Lexicophilia

Word of the Day: GUMPLE-FOISTED

ETYMOLOGY
from Scots gumple (to be in a bad mood, to sulk, and as a noun, a fit of the sulks) + feist (found in other formations of similar meaning, e.g. bumple feist (the sulks), amplefeist (a sulky mood)) + -ed

EXAMPLE
“…Aweel, aweel,’ said Peter Peebles, totally unabashed by the repulse, ‘e’en as ye like, a wilful man maun hae his way; but,’ he added, stooping down and endeavouring to gather the spilled snuff from the polished floor, ‘I canna afford to lose my sneeshing for a’ that ye are gumple-foisted wi’ me‘….”

From: Redgauntlet: A Tale of the Eighteenth Century
By Sir Walter Scott, 1824

Word of the Day: EIDENT

ETYMOLOGY
variant of ident (diligent, persistent), Scottish form of ithand (assiduous, diligent, busy)

EXAMPLE
“…For his idand and contynuall gud serwice yerly to be done at his gudlie power at the sycht of the mastyr of werk for the tyme…”

From: Records of the Royal Burgh of Stirling

Word of the Day: EARTH-HOLE

ETYMOLOGY
from Middle English eorthehole, equivalent to earth +‎ hole

EXAMPLE
“…and fro mennes wunienge to wilde deores. and ches þere crundel to halle. and eorðhole to bure bare eorðe to bedde…”

From: Old English Homilies of the Twelfth Century, by Richard Morris, 1873,
Found in MS Trinity 335 (B.14.52)

Word of the Day: PERLEGATE

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin perlegere to read through, from per- + legere (to read) + ‑ate

EXAMPLE
“…I am vouchsafede to perlegate vvith pleasure, & imploye a small of their time in the readinge, of my scriptsons, and vvritinges, I most courtiouslye desire thē, that they vvould more vvith good vvill, then vvith a spirite…”

From: The Frenche Chirurgerye, or all the Manualle Operations of Chirurgerye
By Jacques Guillemeau
Translated by A.M., 1598

Word of the Day: MERETRICATE

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin meretricat-, past participial stem of meretricari (to frequent a prostitute; later, to play the whore),
from Latin meretrīc- (a prostitute)

EXAMPLE
They meretricated in Egypt; they meretricated in their youth.

(Taken from Ezekiel 23, replacing ‘played the whore’ with meretricated)

Word of the Day: ELENCHIZE

ETYMOLOGY
from elench ,from Latin elenchus, from Greek ἔλεγχος (cross-examination) + -ize

EXAMPLE
“…Lady. So do all Politicks in their Commendations.
   Host. This is a State-bird, and the verier Fly;
Tipto. But  Hear him problematize.   Prudence. Bless us, what’s that?
   Tipto. Or syllogize, elenchize.   Lady. Sure, petard’s,
To blow us up.   Lat. Some inginous strong words!
   Host. He means to erect a Castle i’ the Air,
And make his Fly an Elephant to carry it….”

From: The New Inne, or The Light Heart, a Comedy
By Ben Jonson, 1631

Word of the Day: HATOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from hate (n.) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“…Her offryngis, sacrificis, and praiers weren hatouse and abhominacioun to him, as it is tauȝt þere bi long processe…”

From: The Works of a Lollard Preacher (2001)
The Sermons Omnis Plantacio (c1400)

Word of the Day: OCEANINE

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin oceanus + -ine

EXAMPLE
Gulls, petrels, albatrosses, cormorants are all oceanine birds.

Word of the Day: PODGER

ETYMOLOGY
for n. 1. – a variant of pottinger
for n. 2, 3, 4 – from podge (anything short or thick) + ‑er

EXAMPLE
“…He cannot deal the knock-me-down blows of Old Brough, and if you watch your opportunity you may give him a podger. I am seldom in a cause of any consequence before him without getting into some squabble with him…”

From: Life of John, Lord Campbell, 1881,
Letter dated 9 March, 1816

Word of the Day: NIDDICOCK

ETYMOLOGY
of obscure formation: possibly a blend of nidiot and nodcock (a fool, a simpleton)

EXAMPLE
“…And as touching implements for warre, they were neuer such fond niddicockes, as to offer anie man a rod to beat their owne tailes, or to betake their mastiues vnto the custodie of the woolues, maruelling much that their capteine would so farre ouershoot himselfe, as to be taken with such apparent repugnancie….”

From: R. Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1577