Category: Word Nerds
THE AMATEUR WORD NERD: Primogeniture – government-sanctioned sibling rivalry
By Barbara McAllister Word of the Day: Primogeniture “Primogeniture” refers to the state of being the first-born child. It’s from the Latin primus, first, and…
THE AMATEUR WORD NERD: It’s a brumal day, fit only for psychrophiles
By Barbara McAllister Word of the Day: Brumal If you’re tired of saying “wintry” try “brumal.” It won’t make it any less cold, but it…
THE AMATEUR WORD NERD: The most umami post yet
By Barbara McAllister Word of the Day: Umami The basic tastes that humans can detect are sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. Umami is a…
The AMATEUR WORD NERD: Nothing mundane about Latin roots QED
By Barbara McAllister Word of the Day: Mundane “Mundane” means dull or ordinary. It comes from the Latin word “mundus,” meaning “of the world,” as…
THE AMATEUR WORD NERD: This article is teeming with info from the word nerd team
By Barbara McAllister Word of the Day: Teem I recently wrote, “Nineteenth century London seems to have been teeming with street urchins.” Honesty compels me…
The Amateur Word Nerd: It’s not goober-natorial, but close
By Barbara McAllister Word of the Day: Gubernatorial Welcome to the season of changing leaves and changing political candidates! Unless you have been under a…
THE AMATEUR WORD NERD: Are urchins a breed of hedgehogs?
By Barbara McAllister Word of the Day: Urchin The word urchin is primarily used to refer to a young child, usually homeless, dirty and poorly…
THE AMATEUR WORD NERD: Some foibles end up being mightier than the sword
By Barbara McAllister Word of the Day: Foible A foible is a minor flaw, weakness or eccentricity of character. The word comes from the sport…
THE AMATEUR WORD NERD: 10th month, with name that means eight
By Barbara McAllister Word of the Day: October How did the 10th month get a prefix that means eight? In the ancient Roman calendar, October…
THE AMATEUR WORD NERD: Origins of ‘ostracize’
By Barbara McAllister Word of the Day: Ostracize To ostracize someone is to banish or exile them from a society or group. Originally it was…
Androscoggin Bank
