Author: Lexico

Word of the Day: RAG-MANNERED

ETYMOLOGY
from rag + mannered (having manners of a specified kind)

EXAMPLE
“…Let us now take a Turn or two with Sir Tunbelly’s Heiress of 1500 pounds a year. This Young Lady swears, talks smut, and is upon the matter just as rag-manner’d as Mary the Buxsome. ‘Tis plain the Relapser copyed Mr. Durfey’s Original, which is a sign he was somewhat Pinch’d…”

From: A Short View of the Immorality, and Profaneness of the English Stage:
Together with the sense of antiquity upon this argument 
– Jeremy Collier, 1698

Word of the Day: FURACIOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin furaci- (nominative furax),
from furari (to steal) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“…This amazing, and indeed murderous villany of the Irishman brought them all to their wit’s ends how to defend themselves from the ruin therein threatened unto them; and whatever methods were proposed, it was feared that there could be no stop given to his furacious exorbitancies any way but one; he could not be past stealing, unless he were past eating too…”

From: Magnalia Christi Americana
Or, The Ecclesiastical History of New-England 
– Cotton Mather, 1702

Word of the Day: IMPOTE

ETYMOLOGY
from im- + Latin potare (to drink)

EXAMPLE
“…I never drunk or saw any usquebah since I came into Ireland, though I have bin at many tables and civilly used in a sober way without impoting: if any thing material doth happen in my concerns, I will send you word…”

From: Life and Letters of George Berkeley
From ye Court of Ireland, October 6, [1721]
– Alexander Campbell Fraser

Word of the Day: CUGGER-MUGGER

ETYMOLOGY
from cugger (to hold a confidential conversation)

EXAMPLE
“…There was a great laugh at Tim’s answer; and then there was a whispering, and a great cugger mugger and coshering; and at last a pretty little bit of a voice said, “Shut your eyes, and you’ll see, Tim…”

From: Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland.
By Thomas Crofton Croker, 1859
Treasure Legends. Dreaming Tim Jarvis

Word of the Day: ADIAPHOROUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Greek ἀδιάϕορ-ος (indifferent) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“…From all which may be inferred, that dissentions among the protestantes are not merely personall, or but pointes adiaphorous, indifferent, being as it were but peccant humors, and not true or formed diseases in their church, but they do concerne most profound doubtes of their religion, since otherwaies they would neuer anathematize, or condemne one an other with such acerbity of wordes…”

From: Whyte Dyed Black
Or A discouery of many most foule blemishes, impostures, and deceiptes
– Thomas Worthington, 1615

Word of the Day: HEARTSOME

ETYMOLOGY
from heart + -some

EXAMPLE
“…And ze defend the cruell Jesabell
Than Baallis Priestis will cal zow verray kynde
Now euerie Dowglas of ane hartsum mynde,
Thinke on dame Margaret sumtyme in the towre,
And of young Charles prudent of Ingyne…”

From: Heir Followis ane Ballat Declaring the Nobill and Gude Inclinatioun of Our King
– Robert Sempill, 1567

Word of the Day: JOLIOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from joly, jolie (jolly) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“…Wantoun and blyith, and euer geuin to sport,
And efter drink desyrous of comfort:
Iocund with Ioy, and Iolyous to Iaip,
With mockis and mowis of nature as the Aip.
And he that hes the nature of the fyre,
Is euer hait, in crabitnes, and Ire…”

From: Ane Treatise callit the Court of Venus
– John Rolland, 1575

Word of the Day: IDEA-POT

ETYMOLOGY
from idea + pot

EXAMPLE
“…Going t’other day to the bookseller’s with my idea-pot brim-full, and ready to run over, I stole up, as usual, into the Author’s Coenaculum. – This, by the bye, is an apartment at the top of BARRETT’s house in he High-Street…”

From: The Student
Or, The Oxford and Cambridge Monthly Miscellany, Volume 2
The Adventures of a Goose-Quill, Oxford, March 2, 1751

Word of the Day: HUDDLE-DUDDLE

ETYMOLOGY
?? huddle is an obsolete word for a miserly old person

EXAMPLE
“…Yea, in the worde of one no more wealthy then hee was, (wealthy saide I? may I’le be sworne hee was a grande iurie man in respect of me,) those graybeard Huddle-duddles and crusty cum-twangs were strooke with stuch stinging remorse of their miserable Euclionisme and snudgery…”

From: Lenten Stuffe
– Thomas Nashe, 1599