"The Springdale Public Library comes under the purview [ˈpɜrvju] of the Washington County Library System." — Laurinda Joenks, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 18 July 2023purview [ˈpɜrvju]
noun
Purview refers to an area within which someone or something has authority, influence, or knowledge.
It can also refer to a range of vision, understanding, or awareness.
from purveu, a word often found in the legal statutes of 13th- and 14th-century England. These statutes, written in Anglo-French, regularly open with the phrase purveu est, which translates literally to "it is provided." English Dec 22, 2023, 7:41 AM cowpoke
A bona fide (genuine; real) raconteur [ˌrækɑnˈtɜr], Paola can turn even mundane experiences into hilariously entertaining stories.raconteur
noun ˌrækɑnˈtɜr
A raconteur is someone who excels in telling anecdotes [ˈænɪkˌdoʊts] (story, tale, narrative, sketch; urban myth, urban legend; reminiscence).
raconteur - a singsong title better fit for a whimsical storyteller. English speakers borrowed raconteur from French in the early 19th century.
anecdotal | ˌanəkˈdōd(ə)l |
adjective
(of an account) not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research. E.g anecdotal evidence English Dec 18, 2023, 8:03 AM cowpoke
“Themselves a band that likes to push the edge of the technology envelope, and who made video a major part of their performances 30 years ago, U2 opened Sphere with aplomb [əˈplɑːm] , but not necessarily full-bore success.” — Brad Auerbach, Spin, 6 Oct. 2023aplomb [əˈplɑːm]
noun
Aplomb means “complete and confident composure or self-assurance” and is a synonym of poise.
If you do something with aplomb, you do it with composure and self-assurance—you do it with poise. This English noun aplomb was borrowed directly from French, where it carries the meanings of both “composure” and “perpendicularity.” English Dec 15, 2023, 3:43 PM cowpoke
The volunteers exhorted [ɪɡˈzɔrt] the young adults to register to vote before the upcoming election.exhort [ɪɡˈzɔrt]
verb
To exhort someone is to try to strongly urge them to do something.
Arriving in the 15th century from the Anglo-French word exorter, exhort traces back further to the Latin verb hortari, meaning “to incite to action, urge on, or encourage.” Latin users added the prefix ex- to hortari to intensify it; in essence, exhortari is a succinct way of saying “to really, really urge.” English Dec 13, 2023, 8:10 AM cowpoke
Palace and Park of Versailles [vɛʁ.sɑj] - France
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/83The Palace of Versailles was the principal residence of the French kings from the time of Louis XIV to Louis XVI. Embellished by several generations of architects, sculptors, decorators and landscape architects, it provided Europe with a model of the ideal royal residence for over a century. WHS Dec 9, 2023, 10:19 AM cowpoke
Chartres [ʃaʁtʁ] Cathedral - France
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/81Partly built starting in 1145, and then reconstructed over a 26-year period after the fire of 1194, Chartres Cathedral marks the high point of French Gothic art. The vast nave, in pure ogival style, the porches adorned with fine sculptures from the middle of the 12th century, and the magnificent 12th- and 13th-century stained-glass windows, all in remarkable condition, combine to make it a masterpiece. WHS Dec 9, 2023, 10:19 AM cowpoke
Island of Gorée [ɡɔ.ˈɾe] - Senegal [ˌsɛnɪˈɡɔl] (Senegalese)
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/26The island of Gorée lies off the coast of Senegal, opposite Dakar. From the 15th to the 19th century, it was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast. Ruled in succession by the Portuguese, Dutch, English and French, its architecture is characterized by the contrast between the grim slave-quarters and the elegant houses of the slave traders. Today it continues to serve as a reminder of human exploitation and as a sanctuary for reconciliation. WHS Nov 29, 2023, 8:02 AM cowpoke
That tidy little house belongs to an irascible [ɪˈɹæsəbəl] crank who never has a kind word for any of his neighbors.irascible
adj [ɪˈɹæsəbəl]
Someone who is irascible is easily angered and annoyed.
From the Latin noun ira, meaning "anger." From ira, which is also the root of irate and ire, came the Latin verb irasci ("to become angry") and the related adjective irascibilis, the latter of which led to the French word irascible. English speakers borrowed the word from French in the 16th century. English Oct 28, 2023, 10:58 AM cowpoke
A small but influential cadre [ˈkæˌdɹeɪ] of students ultimately persuaded their peers and then the administration to change the school’s mascot.cadre
noun [ˈkæˌdɹeɪ]
Broadly, cadre can refer to any group of people with a unifying relationship, as in “a cadre of lawyers,” or “a cadre of sportswriters.” More specifically, cadre can also be used for a group of people who are trained in a role or task, and who in turn can train others.
(via French and Italian) of the Latin word for square, quadrum: cadre.
A sense of cadre referring to a metaphorical framework for something (such as a novel or curriculum) soon developed. English Oct 26, 2023, 10:52 AM cowpoke
He regaled [ɹɪˈɡeɪl] his party guests with stories of his adventures abroad.regale [ɹɪˈɡeɪl]
verb
somewhat formal
1) to entertain or amuse by telling stories, describing experiences, etc.” It is often followed by with.
adapted from the French word régaler. That word traces back to the Middle French verb galer, which means “to have a good time.” (Gala, meaning “a festive celebration,” is from the same source.)
Today, regale still applies when someone is entertaining or amusing another, especially by sharing stories. Regale - a noun meaning “a sumptuous feast.” English Oct 24, 2023, 8:02 AM cowpoke
Wildfires also emerged at tough-to-control voracity [və˞ˈɹæsəti, (NOT veracity)] and speed, ravaging hundreds of thousands of acres across southern Europe and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.voracity (NOT veracity)
noun [və˞ˈɹæsəti]
1) an immoderate eagerness or enthusiasm for something
2) an intense desire to eat or consume something.
Voracity comes to us (via Middle French) from the Latin word voracitas, which itself comes from the combining of vorax, meaning “voracious,” with -itas, the Latin equivalent of the English noun suffix -ity.
voraciousness also works English Oct 11, 2023, 8:29 AM cowpoke
Voyageurs National Park - Minnesota
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyageurs_National_Park]This park protecting four lakes near the Canada–US border is a site for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. The park also preserves a history populated by Ojibwe Native Americans, French fur traders called voyageurs, and gold miners. Formed by glaciers, the region features tall bluffs, rock gardens, islands, bays, and several historic buildings. USNPs Oct 9, 2023, 8:05 AM cowpoke
At the zenith [ˈzinəθ] of her music career in the early 2000s, she released her best-selling album to date.zenith
noun [ˈzinəθ]
Zenith refers to the strongest or most successful period of time for a person or thing.
When you reach the zenith, you're at the top, the pinnacle, the summit, the peak.
Zenith developed from an Arabic phrase meaning "the way over one's head," and then traveled through Old Spanish, Medieval Latin, and Middle French before arriving in English.
Figuratively, nadir simply means "the lowest point." English Sep 18, 2023, 8:06 AM cowpoke
Whether a subtle whiff of campfire on a cool autumn breeze or the less-than-subtle lure of a pumpkin spice latte, the spicy, savory harbingers [ˈhɑrbəndʒə˞] of fall spark a shift in the food and wine we crave.harbinger
noun [ˈhɑrbəndʒə˞]
N for something that foreshadows, or gives an early indication of, something that will happen in the future.
When you consider the oldest, now-obsolete definitions of harbinger... The first is Butterbur himself: coming from the Anglo-French herberge, meaning “lodgings,”... Later on, harbinger was also used for a person sent ahead of a main party to seek lodgings. English Sep 14, 2023, 7:15 AM cowpoke
In marketing the product this way, the company has thrown down the gauntlet [ˈɡɔntlət] to its top two competitors.gauntlet
noun [ˈɡɔntlət]
Gauntlet was first used in English to refer to the reinforced glove worn with a suit of armor in the Middle Ages. Gauntlet later came to refer to any long, heavy glove worn to protect the hand, as well as to an open challenge to an argument, fight, competition, etc., usually in the common phrase “throw down the gauntlet.”
from the Middle French word gantelet, the diminutive of gant, meaning “glove” English Sep 4, 2023, 9:23 AM cowpoke
Experts will assay [æˈseɪ] the gold to determine its purity.assay
verb [æˈseɪ]
Assay is a technical word meaning "to test something (such as a metal or drug) to find out what it contains or to assess its value."
Middle French word essai, meaning "test" or "effort." (Essai, in turn, comes from the Late Latin word exagium, meaning "act of weighing.") English Aug 28, 2023, 8:28 AM cowpoke
After a long, eight-hour drive, we were rewarded with a mild, balmy [ˈbɑmi] evening at our vacation spot on the shores of Lake Erie.balmy
adj [ˈbɑmi]
Balmy [ˈbɑmi] is an adjective that is often used to describe weather that is warm, calm, and pleasant. It can also be used to describe someone or something (such as an idea) that is foolish or irrational.
The original balm, what Latin-speakers referred to as balsamum, was the oleoresin of a species of balsam tree. In Anglo-French, balsamum became basme and baume, spellings which entered Middle English and later became balm. Balm eventually begat the adjective balmy English Aug 20, 2023, 11:06 AM cowpoke
She stood preening [ˈpɹin] herself in front of the mirror.preen
verb [ˈpɹin]
To preen is to make ones's appearance neat and tidy or to behave or speak with obvious pride or self-satisfaction. In ornithology, preen means "to groom with the bill."
Preen hatched in 14th-century Middle English, and early on it displayed various spelling forms, including prenen, prayne, prene, and preyne. The word traces to the Anglo-French puroindre, or proindre, linking pur-, meaning "thoroughly," with uindre, oindre, meaning "to anoin... English Aug 8, 2023, 7:52 AM cowpoke
She couldn’t pinpoint the cause of this overwhelming feeling of malaise [məˈleɪz].malaise
noun [məˈleɪz]
Malaise refers to a slight or general feeling of not being healthy or happy.
Old French ancestor was formed from the combination of mal (“bad”) and aise (“comfort”), has been a part of English since the mid-18th century. English Aug 7, 2023, 7:56 AM cowpoke
Now a professional dancer himself, Raul remembers idolizing Gene Kelly, Gregory Hines, and other debonair [ˌdɛbəˈnɛr] performers as a child.debonair
adj [ˌdɛbəˈnɛr]
describes someone who may, by definition, also be called fashionable, attractive, and confident.
Calling someone debonair is another way of saying they’ve got a certain je ne sais quoi, or to be more specific (and complete the rhyme): savoir faire. Ooh la la! If this all sounds ultra chic to you, you’re not alone. French has a certain cachet, a fanciness and prestige owing in part to its deep etymological, historical, and political connections with English. English Aug 6, 2023, 8:57 AM cowpoke