Lexico

Word of the Day: FAM

ETYMOLOGY
short for famble;
for n. 4.: shortened from family

EXAMPLE (for n. 1.)
“… Jenny being very genteely dressed, he observed a Gentleman who was a very Rum Muns, (that is, a great Beau) who had a very Glim Star, (that is, a Ring) upon his Feme, (that is, Hand} which she longed to make, so giving the Hint to her Companions to Bulk the Muns forward, (that is, Push) they pushed him quite in; …”

From: Select trials at the Sessions-House in the Old-Bailey, for murder, robberies, rapes, sodomy, coining
From the year 1720, to this time. 1742
The following is a particular Account of the Transactions of the Life of Mary Young, alias Jenny Diver, &c. &c. &c.

Word of the Day: DANDILLY

ETYMOLOGY
apparently a derivative of dandle (to move (a child, etc.) lightly up and down in the arms or on the knee)

EXAMPLE
“… I wes in youthe, on nureice kne,
Cald dandillie, bischop, dandillie,
And quhone that age now dois me greif,
A sempill vicar I can nocht be:
Exces of thocht dois me mischief. …”

From: Dunbar: A Critical Exposition of the Poems
By Tom Scott, 1965
Don is a Battell on the Dragon Blak
Composed by William Dunbar, a1513

Word of the Day: DUBITATE

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin dubitat-, participial stem of dubitare (to doubt)

EXAMPLE
“… as it shall now fare with him, the whole Future may be this way or be that. If, for example, he were to loiter dubitating, and not come; if he were to come, and fail: the whole Soldiery of France to blaze into mutiny. …”

From: The French Revolution: a History
By Thomas Carlyle, 1837

Word of the Day: EQUIVOCANT

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin aequivocantem, present participle of aequivocare, from aequivocus (ambiguous)

EXAMPLE
“… to trie battaile with the Medes: yea, and and answere by Oracle later than these before cited, which verily was true, but no lesse ambiguous and equivocant, …”

From: The Roman History Of Ammianus Marcellinus
Translated by Philemon Holland, 1609

Word of the Day: DOSSER

ETYMOLOGY
from doss (n. lodging, a bed) (vb. to sleep)

EXAMPLE
“… Most of the ‘dossers’ were transient customers, people who were always on the move. …”

From: New York Police Gazette
“Leaves from the Diary of a Celebrated Burglar; Being a Compilation of the Events and Occurences of the Most Exciting, Interesting and Extraordinary Character in the Life of a Thief“
By Anonymous, 1865

Word of the Day: LUDIBUND

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin ludibundus, from ludere (to play)

EXAMPLE
“… I promise you, Hylobares, tho’ the fancy of Cuphophron may seem more ordinarily ludibund and lightsomely sportful, yet what he points at seems to be overlamentably true …”

From: Divine Dialogues, Containing Sundry Disquisitions & Instructions Concerning the Attributes and Providence of God
By Henry More, 1668

Word of the Day: NORISH

ETYMOLOGY
either an alteration of Norse (adj.) after Scottish, or directly from Norwegian norsk (Norse), with suffix substitution

EXAMPLE
“… for he was in prayer more frequent then yong ones are usually seen to be, of a spare diet, and so compassionate of the poor, as all that came in his hands he distributed among them: Servanus his Master loving him beyond others, was ordinarily wont to call him Mongah, which in the Norish tongue, signifieth a deare friend; and this way came he to be called Mungo. …”

From: The History of the Church of Scotland, beginning in the year of our Lord 203 and continued to the end of the reign of King James the VI
By John Spottiswood, 1677

Word of the Day: VICTITATION

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin victitare (to subsist (on something)); from victus (food, sustenance)

EXAMPLE
“… And soe most commonlye the occasione of death commeth throughe the inordinate state of life, in eatinge, and drinckinge vvithout observinge anye rule of
victitation, hauntinge also of vvoemen, and not suffering themselves to be handled, of the handes of the Chyrurgian, as the cause requireth, it be ether in tenting of the vvounde, by inscisione, by cauterisatian, & by keepinge himselfe quiet vvhich all aunciente Chyrurgians so highly and exactlye commande, …”

From: The Frenche Chirurgerye, or All the Manualle Operations of Chirurgerye, with Divers, & Sundrye Figures, and Amongst the Rest, Certayne Nuefownde Instrumentes, Verye Necessarye to All the Operationes of Chirurgerye
By Jacques Guillemeau
Translated by A.M., 1598

Word of the Day: WUZZY

ETYMOLOGY
of uncertain origin;
possibly a variant of woozy (dizzy or unsteady); possibly after muzzy (drowsy, spiritless; confused, mentally hazy; dazed and unfocused)

EXAMPLE
“… I am very nearly mad, I am quite slowly turning wuzzy. I see four people instead of one, and I have an irresistible longing to eat the fire and beat my door-handle. …”

From: Antony (Viscount Knebworth): A Record of Youth
By Edward Anthony James Lytton, 1935
Letter written 10 March, 1921

Word of the Day: DEBELLATE

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin debellat-, participial stem of debellare (to subdue in fight)

EXAMPLE
“… But let vs proceed: for now all claimes & quarrels were as open, as if no obstacle had euer beene interposed: the ignominie of their late terrible toiles wounded all true French hearts, and they desire (king Edward growne aged) not to seeme by sitting still vpon so many thornes of disgrace, and losse, to haue beene outwarred, though ouer-warred, and though in two or three battels inferior, yet not to haue beene clearely debellated. …”

From: The History of Great Britaine under the Conquests of ye Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans
By John Speed, 1611