Author: Lexico

Word of the Day: OBDULCORATE

ETYMOLOGY
from ob- + Latin dulcorat-, past participial stem of dulcorare (to sweeten), 
from dulcor-em (sweetness), from dulcis (sweet)

EXAMPLE
“… Now election of Medicaments may be made from Odour, for this cause, because a sweet oppleasant smell refreshes the spirits, restores strength and vigour to them, exhilarates the principal members and parts, and corroborates their faculties. An ill and stinking smell on the contrary burthens and aggravates the head, vexes the heart, subverts the ventricle, infects the spirits, moves a loathing, causes grievous and laborious purgings, and oftentimes vomitings. And therefore such purging Medicaments are obdulcorated with cordial Electuaries, whereby their ingratefull odour is amended, and the principal parts fortressed against the malign quality of these Medicaments; for all odoriferous Spices are the fountain and principle of life. …”

From: A Medicinal Dispensatory, containing the whole body of physick discovering the natures, properties, and vertues of vegetables, minerals, & animals
By Jean de Renou
Translated by Richard Tomlinson, 1657

Word of the Day: GRIZZLEDEMUNDY

ETYMOLOGY
from grizzle (to grin or laugh [Eng. dial.]) + ???

EXAMPLE
“… Bed-blonket akether! Ha! zey zitch a word more, chell cotton thy wastecoat. Chell thong tha, chell gi’ tha zitch a strat in tha chups, ya grizzledemundy. …”

From: The Gentleman’s Magazine
Volume 16, 1746
An Exmoor Scolding; In the Propriety and Decency of Exmoor Language, between two Sisters

Word of the Day: DOCUS

ETYMOLOGY
of unknown origin

EXAMPLE (for n. 1.)
“… Eh man, but ye maun be an unco docus to mistak the yowlin’ o’ a wheen dougs for the squeelin’ o’ ghaists an’ deevils ! I wonner what ye made o’ the twa grumphies it ye had row’t up amang your falalls; gin ye thought it they war young de’ils or what, snoukin’ for a sappy emmeldyug about the harigals o’ ye. …”

From: Saint Patrick: A National Tale of the Fifth Century
By J. Rennie, 1819

Word of the Day: KUMBIX

ETYMOLOGY
from Greek kimbix (tightfisted person)

EXAMPLE
“… for hee that saith unto a rich and great monied man, that he will be his broker, and helpe him to some usurers of whom he may take up mony at interest; or unto a sober person, who drinketh nothing but water, that he is a drunkard, or hath taken his wine too liberally; or he that calleth a liberall man, well knowen to spend magnificently, and ready to pleasure all men, a base mechanicall kumbix, and a pinching peni-father; or he who threatneth a famous advocate or counsellor at the barre, who hath a great name for lawe and eloquence in all courts of plea, and besides for policie and government is in high authoritie, that he will bring him to a non-sute, or overthrow him judicially, he (I say) ministreth matter of good spirit and laughter unto the partie whom he seemeth so to chalenge or menace. …”

From: The Philosophie, Commonlie called, The Morals
By Plutarch
Translated by Philemon Holland, 1603

Word of the Day: GOOSTRUMNOODLE

ETYMOLOGY
? from goose (a foolish person) + noodle (a stupid or silly person); second syllable unknown

EXAMPLE
“… for “The Maister” seldom came there until much later in the evening, when he knew he should find some of those peculiarly constituted individuals there, whom Alrina generally designated “goostrumnoodles,” and whom he seldom found much difficulty in frightening to his heart’s content. …”

From: The Wizard of West Penwith,
A Tale of the Land’s-End,
By William Bentinch Forfar, 1871

Word of the Day: DROSSEL

ETYMOLOGY
of obscure origin

EXAMPLE
“… But lawfull weare it some be such, should all alike be coy’
Now dwels ech Drossell in her Glas: when I was yong, I wot,
On Holly-dayes (for sildome els such ydell times we got)
A Tubb or Paile of water cleere stood vs in steede of Glas:
And yeat (which still I beare in mind) for it I schooled was,
Euen by an holy Fryer, that espyde me tooting so,
Who, softly stealing at my backe, cryde suddenly. Ho, Ho. …”

From: Albions England: A Continued Historie of the same Kingdome, from the originals of the first inhabitants thereof
By William Warner, 1597

Word of the Day: CUMATICAL

ETYMOLOGY
from Greek κῡµατ- (wave) + -ic + -al. after Latin cumatilis (sea-coloured, blue)

EXAMPLE
“… A Prince blew.
Crimson, i.e. Scarlet.
Cumatical colour, i.e. blew.
Flesh colour, a certain mixture of red white.
Gangran colour, i.e. divers colours together, as in a Mallards, or Pigeons neck. …”

From: The Compleat Gentleman: fashioning him absolute in the most necessary and commendable qualities, concerning mind, or body, that may be required in a person of honor.
By Henry Peacham, 1661
An Exposition of Colours

Word of the Day: GERFUL

ETYMOLOGY
from gere (a wild and changeful mood; a sudden fit of passion or feeling) + -ful

EXAMPLE
“… Now vp, now doun, as boket in a welle
Right as the friday, soothly for to telle
Now it shyneth, now it reyneth faste
Right so,/kan geery Venus ouer caste
The hertes of hir folk, right as hir day
Is gereful, right so chaungeth she array
Selde is the friday, al the wowke ylike
Whan þat Arcite had songe, he gan to sike …”

From: The Ellesmere MS of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
By Geoffrey Chaucer, c1386

Word of the Day: INGLUVIOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin ingluviosus (gluttonous), from ingluvies (gluttony) 

EXAMPLE
“…Wee must haue a good eye and a diligent respect to our health, and we must vse moderate exercises of the bodye. We must not be to ingluvious, in taking our foode and repaste , wee muste not pamper and gourmandise our selues withe excesse of meate and drinke, but so much and such competencie thereof muste be taken, as sufficeth to refreshe the vitall powers and naturall strengthe, and not to empaire, hebetate, and vtterly to extinguish them. …”

From: The Worthye Booke of Old Age othervvyse entituled the elder Cato contayning a learned defence and praise of age, and aged men
By Marcus Tullius Cicero
Translated by Thomas Newton, 1569