Aboon (Scots) (adverb) ab-oon Above. 1350–1400; Middle English abone, abowne (more…)
Culchie (noun) kul-chee (Irish) (informal) a rough or unsophisticated country-dweller from outside Dublin. From a local pronunciation of the Mayo town of Kiltimagh (more…)
Brochette (noun) brosh-et a skewer for use in cooking. First recorded in 1705–10; from French; Old French brochete (a spit for roasting meat) (more…)
Sumptuous (adj) sump-chu-us luxuriously large; lavish; splendid. Entered English around 1475–85 and comes from the Latin word sūmptuōsus, meaning “expense.” (more…)
Octothorpe (noun) okt-oh-thawp The symbol we now call a hashtag. First recorded in 1970–75.From octo-, after the eight endpoints on the perimeter of the symbol, plus a second element of…
Propinquity (noun) prop-in-kwit-ee nearness of relation; kinship. First recorded in 1400–1450. Comes via Old French propinquite, from the Latin word propinquitās, meaning “nearness.” (more…)
Tricksy (adj) trik-see Given to tricks; mischievous; playful; prankish. First recorded in 1545–55. Derives from the noun trick, which came from the Old North French word trique, “deceit.” (more…)
Kvell (verb) kvel to be extraordinarily pleased; especially, to be bursting with pride, as over one's family. An Americanism first recorded in 1965–70 from Yiddish kveln, meaning “to be delighted.”…
Pilcrow (noun) pil-kroh a paragraph mark. First recorded around 1400–50. An apparent alteration of the late Middle English word pylcraft(e), perhaps from Old French paragrafe, pelagraphe. (more…)
Denouement (noun) dey-noo-mahn The final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel. First recorded in 1745–55. From French, literally means, “an untying.” (more…)
Bellwether (noun) bel-weth-er A person or thing that shows the existence or direction of a trend; index. First recorded around 1400–50. A bellwether originally meant “a male sheep that leads…
Cachet (noun) ka-chey a distinguishing mark or feature; stamp. First recorded in 1630–40 and can also mean “superior status; prestige.” From French cachet, derived from the verb cacher, “to hide"…
Gibberish (noun) jib-uh-rish meaningless or unintelligible talk or writing. 1545–55; apparently gibber + -ish, on the model of language names so formed (more…)
Grok (verb) grok to understand thoroughly and intuitively. Coined by Robert A. Heinlein in the science-fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, published in 1961. (more…)
Bissextile (noun) bi-secs-tile The leap year. First recorded in 1585–95 and from the word bissextus, which refers to February 29th. Bissextus means literally “the second sixth,” so called because the…
Peculate (verb) pek-yu-layt to steal or take dishonestly (money, especially public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. First recorded in 1740–50; verb use of peculate “embezzlement” (now obsolete),…
To honour the great Dr Seuss’ birthday on March 2nd a quick quiz using some of his famous – and not so famous characters, but all of them wonderfully named.…
Adumbrate (verb) ad-um-brayt To foreshadow; prefigure. First recorded in 1575–85 and comes from the past participle of the Latin verb adumbrāre, “to shade.” (more…)
Kismet (noun) kiz-met fate; destiny. First recorded in 1840–50 and comes from Turkish ultimately from Arabic qisma, qismat-, meaning “division, portion, lot, fate.” Although a term from Islam, kismet is…
Esculent (adj) es-kyu-lent suitable for use as food; edible. First recorded in 1615–25 and comes from Latin ēsculentus, “edible, full of food.” Esculentus shares a root with escarole, “a broad…