Category: Word of the Day – F

Word of the Day: FROPPISH

ETYMOLOGY
? from frop, variant of frap (to strike, to beat) + -ish

EXAMPLE
“…God doth usually, if not constantly, break their wills by de∣nying them, as one would cross a froward. Child of his stub∣born humour: or else puts a sting into them, that a man had been as good he had been without them, as a man would give a thing to a froppish Child, but it may be with a knock on his Fingers, and a frown to boot.…”

From: Christian letters full of spiritual instructions tending to the promoting of the power of godliness, both in person and families.
By Joseph Alleine, 1659

Word of the Day: FAUNTEKIN

ETYMOLOGY
diminutive of faunt: aphetic form of Old French enfaunt, enfant;
the shortened form has not been found in French, but Italian has the corresponding fante (boy, servant, foot-soldier), whence German fant

EXAMPLE
“…”Þat is soth,” quod clergye “I se what þow menest,
I shal dwelle as I do my deuore to shewen,
     And conformen fauntekynes and other folke ylered,
Tyl pacience haue preued þe and parfite þe maked…”

From: The Vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman,
By William Langland, 1377

Word of the Day: FALLAXITY

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin fallax: from fallere (to deceive) + -ity

EXAMPLE
“...saying that then it shall appear before his Counsell the great deceit fallaxity and crafty waies cast and invironed to destroy and holy to an nyntyssement of your honor for ever…”

From: The Berkeley Manuscripts
The Lives of the Berkeleys
Lords of the Honour, Castle and Manor of Berkeley
In the County of Gloucester, From 1066 to 1618
John Smyth, a1641

Word of the Day: FACUNDIOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin fācundia (eloquence) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“…Discrete and hardy and wonder vertuous,
And of speche ryght facundious.
And coud him wel in euery thinge demene,
But Menelay of stature was but meane…”

From: The Auncient Historie and Onely Trewe and Syncere Cronicle of the Warres Betwixte the Grecians and the Troyans 
By John Lydgate, 1430

Word of the Day: FRIDAY-FACE

ETYMOLOGY
probably from the time when Friday was a day of abstinence

EXAMPLE
“…The Fox on a time came to visit the Gray, partly for kindred, chiefly for craft, and finding the hole empty of all other company, saving only one Badger enquiring the cause of his solitariness: he described the sudden death of his dam and sire with the rest of his consorts. The Fox made a Friday face, counterfeiting sorrow: but concluding that death’s stroke was inevitable persuaded him to seek some fit mate wherewith to match.…”

From: Greene’s, Groat’s-Worth of Witte, bought with a million of repentance 
Robert Greene, 1592

Word of the Day: FREMESCENT

ETYMOLOGY
as if from Latin fremescentem, pr. pple. of fremescere, 
freq. vb. from Latin fremere (to roar)

EXAMPLE
“… The tide advances; Syndic Roederer’s and all men’s straits grow straiter and straiter. Fremescent clangor comes from the armed Nationals in the Court; far and wide is the infinite hubbub of tongues …”

From: The French Revolution: A History
By Thomas Carlyle, 1837

Word of the Day: FLANTITANTING

ETYMOLOGY
a reduplicated formation on flanting (flaunting)

EXAMPLE
“…An old Doctor of Oxford shewd me Latine verses of his in that flourishing flantitanting goutie Omega fist, which he presented unto him (as a bribe) to get leave to playe, whe hee was in the heighth or prime of his Puer es cupis atque doceri…”

From: Have with You to Saffron-Walden Or, Gabriell Harveys Hunt is Up
By Thomas Nashe, 1596