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GRIPULOUS ADJ. grasping, greedy, avaricious ...1614 obs. ETYMOLOGY apparently from gripple (adj.) (griping, niggardly, usurious) + -ous, with the spelling assimilated to that of adjectives ending in -ulous FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1614 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...The labourers hyre cries in the gripulous Landlords hand. The furrowes of the Incloser cry, complaine, nay, weepe against him: for so is the Hebrew word. ..." From: The Diuells Banket - Thomas Adams
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PLAGIATOR NOUN a plagiarist; one who plagiarizes the ideas, work, etc. of another...1889 rare ETYMOLOGY from post-classical Latin plagiator kidnapper, from plagiat- , past participial stem of plagiare to kidnap, from classical Latin plagium the crime of kidnapping + -or FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1889 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "... From the same Church father they learned that the real contents of the Sibylline books had consisted of narrations concerning Trojan events, of lives of the Trojan kings, &c., and also of prophecies concerning the fall of Troy and other coming events, and that the poet Homer in his works was a mere plagiator, who had found a copy of the books of the Sibylla, had recast and falsified it, and published it in his own name in the form of heroic poems concerning Troy..." From: Teutonic Mythology - Viktor Rydberg Translated by Rasmus Bjorn Anderson MUGGARD ADJ. sullen, sulky, morose; displeased, discontented ...1746 Eng. dial. obs. ETYMOLOGY of uncertain origin FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1746 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "... Why than tha wut be a-prilled, or a muggard, a Zennet outreert; and more an zo, thee wut rowcast, nif et be thy own Vauther. ..." From: An Exmoor Scolding: In the Propriety & Decency of Exmoor Language Between Two Sisters, Wilmot Moreman & Thomasin Moreman, as They Were Spinning - Attributed to Peter Lock (Sometimes also attributed to Andrew Brice, Benjamin Bowring and William Hole) ASINARY ADJ. belonging to an ass; having the qualities characteristic of an ass; asinine, obstinate, stupid, doltish ...1731 obs. ETYMOLOGY from Latin asinārius, from asinus ass FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1731 - ASINARY of or belonging to an ass From: The Universal Etymological English Dictionary - Nathan Bailey SCUDDICK also SCUDDOCK, SCUTTICK, SKIDDICK, SKUDDICK NOUN a very small coin or amount; also, something very small ...1823 Eng. dial. & sl. ETYMOLOGY of unknown origin; possibly from the dialect word 'scud' (a wisp of straw); Wiktionary suggests it comes from 'sceat' (a small Saxon coin) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1823 - "Scuddick is used negatively; ‘not a scuddick’—not any brads, not a whinn, empty clies." From: Slang: A Dictionary of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, the Pit, of Bon-Ton, and the Varieties of Life. - Jon Bee (pseudonym); real name: John Badcock EXAMPLE "...I'll tell you what I mean to do: I won't pay one farthing - no, I won't pay one scuttick towards the taxes, nor the Poor's rate, nor the parson neither, not till I find something to satisfy my mind. ..." From: Election Speech Newport (I.W.), 1831 HILAIRE ADJ. gay, cheerful, merry ...1575 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from Latin hilaris, hilarus cheerful, merry FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1575 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Quhylis to quhylis fra: and sa is ay mouabill To sum scho is hylair and confortabill, And thame exaltis in superlatiue degre. ..." From: Ane Treatise Callit the Court of Venus - John Rolland DROIL NOUN 1. a servant of all work; a drudge ...1579 obs. 2. drudgery; toil in disagreeable work; mean labour ...a1644 obs. VERB 1. to drudge, to slave, to toil in mean work; to work sluggishly or slowly; to plod ...1591 2. to subject to drudgery ...a1644 ETYMOLOGY as per the OED: "The origin and mutual relations of this and the related droil (v.) are not clear. The noun has been (very doubtfully) compared with Icelandic drjóli , drone, sluggard. According to analogy (as well as dates), the verb would be expected to be formed from the noun in sense 1; the verb however is possibly related to Dutch druilen to loiter, slumber, in Kilian druylen ‘suggredi, latenter siue clam ire’, which answers for the form, but imperfectly for the sense. The word has probably been influenced by toil , moil " FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1579 - see EXAMPLE below ROOCOOCOO VERB of a pigeon or a dove: to coo ...1922 rare ETYMOLOGY imitative of the bird's call FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1922 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Two carfuls of tourists passed slowly, their women sitting fore, gripping frankly the handrests. Pale faces. Men’s arms frankly round their stunted forms. They looked from Trinity to the blind columned porch of the bank of Ireland where pigeons roocoocooed..." From: Ulysses - James Augustine Aloysius Joyce FLOBBER ADJ. loose, flabby ...Bk1892 Eng. dial. NOUN 1. loose, flabby flesh; anything loose and flabby ...Bk1868 Eng. dial. 2. stupid talk ...Bk1868 Eng. dial. 3. snow which melts in falling before touching the ground ...Bk1882 Eng. dial. 4. the soft flap of a wave on rocks ...1937 Newfoundland VERB 1. to dirty, to soil ...1377 obs. rare 2. to sag and wobble; to sag and collapse like a deflating balloon ...1887 3. to flow against; to wash or splash over ...1888 ETYMOLOGY (vb. 1) apparently onomatopoeic (vb. 2) possibly a blend of 'flop' + 'wobble' FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1377 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...And kouthe I nevere, by Crist! kepen it clene an houre, That I ne soiled it with sighte or som ydel speche, Or thorugh werk or thorugh word, or wille of myn herte, That I ne flobre it foule fro morwe til even..." (...And could I never, by Christ! keep it clean an hour, That I ne soiled it with sight or some idle speech, Or through work or through word, or will of mine heart, That I ne flobber it foul from morrow till even...") From: The Vision of William Concerning Piers Plowman - William Langland TODLY ADJ. foxy, crafty ...1571 Sc. obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from tod (n.) (the red fox) + -ly FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1571 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...The preist, I grant, his concubine wald hyde in hoill and boire, and quhylis quhen he tyrit of ane wold gett in o]A in stoire ; The Ministre, far todlyar, his hure in houshold chereis, bott, quhe he listis, he schaks hir of be diuorce or hir wirreis..." From: Satirical poems of the time of the Reformation [vol. II] - edited by James Cranstoun - 1st edition, 1893 LUCUBRATORY ADJ. pert. to lucubration; meditative; pert. to studying, composing, or working by candlelight ...1656 obs. NOUN a 'thinking-shop'; a place of midnight study ...1775 obs. jocular usage ETYMOLOGY from Latin lūcubrātōrius, (pert. to midnight word or a night student), from lūcubrāre (to work or compose by night or candlelight) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1656 - "...Lucubratory, of or belonging to studying or working by candle-light" From: Glossographia; or, A Dictionary Interpreting All Such Hard Words, whether Hebrew, Greek or Latin... as are now used in our refined English tongue - Thomas Blount EXAMPLE "...Lemuel took the tweezer-case, and went out, while the coachman and I remained in his lucubratory, which, in point of exterior, surpassed every thing but the lucubrator." From: Liberal Opinions, or, The History of Benignus - Samuel Jackson Pratt, 1783 SMEIGH ADJ. clever, cunning ...c1200 obs. ETYMOLOGY from early Middle English smēgh, related to Old English sméagan to consider FIRST DOCUMENTED USE c1200 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Ðe man is ȝiep to-ȝenes him seluen; þat is smegh oðer man to bicharren. and to bi-swiken and his aȝene wille to fremen..." From: Old English Homilies of the Twelfth Century; from the unique manuscript B.14.52. in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge CLAROUS also CLAREOUS ADJ. illustrious, renowned, famous ...a1636 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from Latin clārus (1. clear, bright; 2. renowned, famous; 3. upstanding, respected) + -ous FIRST DOCUMENTED USE a1636 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...the only remainder of that long living name and clareous progeny of Esse, who is said to derive his name from the river Esse, now Exe, and he Ash..." From: A View of Devonshire in 1630: with a pedigree of most of the gentry - 1845 - Thomas Westcote WRACKSOME ADJ. destructive ...1608 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from wrack (vb.) to wreck a vessel, mariners, etc. + -some First Documented Use: 1608 Now, if so be that any odious sinne Prouoke their Lord his Iustice to begin: Then mine not you their towers and tourets tall, Nor bring the wracksom engine to their wall: Nor place thy battries braue, nor yet aduenter, With thy courageous camp, the breach to enter. From: Bartas his deuine weekes & workes translated: and dedicated to the Kings most excellent Maiestie by Iosuah Syluester - Guillaume de Saluste Du Bartas, translated by Joshua Sylvester PLODDALL NOUN a dull or commonplace person; a plodder, a person who works slowly and laboriously ...1618 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY of uncertain origin. OED suggests it comes from the verb, 'plod' (to work steadily and laboriously, or in a stolid or monotonous fashion) + -all, after similar constructions such as 'spend-all', etc. First Documented Use 1618 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...for linnen is ware for milke-maides; Perpetuana is for Pedants, and Atturnies clarkes; and Durance would be thought an excellent weare in some Virgins petticoates. Euery plaine Ploddall will haue a veluet neck-peece, and euery old Bawd, will haue her heeles garded with sparkes of sattin..." From: The Owles Almanacke - Published by Edward Griffin for Laurence Lisle CROCITATE also: CROCIATE VERB to croak or caw; to squawk like a raven ...1623 obs. ETYMOLOGY from Latin crocitāre, from crōcīre to croak loudly First Documented Use: 1623 Crociate, to cry like a rauen. From: The English dictionarie; or, An interpreter of hard English words - Henry Cockeram DERIVATIVE CROCITATION † noun - the croaking of crows, ravens, or frogs ...1656 LACK-WIT, LACKWIT ADJ. foolish, idiotic, or simple-minded ...1735 NOUN a witless or stupid person, a blockhead ...1668 ETYMOLOGY from lack (vb.) + wit First Documented Use: 1668 "Faith, sir, my skill is too little to praise you as your deserve; but if you would have it according to my poor ability, you're one that had a knock in your cradle, a conceited lack-wit, a designing Ass, a hair-brain'd fop, a confounded busie-brain, with an eternal windmill in it..." From: Sr Martin Mar-all; or, The Feign’d Innocence - John Dryden MUCIDOUS ADJ. mouldy, musty; festering, stagnant; slimy ...1866 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from Latin mūcidus snotty, snivelling, mouldy, from mūcēre to be mouldy + -ous First Documented Use: 1866 Mucidous, musty; smelling of mouldiness. From: The Treasury of Botany: A Popular Dictionary of the Vegetable Kingdom - John Lindley and Thomas Moore Example "The sticky pileus would at length be blown from the beech trunk by the wind, and its mucidous character would cause it to stick to the first trunk or branch it might be blown against..." From: Nature, A Weekly Illustrated Journal of Science Volume XLIII, November 1890 to April 1891 |
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