|
ZIZZY ADJ. showy, spectacular; energetic, vigorous, lively, uninhibited ...1966 colloq. ETYMOLOGY from zizz (n. gaiety, liveliness) -y FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1966 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...And who's going to pay for ‘Danger Man’ with that zizzy Patrick McGoohan, then?...." From: The Guardian; The Manchester Guardian, Feb 7
0 Comments
QUERULENTIAL ADJ. querulous; fault-finding; complaining, prone to making complaints ...1786 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from querul- or its etymon Latin querulus (complaining, querulous) + -ent + -ial FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1786 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...and as the feelings of his wife were those of the fondest susceptibility, operating upon a weak and delicate constitution, he succeeded to admiration in tormenting her by neglect, at the same time that he never gave her a harsh expression, and in particular, when any body else was present, behaved himself towards her in so obliging a manner, that all his acquaintance set him down as the best tempered fellow living, and her as a lady, by his report, rather captious and querulential; When he had thus got the world on his side, he detached himself more and more from her society, and became less studious to disguise the insults he put upon her...." From: The Observer: Being a Collection of Moral, Literary and Familiar Essays No XCII - Anecdotes of Jack Gayless - Richard Cumberland EMOLLIATE VERB to soften, to weaken, to render effeminate ...1802 ETYMOLOGY from Latin ēmollīre (to soften) + -ate FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1802 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Emolliated by four centuries of Roman domination, even the Belgic colonies had forgotten their pristine valour, and were unable to contend with their ferocious invaders from Scotland and Ireland, when chance, or invitation, conducted to their assistance new armies from the continent...." From: Modern Geography: A Description of the Empires, Kingdoms, States, and Colonies, with the Oceans, Seas, and Isles; In all Parts of the World - John Pinkerton VENTOSITOUS ADJ. affected with flatulence; full of wind ...1616 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from ventosity (n. flatulency) + -itous, from Old French ventosité (= Italian ventosità , Provençal ventositat , Spanish -idad , Portuguese idade ), from Latin ventōsitas (windiness, flatulency, conceit) from ventōsus (ventose adj. flatulent) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1616 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...CAES. What's that? CRIS. ---Puffy---inflate---turgidous---ventositous. HORA. Barmy froth, puffy, inflate, turgidous, and ventositous are come vp. TIBV. O, terrible, windie wordes! GALL. A signe of a windie braine. CRIS. O ---oblatrant---furibund---fatuate---strentuous--- HORA. Here's a deale: oblatrant, furibund, fatuate, strenuous. CAES. Now, all's come vp, I trow. What a tumult hee had in his belly!..." From: Poetaster, Or His Arraignement. A Comicall Satyre. - Ben Jonson NICEBECETUR NOUN a fine, dainty, or fashionable girl or woman ...c1520 obs. ETYMOLOGY of unknown origin FIRST DOCUMENTED USE c1520 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...They thynke it is as great almes. As to saye the seuen psalmes, And dothe it for charyte. To gete gownes and furs, These nysebeceturs, Of men sheweth theyr pyte, Somtyme for theyr lust Haue it they must, Or seke wyll they be..." From: The Boke of Mayd Emlyn In - Ancient Poetical Tracts of the Sixteenth Century, 1842 Edited by Edward Francis Rimbault for the Percy Society LINGUIPOTENCE NOUN mastery of language or languages; ability to use language ...a1834 rare ETYMOLOGY from Latin lingua (tongue, tongue as an organ of speech, speech, utterance, language, dialect) + potence (n. power, ability, strength) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE a1834 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...I venture to assert most unequivocally that the New Testament contains not the least proof of the linguipotence of the Apostles, but the clearest proofs of the contrary: and I doubt whether we have even as decisive a victory over the Romanists in our Middletonian, Farmerian, and Douglasian dispute concerning the miracles of the first two centuries, and their assumed contrast in genere with those of the Apostles..." From: Literary Remains; Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit - Samuel Taylor Coleridge PATIATE VERB to suffer from an illness or disability ...1653 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY irregularly from Latin patī (to suffer) + -ate FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1653 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...if black, it threatens him with much affliction in the genitals and privy parts; if it arise above the flesh as a lentil, though he patiate infirmites, yet he shall recover. To a woman it predicts weaknesse of the reins..." From: Physiognomie, and Chiromancie, Metoposcopie, The Symmetrical Proportions and Signal Moles of the Body, Fully and accurately handled; with their Natural-Predictive Significations. A Treatise of the Moles of the Body of Man and Woman, XIX - Richard Saunders SLODGE NOUN 1. a sloven, a slattern ...1898 Sc. 2. a kind of edible seaweed ...Bk1904 Eng. dial. VERB 1. to trail or drag the feet in walking; to walk in a slouching manner ...1829 Eng. dial. 2. of shoes: to slip about from being too large ...Bk1876 Eng. dial. 3. to slip from the proper position ...Bk1876 Eng. dial. ETYMOLOGY of unknown origin FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1829 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...He slodged and reeled about as he walked; could not even blow his nose; and made his principal wants known by signs ..." From: The Study of Medicine Third Edition, Vol. I - John Mason Good |
Archives
September 2021
|