carnivorous mammals who live in the water."

"Billy thinks all types of pinnipeds are adorable, even though he knows they can be dangerous."

 

About Pinniped

“Pinniped” was coined in the early 19th century by combining the suffix “-ped,” meaning “foot,” with the prefix “pinni-,” which refers to fins. From this, zoologists derived the biological suborder “Pinnipedia” consisting of 34 species of seals, walruses, and sea-lions.

 

Did You Know?

The Pinnipedia suborder of animal describes carnivorous aquatic mammals, but the term “pinniped” was once used to describe any creature whose feet were like fins—meaning seals, sea-lions, and walruses, but also certain crabs, birds, and sea-slugs.