Word of the Day

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

Word of the Day: PIGRITUDE

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin pigritudo (laziness); from Latin pigr-, piger (lazy) + ‑itudo ‑(itude)

EXAMPLE
“… But, with a little thoughtful frequenting, those deserted river-sides become contemplative and pleasant rambling-places, and, if some whim of fashion do not make the bank of the Hudson like the Marina of Smyrna, a fashionable resort, I have my Sunday afternoons provided for, during the pigritude of city durance. …”

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

Word of the Day: RHINOCERICAL

ETYMOLOGY
from rhinoceros + -ical

EXAMPLE (for adj. 1.)
“… Cheat. My lusty rustic, learn and be instructed. Cole is, in the language of the witty, money. The ready, the rhino ; thou shalt be rhinocerical, my lad, thou shalt.

Belf. Admirable, I swear ! Cole ! ready ! rhino ! rhinocerical ! Lord, how long may a man live in ignorance in the country. — And how much cole, ready, and rhino, shall I have? …”

From: The Squire of Alsatia. A comedy
By Thomas Shadwell, 1688

Word of the Day: MAGIRIST

ETYMOLOGY
from Greek µάγειρος (cook) + -ist

EXAMPLE
“… As no inhabitable Corner of the Earth ever was without a sufficient Medicinal Produce of it’s own for it’s Inhabitants, so the respective Natives never wanted a competent Number of their own, that made it their Business, to cultivate those several natural Physical Productions, and even to Carry on their Intelligence further therewith, so as to dive deeper into the Knowledge of all the Medicinals; that they could come any way to be acquainted with, or to know the Use of. And such were call’d at first variously pro re nata, as Magists, Magirists, Opsonarians, Caterers, Carvars, Nurserists, Geoponists, Hygeisys, Prophylactists, Remedists, Aliptists, Gymnastists, Unguentarians, Emplastrists, Veterinarians, Hippo-Jatrists, Mulomedicists. Operators, Herbalists, Botanists, Anatomists, Naturalists, Physicists, Medicinists, Myropolists, Ropopolists, …”

From: Athenæ Britannicæ; or, a critical history of the Oxford and Cambridge writers and writings
By Myles Davies, 1716

Word of the Day: BEFF

ETYMOLOGY
n. 1. possibly a variant of baff (a blow with anything flat or soft)
n. 2. possibly a variant of baff (a big, clumsy person)
vb. possibly a variant of beft (to strike, to give blows)

EXAMPLE (for n. 1.)
“… Ye shak your head, but o’ my fegs,
Ye’ve set auld Scota on her legs;
Lang had she lien wi’ beffs and flegs,
Bumbaz’d and dizzie,
Her fiddle wanted strings and pegs,
Wae’s me, poor hizzie. …”

From: Aberdeen Journal, June 1768
The Poems of Beattie
By James Beattie

Word of the Day: STALWORTH

ETYMOLOGY
from Old English stǽlwierðe, from stǽl (place) + wierðe (worth – adj.);

From OED: “The length of the vowel in the first syllable seems to be authenticated by some of the early Middle English forms; the shortening of ǽ to ă in the first element of a compound is normal. The Old English stǽl(the quantity of which is certain from the three occurrences in poetry) appears not to be immediately connected with the synonymous stæl with short vowel (dat. stale); according to some scholars it represents a contraction of Old Teutonic *staþl- or *stađl-, the relation of Old English stǽl to staðol foundation being considered parallel with that of mǽl speech to the synonymous mæðel. The 13th century form staðelwurðe, occurring only once strongly confirms this view.
The early Middle English forms with medial e, stele-, steale-, stalewurðe are difficult to account for.“

EXAMPLE (for n.)
“… Such semblaunt to þat segge semly ho made
Wyth stille stollen countenaunce, þat stalworth to plese,
Þat al forwondered watz þe wyȝe, and wroth with hymseluen,
Bot he nolde not for his nurture nurne hir aȝaynez,
Bot dalt with hir al in daynté, how-se-euer þe dede turned
towrast. …”

From: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Author unknown; a late 14th-century chivalric romance in Middle English alliterative verse;
Edited by Sir Israel Gollancz through the Early English Text Society, 1940