Monthly Archive: December 2020

This word, derived from the French “chandelle” (candle), was first used in 1918 to describe an airplane’s abrupt climbing turn using the craft’s momentum. Now required...

A celempung is a large, ornate zither from Indonesia with 13 pairs of strings on two sides. It stands on legs. The body slopes toward the...

This word, first used about 1542 A.D., means to raise a trivial and frivolous objection. It comes from the Latin verb “cavillari” (to jest), but does...

First used circa 1779, carronade refers to a short, smoothbore cannon produced by the Carron ironworks in Scotland and used by the British Royal Navy until...

This word refers to a cloth covering used on a horse for protection and decoration. It’s derived from “caparo”, the Latin word for cape. During the...

This French word, derived from the Portuguese word “canga”, refers to a device that was used for punishment and public humiliation in Asia until the early...