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"With a bright pattern set on flaming crimson and a diaphanous [daɪˈæfənəs] petticoat underneath, the dress fits her perfectly." — David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
diaphanous
adj [daɪˈæfənəs]
Diaphanous is a formal word used to describe fabric of a texture so fine that one can see through it. Diaphanous is also sometimes used figuratively to describe something characterized by extreme delicacy of form.
What do the words diaphanous, epiphany, fancy, phenomenon, sycophant, emphasis, and phase all have in common? The Greek word phaínein shows more clearly in some of these words than in others, but it underlies all of them.
English
Feb 4, 2026, 6:59 AM
cowpoke
"Netflix users have been warned to look out for an insidious, AI-powered email scam that looks nearly indistinguishable from the real deal. ... If you have been already hornswoggled [ˈhɔrnˌswɑɡəl] by such a scheme, Netflix advises changing your password and reaching out to your bank." — Ben Cost, The New York Post, 3 Mar. 2025
hornswoggle
verb [ˈhɔrnˌswɑɡəl]
To hornswoggle someone is to trick or deceive them.
...its etymology is concerned. The word appears to have originated in the southern United States in the early 19th century. The earliest known written record comes from an 1829 issue of The Virginia Literary Magazine in its glossary of Americanisms.
English
Feb 3, 2026, 6:50 AM
cowpoke
She looked resplendent [rɪˈsplɛndənt] in her green evening gown.
resplendent
adj [rɪˈsplɛndənt]
Resplendent is a literary word used to describe someone or something as very bright and attractive.
Resplendent shares a root with splendid (meaning, among other things, “shining” or “brilliant”), splendent (“shining” or “glossy”), and splendor (“brightness” or “luster”).
In the case of resplendent, the prefix re- added to splendēre formed the Latin resplendēre, meaning “to shine back.”
English
Jan 25, 2026, 11:26 AM
cowpoke
“‘Renaissance Treasures’ includes two contemporary navigational devices, a planispheric astrolabe [ˈæstrəˌleɪb] from Persia and a pocket compass (think of them as beta-version GPS), as well as two Mercator globes. One dates from 1541 and shows the surface of the Earth. The other dates from 1551 and shows the heavens ...” — Mark Feeney, The Boston Globe, 9 May 2025
astrolabe [ˈæstrəˌleɪb]
noun
An astrolabe is a compact instrument used to observe and calculate the position of celestial bodies before the invention of the sextant.
the word astrolabe traces to the Late Greek name for the instrument, astrolábion.
English
Jan 23, 2026, 9:08 AM
cowpoke
“Strong solar storms can be dangerous for astronauts in space, and can cause problems for GPS systems and satellites. ... But solar storms can also have more innocuous [ɪˈnɑkjəwəs] consequences on Earth, such as supercharged displays of the northern lights.” — Denise Chow, NBC News (online), May 15, 2025
innocuous [ɪˈnɑkjəwəs]
adj
Innocuous is rooted in a lack of harm: it comes from the Latin adjective innocuus, which was formed by combining the negative prefix in- with a form of the verb nocēre, meaning “to harm” or “to hurt.” It first appeared in print in the early 1600s...
English
Jan 9, 2026, 7:35 AM
cowpoke
Our grandparents, now in their senescence [sɪˈnɛsəns], are enjoying spending more time with family and going on new adventures together.
senescence
noun [sɪˈnɛsəns]
Senescence is a formal and technical word that refers to the state of being old or the process of becoming old.
traced back to Latin senex, meaning “old.” Can you guess which other English words come from senex? Senile might (correctly) come to mind, as well as senior. But another one might surprise you: senate.
English
Jan 3, 2026, 9:36 AM
cowpoke
"Peppered with exclamation marks, breathless and febrile [ˈfɛbraɪl], this is an utterly mesmeric account of how one man's crimes can affect an entire community." — Laura Wilson, The Guardian (London), 20 June 2025
febrile
adj [ˈfɛbraɪl]
Febrile is a medical term meaning "marked or caused by fever; feverish." It is sometimes used figuratively, as in "a febrile political climate."
from the Latin adjective febrilis, from febris, meaning "fever." It’s a tradition that English has long kept: look to Latin for words that sound technical or elevated.
English
Jan 2, 2026, 7:31 AM
cowpoke
If you apply extra payments directly to your loan balance as a principal reduction, your loan can be amortized [ˈæmərˌtaɪz] sooner.
amortize
verb [ˈæmərˌtaɪz]
To amortize something, e.g. mortgage, is to pay for it by making regular payments over a long period of time.
When you amortize a loan, you figuratively “kill it off” by paying it down in installments, an idea reflected in the etymology of amortize. ...ultimately from a Latin word meaning “to kill” that was formed in part from the Latin noun mors, meaning “death”; it is related both to murder and a word naming a kind of loan that is usually amortized: mortgage.
English
Jan 1, 2026, 10:49 AM
cowpoke
“If you’ve got a yen [jɛn] for succulent, right-off-the-boat Maine sea scallops, now is the time to get them.” — Stephen Rappaport, The Bangor Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025
yen [jɛn]
A yen is a strong desire, urge, or craving for something.
the first meaning of yen, used in the late 19th century, was an intense craving for opium. The word comes from yīn-yáhn, a combination of yīn, meaning “opium,” and yáhn, “craving,” in the Chinese language used in the province of Guangdong. In English, the Chinese syllables were translated as yen-yen, and eventually shortened to yen.
English
Dec 28, 2025, 8:56 AM
cowpoke
Pressured by voters on both sides of the issue, the congressman temporized [ˈtɛmpəˌraɪz].
temporize [ˈtɛmpəˌraɪz]
verb
To temporize is to avoid making a decision or giving a definite answer in order to have more time. (With negative connotation)
Temporize comes from the Middle French word temporiser, which in turn likely traces back via Medieval Latin temporizāre, "to delay," to the Latin noun tempus, meaning "time."
English
Dec 22, 2025, 8:29 AM
cowpoke
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