Winston S. Churchill Biography Words

I recently finished reading part two of a biological trilogy on Winston S. Churchill by William Manchester (The Last Lion, Alone: 1932-1940). As is my wont (a word for yet another post), words I didn't know or didn't know the definition of were kept track of on the final page of the index. Of the 14 words I listed, only one, limpid, had been part of a previous post; given that this blog has covered 783 words so far, to have only one already covered was a surprise to me. And I have 268 words still on my list.

So let's get to the seven words not on either list:

The most often used word previously unknown to me was poilus. The word is the plural of poilu (pronounced pwah-loo) and is the word for a common French soldier. It was first used at the beginning of World War I, in 1914. The French word literally means hairy, as in beards or animal coats. In the 1800s Balzac used it as an adjective that meant strong, brave, and courageous. If you read the book, you will come to the conclusion that the soldiers must have had a lot of hair.

The second most-often used unknown word was demarche. It can still be spelled démarche since it is  a French word used in English, but it is common enough to be considered also an English word. Particularly since it's been in use in English since the 1650s. Originally meaning stride or step, it now refers to a diplomatic act such as an appeal or protest, a meaning it has had since the 1670s. But according to etymonline.com it was "never quite anglicized."

I thought I had already blogged on gravamen, but did not find it either in the blog or in the waiting words list. I've encountered it before, but apparently didn't capture it for the blog. The short definition of gravamen is "a grievance," but its primary used now is for the part of an accusation that weighs most heavily against the accused. It comes from the Late Latin word gravamen, which meant trouble or inconvenience, and has been used in English since the 1640s.

I was also surprised to not find anything on perfervid. Perfervid is an adjective that describes that which is very fervent or ardent or fervid. (There are three words for another post - what's the difference?) Perfervid was first used in English in 1830, derived from the Latin word perfervidus. In Latin the prefix per- means "completely" and fervid means heated or vehement.

Two more words, just for fun: quiddity and diathesis. Manchester used them both in the same sentence. In telling about Churchill's moral courage and honest eloquence was "...the intrinsic Churchill, his quiddity and diathesis." (The Last Lion: Alone, p. 348.)

Quiddity means the essential nature of a thing, or the quality that makes something what it is. It has been used in English since the late 1300s, having been adopted from the Medieval Latin word quidditas. Its original classical meaning was the real essence of a thing. Along the way it has developed the meaning of "a trifling nicety in argument," or a quibble. Perhaps it's been a confusion between the two words rather than a developed meaning. In Latin quid  means "what," so quidditas essentially means "whatness."

Diathesis is the word for a constitutional predisposition toward something. Used most often relating to a disease or affection, it can apply to anything that one has difficulty not doing. It has been in use in English since the mid-1600s, and comes from a "Neo-Latin" word with the same spelling.

Thanks for sharing with me in my latest discovery of words new to me. Happy New Word Year to you.