Greenth, 鈥済reen growth,鈥 was coined by the English author and politician Horace Walpole, who also coined blueth and gloomth. Greenth, blueth, and gloomth all entered English simultaneously in the mid-18th century.
I found my garden brown and bare, but these rains have recovered the聽greenth.
Imagine a rambling, patchy house 鈥 the mellow darkness of its conical roof surmounted by a weather-cock making an agreeable object either amidst the gleams and greenth of summer or the low-hanging clouds and snowy branches of winter 鈥
verb (used with object)
to confuse (someone); make (someone) muzzy.
It is only fitting that the etymology of the verb muzz 鈥渢o confuse,鈥 is itself obscure. Most authorities connect muzz with the adjective muzzy 鈥渃onfused, lazy, mentally dull,鈥 but muzzy itself has no reliable etymology. Other authorities connect muzz with the verb muse 鈥渢o think or meditate in silence.鈥 Muzz entered English in the 18th century.
I must have sufficiently muzzed you with my singular critique upon poor, injured, honest John.
With a very heavy cold on me, which muzzed my head, and a mass of work by day … I have been very far from comfortable.
noun,
Music.
the tuning of a stringed instrument in other than the usual way to facilitate the playing of certain compositions.
The musical term scordatura comes, as many musical terms do, from Italian. In English and Italian, scordatura is the tuning of a stringed instrument in an unusual way to facilitate the playing of certain compositions. Italian scordatura is a derivative of scordato 鈥渙ut of tune,鈥 past participle of the verb scordare 鈥渢o be out of tune.鈥 Scordare is a somewhat reduced form of Latin 诲颈蝉肠辞谤诲腻谤别 鈥渢o be at variance, quarrel, disagree,鈥 formed from the prefix dis- 鈥渁part, asunder鈥 and cord-, the stem of the noun cor 鈥渉别补谤迟.鈥 Scordatura entered English in the second half of the 19th century.
The alternative tuning, known as scordatura, is not some minor technical detail. Each new configuration is a secret key to an invisible door, unlocking a different set of chordal possibilities on the instrument, opening up alternative worlds of resonance and vibration.
Scordatura in some violin concertos provides additional evidence for Vivaldi鈥檚 tendency to extend the advantages of playing on open strings to additional keys.