Wondrous Words. Words New To Me #5

It’s been a while since my last Wondrous Words. Today I’m sharing 5 words in total. One is very well known, but I did not know its story and that is the last one.

besom is a broom, a household implement used for sweeping. The term is now mostly reserved for a traditional broom constructed from a bundle of twigs tied to a stout pole.

cay is a small, low-elevation, sandy island on the surface of a coral reef.

cole – any of several brassicas, especially crop plants such as broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and kohlrabi, derived from the same wild cabbage (Brassica oleracea).

airt is a Scottish word for a point of the compass, in relation to direction. Derived from the Scottish Gaelic word ‘aird’, for a point of the compass, in relation to height.

boycott is a bonus word. While I knew its significance, of course, and it is very similar to the Romanian boicot, I did not know its history. So, this word comes from Captain Charles Boycott, who was a 19th century land agent. After a disagreement with the tenants on the discount after a bad harvest, instead of resorting to violence, they decided to shun tenants who would get the lands of evicted tenants. It worked. On wikipedia it says that even the local businessmen stopped trading with him and the local postman refused to deliver mail.

Were you familiar with any of these and the history of boycott?