The English word “resume” comes from Old French “résumé,” meaning a summary, which itself derives from the Latin verb “resumere” – “to take up again.” The verb sense entered English in the 15th century, while the noun for a job‑application document appeared only in the early 20th century.
Indigence comes from Latin indigentia, meaning ‘need’ or ‘poverty’, formed from the participle indigēns ‘needy, requiring’. It entered English via Old French indigence in the late Middle Ages, first recorded in the 14th century. Today it denotes a state of extreme poverty or lack of resources.
Bogus comes from late‑18th‑century American slang meaning “counterfeit” or “sham.” The word first appeared in print around 1795 and probably began as a humorous alteration of an existing term, though its exact roots remain uncertain.
Grandiloquence comes from Latin grandis “large, great” and loqui “to speak,” filtered through Old French grandiloquence in the 15th century before entering English in the early 1500s. It originally described lofty, pompous speech and now denotes exaggerated, pretentious language.
The verb *deliquesce* comes from Latin *deliquēscere*, meaning “to melt or become liquid.” It entered English in the early 17th century, first used by chemists describing salts that absorb moisture and turn into liquid. The word carries the same core idea of a solid giving way to fluidity.
The phrase “bo tree” comes from the Pali word bo, a shortened form of Sanskrit bodhi meaning “awakening” or “enlightenment.” It entered English in the early 19th century via British colonial accounts of Buddhist India, referring to the sacred fig (Ficus religiosa) under which the Buddha attained enlightenment.
The term “egg‑beater” first appeared in mid‑19th‑century English to name a hand‑cranked kitchen gadget that whisked eggs quickly. It combines the Old English verb “beatan” (to beat) with “egg,” reflecting the device’s purpose of beating eggs into a frothy mixture.
The adjective “blameworthy” comes from the Old French verb *blamer* “to blame”, which in turn derives from Late Latin *blamare* “to revile”. It entered Middle English as *blame* and acquired the suffix –worthy in the early modern period, literally meaning “deserving blame”.
Avant comes from Old French “avans,” a contraction of the Latin phrase “ab ante” meaning “from before.” It entered French in the early Middle Ages and later was borrowed into English in the 19th century, chiefly in the term “avant‑garde.” The word has kept its sense of “ahead” or “in front.”
The word “whenas” is an archaic English conjunction meaning “when” or “at the time that.” It dates back to Middle English, formed from the Old English interrogative “hwænne” plus the conjunction “as.” The form survived chiefly in legal and literary texts until the early modern period.