Tag: 1600 – 1699

Word of the Day: ANCIPITOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin anceps, -cipitis (two-edged or double)

EXAMPLE
“…of Planets amicall, benevolous, auspicious, fortunate; and inimicall, maleficall, unfortunate, exitiall; as also ancipitous, and indifferent to both (and all these sometimes roborated, and holpen; sometimes infirmed, and hindred one by another)…”

From: Πῦς-μαντία. (Pus-mantia) The Mag-Astro-Mancer, 
Or The Magicall-Astrologicall-Diviner posed, and puzzled,
By John Gaule, 1652

Word of the Day: OBAMBULATE

ETYMOLOGY
from participle stem of Latin obambulare,
from ob- + ambulare (to walk)

EXAMPLE
“…Again, that al soules departed are in certaine receptacles vntill the generall iudgement, they do not obambulate and wander vp and downe, but remaine in places and states of happinesse or vnhappinesse, either in the hands of God, or in the Deuils prison…”

From: The Workes of John Boys
By John Boys, 1622

Word of the Day: COGITABUND

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin cogitabundus (thinking), from cogitare (to think)

EXAMPLE
“…To turn the apple of the eye towards the Nose, is their peculiar action who are Sowre and Severe; for, such are of a Contuitive, Grave, and Cogitabund aspect, such as is seen in those who with some Tragicall and Goblin-like look would affright and scare others…”

From: Pathomyotamia
By John Bulwer, 1649

Word of the Day: JARGOGLE

ETYMOLOGY
of unknown origin;
possibly a confused extension of jargon (n.)

EXAMPLE
“…Whether all you say have any thing more in it than this, I appeal to my readers: and should willingly do it to you, did not I fear, that the jumbling of those good and plausible words in your head, “of sufficient evidence, consider as one ought,” &c. might a little jargogle your thoughts, and lead you hoodwinked the round of your own beaten circle…”

From: The Works of John Locke
Vol. 5 Four Letters concerning Toleration
A Third Letter for Toleration
By John Locke, 1692

Word of the Day: HILUM

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin hilum (little thing, trifle);
according to Festus, thought to have originally meant ‘that which adheres to a bean’;
hence, later used in anatomy (the depression or opening where ducts, vessels, etc. enter an organ) and in biology (a scar on a seed or spore created by detachment)

EXAMPLE
“…Now Solomon was a wise, and an understanding childe. How much more then should you take care of ignorant, knotty, illiterate, and unhewn Sailors, that have no more than a meer hilum of goodness in them?…”

From: Πελαγος or, An Improvement of the Sea
By Daniel Pell

PRONUNCIATION
HIGH-luhm

Word of the Day: CHILDLING

ETYMOLOGY
from child + -ling

EXAMPLE
“…and therefore more than one hundred times doth he in this his rayling pasquill expresse himselfe against me in such termes as these: Youngling, novice, boy, childe, youth, young springlius, young glorioso, young ignaro, young Phaeton, vaine young man, unworthy young man, young Jenkins, young simplicius, childling, young Pragmatico, shamelesse young man, young Dictator, young Metropolitan, young Thraso, green-head, young peece of presumption, Prelaticall peece of Presbytery, unhallowed peece of Presbytery, swelling peece of vanity, san of shame and folly, illiterate soule, poore man, silly brain, mancipium of illiteratenesse, friend William, Batte mi fili, (as if with his religion and reason, he had also abjured good manners.) And he plainly tels his Reader, that his aime in writing his booke was thus: To make me know my selfe; though a gracious heart would have put him upon writing to have made the people know the truth….”

From: Ὁδηγος Τυϕλος [Odegos Tuphlos]: The Blind Guide, or, The Doting Doctor
By William Jenkyn
Written by John Goodwin, 1648

Word of the Day: REFICIATE

ETYMOLOGY
irregular from Latin reficere (to rebuild, repair, restore) + -ate

EXAMPLE
“…Bay-berryes calefye much, siccate, attenuate, and discusse flatuosity: they are mixed with medicaments that reficiate the lassitude of the nerves; and with unguents, which calefye and resolve; their oyle expressed or elicited by decoction, deleats and cures scabs, blew places, wheales, and many faedityes of the skin, and discusses effused humours…”

From: A Medical Dispensatory; Containing the Whole Body of Physick
By Jean de Renou, 1657