ETYMOLOGY
aphetic from averty (well-advised, prudent, cautious)
EXAMPLE
“…He wes wys and rycht werty…”
From: The Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland
By Andrew of Wyntoun, c1425
Word of the Day: VERTY
Tag: 1400 – 1499
Word of the Day: LUCULENT
ETYMOLOGY
from Latin luculentus, from luc-, lux (light)
EXAMPLE
“…Trie out the grape vnhurt, neither to ripe
Neither to sowre, as gemmys luculent,
Of soft and hard as goodly is to gripe…”
From: The Middle-English translation of Palladius De Re Rustica
Word of the Day: ORAFLE
ETYMOLOGY
from Old French orafle (giraffe),
from Arabic zarāfa , zurāfa (giraffe)
EXAMPLE
“…Þere also be many bestes þat ben clept Orafles, In Arabye þei ben clept Gerfauntz, þat is a best pomelee or spotted…”
From: Mandeville’s Travels, a1425
Edited by Paul Hamelius, 1919
Word of the Day: ROBORATE
ETYMOLOGY
from Middle English roboraten, from Latin roboratus,
past participle of roborare (to strengthen, confirm),
from robor-, robur (strength)
EXAMPLE
“…This pope roborate the sentence of excommunicacion ageyne Frederyke the emperoure…”
From: Ranulf Higden’s Polychronicon
Translated by John Trevisa, a1475
Word of the Day: COWARDOUS
ETYMOLOGY
from Old French type couardos + -ous
EXAMPLE
“…The cowardous pees that was ordeyned…”
From: The Chronicles of England
By: William Caxton (1480)
Word of the Day: PEISANT
ETYMOLOGY
from Anglo-Norman peisant, peisaunt, pesaunt, Anglo-Norman and Middle French pesant (of things – heavy, massive, oppressive, wearisome, difficult), (of the hand, a blow, etc. – forcible, coming down heavily), (of people – slow, sluggish), use as adjective of present participle of peiser , peser (to weigh)
EXAMPLE
“…But as for so poure a man as I, there would none aduocate pleden without wages paid byfore in honde; for pledours in worldly courtes hauen tonges lyke to t he languet of the balaunce that draweth hym alwey to the more peysaunt party, that better wyl rewarden…”
From: The Booke of the Pylgremage of the Sowle,
Translated from the French of Guillaume de Deguileville
Word of the Day: UNDERMEAL
ETYMOLOGY
Old English undernmǽl
EXAMPLE
(for n. 2.)
“…that drawes deepe, and by that time his Tobacco marchant is made even with, and hee hath dinde at a tauerne, and slept his vnder-meale at a bawdy house, his purse is on the heild and only fortie shillings hee hath behinde, to trie his fortune with at the cardes in the presence…”
From: Lenten Stuffe
– Thomas Nashe, 1599
Word of the Day: DELAYOUS
ETYMOLOGY
from Old French delaieus, from delai (delay) + -ous
EXAMPLE
“…Neuyrthelesse I remembere well that ye delt wythe ryght delayous peple, my lord Archbyshop and othere of my lordys, and I dempte by-cawse of youre long tarryng that by youre sad dyscrescyon all hadde ben sett thorow…”
From: Paston letters and papers of the fifteenth century
– John Paston, 1469
– Edited by Norman Davis, Richard Beadle, and Colin Richmond, 2004
Word of the Day: WAY-LEADER
ETYMOLOGY
from way (a track, a road, a path) + leader
EXAMPLE
“…who shall perfeitely accomplyshe and fulfyll the lawe in the right kynde as it ought to be, but thy sonne beeyng as a waye leader vnto the heauenly preaching of thissame Messias, shall prepare the heartes of menne, that he may deliuer vp vnto Messias at his cumming…”
From: The First Tome or Volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testamente
– Erasmus, Desiderius
– Translated by Nicholas Udall et al, 1548
Word of the Day: MINORATE
ETYMOLOGY
from Latin minorātus, past participle of minorāre (to make less)
EXAMPLE
“…When forsoþ þe sanie þat first was indigeste goþ out digeste & minorate, i. lessed
[?c1425 Paris lesse; L. minorata], it is signe þat þe fistule is mortified…”
From: Guy de Chauliac’s Grande Chirurgie. a1425
Lexicophilia 