Word of the Day

Word of the Day: MALEUROUS

ETYMOLOGY
from middle French maleureus, maleureux, modern French malheureux (unfortunate, unhappy, wretched; from maleur (ill fortune, misfortune) + ‑eus (‑ous) 

EXAMPLE
“…And seithe: “O,” seith he, “tho people bene passinge evreux whan there is a kinge of goode dis
crecioun and of goode counseill and wise in sciencez. And gretly bene the people malevreux whanne any of thise thingis abovesaide fauten in a kinge.”…”

From: Translation of The Dicts and Sayings of the Philosophers, a1661
By Curt Ferdinand Buhler, Early English Text Society, 1941

Word of the Day: OVER-MONEY

ETYMOLOGY
from over- (prefix) + money; humorous usage after undermine (to work secretly or stealthily against)

EXAMPLE
“…At Preston in Andernesse, August 17. 1648. Duke Hambleton resolving to play an Aftergame of Loyalty, entred England with an Army more numerous then well Disciplined. Most beheld him as one rather cunning than wise, yet rather wise, than valiant. However he had Officers who did Ken the War-craft, as well as any of our Age. He would accept of no English Assistance, so to engrosse all the work and wages to himself. Some suspect his Officers trust was undermined, (or over-moneyed rather) whilst others are confident, they were betrayed by none save their own security. …”

From: The History of the Worthies of England
By Thomas Fuller, a1661

Word of the Day: PATRIZATE

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin patrissat- patrizat-, past participial stem of patrissare, patrizare (to act like or take after one’s father)

EXAMPLE
“…One was Walter Devereux Earl of Essex, who made him his bosome-friend, and the said Earl, lying on his death-bed, took his leave of him with many kisses, Oh my Ned (said he) farewell, thou art the faithfullest and friendliest Gentleman that ever I knew. In testimony of his true affection to the dead Father in his living Son, this Gentleman is thought to have penned that most judicious and elegant Epistle and presented it to the young Earl, conjuring him by the cogent arguments of example and rule, to patrizate. …”

From: The History of the Worthies of England
By Thomas Fuller, 1662

Word of the Day: FLOCK-PATED

ETYMOLOGY
from flock (material consisting of the coarse tufts and refuse of wool or cotton, used for quilting garments, and stuffing beds, cushions, mattresses, etc.) + pated (having a head or mind of the specified kind)

EXAMPLE
“…He that would be a Scholler,
Must hate your drinks that is muddy:
But a cup of good Canary
Will make him the better to study.
O this is a good old Woman, etc.

And he that would be a Poet,
Must no wayes be flocke-pated:
His ignorance if he show it,
He shall of all Schollers be hated.
O this is a good old Woman, etc.

He that would be a Goodfellow,
Of meanes must be prepared:
If that he love drinke and Tobacco,
Or else he shall be jeared.
O this is a good old Woman, etc. ….”

From: “The Merry Old Woman”, c1640
In The Roxburghe Ballads, Ballad Society, 1869-99

Word of the Day: GROBIAN

ETYMOLOGY
from German Grobian, from medieval Latin Grobianus, name of an imaginary personage, often referred to by writers of the 15th – 6th century in Germany as the type of boorishness,
from German grob (coarse, rude)

EXAMPLE
“…In breefe, he became from an Idiot and a Clowne, to be one of the most compleat Gentlman in Cyprus and did many valorous exploits, and all for the loue of Mistris Iphiginia. In a word, I may say thus much of them all, let them be neuer so clownish, rude and horrid, Gobrians and sluts, if once they be in loue, they will be most neat & spruce and beginne to trick vp, and to haue a good opinion of themselues. …”

From: The Anatomy of Melancholy VVhat It Is
By Robert Burton, 1621

Word of the Day: WRINGLE-WRANGLE

ETYMOLOGY
reduplication of wrangle (n.) with change of vowel as in jingle-jangle, tingle-tangle, etc.

EXAMPLE
“…It was a most delightful godsend to the paper in which it appeared, and it came at a time when the House was not sitting, and there was no wringle-wrangle of debates to furnish material for the columns of big type which are supposed to sway the masses. …”

From: All Sorts and Conditions of Men: An Impossible Story
By Walter Besant, 1882

Word of the Day: SHITTLE-WITTED

ETYMOLOGY
from shittle (obsolete, fickle, flighty, inconstant) + witted

EXAMPLE
“… I am aferd þat Jon of Sparham js so schyttyl-wyttyd þat he wyl sett hys gode to morgage to Heydon, or to sum oþer of vwre gode frendys, but jf I can hold hym jnne þe better ere ȝe kom hom…”

From: Paston Letters and Papers of the Fifteenth Century
Margaret Paston to Jon Paston, 1448

Word of the Day: ADDULCE

ETYMOLOGY
originally from Middle French adoulcir, also written addoulcir; (mod. adoucir) (to sweeten):
—late Latin addulcire; from ad (to) + dulcis (sweet); subsequently refashioned after Latin

EXAMPLE
“…And thenne shalle not the Rigour and the reffuse of my noble lady be myned and adoulced by my habondaunt prayers and oroisons. yes verily. that shall she be or nature shall faylle. And if not the goddes shall be iniuste and agaynst me…”

From: The History of Jason
By Raoul Le Fevre
Translated by William Caxton, 1477

PRONUNCIATION
uh-DULS

Word of the Day: CRUDELITY

ETYMOLOGY
from French crudelité, from Latin crudelitas (cruelty), from crudelis (cruel)

EXAMPLE
“…The thyrd synne is vnmyserycorde and crudelyte For he whyche playeth wold fayne take from his felowe bothe breche and sherte the whiche thynge the theuys whyche dyspoyle and robbe the pylgrymes doon not…”

From: Here begynneth the prologue or prohemye of the book callid Caton
Translated by William Caxton, 1483

Word of the Day: POCOCURANTE

ETYMOLOGY
Italian, poco curante, (caring little), from poco (a little, rather) + curante (present participle of curare (to care)); from Latin curare (to cure, to heal), ? from the name of Seigneur Pococurante, a fictional apathetic Venetian senator in Voltaire’s Candide (1759)

EXAMPLE
“…Leave we my mother – (truest of all the Poco-curante’s of her sex!) – careless about it, as about every thing else in the world which concerned her; – that is, – indifferent whether it was done this way or that, – provided it was but done at all …”

From: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
By Laurence Sterne, 1762

PRONUNCIATION
poh-koh-kyuh-RAN-tee