Word of the Day

Ersatz “serving as a substitute” is a borrowing of the German noun Ersatz “a substitute,” from the verb ersetzen “to replace.” Ersetzen is a compound of the Old High German elements ir- “out” and sezzan “to set.” Ir-, a variant of ur-, is related to English about, but, out, utmost, and utter as well as to German Urheimat and Ursprache, plus the recent Word of the Day carouse. Sezzan is closely related to English nest, saddle, seat, set, settle, sit, and soot, and to borrowings originally from other Indo-European languages including the recent Words of the Day assiduity, chaise longue, and sídh. Ersatz was first recorded in English in the early 1870s.

Doughty “steadfastly courageous,” despite spelling and pronunciation, is not related to doubt, doughy, or dowdy. Instead, it comes from Old English dohtig “worthy,” which is equivalent to modern English dow “to be able” or “to thrive, prosper” plus two suffixes: -th, which indicates a noun of action (as in birth) or quality (as in warmth), and -y “characterized by, inclined to” (as in dreamy and juicy). In this way, doughty literally translates from Old English as “worthiness-y,” which is an awkward mouthful. Doughty was first recorded in English before 1000 a.d.

Phlogiston “a chemical once thought to be released during combustion” is the neuter form of Ancient Greek phlogistós “inflammable, burnt up,” from the verb phlogízein “to set on fire.” Relatives of phlogízein in English include phlegm (from phlégma “flame”) and phlox (from phlóx “a flame-colored plant”). All these words ultimately come from a Proto-Indo-European root roughly meaning “to burn, flash, shine” that appears today in English words containing bl-, fl-, ful-, or phl-, depending on the language of origin. For more descendants in English from this rather productive root, check out our recent Words of the Day effulgent, Phlegethon, and trailblaze. Phlogiston was first recorded in English circa 1730.

Folklorico “containing Mexican folk dancing” is a borrowing of Spanish folklórico (note the acute accent) “folkloristic,” based on English folklore and the Spanish adjective-forming suffix -ico. Despite the similar pronunciations, English folk is not related to Latin vulgus “the general public” (as in English vulgar); instead, it may be distantly related to hoi polloi “the common people” (from Ancient Greek) and the recent Word of the Day plebeian (from Latin plēbēs “the common people”). Lore, meanwhile, is closely related to English learn, and both come from a Germanic root meaning “to teach.” Folklorico was first recorded in English in the early 1940s.

Muffuletta “a thick, round deli sandwich from New Orleans” comes from the Sicilian dialect of Italian, perhaps from standard Italian muffola “mitten.” Muffola, in turn, likely comes by way of French moufle from Medieval Latin muffula “thick glove,” which appears to also be the source of camouflage. One possible source of muffula is a compound of two Germanic roots—one meaning “sleeve, something folded” (compare English moue or mow “a pouting grimace”) and the other meaning “skin” (compare English fell “the skin of an animal). Muffuletta was first recorded in English in the late 1960s, though the sandwich itself appears to date to the early 20th century.