This week’s obscure English word is plew. It’s a nineteenth century word reputedly derived from Canadian French, ‘poilu’ (hairy/bristly), and means beaver skin or pelt. And beaver pelts, it turns out, were a standard measure for defining value among fur traders in the day. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using … More The obscure word of the week is plew

This week’s obscure English word is elance. It’s from old French and means to hurl or launch at something. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using either word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2022

This week’s obscure English word is grenaille. Actually it’s French, but it turns up in English in high-class eateries a a fancy word to describe very small potatoes. (Pommes de Terre Grenailles). The funny thing is that the original word grenaille, like so many French words, is a military term. It originally meant lead shot. … More The obscure word of the week is grenaille

This week’s obscure English word is newel. This is the central pillar of a spiral staircase. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2022

This week’s obscure English word is forswunk. It’s an obsolete English term essentially meaning to be exhausted from over-work. There’s also forswink, which is the transitive verb form. It’s similar to last week’s word quanked, which means to be overcome with fatigue. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using either word. … More The obscure word of the week is forswunk

This week’s obscure English word is quanked. It’s an obsolete English term essentially meaning to be forswunk, another obsolete word which I’ll explain next week. OK, this is like saying that the meaning of ‘abjure’ is ‘abnegate’, but hey… Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew … More The obscure word of the week is quanked

This week’s obscure English word is feeze. It’s a slang term derived from the Old English word fesian, and means to be in a rush; or to be agitated about something. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using either word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2022

This week’s obscure English word is oppugn. This means to question the truth of something just presented. It derives from Middle English and ultimately the Latin ‘oppugnare’, meaning to besiege, and it’s sufficiently obscure that (at time of writing) it doesn’t seem to be in the WordPress spelling dictionary. Mind you, a lot of the … More The obscure word of the week is oppugn

This week’s obscure English word is ichnography. This dates to the sixteenth century and refers to the ground plan of a building. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2022