R(h)odomontade From the Life of Cato the Elder, the word means pretentious bragging. Its roots reach deep into Italian epics no one reads anymore. Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso has a character named Rodomonte, whose name means “he who rolls away mountains.” Apparently, Rodomonte swells with braggadocio throughout the poem, and the English language likewise now contains not one, but two Italian words for prideful boasting.