New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: AVOUCH

pronunciation: [ə-VOWCH]

 

Part of speech: verb
Origin: Latin, 14th century

 

Meaning:
1. Affirm or assert.

 

Example:

"The witness avouched that she saw a man in a blue sweatshirt enter the house after dark."

"It’s wise to avouch one’s dietary needs to the waiter when ordering your meal."

 

About Avouch

“Avouch” is based on the old French “avouchier,” which was itself based on the Latin “advocāre,” meaning “to summon.”

 

Did you Know?

Anyone who makes a speech or publishes a declaration is engaged in avouching, meaning President Abraham Lincoln avouched both the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. avouched the “I Have a Dream” speech (and many others). Speechmaking is often associated with building nations and cultures, and certainly these speeches have been foundational to the character of the United States. “Avouch” is based on the Latin root “advocāre,” meaning “to call” or “to summon.” It is also the root of the word “avocat,” “avvocato,” and “abogado,” meaning “lawyer” in French, Italian, and Spanish, respectively.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: HARLEQUIN

pronunciation: [HAHR-lə-kwin]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Italian, 16th century

 

Meaning:
1. In varied colors; variegated.

 

Example:

"The leaves on the plant were a harlequin patchwork of dark greens and pale yellows."

"Rainbow grasshoppers are distinguishable by their bright harlequin patterns."

 

About Harlequin

“Harlequin” is based on the Old French name “Herlequin” or “Hellquin,” the mythical leader of a group of demon horsemen.

 

Did you Know?

A “Harlequin” is a trickster-jester character in Italian “commedia dell’arte,” a style of theater featuring masked characters playing specific stock roles. Harlequin was the best known of a number of comic, servant characters called “Zanni.” Notably, Harlequin is easily recognized in his checkered outfit, which gives rise to the adjective “harlequin.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PHALANX

pronunciation: [FEY-leynx]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Greek, 16th century

 

Meaning:
1. A group of people or things of a similar type forming a compact body.

 

Example:

"Getting off the plane, I passed a phalanx of families waiting to be reunited with loved ones."

"Every Saturday just before lunch, a phalanx of parents with strollers makes the park nearly impassable."

 

About Phalanx

“Phalanx” comes from the same term in Latin, based on the ancient Greek “φάλαγξ” (“phalanx”), meaning “battle order.”

 

Did you Know?

The first phalanx was developed by militaries in ancient Macedonia: It was a military unit in a formation of closely arrayed soldiers overlapping their shields and crossing their spears, making themselves difficult to attack. However, even by the fourth century, the Latin term had expanded beyond its military meaning to describe any group of people gathered closely together. In modern use, “phalanx” often calls back to its military roots by evoking a hostile or demanding group, or a group that is difficult to pass. For example, a film star may find herself surrounded by a phalanx of fans asking for her autograph, and a kindergarten teacher giving out ice cream may be surrounded by a phalanx of hungry children.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SUBSUME

pronunciation: [səb-SOOM]

 

Part of speech: verb
Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning:
1. Include or absorb (something) in something else.

 

Example:

"YouTube started out as an independent company before it was subsumed by Google."

"I was worried my promotion announcement would be subsumed by my brother’s news that he was getting married, so I waited for another day to tell my family."

 

About Subsume

“Subsume” is based on the medieval Latin “subsumere,” combining the prefix “sub-” (meaning “from below”) and “sumere” (meaning “take”).

 

Did you Know?

Years ago, Pepsi-Cola made its popular soft drink and nothing else, while the Tip Corporation produced Mountain Dew. When Pepsi bought the Tip Corporation and the rights to make Mountain Dew in 1964, the brand became subsumed under the Pepsi corporation, which continues to produce the drink.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PREFATORY

pronunciation: [PREHF-ə-tohr-ee]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. Serving as an introduction; introductory.

 

Example:

"Before screening “Citizen Kane,” the cinema club president made a few prefatory remarks about the film’s place in history."

"The new edition of Emily Dickinson’s poems comes with nearly 100 pages of prefatory essays on the poet's life and her influence on the history of literature."

 

About Prefatory

“Prefatory” is based on the classical Latin “praefatio,” meaning “a saying beforehand.”

 

Did you Know?

The adjective “prefatory” is not based on the noun “preface.” Rather, the two are based on the same Latin root “praefatio,” meaning “a saying beforehand.” In both cases, the two words are closely associated with literature. Over the years, prefaces to major works — such as Dr. Samuel Johnson’s preface to his “Dictionary of the English Language,” and Walt Whitman’s preface to “Leaves of Grass” — have sometimes earned their own place in literary history. As editor Charles William Eliot pointed out in a prefatory note to his book “Famous Prefaces,” the only time an author speaks directly to the reader is often in prefatory remarks, which means they offer a unique window into the author’s true personality.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: RHONCHISONANT

pronunciation: [ron-KIH-soh-nənt]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. Making a snorting noise; snorting.

 

Example:

"Emerging from the dusty barn, John cleared his throat with a loud rhonchisonant noise."

"Raccoons can be surprisingly rhonchisonant with their pig-like snorts."

 

About Rhonchisonant

“Rhonchisonant” was coined by combining the Latin roots “rhonchus,” meaning “snoring” or “a frog croaking,” and “sonare,” meaning “making a sound.”

 

Did you Know?

A large number of animals are capable of snoring — the original rhonchisonant sound. And while snoring during sleeping is done by mammals, it isn’t limited to terrestrial mammals — whales have been known to snore. Size isn’t the cause of snoring either. Tiny mice snore, as do elephants. However, predators are likelier to be rhonchisonant in their sleep than prey, for the obvious reason that prey who sleep noisily tend to get discovered by hunters.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SKOOKUM

pronunciation: [SKOO-kəm]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Chinook Jargon, mid-19th century

 

Meaning:
1. (Of a person or animal) Strong, brave, or impressive.

 

Example:

"Growing up, I had a skookum cat who feared none of the neighborhood dogs."

"The documentary explained how the skookum grizzly bears would grab salmon out of the water to hunt."

 

About Skookum

“Skookum” is taken directly from Chinook Jargon, where it means “large,” “monstrous,” or “strong.”

 

Did you Know?

“Skookum” is taken from Chinook Jargon, a pidgin language combining the words from various languages of Indigenous peoples in the Pacific Northwest with loanwords from French and English. It’s unclear whether Chinook Jargon predated the arrival of European settlers — because it contains words from other Indigenous languages, it may have been a trading language that various tribes and nations used to communicate with one another. Regardless, since the contact between Europeans and Indigenous people, Chinook Jargon has absorbed aspects of English and French and its words have entered English. Across the Pacific Northwest, it’s common to use “skookum” to describe big things, strong things, and brave things.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: DIASPORA

pronunciation: [dahy-AS-pər-ə]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Greek, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. The dispersion or spread of a people from their original homeland.

2. People who have spread or been dispersed from their homeland.

 

Example:

"The largest population center for the Jewish diaspora is the United States, which has a larger Jewish population than Israel."

"The Irish diaspora didn’t exist until the 19th century, when Irish people fled famine to begin new lives in the United States, Canada, and Australia."

 

About Diaspora

“Diaspora” is based on the ancient Greek “διασπορᾱ́” (“diasporā́"), meaning “scattering.”

 

Did you Know?

The term “diaspora” now commonly refers to populations of people scattered outside their place of origin, but it is most closely associated with the Jewish people. It began with the exile of the Judahites from the Kingdom of Judah in the sixth century BCE. Only after their exile, when they existed as a diaspora, did Judahites become known as “Jews.” Diasporas can be created by a variety of conditions that either drive people from, or entice them away from, their homes. The Jewish diaspora is also a good example of how widely a diaspora may be scattered geographically. Even though the state of Israel is considered to be the Jewish homeland, nearly twice as many Jews live in the United States, while the Jewish diaspora stretches all over the world.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EFFULGENCE

pronunciation: [ih-FUHL-jəns]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: English, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. A state of being bright and radiant; splendor, brilliance.

 

Example:

"Camille was stunned silent by the effulgence of the sun rising across the Grand Canyon."

"After walking an hour in the rainy dark, the effulgence of my living room’s bright lights and roaring fire was a welcome sight."

 

About Effulgence

The noun “effulgence” is based on the English adjective “effulgent,” meaning “shining brilliantly.” It was created by combining the Latin prefix “ex-” (meaning “out of”) and the Latin verb “fulgere” (meaning “to shine”).

 

Did you Know?

Whether by finding hope in the effulgence of the breaking dawn, or by warming ourselves beneath the effulgence of the noonday sun, people have always celebrated the warmth and light we receive from the sky. However, human-made effulgence — in the form of lighting schemes, light shows, and even works of art — is designed to reflect and showcase the movement of light. People seem attracted to effulgence, whether it’s a radiant dawn or a brightly lit exhibition of reflective glass.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: IMPLACABLE

pronunciation: [im-PLAK-ə-bəl]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: French, 16th century

 

Meaning:
1. Unable to be placated.

2. Relentless; unstoppable.

 

Example:

"Charlie tried appealing to the principal to cancel his suspension for pranks and mischief, but she was implacable."

"When it comes to enforcing our teenage son’s nightly curfew, my husband and I are implacable."

 

About Implacable

“Implacable” entered English from the same word in Old French, where it meant “harsh” and “unrelenting.” The Old French “implacable” was based on the Latin “implācābilis” (“unappeasable” or “irreconcilable”).

 

Did you Know?

The hardest thing for many new parents is getting their babies to sleep through the night. This challenge is known as “sleep training,” in which parents try to find the right set of circumstances to relax their baby enough that they will fall asleep on their own. By the time a baby is four months old, many experts say they can begin learning the self-soothing techniques necessary to fall asleep on their own and remain asleep through the night. However, sleep training is a challenge. Some babies take to it quickly, while others are implacable, rejecting every attempt parents can think of to soothe them. Implacable babies eventually learn to sleep by themselves, but require far more parental effort, ingenuity, and patience to get to that state.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CIRCADIAN

pronunciation: [sur-KEY-dee-ən]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, 20th century

 

Meaning:
1. (Of biological processes) Recurring naturally on a 24-hour cycle, even in the absence of light fluctuations.

 

Example:

"After getting up at 6 a.m. to go to work for 20 years, my circadian rhythm is set, and I still wake up at 6 on weekends and holidays."

"Janice craves sweets on a circadian rhythm, and she always treats herself to chocolate in the early afternoon, whether she’s eaten a big lunch or a small one."

 

About Circadian

“Circadian” was coined in the 1950s by combining the Latin “circa” (“about”) with “dies” (“a day”).

 

Did you Know?

A person’s circadian rhythm is their internal clock, and it resets roughly every 24 hours. It isn’t just about sleep: Circadian rhythms help determine body temperature, hunger, and hormonal changes. However, the main purpose is to regulate sleep patterns. Since humans have evolved to mostly sleep when it’s dark and wake when it’s light, circadian rhythms can be shifted or disrupted by changes in light.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ANDIRON

pronunciation: [AND-ahy-ərn]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, 14th century

 

Meaning:
1. A metal support, typically one of a pair, that holds wood burning in a fireplace.

 

Example:

"The fireplace was missing its andirons, so burning logs sometimes fell directly against the grate."

"Once the fire has burned down to coals, Johnny likes to balance skewers of marshmallows on the andirons to roast them."

 

About Andiron

“Andiron” is based on the Middle English “aundire,” from the Old French “andier,” meaning “heifer.”

 

Did you Know?

Fire has long been a source of heat and light, and also a place to cook food. But when the blaze moved from the campfire to a contained fireplace inside homes, new vocabulary was needed to describe it. “Andiron,” a word describing a metal support to hold wood burning in the fireplace, was first noted in English in the 14th century. Many houses had some form of andirons — usually a pair — as part of their fireplaces. The word is based on “andier” — an Old French term meaning “heifer” — plus “iron,” the material used to make them. Andirons were often compared to animals; they were also called “fire dogs.”

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SWIZZLE

pronunciation: [SWIZ-əl]

 

Part of speech: verb
Origin: Unknown, 19th century

 

Meaning:
1. Stir (a drink) with a swizzle stick.

 

Example:

"The bartender didn’t mix the drinks, but left patrons to swizzle their beverages themselves."

"Ernestine has a habit of swizzling her drink while she talks."

 

About Swizzle

The exact source of “swizzle” is unknown, though it may be a variation on the U.S. English word “switchel,” describing a sweetened beverage.

 

Did you Know?

The verb “swizzle” began its life in the early 19th century as a noun describing cocktails (and sometimes as a general term for alcoholic beverages as a class, similar to “booze”). In particular, “swizzle” was a popular term for a frothy mixed drink that required stirring, from which the verb “to swizzle” was coined in the late 19th century. Until the mid-19th century, “to swizzle” also meant “to drink excessively.” Though the root of “swizzle” is unknown, many believe it is related to the American word “switchel,” describing a vinegar-water beverage sweetened with molasses or honey.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FUNAMBULISM

pronunciation: [fyoo-NAM-byə-lizm]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: English, 19th century

 

Meaning:
1. The art of walking on a tightrope or a slack-rope.

 

Example:

"While at school in Paris, my nephew got involved in funambulism and joined a circus."

"Slack lines have proved funambulism is a fun and engaging physical exercise."

 

About Funambulism

“Funambulism” is based on the English word “funambule,” a synonym for “tightrope walker.” This is based on the Latin word “fūnambulus,” meaning the same thing.

 

Did you Know?

The contemporary master of funambulism is Nik Wallenda. As a seventh-generation member of the family of high-wire performers known as the Flying Wallendas, Nik Wallenda first walked a tightrope when he was 13 years old in 1992. Since that time, he has amassed 11 Guinness World Records, most notably for being the first person to walk a tightrope across Niagara Falls, live on television in 2012. Wallenda has stretched the limits of funambulism by performing increasingly elaborate stunts on tightropes, such as creating the first-ever eight-person pyramid on a high wire.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ULTRONEOUS

pronunciation: [əl-TROH-nee-əs]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. Spontaneous; voluntary.

 

Example:

"Our host made an ultroneous offer at the end of the afternoon to make us all supper."

"If I win the lottery, I will take ultroneous vacations whenever the mood strikes me."

 

About Ultroneous

Taken directly from Latin, based on the Latin “ultrō,” meaning “on one’s part.”

 

Did you Know?

Ultroneous combustion of certain materials is not only possible, but also quite dangerous. In order for a material to catch fire of its own accord, first it must have a low ignition point (straw and hay fit the bill). Second, there must be a heat source — which can occur, for example, if sugar in the material begins to ferment. If that heat can’t escape, eventually the material can reach its ignition point and combust ultroneously (spontaneously). This is a concern for compost piles, where ultroneous combustion happens due to fermentation, but also with certain kinds of oil seeds, which can dramatically heat up in the presence of moisture.

 

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EMOLUMENT

pronunciation: [ih-MOL-yə-mənt]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 15th century

 

Meaning:
1. A salary, fee, or profit from employment or office.

 

Example:

"A lease on a luxury car is among the college dean’s emoluments."

"When the hiring team explained the emolument I would receive, I agreed it was perfectly fair for the position."

 

About Emolument

“Emolument” is based on the Latin “ēmolumentum,” meaning “payment to a miller for grinding corn.”

 

Did you Know?

“Emolument” is a formal term for “payment” with a very specific root: In Latin, it referred to the amount one paid a miller to grind one’s corn. In modern terms, every paying job can be described as having an emolument, but originally the term came from either the Latin word “ēmōlior,” meaning “to remove with effort,” or “ēmŏlĕre,” meaning “to grind out.” Both words stress the labor of the activity for which the worker receives their emolument.

 

[DarkRavie]

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.

 

Example:

"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, well, 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 tufty 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.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CIRCUMSTELLAR

pronunciation: [sir-kəm-STELL-ər]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: English, 20th century

 

Meaning:
1. That surrounds, or revolves around a star.

 

Example:

"In astronomy, the area around a star that can support liquid — and therefore life — is called the circumstellar habitable zone."

"The sun is a yellow dwarf star, and the Earth is in circumstellar orbit around it."

 

About Circumstellar

“Circumstellar” was formed in English in the 20th century by combining the prefix “circum-,” meaning “around,” and “stellar,” meaning “related to stars.”

 

Did you Know?

Circumstellar disks are pancake-shaped rings of dust, gas, asteroids, and other matter that rotate around stars. These disks are created as stars are formed, and after a star appears, the circumstellar disk around it contains dust and gas the star can absorb and build upon as it grows. Though circumstellar disks surround stars, the materials they contain are distinctive. The matter floating in circumstellar disks around younger stars offers building blocks for future potential planets.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: DRUTHERS

pronunciation: [DRUH-therz]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: U.S. English, 19th century

 

Meaning:
1. (Usually “one's druthers”) A person's preference in a matter.

 

Example:

"I wish my neighbors would exert their druthers to city council about the speed of traffic on our street."

"Raphael would have been an architect if he’d had his druthers, but he ended up a baker."

 

About Druthers

“Druthers” is formed in English out of the expression “I’d rather.”

 

Did you Know?

One of the earliest instances of the word “druther” is in Mark Twain’s 1876 novel “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” in which a character says “I druther” in place of “I’d rather.” The word made other appearances in the early 19th century, suggesting it was already widely used by that time. The term is strongly associated with the South, where the expression “drather” was also common in the 19th century. Over time, “druthers” became a noun on its own.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: TESSELLATE

pronunciation: [TESS-ə-leyt]

 

Part of speech: verb
Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. Decorate or cover (a surface) with a pattern of repeated shapes, especially polygons, that fit together closely without gaps or overlapping.

 

Example:

"The kitchen floor was tessellated with hexagonal linoleum tiles."

"The artist is known for tessellating mosaics with clay geometric shapes."

 

About Tessellate

“Tessellate” comes from the Latin “tessella,” meaning “small paving stone.”

 

Did you Know?

Tessellation (the noun form of the verb “tessellate”) is best known as a pattern made out of repeating geometric shapes — especially triangles, squares, and hexagons, but also combinations of different shapes. Tessellated geometric mosaics are a common design motif dating back to ancient Rome; however, some of the best-known tessellated works of art are more modern. Dutch artist M.C. Escher is known for his complex and impossible tessellated images, such as his drawings of infinite stairways. But Escher also used the pattern to impressive effect by tessellating images of birds, fish, reptiles, and insects that fit seamlessly together into mesmerizing mosaics.