Word of the Day

Jactitation is a noun that refers to the restless tossing of a body.  The Latin word jactare (jock TAR ay) means ’to toss.’ Its English variation has been around since the 16th century, getting most of its use in a medical context. Here’s an example: All that jactitation I heard on the other side of the bed had me worried about my wife’s health. But it turned out all that tossing and turning didn’t come from her. It was just our Golden Retriever, Rex joining us in the middle of the night. 

Jacquerie is a noun that refers to a peasant’s revolt.  Our word of the day comes from the French name ‘Jacques’ (zhock) which was a common name among the poor and working class. The term was first used to describe a revolt that took place against the ruling class in the 14th century. It later came to refer to any sort of revolt or protest. Here’s an example: If conditions at the office don’t get better, well have to stage a jacquerie. I don’t usually like such radical actions, but there’s only so much I can take of not having diet soft drinks available in the vending machine. 

Presentism is an attitude toward the past dominated by present-day beliefs.  A recent addition to the English language, presentism emerged in the late 20th century to describe a tendency to view the past through the lens of current conventions. It combines the word ‘present,’ a word of Middle English origin with the suffix I-S-M, which denotes a distinctive practice or philosophy. Here’s an example of presentism in use:- All the presentism in history class made it difficult to truly understand things from the point of view of ancient civilizations. I wish we could have just ditched our current way of viewing things. 

Endarken is a verb that means to make dark or darker.  You can think of the word endarken as a counterpoint to ‘enlighten.’ Both take words of Old English origin and add the prefix E-N which expresses entry into a specified state or location. Here’s an example of endarken in use: Every time we start talking about camping our friend Sam seems to endarken the conversation by talking about all the dangerous creatures lurking in the woods. That guy has a way of making almost any conversation needlessly dark. 

Forgettery is a noun that refers to the tendency to forget.  Our word of the day is a neologism, meaning it’s a recent addition to the English language. Forgettery combines a word of Old English origin that means ‘fail to remember’ with the suffix E-R-Y which denotes a behavior. We see this also in words like bravery, tomfoolery and archery. Forgettery isn’t usually used in formal contexts. Here’s an example of where it is best used: I come from a long line of people skilled in the art of forgettery. We even have our own Facebook that celebrates our inability to remember stuff. The only problem is nobody can recall the group’s password. 

Scroyle is a noun that refers to a scoundrel or a mean fellow.  Our word of the day’s origin is unknown, but we know it’s not a word you’d ever want to be called. It’s a synonym of such unfriendly words as rascal, charlatan and reprobate. Here’s an example: I’ve been called a scroyle for this, but I really don’t like people making too much noise near my house. Come to think of it, I’m not crazy about birds making noise near my house either.

Contiguous is an adjective that means sharing next or together in sequence.  The Latin word contiguus (con TEE goose) means ‘touching.’ Our word of the day is derived from this adjective and has been around the English language since the early 16th century. Here’s an example of its use The contiguous businesses had a difficult time getting along. Maybe there was something about two touching buildings that made them too close for comfort. 

Bioluminescence is a noun that refers to the ability to naturally glow.  Our word of the day comes from two Latin words, ‘bio’ (BEE oh), meaning ‘life,’ and ‘lumin,’ (LOO men) which means ‘light.’ Its descendent, bioluminescence has been around since the early 20th century describing a wide array of glowing creatures. Here’s an example: Bugs that can glow in the dark have often creeped me out, but when I get lost in the woods, I’m happy to have them around. Without the bioluminescence of my tiny friends, I might get lost in the dark. 

Echolocation is a noun that refers to the location of objects by reflected sound.  Our word of the day combines two words of Greek origin. Echo, which refers to the reflection of sound that occurs when sound bounces off a surface, and location, which means ‘place.’ Animals like bats that possess the ability to locate things without seeing, are skilled at echolocation. Here’s an example of its use: Learning about bats at school was both fascinating and disappointing. It was fascinating to learn about the echolocation that these animals do because of their limited vision. But it was disappointing to not learn anything about Batman.

Legerdemain is a noun that refers to sleight of hand.  The French phrase ‘legerete de main’ (lay ZHEY ray de mahn) translates to ‘lightness of hand.’ It’s a synonym for ‘dextrous’ and it’s often used to describe magicians or others skilled with hand trickery. Our word of the day comes directly from this term. Example: Mike’s legerdemain would have made him a great illusionist. But unfortunately, he chose a different career path. Somehow I don’t think his chosen profession of pickpocket is nearly as appreciated by people.