- Today's Word
Pernickety
[per-NIK-i-tee]
Definition
- (noun) Someone who is excessively precise, fussy, or difficult to please. A pernickety person often obsesses over minor details and has very high standards, which can make them challenging to work with or satisfy.
Example
The pernickety chef was known for sending back dishes that were not prepared exactly to his specifications, driving his kitchen staff to the brink of exhaustion with his endless demands.
Fun Fact
The origins of the word “pernickety” are uncertain, but it is thought to have emerged in the early 19th century in Scottish and Northern English dialects. Some linguists believe it may be derived from the Scottish word “pernack,” meaning a fussy or fastidious person.
(adjective) Intended for or understood by only a small group with specialized knowledge or interest.
The professor’s lecture was so esoteric that even her graduate students struggled to follow the references, let alone the first-year undergraduates in the back row.
Esoteric derives from the Greek esoterikos, meaning “belonging to an inner circle,” from esotero — “inner” — the comparative form of eso, meaning “within.” It was first used to describe the secret teachings of Pythagoras, shared only with his most devoted inner circle of disciples and deliberately withheld from the general public. The word entered English in the 17th century, carrying that same sense of guarded, inner-circle knowledge.