Language Archives

Savoir-faire is “tact” or “knowledge of just what to do in any situation”. It comes from French (duh!), from the words savoir, meaning “to know how”, and faire, “to do”.

Tantivy means “a gallop” as a noun, “swift;rapid” as an adjective, and “at full gallop” as an adverb. It’s also an interjection “used as a hunting cry when the chase is at full speed”.

Operose is an adjective that means “industrious, as a person” or “done with or involving much labor”.

The adjective pugnacious means “inclined to quarrel or fight readily”, “combative”, or “tough and callous by virtue of experience”.

Rodomontade is “vainglorious boasting or bragging”. It’s also an adjective meaning “bragging”, and as a verb it means “to brag”.
Merriam-Webster picked it as their word of the day a while ago, explaining its origin in Italian poetry:

Rodomonte was a fierce and boastful king in Orlando Innamorato, Count Matteo M. Boiardo’s late 15th century epic, and […]

Something that’s ductile is “easily molded or shaped”, “easily drawn into wire or hammered thin”, or “easily influenced”.

To nutate generally means to “rock, sway, or nod; usually involuntarily”. It comes from Latin nūtāre, meaning “to nod repeatedly”. But the noun nutation has several specific meanings.

Possibly one of the strangest things I’ve heard of, tarantism is “a mania characterized by an uncontrollable impulse to dance, esp. as prevalent in southern Italy from the 15th to the 17th century, popularly attributed to the bite of the tarantula”.

If you’re into crossword puzzles, you better know this word! A cruciverbalist is “a designer or aficionado of crossword puzzles”.

The adjective recherche means “rare”, “exotic”, “of studied refinement or elegance”, or “pretentious”. As you may have guessed, this word comes from French.