Category: Word of the Day – C

ETYMOLOGY
from French comestible (edible), or from Latin comestibilis (fit to eat, edible);
from comest- variant of comes- past participial stem of comedere (to eat up, devour);
from com- (altogether) + edere (to eat)

EXAMPLE (for adj.)
“… And they mocked hym and said that he raued and was a foole and gaf no faith to his sayeng, and contynued in theyr synnne and wickednes. Thenne whan the Arcke was parfyghtly maad god bad hym to take in to it of all the beestis of therthe, and also of the fowles of thayer of eche two male and female, that they may lyue and also of all the metes of therthe that ben comestible, that they may serue and fede the and them. And Noe dyde all that our lord commanded hym. Thenne said our lord to Noe entre thou and all thy houshold in to the Arke, that is to saye thou and thy wyf and thy thre sones & theyr thre wiuys I haue seen that thou art rightful in this generacion. …”

From: Legenda aurea sanctorum, sive, Lombardica historia/The Golden Legend
By Jacobus de Voragine
Translated by William Caxton, 1483

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin cess- participial stem of cedere (to yield) + -ive

EXAMPLE
“… Yet there is a Diversity in Softness by Argentrive, and in Softness by Sulphur: because Softness by Sulphur is Cessive, but Softness by Argentrive is Extensive. And this must necessarily be proved by Sight; seeing We see Bodies of much Argentrive, to be of much Extension; but Bodies of little, of little. …”

From: The Works of Geber
By Jabir ibn Haiyan
Translated by Richard Russell, 1678

ETYMOLOGY
from cantankerous

EXAMPLE
“… I never see’d a convart made by that way yet; but I’ll tell you what I have see’d, a man set his own flock a doubtin by his own writin. You may happify your enemies, cantankerate your opponents, and injure your own cause by it, but I defy you to sarve it. …”

From: The Clockmaker,
Or, Sayings and Doings of Sam Slick, of Slickville,
By Thomas Chandler Haliburton, 1836

ETYMOLOGY
from cacophonie, from Greek kakophonia from kakophonos from kakos (bad) + phone (sound)

EXAMPLE
“… ”Every thing,” said she, ”depends on the sound of the name. He would be ruined forever, should I call him by any low, vulgar, or common-sounding name. It must be something lofty and cacophonious. Jupiter? Let me see-— Jupiter was the Gineral of the heathen gods— so that won’t do. …”

From: The Life and Adventures of Dr. Dodimus Duckworth
By Asa Greene, 1833

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin coctura (a cooking)

EXAMPLE
“… For truly, whatsoever is cast into the stomack, digestion being at length finished, is transchanged, and far separated from boyling and other coctures, after whatsoever degree prepared. …”

From: Oriatrike or, Physike Refined
By Jean Baptiste van Helmont
Translated by John Chandler, 1662

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin caperat- participial stem of caperare (to frown)

EXAMPLE (for vb. 2.)
“… the first is called a Limmon which is turbinated with an oblong effigies, is colorated herbaceously, and turgid with a more acid acerb and frigid succe, corticated with a thinner pill, and not so amare as an Orenge: the second is the more vulgar Citron, very like the former, but its colour is more luteous, its pill more crasse, rugous and caperated, and it selfe more crasse, odorate, medicative and convenient for antidotes: the third is greatest called Pom-Citron, orbiculated like a melon, with a thick carnous pill, somtimes aequalling a mans nayle in crassitude, with a concolorated superficies, which we call Poncerium, Citroniatum, Assyrian Apple, and Adams Apple, all which names seem to be deflected from the Tree, and as they are alike in Idea, so also in facultyes. …”

From: A Medicinal Dispensatory, containing the whole body of physick discovering the natures, properties, and vertues of vegetables, minerals, & animals
By Jean de Renou
Translated by Richard Tomlinson, 1657
“Of Limmons, Citrons.“

ETYMOLOGY
perhaps from coll (a fool, simpleton, dupe) + hardy,
though the dupe or simpleton is not exactly the type of the ‘hardy’ fool

EXAMPLE
“… Is this the profession of a Byshop? is this the Diuinitie of Osorius? Downe with that Pecockes tayle, away with this arrogancie: be no more so collhardy, and write hereafter more aduisedly, and take better regard to your penne, lest you bryng your name into odious contempt with all Christendome. …”

From: Against Ierome Osorius Byshopp of Siluane in Portingall and against his slaunderous inuectiues An aunswere apologeticall: for the necessary defence of the euangelicall doctrine and veritie,
By Walter Haddon and John Foxe
Translated by James Bell, 1581

ETYMOLOGY
from carry (vb.) + tale

EXAMPLE
“… After the solemnitie of this marriage, there appeared outwardlie to the world great loue and friendship betweene the duke and the earle, but by reason of carie tales and flatterers, the loue continued not long, …”

From: The Firste (laste) Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande
By Raphael Holinshed, 1577

ETYMOLOGY
alteration of cockabell, cockerbell, variants of cocklebell (an icicle);
probably after English dialect conker (snail-shell)

EXAMPLE
“… An’ leetle Bob! tha daps o’s veather,
Hoi, wull, us did count on un, reather :
Yer Bobby yer’s tha crickett,
Tha chield’s avroared, tha conkerbells
Be hangin’ to un — Yett theesel,
Bob — Yen thick auther thicket. …”

From: Jim and Nell: a Dramatic Poem in the dialect of North Devon
By William Frederick Rock, 1867

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin calens, calentem present participle of calere (to be hot)

EXAMPLE
“… The Lion also is a signification of the Sun, for the hairs of his mane do resemble the streaming beams of the Sun, and therefore this constellation is styled with the same Epithets that the Lion and the Sun are, as heat-bearing, aestive, ardent, arent,
calent, hot, flammant, burning, Herculean, mad, horrible, dreadful, cruel, and terrible. It is feigned of the Poets, that this Lion was the Nemaean Lion slain by Hercules, which at the commandment of Juno was fostered in Arcadia, and that in anger against Hercules after his death, she placed him in the heavens. …”

From: The History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents describing at large their true and lively figure, their several names, conditions, kinds, virtues …
By Edward Topsell, 1607