Xylopyrographyxy·lo·pyrographyNounThe art of engraving designs on wood with a hot pokerXylopyrography has fallen out of fashion as hot pokers are not readily available.Really? You want to know where this one comes from? I don’t.
Word of the Week
by Betsey Ellis •
Word of the Week has been on a brief hiatus, and to mark my return, I thought I would see just how ridiculous a word I could find. So I present to you:Spectrohelioscopespec·tro·he·lio·scope NounAn instrument for viewing solar disc in light of a single wavelengthTonight’s episode of the “Big Bang Theory” revolved around Penny breaking…
States Well Stated
More Than Mardi Gras
by Betsey Ellis •
Once upon a time there was a dictatorial leader with small hands (a fact he famously tried to hide by hiding one in his coat) who felt he was the best real estate dealer in the world. He might have been, he certainly drove some pretty hard bargains in his day. James Monroe and Robert…
Word of the Week
My Word! May 5
by Betsey Ellis •
Nyctalopianyc·ta·lo·piaNounNight blindnessI hate driving at night since I suffer from nyctalopia.Nyctalopia has been in use in English since 1684. You didn’t think I could keep coming up with words that have their origins in Latin, did you? Nyctalopia comes from Latin word nyctalops, which means “suffering from night blindness.” But this time the Latin word…
Word of the Week
My Word! April 28
by Betsey Ellis •
Mundungusmun·dun·gusNounA foul smelling tobaccoWhenever Jerry wanted his guests to go home he would fill his pipe with mundungus and then light up.In English mundungus goes back to 1641 and was modified from the Spanish word, mondongo, meaning tripe.
Word of the Week
My Word! April 21
by Betsey Ellis •
LemanLe-manNounA lover or paramour, usually a mistress.Anne Bolynn was a leman before she was Queen.Leman dates back to the 13th century and comes from a Middle English word. Strangely enough, the Middle English origin is reported as the word leman.
Word of the Week
My Word! April 14
by Betsey Ellis •
Knitchˈnich, kəˈnNounA bundle of wood tied together, a fagotIt was going to be a cold night, so Harry brought another knitch over to the campfire.I could not find when we first started using the word knitch, but it does actually come from the Middle English word knytche, knucche. So where did it come from before…
Word of the Week
My Word! March 29
by Betsey Ellis •
IncongruousAdjectivein·con·gru·ous1: lacking congruity: such asa: not harmonious b: not conforming c: inconsistent within itselfd: lacking propriety The roller coaster was an incongruous sight at the Renaissance Fair.Incongruous is a spin-off of its antonym, congruous, which means “in agreement, harmony, or correspondence.” Both words trace to the Latin verb congruere, meaning “to come together” or “to…
Word of the Week
My Word! March 22
by Betsey Ellis •
HabitatNounHab-i-tat1: the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and/or grows2: the typical place of residence of a person or a group 3: a housing for a controlled physical environment in which people can live under surrounding inhospitable conditions The natural habitat for most Floridians during the months of July…
Word of the Week
My Word! March 15
by Betsey Ellis •
GrimaceNounGri-mace1: a facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval, or painTiger made a painful grimace as the nurse manipulated his leg.As a noun, grimace goes back to 1651 (it did not appear as a verb in English until 1732). We got it from the Middle French grimache. The French word is said to have a Germanic…