Here’s the next installment of Friday words. For all my Words of the Day posts, click HERE.
Etymologies:
- Fall. (Noun. Synonym for autumn – fall is actually only used in the U.S.). This is from 1664, and it’s short for “fall of the leaf” (1545).
- Halloween. (Noun. October 31st.) From about 1745. The word is a Scottish shortening of Allhallow-even (Eve of All Saints, last night of October, from 1556). In the Celtic calendar it was the last night of the year. It’s actually an old pagan holiday.
- October. (Noun. The 10th month of the year.) The word is from about 1050AD. Octo- is from Latin (= eight). October used to be the eighth month in the Roman calendar, but it’s the tenth month in the Gregorian calendar (what we use now).
Vocabulary:
- Recondite: adjective. Little known, obscure. “Her lectures were filled with recondite information.”
- Redoubtable: adjective. Formidable (like an opponent; can be humorous). “He is a redoubtable opponent in Battlefied 1943.”
- Refulgent: adjective. Shining brightly. “That fat cat has such beautiful, refulgent eyes.”
Enjoy this beautiful fall weekend.