Week 1
These words were those
"thingamajig" and "whatchamacallit" kinds of words.
ferrule: the cap at the
end of the staff of an umbrella
pintle: the verticl pin
inserted in a hinge
aglet: the plastic end
of a shoe lace
opisthenar: the back of the hand
Week 2
RSVP – French, "Répondez s'il vous plaît" -- Please
respond; a request for a response to an invitation
déjà vu – French, "already seen" -- the feeling that a
situation has already occurred
du jour – French, "of the day" -- used to describe something
that is being served on the day or of a current interest
faux pas – French, "false step" -- a slip or slight
blunder
bon voyage – French, "good travels" -- an expression used
to express good wishes on a journey
Week 3
alma mater -- Latin, "nourishing mother" -- refers to the high
school or college from which you graduated
cum laude -- Latin, "with praise" -- a distinction when
graduating that refers to a certain grade point average. Similarly, magna
cum laude means "with great praise" and summa cum laude means
"with highest praise."
femme fatale -- French, "a dangerous woman" -- a stock
character in film noir, in modern film or novels, this is an attractive woman
who leads others into dangerous situations
esprit de corps -- French, "the spirit of the body" -- a feeling
of pride or fellowship with a certain group of people.
Week 4
verbatim – fr. Latin, verbum, "word" -- to repeat
something word for word
E pluribus unum -- Latin, "out of many, one" -- the motto for
the US, recognizing the melting pot and diversity that constitutes our country
prima donna -- Latin/Italian, "first lady" -- traditionally
the leading female singer in an opera, but also a temperamental and demanding
celebrity
avant-garde -- French, "advance guard" -- art, architecture,
music, fashion that is cutting edge, experimental, or innovative
Week 5
status quo – Latin, "the state in which" -- refers to the
existing state of affairs or condition
joie de vivre – French, "joy of life" -- an exuberant
joyfulness in living
carte blanche – French, "blank check" -- complete freedom to
act as one wishes, unrestrained power
caveat emptor – Latin, "Let the buyer beware" -- refers to the
buyer's responsibility to check the quality of the goods before purchasing
Week 6
Below are the Words of the Day, taken
from my foreign words and phrases book:
cappuccino --
fr. Italian, Capuchin, an order of monks who wore light brown
habits -- a coffee drink made from espresso, steamed milk, and foam
carabiner -- fr.
German, Karabinerhaken, carbine hook -- a metal ring with a spring
catch used by mountain climbers
carafe -- fr.
Arabic, gharrafah, a drinking vessel -- a wide-mouthed glass or
metal bottle for serving beverages
carousel -- fr. French, carrousel, a knight's tournament -- a
rotating platform carnival ride with horses as seats.
Note:
Some may be interested in this bit of trivia -- a carousel can only have
horses, while a merry-go-round can use other animals for the seats of the ride.
Week 7
c'est la vie – French, "that is life" -- an expression that
refers to the fact that all kinds of stuff happens in life. Some students
once suggested that "Whatever" might be a comparable English
expression
bona fide – Latin, "in good faith" -- refers to something
that is true or verifiable
savior faire – French, "know how to do" -- a quality of
accomplishment, polish, tact, or sophistication
enfant terrible – French, "a terrible child" -- can refer to a
misbehaving child or to a person who intentionally tries to shock others
je ne sais quoi – French, "I do not know what" -- a quality that can
not be easily described, something inexpressible
Week 8
Our Words of the
Day came from my book of foreign words and phrases:
chapeau -- fr. French, chapeau, "hat" -- fr.
Latin cappellum, "cap" -- a hat or cap
charade -- fr. French, charra, "chatter"
-- an absurd pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable
appearance.
charisma -- fr. Greek, kharis, gift, favor, grace
Week 9
idee fixe -- fr. French, "fixed idea" -- an obsession or set ideas
id est -- fr. Latin, “that is” – the abbreviation, i.e., means that a
further explanation is following.
icon --
fr. Greek, eikon, "likeness" -- a pictorial
representation of a religious image; a painting or statue evoking reverence
exemplar gratia – fr. Latin, “for the sake of example” – the abbreviation, e.g., means
that an example to illustrate a point is following.
Week 10
Our Words of the Day were ghost words. In
1886, a lexicographer named Walter Skeat first used the phrase "ghost
words" to describe words that he said had "no real
existence." Ghost words are words that weren't real to begin with --
they came about because of an error or misunderstanding -- but they made it
into the dictionary anyway.
gravy – fr. the French, "graine" -- became a word when a
14th century misread a French cookbook and substituted a "v" for an
"n"
tweed – fr. the Scottish word "tweel," which is a type of
wool and from which we got the word "twill." Some think the
word was misheard as the Tweed River.
Dord -- the original dictionary was supposed to be "D or d"
(capital "d" or lowercase "d") as an abbreviation for
density in physics or chemistry. Whoever worked for the dictionary
misread it as a word spelled d-o-r-d. It entered the dictionary in 1934
and was taken out in 1947.
esquivalience -- This is not a real word at all but was invented by an editor
at the New Oxford American Dictionary and was included in the 2001 edition to
help the company track copyright violators who were lifting entries from the
dictionary.
Week 11
enchilada -- fr. Spanish, enchilado, "seasoned with
chili" -- a tortilla rolled and filled with a seasoned mixture and covered
with a sauce flavored with chili.
encore -- fr. French, encore, "once again" -- a
repeat or extra performance in response to the demands of an audience
en garde -- fr. French, en garde, "watch out,
beware" -- an interjection used by fencers at the beginning of a match
enigma -- fr Greek, ainigma, riddles or fable -- a puzzle
or mystery
ennui -- French, enui, -- "annoyance,
disturbance" -- a feeling of utter weariness, boredom, or tedium
Week 12
chaconne -- fr. French, a dance -- a musical piece
characterized by a continuous variation, a triple (waltz) meter, and a strong
repeating bass line
blep -- origin unknown -- the act of a cat sticking its tongue out
slightly without realizing it (not in any recognized dictionaries, but in Urban
Dictionary)
poobah -- fr. Poo-Bah, a comic character in The Mikado -- a pompous,
self-important person
lollygag – mid-19th century, unknown origin -- to dawdle or dilly dally
Student contributions:
petrichor -- a pleasant smell after it rains
klazomaniac -- a person who can only speak by shouting
zounderkite -- a Victorian word meaning "idiot"
scobblelotcher -- someone who avoids work
Week 13
elan --
fr. French elan -- enthusiasm, zest, spirit
lumpenproletariat --fr, German, "rags," fr. French "working
class" -- a term adopted by Karl Marx, this refers to the poor, working
class.
vindaloo -- Indo-Portuguese, vinha d'alho "wine of garlic" -- a
spicy, Indian curry
