Obnubilateob·nu·bi·lateTransitive VerbTo obscure or becloudWe need to obnubilate the probable effects of this legislation. This one can be tracked all the way back to 1583 (when England was also ruled over by Queen Elizabeth). Naturally we got it by mashing up some Latin words. In this case from obnubilatus, past participle of obnubilare, which came…
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…
Word of the Week
My Word! March 1
by Betsey Ellis •
Econobox<br />Noune-ka-no-boxA small, economical, car The mini-cooper is an example of an econobox.Econobox can be traced all the way back to 1976 and probably has nothing at all to do with Latin.
States Well Stated
More Bourbon than Babies
by Betsey Ellis •
I know this will probably come as a complete surprise to many of you, but I actually spend days researching for each of these articles. Or at least the better part of an afternoon (extra points here if you can identify the Game of Thrones reference. Yes, Covid has given me the opportunity to re-watch…