Tag: 1500 – 1599

Word of the Day: DESCENTIVE

ETYMOLOGY
from descent + -ive

EXAMPLE
“… howsoeuer I purpose not in the like nice respect to leape ouer the laudable petigree of Yarmouth, but will fetch her from her swadling clouts or infancy, & reueale to you when and by whom she was first raught out of the oceans armes, and start vp and aspired to such starry sublimitie ; as also acquaint you with the notable immunities, franchises, priuileges she is endowed with beyond all her confiners, by the discentiue line of kings from the conquest. …”

From: Lenten Stuffe
By Thomas Nashe, 1599
The Praise of the Red Herring

Word of the Day: COLL-HARDY

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

Word of the Day: RIGGISH

ETYMOLOGY
of uncertain origin
n. 1. possibly from rig (a wanton girl or woman)

EXAMPLE (for adj. 1.)
“… As it is to be seene, namely at Rome, what reuenues and rents, that great and soueraign ruffian getteth by his whoores. And afterward of the drouning and killing of children, and secretly murthering, and casting in corners and ditches, as is vsually practised amongst these riggish and lecherous prelates. …”

From:  Jan van der Noot’s Theatre, wherein be represented the miseries that follow the Voluptuous Worldings
By Jan van der Noot
Translated by Theodore Roest, 1569

Word of the Day: BLANDILOQUENT

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin blandiloquent-, blandiloquens (smooth-talking), from blandus (bland) + ‑loquens ‑loquent (speaking in an indicated manner)

EXAMPLE
“… Graunt to me no learning, Muses, thou Pagan Apollo,
Cynthia, with Charites, thou blandiloquent mery Pytho,
Mercury, with Sappho, Pallas nam’d also Minerva,
Graunt to me no favour: but thou, thou mightie Jejova,
Thou, Lord Emmanuel, Lord of celestial heaven,
Only God imperiall, to mee wretch terrestrial harken. …”

From: The First Booke of the Oreseruation of King Henry the vij. when he was but Earle of Richmond, grandfather to the Queenes maiesty, 1599

Word of the Day: BROTHELLOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from brothel + ‑ous

EXAMPLE
“… I could show you the sharp Inuections, and grounded rea∣sons of many, as of Augstine, Hierome Chrisostome, Gregorie, Caluin, Peter Mar∣tyr, Gualter, and of an infinite number more: yea of all generally since the beginning of the world, against this whorish and brothellous painting and coulouring of faces, but to auoid prolixitie, I will omit them, deferring them to further oportunitie, for pauca sapienti, To a wiseman few woords are sufficient. …”

From: The Anatomie of Abuses
By Phillip Stubbes, 1583

Word of the Day: OUTBRAID

ETYMOLOGY
vb. 1. 2. 4. from out- + braid (to make a sudden movement with the hand, etc.; to brandish a spear;. to deal a blow)
vb. 3. altered form of abraid (to reproach, to reprove)

EXAMPLE (for vb. 3.)
“… And for that this displeasour doth hym dere
His frende: he soone out-braydeth of the same
Hym-self (for malyce) drawynge by the here
So hath this fole by malyce and yll name
His rewarde lost for it rebuked and shame
And no meruayle: for no man that hath skyll
Shall thanke hym for goodnes done agaynst his wyll …”

From: The Shyp of Folys of the Worlde
By Alexander Barclay, 1509

Word of the Day: CARRY-TALE

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

Word of the Day: MAB

ETYMOLOGY
n. of uncertain origin uncertain;
perhaps from the female forename Mab, shortened in Middle English from Mabel, from Amabel
vb. related to mab (a promiscuous woman), perhaps as a variant of mob (to dress oneself untidily

EXAMPLE (for n. 1.)
“… Mido. Take my life for a penny, whither shall I ren?
Esau. Come out, thou little fiend, come out, thou skittish gill.
Abra. Out, alas, alas! Esau will us all kill.
Esau. And come out, thou mother Mab; out, old rotten witch!
As white as midnight’s arsehole or virgin pitch. Where be ye? come together in a cluster. …”

From: A Newe Mery and Wittie Comedie or Enterlude, Newely Imprinted, Treating vpon the Hhistorie of Iacob and Esau, 1568

Word of the Day: SCOLOPENDRA

ETYMOLOGY
Latin, from Greek σκολόπενδρα (skolopendra) (centipede)

EXAMPLE (for n. 3.)
“… I have bought it gentlemen, and you in a mist
Shall see what I paid for it, thou hast not drunke yet:
Nere feare the reckning man, more wine , you varletts,
And call your Mistris, your Scolopendra
If we like her complexion, we may dine here. …”

From: The Gamester
By James Shirley, 1633

PRONUNCIATION
skol-oh-PEN-druh

Word of the Day: QUICK-MIRE

ETYMOLOGY
from quick (endowed with life, animate [because it shakes or moves]) + mire

EXAMPLE
“… An euyll wyfe hathe nought ado to departe from her houſe leest that she go not in to the quycke myre but and she be commaunded a thynge she wyll do clene the contrary. Certaynly it is a vylaynous reproche unto a woman whan she wyll not obeye unto her huſbande. Wyues and maydens loke that ye lyue honestly and kepe chaſtyte / to the ende that ye wynnę and purchace good fame and good renowne. …”

From: The Shyppe of Fooles
By Sebastian Brant
Translated by Henry Watson, 1509