Language Archives

To impute means “to attribute or ascribe”. Unlike a lot of my previous words, this one isn’t unusual or obscure in any way. It comes from Latin imputare, a combination of in-, meaning “upon”, and putare, meaning “reckon, clear up, trim, prune, settle” (OED). Related words include dispute, compute, and even amputate.
As explained by Dictionary.com, […]

Original photo by Fergal Carr

The adjective precipitous means “extremely or impassably steep”.
Sometimes it’s used to mean “extremely rapid, hasty, or abrupt”, but that usage is “widely regarded as an error”, according to a usage note on Dictionary.com’s entry for precipitate. By the way, I never knew that precipitate meant anything other than “to rain, snow, […]

A simulacrum is “a slight, unreal, or superficial likeness or semblance”, or “an effigy, image, or representation”. Wikipedia’s Simulacrum entry explains it in terms of philosophy, film, and even caricatures. Here’s the blurb on the word’s history:

“…first recorded in the English language in the late 16th century, used to describe a representation of another thing, […]

The noun onus means “a disagreeable necessity”, an “obligation”, “burden”, or “blame”. From Merriam-Webster:

English borrowed the word — spelling, meaning, and all — from Latin in the 17th century. We can also add that it’s a distant relative of the Sanskrit word for “cart” (a vehicle that carries a burden). English isn’t exactly loaded with […]

So, you might’ve seen one of those commercials… You know, the Kikkoman commercials with all the fancy food photography that always seems to be on just before dinner time. (I wonder why. )

Umami is more than just an advertising gimmick, though. Apparently it’s the fifth taste, along with saltiness, sourness, bitterness, and sweetness. And […]

Autotelic is an adjective that means “having within itself the purpose of its existence or happening”.

The adjective haptic means “of or relating to the sense of touch; tactile”.

Damask is a type of “rich patterned fabric”, and it can also refer to “the pink color of the damask rose”.

To winnow is “to separate or distinguish”, “to analyze critically”. But it can also just mean “to fan” or “blow away”, especially to separate grains from dirt “by throwing it into the air and allowing the wind or a forced current of air to blow away impurities”.

Cursory is an adjective meaning “going rapidly over something, without noticing details; hasty; superficial”.