READING UPDATE: The Dictionary- Part 26- Scarious – Side-by-side

The best laid plans… Despite my determination, my reading progress waned in February and was virtually nonexistent in March. Needless to say, I have almost no chance of completing the dictionary this year now. With the NHL playoffs looming, I might be able to get some reading in between periods and during overtime games. Time will tell.

Interesting words for January, February, and March of 2017:

SCOUNDREL- Star Wars fans know the appeal of this word but it’s also another surprising word with no traceable origin. It’s an old word of unknown origin to, dating back to 1589.

SCOWL-This word is older than I would have guessed but the date has shifted. My dictionary placed it in the 14th Century, while MW online now dates it to just 1520.

SCRAM- I never consciously knew that this word was short for scramble. It makes perfect sense but it never clicked until I reached this word.

SEQUACIOUS- This word flows and sounds beautiful but it is not a very kind word. It means intellectually servile. It’s a shame that such a pretty word can mean something so nasty.

SET- I was blown away by how many definitions there are for this simple little word. It took my dictionary over half a page in itty-bitty dictionary font to get through them all.

SEVENTEEN-YEAR LOCUST- Their life-cycle phenomenon had been recorded well before, but the term itself finally became official in 1817, making this word 200 years old this year!

SHADE- What you might think is the most recent definition of shade (expressing sadness or displeasure at something or someone) was actually included in my 20-year-old dictionary. Seems throwing shade isn’t as new a phenomenon as one might think.

SHAMPOO- It’s etymology is Hindi and only entered the English language in 1762. Perhaps that’s around the time those big white wigs started going out of style.

SHELTER- Yet another common word with an unknown origin. What a misfit language English is.

SHRAPNEL- Did you know that this word comes from the last name of 19th century English artillery officer? Neither did I.


Page Count: 1126.5/1600 (70.41%)
Countdown to the Letter T: 110.5 pages