Word of the week

Second - the word has many meanings as a verb, adjective and a noun, but we will focus on the relationship between second, adj. - next after the first and second, n. - a sixtieth of a minute. Second as the next after the first enters English language around 1300 and comes from old French second, which originated in Latin secundus, meaning following in order, sequi =  follow. Second with the meaning of a sixtieth of a minute appears in English about a hundred years later, originating in old French seconde, coming from Latin secunda - short from secunda pars minuta = second diminished part. This phrase denotes the second division of an hour, the first division being the division of an hour into sixty minutes (prime minute).

Word of the week

blackmail - extortion of money or other valuables by unfair pressure, threats or intimidation. The second half of the word mail comes from Scottish male meaning rent. Male has its origins in old Norse mall meaning agreement or contract. The word first appears in 16th - 17th century, when Scottish chieftains used to raid villages asking farmers and villagers for protection money, the people thus ended up paying an "extra rent". As an opposition to the normal rent - so called white money - the Scots started to call the extra rent "black mail". Hence the word blackmail.

Word of the week

discombobulate - Americanism, meaning confuse, disconcert. This word first appears sometime between 1825 - 1919 and was supposedly created as a word play on the word "discompose" or "discomfort". Other forms of the word are "discombobricate", "discombobberate" or even "discomboobulate"

Word of the week

mesmerise - attract strongly, hypnotize, put into a trance. The word came to exist via back formation from the word "mesmerism" in the 19th century, which originated in French "mesmerisme". According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, Franz Anton Mesmer was an "Austrian physician, who developed a theory of animal magnetism and a mysterious body fluid which allows one person to hypnotize another." Curious.

Word of the week

nincompoop - silly person, fool, simpleton. The word was thought to origin in a Latin phrase "non compos mentis" which means "mentally incompetent", but linguists discarded the theory due to the lack of the second n in the earliest form of the word: nicompoop. Perplexed, etymologists searched other explanations. The late John Ciardi suggests that the word comes from Dutch phrase "nicht om poep" meaning "the female relative of a fool", others attribute the origin of the word to a proper name "Nicodemus" who appears in the Gospel as a naive simple person. In French, his name - Nicodeme -  is still being used to denote a fool.

Word of the week

inglenook - a recess or a seat beside a large fireplace, a chimney corner. The word is of Scottish origin, it was first used in 18th century and it is a blend of the words "ingle" - derived from Gealic aingeal meaning light, fire,  and "nook" - a word of unknown origin used to denominate a corner.

He was sitting in the inglenook, reading.

Word of the week

obnubilate - to darken, cover with clouds, obscure, haze over, befog. The word has its origins in Latin "obnubilare", which, surprisingly, means to cover with clouds or fog. It is often used metaphorically.

Their words obnubilate their intentions.
I saw an obnubilated figure.

Word of the week

kerfuffle - carfuffle or kurfuffle is one of the many British words for commotion, disorder, chaos, disturbance and can also be used as a verb. The word most probably comes from Scottish carfuffle: car - cearr = wrong, awkward, fuffle = to become dishelved.

Have you seen the kerfuffle on Wall Street?
What is this kerfuffle all about?
Look at this mess on my head - the wind kerfuffled my hairdo!