Word of the Day
Learn a new word every day! The Dictionary.com team of language experts carefully selects each Word of the Day to add some panache to your vocabulary.
during yesterday evening.
The yestr- part of yestreen is a shortened form of yesterday, which comes from Old English. The -een element is the same as that in Halloween; it’s short for even, an archaic word for “evening.” Yestreen was first recorded in English in the mid-14th century. EXAMPLE OF YESTREEN USED IN A SENTENCE They were so tired yestreen that they collapsed in their beds shortly after sunset.
to make or become like cheese.
Casefy comes from Latin cāseus, “cheese,” which is also the source of English cheese as well as Portuguese queijo and Spanish queso. Meanwhile, French fromage and Italian formaggio come from Latin fōrmāticum, originally with the sense “something formed, molded.” Casefy was first recorded in English in the 1870s in an earlier medical sense. EXAMPLE OF CASEFY USED IN A SENTENCE They found that the milk would slowly casefy if left in the vat too long.
doughnut.
Olykoek has its origins in the now-extinct New York dialect of Dutch. Dutch is related to English, therefore it’s no surprise that Dutch olie and koek resemble their English cognates oil and cake. Olykoek was first recorded in English at the turn of the 19th century. EXAMPLE OF OLYKOEK USED IN A SENTENCE The crowd of Knicks fans enjoyed olykoeks as the sun rose over the Hudson River.
to come forth; emerge.
Debouch is an adaptation of French déboucher, meaning both “to unclog, uncork” and “to emerge, result, drain.” The bouche element means “mouth” and comes from Latin bucca, which means “cheek, jaw.” Bucca eventually replaced Latin ōs, ōr- (as in oral and oration) as the word for “mouth.” Debouch was first recorded in English circa 1660. EXAMPLE OF DEBOUCH USED IN A SENTENCE Passengers in festive clothing debouched from the crowded subway on their way to the parade.
to make an island of.
Enisle comes from French. En- roughly means “to make happen, cause to be,” as in the Word of the Day enkindle, while isle is an older spelling of French île, “island,” from Latin īnsula. Isle and island are not related, but island (from Old English) gained its silent s by association with isle. Enisle was first recorded in English around 1610. EXAMPLE OF ENISLE USED IN A SENTENCE When the dam burst, the torrent of water filled the valley, enisling the highest points of land therein.
