Word of the Day

Cistvaen, “a prehistoric sepulchral tomb or casket,” comes from Welsh cist faen, “stone box, stone chest.” Cist comes via Latin cista, “box, chest,” from Ancient Greek kistē. Faen is a mutated form of maen, “stone,” a Cornish relative of which is also part of the Word of the Day dolmen. In Welsh, as in many Celtic languages, the first consonant of a noun or adjective mutates in a variety of contexts, including in some compound words; this is why the m in maen (pronounced like “main” or “mine”) becomes the “softer” f in faen (pronounced like “vain” or “vine”). Cistvaen was first recorded in English in the first decade of the 19th century. EXAMPLE OF CISTVAEN USED IN A SENTENCE While dolmens are aboveground homes for the prehistoric dead, the Celts once used shallow cistvaens as burial pits.

Algorithm is a variant of algorism and ultimately comes from Arabic al-Khwārizmī, which refers to the 9th-century mathematician Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī. In this name, Khwārizm refers to an area of Central Asia now divided between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Algorism became algorithm because of the influence of Ancient Greek arithmós, “number,” as in arithmetic. Algorithm was first recorded in English in the 1690s. EXAMPLE OF ALGORITHM USED IN A SENTENCE The data scientist applied a simple algorithm and solved the frustrating puzzle in less than 3 seconds.

For the origin of zaffer, “a cobalt oxide–silica mixture used to produce a blue color,” let’s travel down a linguistic rabbit hole. Zaffer, from French safre or Italian zaffera, may come from Arabic ’aṣfar, “yellow,” which resembles but is not related to saffron and sulfur. Alternatively, zaffer may come from Latin sapphīra, “sapphire,” via Ancient Greek sáppheiros, “lapis lazuli,” from a Semitic source akin to Hebrew sappīr, “sapphire.” One intriguing proposal is that sappīr and its close Semitic relatives come from Sanskrit śanipuriya, “dear to Saturn,” equivalent to Śani, the planet Saturn, plus priyá-, “dear.” Zaffer was first recorded in English circa 1660. EXAMPLE OF ZAFFER USED IN A SENTENCE The glass blower used zaffer to make the vase a beautiful hue of azure.

Barococo, “excessively ornate in style,” is a portmanteau, or blend, of baroque and rococo, two words of complicated origins. Baroque is a borrowing from French and comes from older Portuguese barroco or Spanish barrueco, “irregularly shaped pearl,” and from here, numerous linguists have weighed in with their ideas. Perhaps there is a link to Spanish berruca, “wart” (from Latin verrūca). Rococo is also borrowed from French and derives from Medieval Latin rocca, “rock,” which may come from a Celtic source or, alternatively, Latin rūpēs, “cliff.” Barococo was first recorded in English in the mid-1920s. For more examples of portmanteaux, check out this article. EXAMPLE OF BAROCOCO USED IN A SENTENCE The guests’ eyes bulged and jaws dropped when they entered the foyer, which had been renovated in a barococo style.

Moiré, “presenting a watery or wavelike appearance,” is a borrowing from French and means “given a finish resembling moire.” Moire is likely an adaptation of English mohair, which makes moiré a reborrowing, or a word that is borrowed back into its language of origin, similar to anime and the Word of the Day yé-yé. The term mohair comes via Italian from Arabic mukhayyar, “choice, chosen,” from the verb khayyara, “to choose.” This means that mohair is not related to hair, although folk etymology may suggest it is. For more examples of folk etymology, take a look at the Words of the Day cathartic, eggcorn, and ferrule. Moiré was first recorded in English in the 1650s. EXAMPLE OF MOIRÉ USED IN A SENTENCE He saw moiré patterns everywhere, even in insect screens rustling in the breeze.