Coffer

Pronunciation:
\ˈko-fər, ˈkä-\

Definition:
1: chest; especially : strongbox

2: treasury, funds —usually used in plural
3: a recessed panel in a vault, ceiling, or soffit

Etymology:
Middle English coffre, from Anglo-French, ultimately from Latin cophinus basket, from Greek kophinos

First Known Use: 13th century

I heard this word this morning during our sermon. The preacher was talking about Catholics being able to purchase forgiveness of sins, or the security of a loved one's release from purgatory (the purchase of these is called indulgences). Preacher explained that as soon as the coins hit the bottom of the coffer, the loved one would be released into paradise. It's a word not widely used now, and I liked it!

Disentangle

Pronunciation:
/disenˈtaNGgəl/

Definition:
1.Free (something or someone) from an entanglement; extricate
2.Remove knots or tangles from (wool, rope, or hair).

Etymology:
None found

First known use: 1550

I ran across disentangle in a book I was reading and wondered why the author would use this word, as opposed to untangle.

To get to the bottom of it, you would have to go back to the root of the words: tangle. Entangled is almost always used when one thing becomes entwined with another, not when one thing becomes entwined or interwoven in itself, as with hair.

Does that straighten it out for you?

Stultify

Pronunciation:
\ˈstəl-tə-fī\

Definition:
1: archaic : to allege or prove to be of unsound mind and hence not responsible

2: to cause to appear or be stupid, foolish, or absurdly illogical
3a : to impair, invalidate, or make ineffective : negate b : to have a dulling or inhibiting effect on

Etymology:
Late Latin stultificare to make foolish, from Latin stultus foolish; akin to Latin stolidus stolid

First Known Use: 1737

The government has been stultified by bureaucracy.

Charlatan

Pronunciation:
\ˈshär-lə-tən\

Definition:
1: quack
2: one making usually showy pretenses to knowledge or ability

Etymology:
Italian ciarlatano, alteration of cerretano, literally, inhabitant of Cerreto, from Cerreto, Italy

First Known Use: 1618

I love this word! The very idea that someone would practice trickery for monetary gain...wait...isn't that what politicians do? HA!
 
Famous charlatans:

• John R. Brinkley, the "goat-gland doctor" who implanted goat glands as a means of curing male impotence, helped pioneer both American and Mexican radio broadcasting, and twice ran unsuccessfully for governor of Kansas.
• Albert Abrams, the advocate of radionics and other similar electrical quackery who was active in the early twentieth century.
• Italian Alessandro Cagliostro (real name Giuseppe Balsamo) who claimed to be a count.
• The mystical Count of St. Germain.
• Charles Ponzi, for whom the "Ponzi scheme" is named, a scam that relies on a "pyramid" of "investors" who contribute money to a fraudulent programme.
• Bernard Madoff, an American stockbroker who ran the worlds largest Ponzi scheme, defrauding investors out of $18 billion.

Don't be a charlatan!

Aficionado

Pronunciation:
\ə-fi-sh(ē-)ə-ˈnä-(ˌ)dō, -fē-, -sē-ə-\

Definition:
1: A person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usually fervently pursued interest or activity\
2: A person who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about an activity, subject, or pastime.

Etymology:
Spanish, from past participle of aficionar to inspire affection, from afición affection, from Latin affection-, affectio
First Known Use: 1802

My dad bought a bow tie this past weekend. Now he had to learn how to tie it. I remember a few weeks back, Strat, Jack and I were trying to watch videos on YouTube to learn how to tie a necktie. Jack finally just went upstairs, but Strat and I took it personally that it was not easy for us to master immediately and we tried and tried and tired to tie those stupid neckties. Finally, we stopped, furious, yelling and in terribly, caustic moods. It makes me laugh today.
 
Mother reported that Dad, too, went to YouTube to try to learn to tie a bow tie, with the same results that Strat and I experienced: anger and frustration resulting in a very cleansing yelling at the computer screen.
 
Here is a video of NFL linebacker Dhani Jones, a self-proclained aficionado of bow ties, showing how to tie one. There are even publications for aficionados: Doggie Aficionado, Cigar Aficionado, Toad Aficionado, Shoe Aficionado and Guitar Aficionado. There is a band, teliquia brand and book club that all bear the name.
 
This is a word to add to your vocab!

Venerate

Pronunciation:
\ˈve-nə-ˌrāt\

Definition:
1: to regard with reverential respect or with admiring deference
2: to honor (as an icon or a relic) with a ritual act of devotion

Etymology:
Latin veneratus, past participle of venerari, from vener-, venus love, charm

First Known Use: circa 1623
This is a nice word to have in your vocabulary. When our school district was recently prevented from a student saying a prayer over the PA system before football games, a great many Friday night fans chose to say The Lord's Prayer during the moment of silence. I would say that we used that time to venerate the Lord with our corporate recitation.
 
When you see Catholics make the sign of the cross, they are venerating the death and resurrection of Jesus. Just as many protestants wear a cross as jewelry.
 
A listed synonym for this word is "deify". I have to disagree with this because I don't think the vast majority of wearers of a cross actually worship the item. They don't deify the object. It is merely an outward sign of the inward devotion. What do you think?

Invective

Pronunciation:
\in-ˈvek-tiv\

Definition:
1: Of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse
2: Insulting, abusive, or highly critical language.
 
Etymology:
Middle English invectif, from Middle French, from Latin invectivus, from invectus, past participle of invehere

First Known Use: 15th century

Isn't this a great picture? It shows perfectly what this word means. There's a harshness to the word that any other photo just didn't get across.

I came across this word while reading the forward in a book titled ne*gro*phi*li*a. He is a biracial man who has been criticized for his views of how racist blacks have become. The forward shows a few names he has been called, including 'race traitor', 'black white boy' and a few more that I won't type here.

Derive

Pronunciation:
\di-ˈrīv, dē-\

Definition:
1a : to take, receive, or obtain especially from a specified source
b : to obtain (a chemical substance) actually or theoretically from a parent substance

Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French deriver, from Latin derivare, literally, to draw off (water), from de- + rivus stream — more at run

First Known Use: 14th century

This word sprang up today from the "Ask the Editor" video on Merriam-Webster's website. The word was "gridiron" in honor of football season, and the editor used derivation, a form of derive: "The line of derivation isn't quite so straight."
 
She was talking about the origin of the word gridiron as derived from a 13th century torture device called a gridrion (where we derive the word "griddle" - you can imagine what the nature of this torture was). Sound appropriate? This is where the editor cautions that it's not quite as it seems, since the true reason for calling a football field a gridiron is not because it is a tortuous sport, but because the lines on the field resemble a cooking grate.
 
A slight deviation in the derivation. (tee hee)

Volition

Pronunciation:
\vō-ˈli-shən, və-\

Definition:
1: an act of making a choice or decision; also : a choice or decision made
2: the power of choosing or determining
 
Etymology:
French, from Medieval Latin volition-, volitio, from Latin vol- (stem of velle to will, wish) + -ition-, -itio (as in Latin position-, positio position)

First Known Use: 1615

I was not coerced into using this word. I did so of my own volition.
 
I'm not sure why this word popped into my head this morning. Only to say that I am doing a little Bible studay and the topic is predestination. That's all I will say about that!

Ornery

Pronunciation:
\ˈor-nə-rē, ˈär-; ˈȯrn-rē, ˈärn-\

Definition:
: having an irritable disposition : cantankerous

Etymology:
alteration of ordinary; 1816, Amer.Eng. dialectal contraction of ordinary. "Commonplace," hence "of poor quality, coarse, ugly." By c.1860 the sense had evolved to "mean, cantankerous."

First Known Use: 1816

Jim calls our cat, Lilly Belle, ornery. I must admit, she is a bit grumpy at all times, particularly since we introduce the kitten into the household. She hisses, growls, runs, and will even move to snap at anyone who touches her when she is in "a mood". She has yet to bite, but she is letting you know that she is thinking about it.
 
Yep. Ornery is a pretty good word for 'old Lilly Belle.

Soup to nuts

I was on a conference call this morning at work when someone used the phrase "soup to nuts". I had never heard such and was pretty sure he was making it up. Wrong!

"Soup to nuts" is an American English idiom conveying the meaning of "from beginning to end". It comes from the description of a full course dinner, in which courses progress from soup to a dessert of nuts. It is comparable to expressions in other languages, such as the Latin phrase ab ovo usque ad mala ("from the egg to the apples"), describing the typical Roman meal.

I guess I didn't recognize it because I NEVER eat nuts for dessert!

Acumen

Pronunciation
\ə-ˈkyü-mən, ˈa-kyə-mən\

Definition

1: Keenness and depth of perception, discernment, or discrimination especially in practical matters

2: The ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain

Etymology
Latin acumin-, acumen, literally, point, from acuere

First Known Use: circa 1579

I like this word. It is most often used when talking about business acumen. The cartoon with the moth sunglass business is a great illustration of this!

 

"Keenness and depth of perception" in a wonderful description of Albert Einstein, especially in this case: His father once showed him a pocket compass; Einstein realized that there must be something causing the needle to move, despite the apparent "empty space".

 

Show your vocab acumen today by making use of this word.

Overt

Pronunciation:
\ō-ˈvərt, ˈō-vərt\

Definition:
open to view : manifest
 
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from past participle of ovrir to open, from Vulgar Latin *operire, alteration of Latin aperire

First Known Use: 14th century

I was talking to myself, as I am wont to do, and used the word overt in my monologue. "Good word!" I thought.
 
I think of this word as meaning obvious, which compliments the definition above. The opposite, or antonym, would be covert. A good example would be the types of operations used in war. Covert operations would be hidden or not obvious. Overt ops would be like the pic today, a soldier waving a flag and a flashing light on his head.

Bush's "shock and awe" campaign would be overt. The group who finally killed Bin Laden would be covert.

Fatuous

Pronunciation:
\ˈfa-chü-əs, -tyü-\

Definition:
complacently or inanely foolish : silly
 
Etymology:
Latin fatuus foolish

First Known Use: 1633

I ran across this word in a book, The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale:
 
You are by far the most fatuous woman I've met today.
 
Whether or not you think the speaker is calling you fat (as in the pic today), you can be assured that this is NOT a compliment.

Wont

Pronunciation:
\ˈwont, ˈwōnt also ˈwənt, ˈwänt\

Definition:
1: accustomed, used
2: inclined, apt

Etymology:
Middle English woned, wont, from past participle of wonen to dwell, be used to, from Old English wunian; akin to Old High German wonēn to dwell, be used to, Sanskrit vanoti he strives for

This is an old word! Here is a great explanation from The Grammarist site:

Wont vs. want

The word wont can take several different meanings, but it is most often used as an adjective, usually followed by a to and meaning accustomed, given, or likely—for example:

“Stats are for losers,” as head coach John Fox is wont to say. [Panthers.com]

It made me introspective, as talks with Kris are wont to do. [Chiron Training]

Wont may also be a noun, its definition being habit or accustomed behavior—for example:

Kerry, as is his wont, offered a turbid synonym . . . [Emory Wheel]

And wonted has another adjectival use, meaning usual or habitual:

Sofiane Sylve lent the sugar plum fairy the wonted regality and line without completely dispensing a generosity of spirit. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Wont can be a verb, meaning to make accustomed to, but this usage is archaic.

I have seen this confused often with want and won't. Please don't do this.

Oevre

Pronunciation:
\ˈə(r)-vrə, ˈœvrə\

Definition:
a substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, an artist, or a composer

Etymology:
French œuvre, literally, work, from Old French ovre, Latin opera
 
The Nobel Prize in literature was awarded last week to Swedish poet, Tomas Transtromer. He is quite famous in Sweden and a constant favorite among those who speculate on the prize.
 
In an article in the paper, he was said to have a small oevre, a word with which I was unfamiliar. It means, of course, that he has a small body of work. His poetry is described as mystical. The Nobel Committee stated that Tranströmer's work received the prize “because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality."
 
After a Death

by Tomas Tranströmer
translated by Robert Bly

Once there was a shock
that left behind a long, shimmering comet tail.
It keeps us inside. It makes the TV pictures snowy.
It settles in cold drops on the telephone wires.

One can still go slowly on skis in the winter sun
through brush where a few leaves hang on.
They resemble pages torn from old telephone directories.
Names swallowed by the cold.

It is still beautiful to hear the heart beat
but often the shadow seems more real than the body.
The samurai looks insignificant
beside his armor of black dragon scales.

Pundit

Pronunciation:
\ˈpən-dət\

Definition:
1: a learned man : teacher
 
2: a person who gives opinions in an authoritative manner usually through the mass media
 
Etymology:
Hindi pandit from Sanskrit pandita, from pandita learned
 
First Known Use: 1672
 
It's officially political season in the United States, as we prepare for a presidential election next year. The race is getting interesting with a wide variety of Republicans vying for their party's nomination. A growing trend in media is the widespread use of political pundits.
 
My favorite pundit of all time would have to be Tim Russert, who gained fame during the presidential election of 2000, where he used a whiteboard (now in the Smithsonian) to explain the very complicated process of the Electoral College.
 

Why is Russert my favorite? Because he didn't push his ideals, opinions or agenda on the viewers. He merely stated the facts, all of the facts, and let America reach their own conclusions. This is very unlike political pundits today, who resort to on-air yelling and derogatory remarks about anyone not siding with them.
 
As you gather information about all of the political candidates, please remember that all information is subject to being skewed by the writer and deliverer. Don't let a political pundit make up your mind for you.

Stoic

Pronunciation:
\ˈstō-ik\

Definition:
one apparently or professedly indifferent to pleasure or pain

Etymology:
Middle English, from Latin stoicus, from Greek stōïkos, literally, of the portico, from Stoa (Poikilē) the Painted Portico, portico at Athens where Zeno taught

First Known Use: 14th century

This is an interesting word. I would say that Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation was stoic, but that would be incorrect because he didn't possess emotions. Stoics instead thought that emotions clouded judgment, hindered good decision-making and led to bad behavior. As a matter of fact, they thought the measure of a man was not in what he said but rather how he acted.
 
The term stoic is often misused today to indicate an absence of emotion, as in my example above, but that is not what the early Stoics meant at all. They meant to experience emotions, but to control them; following instead a path of reason, thinking, and logic. Stoics channeled their emotions to produce wisdom and inner peace, as opposed to acting based on feeling. Sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

Cynic

Pronunciation:
\ˈsi-nik\

Definition:
a faultfinding captious critic; especially : one who believes that human conduct is motivated wholly by self-interest

Etymology:
Middle French or Latin, Middle French cynique, from Latin cynicus, from Greek kynikos, literally, like a dog, from kyn-, kyōn dog

First Known Use: 1542

An interesting and misunderstood word. This was a train of thought in ancient Greece, whereby you reached knowledge, peace, etc. through living a completely unmaterialistic lifestyle. They sought to be self-sufficient, living within the confines of nature. Many of the Cynics ideas and teachings were brought to early Christianity.
 
Although Cynics eschewed materialism, they still lived within society, completely indifferent to taunts, ridicule and pressure to conform. Think John the Baptist in his hair-cloak eating locusts and wild honey.
 
The modern meaning of cynicism is a distrust of another's motives. Quite a difference from the ancient movement. What caused this progression in meaing? Around the 19th century, as the Industrial Age was in full swing and materialism growing, the negative aspects of cynicism became the focus. That led to a general disposition to disbelieve in the sincerity or goodness of human motives and actions. Greed, deception and corruption reigned. Everything began to look like a wolf in sheep's clothing. Unfortunate really, because today, there is nothing positive in being called a cynic.

Origin of phrase

When I was in typing class in high school, we had to practice over and over (and over) the following sentence:

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.

Where did this phrase originate? Evidently, it began its life as "...to come to the aid of their party." Explanation:

From the typewriter it came, and to the typewriter it shall return: the phrase was proposed as a typing drill by a teacher named Charles E. Weller. Incidentally, many typing books now use the variant "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country" instead, because it exactly fills out a 70-space line if you put a period at the end.

Now you know!

What's that Demic?

What is the difference in endemic, epidemic, and pandemic.


Endemic describes something belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place.

An epidemic is usually used in relation to a disease, and means affecting many persons at the same time, and spreading from person to person in a locality where the disease is not permanently prevalent.
A pandemic is also usually related to a disease; one which is prevalent throughout an entire country,

continent, or the whole world; epidemic over a large area.

When anything breaks in the healthcare area, the media seem to jump in with both feet to warn, inform, and advise. Take the Swine Flu, for example. It was no more dangerous than the regular flu, but it seemed that it was stronger, more deadly and more prevalent, much in thanks to the media. It was, by definition, as epidemic, but it would appear that so is ignorance. :)

Ilk

Pronunciation:
ilk

Definition:
family, class, or kind: he and all his ilk.

In modern use, ilk is used in phrases such as of his ilk, of that ilk, to mean ‘type’ or ‘sort.’ The use arose out of a misunderstanding of the earlier, Scottish use in the phrase of that ilk, where it means ‘of the same name or place.’ For this reason, some traditionalists regard the modern use as incorrect. It is, however, the only common current use and is now part of standard English.

Etymology:
before 900; Middle English ilke, Old English ilca  (pronoun) the same, equivalent to demonstrative i  (cognate with Gothic is  he, Latin is  that) + a reduced form of līc like
 
First Known Use of ILK: 1790

It's interesting to me that this word has been misused so much that it's misusage is now considered correct. I may have to actually stop using this word in opposition.

Enmity

Pronunciation:
\ˈen-mə-tē\

Definition:
positive, active, and typically mutual hatred or ill will

Etymology:
Middle English enmite, from Anglo-French enemité, enemisté, from enemi enemy

First Known Use: 13th century

Excellent word! This word came up today in Sunday School:
 
Romans 8:7-8 (KJV)
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
 
Basically, The Message:
Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored.

Not just natural enemies, but enemies who are actively living out their hatred for one another.

Etymology

I use the term etymology in each post, and it occurs to me that the definition may not be clear to some.

Pronunciation:
ĕt"ə-mŏl'ə-jē

Definition:
1. The study of the historical development of languages, particularly as manifested in individual words.

2. An account of the origin and historical development of a word.

Not to be confused with entomology (“the study of insects”) or etiology (“the study of causes or origins”).

Etymology:
Middle English ethimologie, from Anglo-French, from Latin etymologia, from Greek, from etymon + -logia -logy

First Known Use: 14th century