New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: POCOCURANTE

pronunciation: [poh-koh-koo-RAHN-tee]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: French, 18th century

 

Meaning:

1. Apathetic, indifferent, or nonchalant.

 

Example:

"The pococurante taxi driver nearly sideswiped several other cars getting us to the airport, yet he didn’t seem especially troubled."

"Unfortunately, the heritage building was owned for decades by a pococurante landlord who failed to do standard maintenance."

 

About Pococurante

“Pococurante” is a French loanword coined by author Voltaire, who joined the Italian words “poco” (“little”) and “curante” (caring).

 

Did you Know?

The word “pococurante” came to French from Italian in an uncommon way: In his 1759 satirical novel “Candide, or Optimism,” Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire introduced the character of Signor Pococurante, a Venetian nobleman who cares nothing about great works of art. Thanks to the popularity of the book, the character of Signor Pococurante became instantly identifiable as a representative of indifference to the things others find important. A few short years after “Candide” was published, “pococurante” entered English as a noun for an indifferent or apathetic person, and within 50 years, the term had become an adjective describing apathetic indifference.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: DIABLERIE

pronunciation: [di-AH-blə-ree]

 

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

 

Meaning:

1. Reckless mischief; charismatic wildness.

2. (Archaic) Sorcery supposedly assisted by the devil.

 

Example:

"Hair metal bands of the 1980s, such as Mötley Crüe, were known as much for their diablerie as for their hit records."

"The director only wants serious professionals for this project and will accept no diablerie on set."

 

About Diablerie

“Diablerie” is taken from the French “diablerie,” meaning “devilry” or “the behavior of the devil” (“diable” in French).

 

Did you Know?

“Diablerie” is the French translation of “devilry,” and as such, it describes reckless mischief above all. However, one specific characteristic of “diablerie” is that it reflects a charismatic sort of wildness. Rather than simple misbehavior, diablerie is often harder to dismiss because the charm of the mischievous person makes it difficult to be angry at them. Fans of many reckless artists — musicians, painters, actors, and writers alike — have often interpreted their diablerie as intimately connected with the brilliance of their art.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EIGENGRA

pronunciation: [AI-gən-grau]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: German, 20th century

 

Meaning:

1. The dark gray color people report seeing in the absence of light.

 

Example:

"Henry awoke in the eigengrau of total darkness."

"The darkness of the sub-basement seemed eigengrau to my eyes."

 

About Eigengra

“Eigengrau” is a loanword from German, and translates literally to “intrinsic gray” or “own gray.”

 

Did you Know?

“Eigengrau” is a German word used to describe the specific color of total darkness as perceived by human eyes. Rather than black, the color that human optic nerves discern in pure darkness is a dark gray, which is why eigengrau is sometimes called “brain gray.” Eigengrau is close to what might be called “charcoal gray,” but the word’s German roots specify that this is a gray created inside the viewer’s brain. In German, “eigengrau” translates to “own gray,” or “intrinsic gray,” suggesting the shade might shift, depending on the viewer’s perception.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: COLPORTEUR

pronunciation: [KOL-pohr-tər]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, 18th century

 

Meaning:

1. A person who sells books, newspapers, and similar literature.

2. Someone employed by a religious society to distribute Bibles and other religious tracts.

 

Example:

"All along the Seine, Parisian colporteurs line up to sell books out of wagons."

"Outside the bus station, colporteurs were offering newspapers, magazines, and flyers."

 

About Colporteur

“Colporteur” is a loanword from French, where it was created by combining “col,” meaning “neck,” and “porteur,” meaning “carrier” or “porter.”

 

Did you Know?

In its original French, the word “colporteur” refers to a hawker or peddler of any kind — it’s still in use today as a synonym for “door-to-door salesperson” and is seen on door stickers reading “Pas de Colporteurs,” which is equivalent to the English “No Solicitors.” In English, the loanword “colporteur” is associated specifically with peddlers of published materials, and historically, religious books in particular. Thus, anyone who hawks tracts for sale in public places is a colporteur. (Famed American composer Cole Porter has no association with the word.)

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: BEDIGHT

pronunciation: [bih-DIHYT]

 

Part of speech: adverb
Origin: Middle English, 15th century

 

Meaning:

1. Adorned.

 

Example:

"The artist’s walls were bedight in mirrors, which maximized the light."

"Holly never goes out without being bedight in antique jewelry."

 

About Bedight

“Bedight” is based on the word “dight,” meaning “set in order” or “equip,” with the prefix “be-,” meaning “near.”

 

Did you Know?

“Bedight” is based on the verb “dight,” which is rooted in Old English. Originally, “dight” was related to the Old English word “dihtan,” meaning “to arrange” or “to set in order.” As a verb, “dight” has meant “deal with,” “put,” or “form.” Over the centuries, however, “dight” and most of its related terms fell out of use in English, leaving only the adverb “bedight,” which has taken on the modern meaning of “adorned” or “bedecked.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: HIPPODROME

pronunciation: [HIP-ə-drohm]

 

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

 

Meaning:

1. A theater or other performance venue.

2. (In ancient Greece or Rome) A course for chariot or horse races.

 

Example:

"When we heard who was playing at the hippodrome this weekend, we got tickets for the whole family."

"The historic Hippodrome Theater is more often used for conventions rather than stage shows now, but it still welcomes thousands of people a year."

 

About Hippodrome

“Hippodrome” is a French loanword related to the ancient Greek “ἱππόδρομος” (“hippódromos”), formed by combining “ἵππος” (“híppos,” or “horse”) with “δρόμος” (“drómos,” or “course”).

 

Did you Know?

In ancient Greece or Rome, “hippodrome” was originally a term for a horse or chariot race, but in French-speaking countries, the term is still in use to describe racetracks for horses, as well as for bicycle racing. The French-speaking world has not given up on the prefix “hippos-,” meaning “horse”; however, in English-speaking countries, “hippodromes” are theaters. Most of the time, these venues have no connection to horse or bicycle racing.

 

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: GLYPH

pronunciation: [glif]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, 18th century

 

Meaning:

1. A small graphic symbol.

2. Strictly, a sculptured symbol (e.g., as forming the ancient Mayan writing system).

 

Example:

"Each page of the manuscript was marked by a glyph in lieu of numbering."

"For a few years in the 1990s, Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable glyph, and he was referred to as “the Artist Formerly Known as Prince.”"

 

About Glyph

“Glyph” entered English from the French word “glyphe,” which was based on the Greek “γλυφή” (“gluphḗ,” meaning “carving”).

 

Did you Know?

The glyphs most people are familiar with are hieroglyphs, systems of pictorial writing associated with ancient civilizations, such as the Maya and the Egyptians. However, in the modern world, “glyph” can describe any pictorial symbol used to communicate. For example, corporate logos are glyphs, as are the public signs to indicate the locations of restrooms, restaurants, gas stations, and hospitals. But glyphs can be used in a variety of ways, such as during the earliest days of Wi-Fi technology, when some users would chalk glyphs on the sidewalk near Wi-Fi hot spots to help other users identify locations where they could access the internet.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: QUIESCENT

pronunciation: [kwahy-ESS-ənt]

 

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

 

Meaning:

1. In a state or period of inactivity or dormancy.

 

Example:

"My favorite band never broke up, but they’ve been quiescent for over a decade."

"After suffering a few quiescent seasons, the local baseball team roared to a powerful victory on opening day."

 

About Quiescent

“Quiescent” is based on the Latin “quiēscere,” meaning “being still.”

 

Did you Know?

Some of today’s most popular music is the product of quiescent, or dormant, periods. In 2015, One Direction entered a quiescent period, during which Harry Styles began focusing on his solo music; he released his massively popular self-titled debut two years later. Also in 2015, Taylor Swift — already a massive star — blasted back into the spotlight after two quiescent years and released the album “Reputation.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ORNITHOPTER

pronunciation: [awr-nə-THOP-tər]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, 20th century

 

Meaning:

1. A machine designed to achieve flight by means of flapping wings.

 

Example:

"The historian assured me that several models of ornithopters were flown short distances in the 19th century."

"The flight museum had a display of pre-Wright brothers flying machines, including an actual French ornithopter."

 

About Ornithopter

“Ornithopter” is based on the French “ornithoptère.” That word was coined by joining the ancient Greek “ὄρνιθ-“ (“órnith-,” meaning “bird,”) and “πτερόν” (“pterón,” meaning “wing”).

 

Did you Know?

Today, flight powered by the gliding wings of airplanes or the propellers of helicopters is a reality, but in years past, many people believed the best way to take to the sky would be to mimic a bird. Formed out of the Greek words for “bird” and “wing,” “ornithopters” are flying machines that take flight by flapping wings. The first workable ornithopters were developed in 19th-century France, with a gunpowder-powered model successfully flying 80 meters. Though long eclipsed by airplanes, ornithopters continue to draw fans, many of whom fly radio-controlled ornithopters. These hobby ornithopters strike a markedly antique profile in the sky in contrast to modern drones.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: GLOAMING

pronunciation: [GLOH-ming]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Old English, 11th century

 

Meaning:

1. Twilight, as at early morning (dawn) or (especially) early evening; dusk.

2. Sullenness; melancholy.

 

Example:

"My husband likes to describe our evening walks as “roaming in the gloaming.”"

"If the cat doesn't come inside before the gloaming, she’ll likely stay out all night."

 

About Gloaming

“Gloaming” is an Old English word based on the root “glōm,” meaning “twilight.”

 

Did you Know?

“Gloaming” is a very old word based on the Old English root “glōm,” meaning “twilight.” Over the course of its long history, “gloaming” has been pronounced differently — at one time, the term was pronounced “glooming.” (The word “gloom” is also based on the Old English “glōm.”) “Gloaming” — describing light dying out — is also related to the word “glow,” with nearly the opposite meaning. Both words share the root “glō,” which is the basis of “glow,” and suggests “gloaming” should be specifically defined as the time when lights still glow as dusk descends.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: COOMB

pronunciation: [koom]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Old English, 8th century

 

Meaning:

1. A short valley or hollow on a hillside or coastline.

 

Example:

"Though the cliffs surrounding the village were rocky, a small coomb provided space to grow crops."

"The backpackers discovered a coomb between the hills that was far easier to hike through than steep slopes."

 

About Coomb

“Coomb” is based on the Old English “cumb,” meaning “a vessel,” and the Scots “coom,” meaning “tub” or “cistern.”

 

Did you Know?

“Coomb” is among the oldest words in the English language, dating back to the 700s. Describing either a short valley along a hillside or coastline, or a deep, narrow valley bordered by steep hills, “coomb” is closely related to the variant “combe,” a common British place name. (From Addiscombe to Yarnscombe, there are more than 100 places in England with “combe” in their name.) “Coomb” is related to the Old English “cumb,” meaning “vessel,” the Scots “coom” and “cumb,” meaning “tub,” and the German “Kumpf,” meaning “bowl.” In all cases, the words point toward a basin shape, whether located in a landscape or in the kitchen.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: LAISSEZ-PASSER

pronunciation: [LES-ey-pass-EY]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, 20th century

 

Meaning:

1. A document allowing the holder to pass; a permit.

 

Example:

"Some countries allow travel across borders using a laissez-passer instead of an official passport."

"The consulate helped Victoria secure a laissez-passer to help her get home after her passport was stolen."

 

About Laissez-passer

“Laissez-passer” is a loanword from French, where it means “a pass,” or literally, “allow to pass.”

 

Did you Know?

“Laissez-passer” is a French word referring to a pass, but more than that, it translates literally to “allow to pass.” This is useful for understanding that a laissez-passer is a document separate from a passport, but it allows the bearer to travel as if it were an official passport. The term came into English use following World War I, during which passes were necessary for travel even inside some countries, though the modern application of “laissez-passer” is usually diplomatic and refers to a document used to cross an international border.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: UMBRIFEROUS

pronunciation: [um-BRIF-ər-əs]

 

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

 

Meaning:

1. Casting or making a shade.

 

Example:

"The umbriferous willow tree provided the perfect spot for our picnic."

"We built a screened-in porch not only to provide shelter from rain and bugs, but also to be umbriferous on sunny days."

 

About Umbriferous

“Umbriferous” is based on the Latin “umbrifer,” formed by combining “umbra” (meaning “shade”) and “ferre” (meaning “to bear”).

 

Did you Know?

After long months of winter, and what seems like more hours spent in the dark than in the light, people are drawn to spend time in the sun. But even the most dedicated sun worshippers need to find a spot with an umbriferous (shade-casting) structure at times. From the Latin, “umbra” means “shade,” which should be recognizable in an umbriferous noun: “umbrella.” Anything that provides shade or shelter from the sun can be described with the adjective “umbriferous.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CLEPSYDRA

pronunciation: [KLEP-si-drə]

 

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

 

Meaning:

1. An ancient time-measuring device worked by a flow of water.

 

Example:

"One form of clepsydra marks passing time with water flowing into it, while another type keeps time by letting water flow out."

"The oldest evidence of a clepsydra dates back to the reign of Egypt’s Amenhotep III."

 

About Clepsydra

“Clepsydra” is a loanword from Latin based on the ancient Greek “κλεψύδρα,” or “klepsúdra,” meaning “water thief.”

 

Did you Know?

The water clock, or “clepsydra,” is one of the oldest means of marking time. As early as the 16th century BCE, Egyptian, Babylonian, and Persian societies used water clocks that measured time by either slowly filling a receptacle with water, or beginning with a full container of water and letting it drain out. The earliest known water clocks, found in Egypt, were stone basins with a tiny hole in the bottom that allowed the water to escape slowly but consistently. Markings inside the basins of these early clepsydras counted the time. As Greek, Roman, and Chinese technology developed upon the basic outflow-style clepsydras, they were replaced by inflow clocks, which gradually filled with water from a reservoir.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FAUBOURG

pronunciation: [FOH-boorg]

 

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

 

Meaning:

1. (Usually in place names) A suburb, especially one in Paris.

 

Example:

"The faubourgs of Paris were absorbed into the metropolis after the city walls expanded outward."

"Much like Paris, Montreal contains many faubourgs that used to be considered distant suburbs, but the city has grown to encompass them."

 

About Faubourg

“Faubourg” is a loanword from French. It was formed in Old French by combining “fors,” meaning “outside,” with “bourg,” meaning “town.”

 

Did you Know?

“Faubourg” is much older than the English word “suburb,” but the ideas are similar. With the Latin roots “forīs,” meaning “out of,” and “burgum,” meaning “town” or “fortress,” “faubourg” traditionally referred to a community or neighborhood located outside the gate or walls of a fortified city. The rise of the term “faubourg” occurred in Paris during the 16th century, at a time when that city was fortified by a wall. The original Parisian faubourgs were architecturally distinct urban areas that bore little resemblance to the modern European and North American suburbs. After the demolition of the Parisian city wall in 1701, and the expansion of city borders in 1860, most Parisian faubourgs became a part of the city proper, and today “faubourg” is a term to describe a longtime residential neighborhood.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CANTILLATE

pronunciation: [KAN-til-eyt]

 

Part of speech: VERB
Origin: Latin, 19th century

 

Meaning:

1. Chant or intone.

 

Example:

"Micah practiced for months to learn how to cantillate in Hebrew during his bar mitzvah."

"While my father cooked supper, he amused us by cantillating a narration of every step of the recipe."

 

About Faubourg

“Cantillate” is based on the Latin “cantillō,” meaning “to hum” or “to chirp.”

 

Did you Know?

To “cantillate” describes a hybrid musical recitation or chanting, specifically the kind heard in Jewish synagogues. During synagogue services, readings are not simply read aloud — they are cantillated. The text includes specific marks to instruct those cantillating how and when to sing words and syllables as musical notes. The purpose of cantillation is to ritualize religious readings, rather than to bring the assembled worshippers together in song, as with Christian hymn singing. Different Jewish traditions cantillate in different styles and rely on different melodies.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: BIOTA

pronunciation: [bi-OH-tə]

 

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

 

Meaning:

1. The animal and plant life of a particular region, habitat, or geological period.

 

Example:

"The biota of the desert tends to be hardy and rugged."

"Suzanne was fascinated by the biota in the rainforest, which was different from what she saw at home in Michigan."

 

About Biota

“Biota” is a loanword from Latin, based on the ancient Greek “βιοτή” (“biotḗ”), meaning “life.”

 

Did you Know?

“Biota” refers to all plants and animals living in a particular environment. The interactions between the different parts of a biota create ecosystems. But on a more close-up level, “biota” can simply refer to all living things sharing a single habitat. For example, things that live in the soil are known as soil biota. Soil is full of plants, microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, and soil animals ranging in size from worms, spiders, and insects all the way down to protozoa. Simply by existing in concert with one another in the same habitat, the various members of soil biota help generate new earth, disperse nutrients, neutralize pollutants, and improve soil structure.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EUCATASTROPHE

pronunciation: [yoo-kə-TAS-trə-fee]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: British English, 1940s

 

Meaning:

1. A sudden and favorable resolution of events in a story.

 

Example:

"The destruction of the Death Star is one of the most universally recognizable eucatastrophes in cinematic history."

"The traffic jam provided a eucatastrophe for our team, as it gave us 20 minutes to finish the presentation before the clients arrived."

 

About Eucatastrophe

“Eucatastrophe” was coined by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1944 by adding the Greek prefix “eu-” (meaning “good” or “well”) to the existing English word “catastrophe.”

 

Did you Know?

“The Lord of the Rings” author J.R.R. Tolkien coined the term “eucatastrophe” as a counterpoint to the sudden resolution of a catastrophe. In traditional literary terms, “catastrophe” does not necessarily refer to an unexpected disaster (as we use the word today); rather, it's a final resolution to the story. It often involves a formal ceremony, such as in “Hamlet,” when a king is killed and another ascends to the throne, or in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” in which three couples are married. (Clearly, Shakespeare was a fan of the catastrophic resolution.) Tolkien wanted a term to describe a sudden shift toward a happy fate in a story that seemed destined for doom, so he coined “eucatastrophe” to describe those abrupt moments that shift a plot toward a pleasant conclusion.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: JONGLEUR

pronunciation: [JONG-gler]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, 18th century

 

Meaning:

1. An itinerant minstrel.

 

Example:

"After high school, Travis hit the road with his guitar as a modern-day jongleur."

"Our town is so small, we don’t get jongleurs passing through, let alone an annual fair."

 

About Jongleur

“Jongleur” is a loanword from French, in which it means “juggler.”

 

Did you Know?

While “jongleur” is a literal translation of “juggler,” the word in medieval England referred to a lower class of traveling minstrel. A jongleur was not always a family-friendly character, and sometimes sang rude numbers, but in general he played the role of a party-starter who livened people’s spirits. Jongleurs often didn’t write the songs and jokes they performed, but learned them from the troubadours who wrote songs. Because they were working with secondhand material, a jongleur often performed additional acts, such as juggling (as the name implies), acrobatic feats, or sleight of hand.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SABULOUS

pronunciation: [SAB-yə-ləs]

 

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

 

Meaning:

1. Sandy or gritty.

 

Example:

"Guava has a sweet and fragrant taste combined with a sabulous texture."

"A sabulous substance such as crushed gravel is useful for traction on snowy roads."

 

About Sabulous

“Sabulous” is based on the Latin adjective “sabulosus,” itself based on “sabulum,” meaning “sand.”

 

Did you Know?

As its name implies, sandpaper has a sabulous (sandy and gritty) texture. However, sandpaper itself isn’t usually made of sand: The highest-quality sandpaper of the 19th century was glass paper, made with actual crushed glass. In the 20th century, a number of substances give sandpaper varying degrees of sabulousness, including crushed metals, precious stones, and even diamonds.