Larry's Pretty Good Word of the Day

gytrash or guytrash (GAI-trash) - n., a specter that haunts lonely roads in the form of a black horse or dog.


Largely confined to northern England, so most of us are unlikely to meet one. Jane Eyre initially wonders whether Rochester's dog and then horse are gytrash, which sets up some characterization of her. Word origin is unknown.

---L.

redact (ri-DAKT) - v., to revise, edit, or combine into a form suitable for publication; to hide or remove parts of a text before publication.


Two slightly divergent senses. Been around since the 1300s, from Latin redāctus, past participle of redigere, to lead back.

proditomania (proh-dit-uh-MAY-nee-uh) - n., the irrational belief that everyone is out to get you.


Or more technically, that everyone is a traitor -- but specifically, a traitor to you. Coined in 1898 from Latin prodere, to betray + Greek mania. Another also rare word from the root is proditorious, traitorous/perfidious.

---L.

marcescent (mahr-SES-uhnt) - adj., (bot.) withered but still attached.


As in brown leaves that stay on the tree. Taken in the 1720s from Latin, the stem of marcēscēns, present participle of marcēscere, wither/shrivel.

---L.

rupestral (roo-PEST-ruhl) - adj., composed of, inscribed on, or growing on rock.



Thanks, WikiMedia!

Also, certain ferns. A slightly more common synonym is rupestrian, but I don't like it as much. Appears in English in 1809, taken from New Latin rupestris, coined from Latin rupes, rock.

---L.

dancettee or dancetté or dancettée or dancetty (DAN-seh-tee, dan-SET-ee, dan-SET) - n., an ornamental zigzag or pattern of chevrons.


I got nothing. Well, aside from it's originally from heraldry, with the ultimate root being Latin dens, tooth, nothing.

---L.

oology (oh-OL-uh-jee) - n., the study of eggs, especially bird eggs; the hobby of collecting wild bird eggs.


Also spelled oölogy to make it clear it's not pronounced OO-luh-jee. The root is the scientific prefix oo-, egg, from Greek ōión, egg + scientific suffix -ology, study of, from (via Latin and French) Greek logía, from légō, I speak/explain + nominalizing suffix -ía.


Thanks, WikiMedia!

---L.

bouvier (BOO-vee-ay) - n., a large, shaggy-coated breed of dog originally bred in Belgium for herding cows.


Also called bouvier de Flandres. (Bouvier is also the name of a variety of grape grown in central Europe, but that's not important right now.) The name is, in French, "cow-herd."


Thanks, WikiMedia!

---L.

ixia (IK-see-uh) - n., any of several South African plants (genus Ixia) with sword-shaped leaves and star-shaped flowers.


All in the lily family. The name comes from either Greek ixos, mistletoe/birdlime (huh?), or the Greek name for a similar but unrelated flower, the pine thistle. This is an Ixia polystachya:


Thanks, WikiMedia!

---L.

alecost (AYL-kost) - n., another name for costmary (Tanacetum balsamita), an aromatic perennial Eurasian herb with silvery leaves formerly used to flavor ale.


The alternate name means the costus, Latin name of an aromatic herb (take from Greek, possibly taken from the Sanskrit name for a specific herb) + St Mary. So this name is the "aromatic herb used in ale."


Thanks, WikiMedia!

---L.