June 2020 Vocabulary

+11 words

• approbation   noun
  Commendation, high praise; Official approval or sanction from a formal organisation. From Latin ad- “towards” + probare “to try, test something (to find if it is good)”.
• bonbonnière   noun
  Also known as a “favour”, this is a gift given by hosts to the guests on a special occasion, such as a wedding. Bonbonnières are most often tiny packages of edible confectionaries, especially tiny decorated boxes containing sugar panned almonds. French word meaning “box of bonbons (confections)”, from Latin bonus, “good”.
• concupiscence   noun
  Ardent, sensual longing, often sexual; Lust. From Latin con- “with” + cupi(d) “desiring”. Catholicism holds that it is the “tinder of sin”, that voluntary acts, not desire itself, are evil. Protestantism hold that the very longing is sin and that concupiscence is the primary type of sin.
• decrepitude   noun
  The state or quality of being decrepit, wasted and weakened by time and wear. From Latin de- “down” + Proto-Indo-European *ker-* “to creak, crack, clatter” + PIE *-tu(d) (derives action nouns from verbs).
• feuilleton   noun
  The “talk of the town” section of a newspaper or magazine designed to entertain the general reader, often devoted to gossip, light literature, epigrams, and other literary trifles; A piece of literature (such as an installment of a novel) published in such a section. French for “leaflet”, from Proto-Indo-European *bhel- “to thrive, bloom”.
• multifarious   adjective
  Manifold, numerous and having or occurring in great variety of forms, or types. From Proto-Indo-European *mel- “strong; great; numerous” + Latin -fariam “in (so many) parts”, etymology uncertain.
• mūtātīs mūtandīs   adverb
  Changing what needs to be changed without altering the main point; Although changes will be necessary in order to account for different situations, the basic point remains the same. Latin, literally “things being changed that have to be changed”.
• quit-rent   noun
  Land tax paid by a tenant in lieu of other services obligatory under feudal tenure, e.g. hunting rights which would have hindered cultivation of the land. If a tenant failed to pay quit-rent, they would not be evicted, simply the alternative burdens would return. From Proto-Indo-European *kweie- “to rest, be quiet” + Latin re- “back, once more” + PIE *do- “to give”.
• scuttlebutt   noun
  Rumour, gossip; The cask on a shipboard to contain fresh water for a day’s use, having a hole (scuttle) cut in it for a cup or dipper. From Middle English skottell “opening in a ship’s deck” + Latin buttis “cask”.
• shibui   adjective
  Stimulatingly bitter; Aesthetically appealing in a subtle, understated, austere way, void of all artificial and unnecessary properties, containing a balance of simplicity and complexity, imparting darkling serenity and silent elegance. Tolly’s kind of man.
• uhtceare   noun
  Worry before dawn, as when one lies awake in the darkness and worries about the day ahead. Anglo-Saxon, derived from Proto-Germanic *unhtwǭ “period of day immediately before daybreak” + *karō “care, trouble, lament, grief”. The latter survives in English in the sense of “carefree”.