Lexicophilia

Word of the Day: PLURANIMOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin plus, plur- (more) + animous;
after unanimous (from Latin unanimis, unanimus [from unus (one) + animus (mind)] + -ous)

EXAMPLE
“… Should I make a parallel of this present Basis with the former, & were I sure my Mare would not stumble, I could demonstrate it to be Heterogeneous, Heterodoxous, Incongrous, Omnigenous, Pluranimous, Versipellous, Centireligious, Nummiamorous; I thought I should hit it at length, but I take in Army and all, or else my Mare would soone stand on her head. …”

From: Discolliminium, or, A most obedient reply to a late book, called, Bounds & bonds, so farre as concerns the first demurrer and no further
By B. (Nathaniel Ward), 1650

Word of the Day: EGESTUOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from late Latin egestuosus, irregularly from egestas (poverty)

EXAMPLE
“… You call me oscitant, – ah! well,
Obtenebration hides my tears;
I may become sejungible,
When labefaction comes with years.
Exequial nights, egestuous days
No nummary relief can soothe, –
No xenodochium allays
Radicate thirst with “Bass” or “Booth.” …”

From: The Savage-Club Papers
Edited by Andrew Halliday, 1867
A Social Science Valentine, By Thomas Archer

Word of the Day: INNUBILOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin innubilus, (from in- + nubilus (nubilous, cloudy, foggy, misty)) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“… Through the benignity of our largifical essence always inclin’d to succour the egestuosity of our votaries conceptions, and to inlighten their offuscated intellects upon the least petitionary susurration, we will now descend from our innubilous empireum to infuse some rays of knowledge for solving the problem of our obsequious querist, so far as is fit to be communicated to the humble spawn of earth; …”

From: The British Apollo,
Containing Two Thousand Answers to Curious Questions in Most Arts and Sciences, Serious, Comical, and Humorous
1st Edition, 1708-1711

Word of the Day: AIDANT

ETYMOLOGY
from Anglo-Norman aidaunt, aydaunt, and from Anglo-Norman and French aidant (helping, and helper, ally), present participle of aider (to aid)

EXAMPLE (for adj.)
“… All blest secrets all you vnpublisht vertues of the earth,
Spring with my teares beaydant (be aydant) and remediat,
In the good mans distresse, seeke, seeke, for him,
Lest his vngouernd rage dissolue the life.
That wants the meanes to lead it. …”

From: True Chronicle Historie of the Life and Death of King Lear and his three daughters
By William Shakespeare, 1608

Word of the Day: FUBS

ETYMOLOGY
onomatopœic: suggested by full, chub, etc.

EXAMPLE
“… Caspia the decrepit old rich Croot,
Whose face (th’antiquity of time bewraying)
Is riueld like a ruffled summer Boot;
Shee that’s in all things, but in wealth, decaying:
Caspia, that same fowle deformed Fubs,
Who neuer needs feare coughing out her teeth,
(For she hath none, but a few Holly-stubs)
She that should think of nothing now but death;
Maugre th’imperfections of her Age…”

From: Rubbe, and a Great Cast Epigrams
By Thomas Freeman, 1614

Word of the Day: NIDOROUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Late Latin nidorosus (steaming, reeking), from Latin nidor (strong or unpleasant odour, etc.) + –osus (-ous)

EXAMPLE
“…Incense, and Nidorous Smells, (such as were of Sacrifices,) were thought to Intoxicate the Braine, and to dispose Men to Devotion: Which they may doe, by a kinde of Sadnesse, and Contristation of the Spirits, And partly also by Heating, and Exalting them. …”

From: Sylva sylvarum; or, A Naturall Historie
By Francis Bacon, 1626

Word of the Day: JENTACULAR

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin ientaculum (breakfast); (from ientare (to breakfast)) + -ar

EXAMPLE
“… I wonder that you did not, under this head, acquaint us with that wise injunction, which you have caused to be promulgated within your dominions, against the consumption of tea and coffee; a fashionable vice, which tends only to squandring away money, and mispending the morning, since (as you once ingeniously express’d it) nothing more can be expected from those jentacular confabulations. …”

From: Terræ-filius; or, the secret history of the University of Oxford
By Nicholas Amhurst, 1721

Word of the Day: NESCIOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin nescius (ignorant, not knowing),
from nescire (to be ignorant, not to know) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“… The third cause of the decay of Trade, in Malynes accompt, are Litigious Law-suits. To the Efficiency whereof, Malynes cannot altogether agree, but rather to the Remedie. But I shall willingly pardon him that: for he that is so ignorant in the Essentiall causes, must needs be nescious in the Efficients also. I would there were no cause, for their sakes whose case it is, to dispute this Causalitie. …”

From: The Circle of Commerce.
Or The ballance of trade in defence of free trade: opposed to Malynes little fish and his great whale, and poized against them in the scale.
By Edward Misselden, 1623

Word of the Day: RUMBUSTICAL

ETYMOLOGY
possibly an alteration of rumbustious (boisterous, unruly);
or perhaps an alteration of obsolete English robustic (robust, robustious),
from robust + -ic + -al

EXAMPLE
“… I will, your worship: but I am glad his honour, the Major, is not to be jocum tenus for your worship, he’s so much upon the roguish order with the women, now and ten. I did not care to mention it to your worship before; but as true as I’m alive he was a little rombustical to our Bridget, no longer ago than last Sunday was se’night, as she was coming home from church. …”

From: The Flitch of Bacon; a comic opera
By Henry Bate Dudley, 1779

Word of the Day: SLIDDERY

ETYMOLOGY
from slidder (to slide, to slip) + -y

EXAMPLE (for adj. 3)
“… Full slyddrie is the sait that thay on sit,
And for thair fault till Hell sune sall thay flit,
For suddanlie thay sall die with mischeif,
Thair distructioun salbe without releif. …”

From: A compendious book of godly and spiritual songs : commonly known as ‘The gude and godlie ballatis’
By John Wedderburn , Robert Wedderburn
Reprinted from the edition of 1567
Edited by Alexander Ferrier Mitchell, 1897
Quam bonus Deus Israell. Psal. lxxiij