Tag: 1600 – 1699

Word of the Day: LONGITY

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin longitas (length, long duration), from longus (long) + -tas (-ty)

EXAMPLE
“…And had not this beene: yet if your brevity (which is but a shuffling colour, to make shewe of some things which are not) had beene turned into one yeeres or seaven yeeres longity, you could not have shewed, that in substantiall points of faith there was variace among vs. And therfore for that matter you do wel to do as you do, that is, put vp your pipes & make no more noise. …”

From: The Reasons vvhich Doctour Hill hath brought, for the Vpholding of Papistry, which is falselie termed the Catholike religion: Vnmasked and Shewed to be very weake, and vpon examination most insufficient for that purpose.
By George Abbot, 1604

Word of the Day: AFFIANTLY

ETYMOLOGY
apparently from affy (to trust in someone or something) + – ant + ‑ly 

EXAMPLE
“…St. John saith expressely, Jesus did many things which are not written. Indeed we may chuse whether we will affiantly beleeve any thing that is not written; but to say positively, It never was, because it is not written, is unworthy Hieromes learning, and is elsewhere by him rejected, out of the humour of opposition. …”

From: The Acts and Monuments of the Church Before Christ Incarnate
By Richard Montagu, 1642

Word of the Day: FEROCIENT

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin ferocientem, present participle of ferocire (to be fierce) , from ferox (fierce)

EXAMPLE
“…November 18 about four in the morning a lamentable fire seised upon the Lord Wimbletons house in the Strand, it being then the lodging of the States Lieger Ambassador, which consumed and demolisht it with all the rich furniture and utensils to the ground; so ferocient and impetuous it was, as the Ambassadour, his wife and children hardly, though half naked, escaped; all their other apparel, Jewels, money, &c. yea even the Commission it self perisht in the combustion…“

From: The Reign of King Charles
By Hamon L’Estrange, 1655

Word of the Day: DUBITABLE

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin dubitabilis, from dubitare (to doubt)

EXAMPLE
“…Has my goodneesse,
Clemency, loue, and fauour gracious rays’d thee
From a condition next to popular labour,
Tooke thee from all the dubitable hazards
Of Fortune her most vnsecure aduentures?
And grafted thee into a branch of honour,
And dost thou fal from the top bough by the rottennes
Of thy alone corruption, like a fruite
That’s ouer-ripned by the beames of fauour,
Let thy owne weight reward thee, I haue forgot thee, …”

From: A Game at Chæss as it was acted nine dayes to gether at the Globe on the banks side
By Thomas Middleton, 1625

Word of the Day: DIGLADIATE

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin digladiari from di-, dis- (asunder, in different directions) + gladius (a sword)

EXAMPLE
“…For what else are the Writings of many men, but mutual Pasquils and Satyrs against each others lives, wherein digladiating like Eschines and Demosthenes, they reciprocally lay open each others filthiness to the view and scorn of the world. The fear therefore of being stained, and publickly disgraced, might be reason enough to keep them back from entring these contentions. …”

From: Golden Remains of the Ever Memorable Mr. John Hales
By John Hales, 1659

Word of the Day: SLIMSLACK

ETYMOLOGY
from slim (adj.) + slack (adj.)

EXAMPLE
“…Thou planter of Amfrisus, inhabiter of Parnassus, louer of Helicone; lord of fount Caballyne, patrone of the Laurell, inuentor of the Harpe, master of Astrologie, and prince of Phisicke, helpe these poore slimslacks, who haue need of internal remedies, for the restitution of their disturbed braine, destitute witte, obfuscate vnderstanding, lost memorie: …”

From: translation of The Hospitall of Incurable Fooles
By Tomaso Garzoni, 1600

Word of the Day: GROUT-HEAD

ETYMOLOGY
from grout (sediment, dregs, lees), taken as the type of something big and coarse; 
for definition 2: there is confusion with great; perhaps the sound recalled the Dutch groot

EXAMPLE
“…professed her self a nonne in the yeare of our lord a. M. and. lxxv. to serue the deuyll in the monkes hypocresy, & in ye burnynge heates of Sodome. So daynty mowthed wer these greasy grouteheades, and so crafty in their generacyon, that they could fynde out kynges doughters to serue their lustes, and yet apere chast ghostly fathers to the world. Thurstinus a monke of Cane in Normandy…”

From: The First Two Partes of the Actes or vnchast examples of the Englysh Votaryes gathered out of their owne legenades and chronycles
By John Bale, 1551

Word of the Day: MANY-FEET

ETYMOLOGY
from many + foot

EXAMPLE
“…As for some sea-fishes, wee have said before that they have eight legs: namely, Manyfeet, Pourcuttles, Cuttles, Calamaries, and Crabfishes; and those moove their fore-clees like armes a contrary way, but their feet either they turne round or else fetch them crooked atone-side: and a man shall not see any living creature again, all round, but they …”

From: The Historie Of The World: Commonly called, The Naturall Historie Of C. Plinius Secundus.
By Pliny the Elder
Translated into English by Philemon Holland, 1601

Word of the Day: TRAGEMATOPOLIST

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin tragematopola (sweet seller) or its etymon, Greek τραγηματοπώλης (seller of sweetmeats),
from τραγήματ-, τραγήμα (dried fruits or sweetmeats eaten as dessert) + ‑ο‑ + ‑πώλης (-pole) + ‑ist 

EXAMPLE
Abby promised her children a trip to the tragematopolist’s after they’d done their chores and homework.