Word of the Day

Word of the Day: ROWDY-DOW

also Scottish and dialect form ROW-DE-DOW

ETYMOLOGY
 originally a variant of row dow dow ( a series of sounds as produced by beating a drum)
later possibly influenced by rowdy dowdy (characterized by noisy roughness)

EXAMPLE
“…There has been a terrible rowdydow in the operatic green-room…”

From: Dashes at Life with a Free Pencil
By Nathaniel Parker Willis, 1845

Word of the Day: POWFAGGED

ETYMOLOGY
– from pow, variant of poll (the top of the head) + fagged (extremely tired)

EXAMPLE
“…Ther’s some sort o’ rumption gooin on ‘ith country, no deawt, an’ wi’st be gettin lurked, or lawmt, or powfagged some road, so let’s turn back while us booan are whul…”

From: Tales and Sketches of Lancashire Life
By Benjamin Brierley, 1862

Word of the Day: OBROGATE

ETYMOLOGY
– from ppl. stem of Latin obrogāre (partly to repeal a law by passing a new one), 
from ob- (ob-) + rogāre (to ask, supplicate, propose a law, introduce a bill)

EXAMPLE
“…makes it a badge of royalty, that the Prince, without his subjects consent, may prohibite, abrogat, derogat, subrogat, and obrogate to the standing laws, wheir he sees it necessar, excepting the laws of God, of nature…”

From: Historical Notices of Scottish Affairs
By Lord John Lauder Fountainhall, 1848

Word of the Day: TINCTUMUTANT

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin tinctus (a dyeing) + mūtāntem (changing)

EXAMPLE
“…The chameleon is the best known of all the tinctumutants (tinctus, color, and mutare, to change), though many other animals possess this faculty in a very marked degree…”

From: The Popular Science Monthly
January, 1895
Animal Tinctumutants
By Dr. James Weir, Jr.

Word of the Day: REDAMATION

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin redamāre (to love in return),
from re(d)- re- + amāre (to love)

EXAMPLE
“…Where Christ is not exemplified, in three conformities: In his death, in his life, in his Redamation…”

From: Of the Heart and its right Soveraign;
and Rome no Mother Church of England:
or, an historical account of the title of our Brittish Church 
By Thomas Jones, 1678

Word of the Day: FACULENT

ETYMOLOGY
from medieval Latin faculentus, from facula, fax (torch)

EXAMPLE
“…Als it is red in storyis ancient,
Thocht it be not in ald nor new Testament.
How that Vergill that worthie wise doctour,
In latin toung was ane most faculent,
Nane mair pregnant, facund, nor eminent,
To writ, or dyit, he was of Clerkis flour
…”

From: Ane Treatise callit the Court of VENVS,
deuidit into four Buikis,
Newlie Compylit be IOHNE ROL­LAND in Dalkeith, 1575

Word of the Day: AMOREVOLOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Italian amorevole (loving) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“…that the Espousals between him and the Infanta might be ratified, within ten days after the dispensation unstopt the way unto them; and he would leave it to the Princessa to shew her Cordial and Amoreuolous Affections how soon she would prepare to follow after him.…”

From: Scrinia Reserata: a memorial offer’d to the great deservings of John Williams, D. D., who some time held the places of Ld Keeper of the Great Seal of England,
Ld Bishop of Lincoln, and Ld Archbishop of York:
containing a series of the most remarkable occurences and transactions of his life, in relation both to church and state.
By John Hacket, a1670