A.Word.A.Day Archives
from https://wordsmith.org/awad
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Date: Thu Jan 1 00:01:09 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--McGuffin
X-Bonus: I wish you all the joy that you can wish. -William Shakespeare, playwright and poet (1564-1616)
McGuffin (muh-GUF-in) noun, also MacGuffin
A device that helps propel the plot in a story but is of little
importance in itself.
[Coined by film director Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980).]
A McGuffin could be a person, an object, or an event that characters
of a story are interested in but that, intrinsically, is of little concern.
For example, in Hitchcock's movie North by Northwest, thugs are on the look
out for a character named George Kaplan. Roger Thornhill, an ad executive,
gets mistaken for Kaplan and so he is chased instead. Meanwhile Thornhill
himself tries to find Kaplan who doesn't even exist.
Hitchcock explained the term in a 1939 lecture at Columbia University:
"In regard to the tune, we have a name in the studio, and we call it the
'MacGuffin'. It is the mechanical element that usually crops up in any
story. In crook stories it is always the necklace and in spy stories it
is always the papers. We just try to be a little more original."
(quoted from the OED)
Hitchcock borrowed it from a shaggy-dog story where a train passenger is
carrying a large odd-shaped package. The passenger calls it a MacGuffin
and explains to the curious fellow passengers that it's a device used to
catch lions in Scottish Highlands. When they protest that there are no
lions in the Highlands, he simply replies, "Well, then this can't be
a MacGuffin."
"What disrupts all this is a McGuffin so gnarled and elaborate as to throw
the novel out of whack, even as it propels the plot. An insane Japanese
student armed with a poisonous powder invades the house convinced that he
is in love with Hazel."
Richard Eder; The Day After a Night of Happiness; The New York Times;
Mar 16, 1999.
"I'm saying that they can't be this bad. I'm saying there's something
underfoot here, something calculated; a charade, a clever ruse, a
MacGuffin, if you will."
Tony Kornheiser; This Preseason Is a Plot Device: It's Red Herrings,
Not Redskins; The Washington Post; Aug 20, 2003.
This week's theme: words related to movies.
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Date: Fri Jan 2 00:03:16 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cineaste
X-Bonus: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. -Edward Abbey, naturalist and author (1927-1989)
cineaste (SIN-ee-ast) noun, also cineast
1. One with deep interest in movies and moviemaking.
2. A filmmaker, especially a director or a producer.
[From French cin�aste, from cin�- (cinema) + -aste (as in enthousiaste:
enthusiast).]
"When he (movie director Shin Sang-ok) was released, he was presented
to Kim Jong Il, a fanatical cineaste who keeps a library of fifteen
thousand films and had for years been directing his own propaganda
movies."
Philip Gourevitch; Alone in the Dark Letter From Korea; The New Yorker;
Sep 8, 2003.
"The occasion was a tribute to the legendary cineast (Akira Kurosawa)
who passed away in September 1998. The audience was given the chance
to see some of the filmmaker's celebrated works, including Seven
Samurai and Ikiru, as well as little-seen films such as Madadayo, his
last work."
Tam Notosusanto; Offbeat Gems Come to Screens in Jakarta; Jakarta Post
(Indonesia); Dec 28, 1999.
This week's theme: words related to movies.
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Date: Mon Jan 5 00:03:14 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--orrery
X-Bonus: What is the purpose of the giant sequoia tree? The purpose of the giant sequoia tree is to provide shade for the tiny titmouse. -Edward Abbey, naturalist and author (1927-1989)
orrery (OR-uh-ree) noun
A mechanical model of the solar system that represents the relative
motions of the planets around the sun.
[After Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery (1676-1731), who was given one of
those models by John Rowley, a London instrument-maker. They were invented by
George Graham c. 1700.]
A picture of an orrery: http://blaubac.co.uk/images/orrery.jpg
"The lamp at the center of the orrery demonstrates the way the sun lends
light to the planets."
James Fenton; Sheridan the Revolutionary; The New York Review of Books;
Feb 4, 1999.
"Even the nation's attic couldn't contain a 650-yard-long model of the
solar system, so the Smithsonian Institution has put it outdoors, on the
National Mall. 'Voyage: A Journey Through Our Solar System,' a new
permanent installation, represents the solar system at one 10-billionth
its actual size. ...
"The stations within this giant orrery also feature porcelain information
plaques with high-resolution, full-color images of the planets."
Eric P Nash; A Smithsonian Spin Through the Cosmos; The New York Times;
Feb 10, 2002.
This is the beginning of the year, so we feature some early words. 'Earl'y
that is: words having connections with earls. Many everyday words are derived
after earls' names. Cardigan, for example, came to us from James Thomas
Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan (1797-1868). This British cavalryman loved
to wear a sweater that opened down the front; today he lives on in the name
of this piece of apparel.
Or take British politician John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792).
This inveterate gambler preferred to eat at the gaming table rather than
interrupt his 24-hour-long betting game. No doubt people ate slices of
bread with a filling before then, but the notoriety of this Earl resulted
in his name getting attached to this repast.
A bit of earl trivia. Count is another word for an earl -- that's where we
got the word county from (but not country). The wife or widow of an earl
is called a countess. (Should the latter be called a countless?) And who
is the most famous earl of all? A fictional character: Count Dracula.
This week we'll see other words that are coined after earls. You'll notice
that these words could be called toponyms (words coined after place names)
or eponyms (words coined from people's names).
-Anu Garg
(garg AT wordsmith.org)
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Date: Tue Jan 6 00:03:09 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cadogan
X-Bonus: Earth laughs in flowers. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)
cadogan (kuh-DUG-uhn) noun
A lidless teapot, inspired by Chinese wine pots, that is
filled from the bottom.
[After William Cadogan, 1st Earl of Cadogan (1675-1726),
who was said to be the first Englishman to own such a pot.]
Pictures of cadogans: http://nemmelgebmurr.com/vintage/squirrel.html
"Among the Twining teapots is a Matlocks Cadogan from Yorkshire. It was
filled through a hole in the bottom and emptied right side up."
Jim Weaver; The Twining Teapot Collection; Antiques & Collecting Magazine
(Chicago, Illinois); Apr 2003.
"This type of tea server was called a cadogan in England; vaso senza
bocca in Italy. They were inspired by Chinese wine pots."
James G. McCollam; Chinese-inspired English Teapot is as Valuable as it
is Unusual; The Sun (Baltimore, Maryland); Jun 13, 1993.
This week's theme: Earls who became words (or places that became words).
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Date: Wed Jan 7 00:03:10 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--oxfordian
X-Bonus: The world in general doesn't know what to make of originality; it is startled out of its comfortable habits of thought, and its first reaction is one of anger. -W. Somerset Maugham, writer (1874-1965)
Oxfordian (oks-FORD-ee-uhn) noun
1. The theory attributing the authorship of William Shakespeare's works
to Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford.
2. A person who believes in this theory.
[After Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550-1604).]
A related term, Stratfordian, is used to describe a person who believes
Shakespeare himself to be the true author. The term derives from the name of
the English town Stratford-on-Avon that is the birthplace and burial place
of Shakespeare.
Home page of the Shakespeare Oxford Society: http://shakespeare-oxford.com/
"Gould, being a daughter of a movie mogul, knows high concept when she
sees it. And she's an Oxfordian, a believer in Edward de Vere as the
real Shakespeare."
Paul Carbray; Shakespeare's True Identity is Still in Dispute;
Montreal Gazette (Canada); Aug 16, 2003.
"The statesman Sir Francis Bacon, the playwright Christopher Marlowe, the
Earl of Derby (William Stanley), the Earl of Rutland (Roger Manners) and
even Elizabeth I all have their advocates among scholars of the field,
but the Oxfordians and Stratfordians are by far the most numerous and
the most active in terms of recent books and established Web sites."
William S Niederkorn; Where There's a Will, or Two, or Maybe Quite a Few;
The New York Times; Nov 16, 2003.
This week's theme: Earls who became words (or places that became words).
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Date: Thu Jan 8 00:03:19 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--derby
X-Bonus: Think not those faithful who praise all thy words and actions; but those who kindly reprove thy faults. -Socrates, philosopher (469?-399 BCE)
derby (DUR-bee, British: DAHR-bee) noun
1. An annual race event for three-year-old horses, held near London,
England.
2. Any of various similar horse races, e.g. Kentucky Derby.
3. Any race or other contest open to all.
4. A stiff felt hat with a round crown and a narrow brim.
[After Edward Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby (1752-1834), who founded the
English Derby in 1780.]
"He admitted that (movie star) FPJ's entry into the presidential derby
would make the 2004 election more interesting to watch."
Willy Cacdac; Enrile Certain FPJ Will Run Next Year; Manila Times
(Philippines); Nov 18, 2003.
"Newly installed Jets bigwig Robert Wood Johnson can still hold out hope
that New York will win the 2012 Olympics derby over the likes of Beijing,
Rome, and Plant City, Florida (again: yes, Plant City)."
Jockbeat; Village Voice (New York); Jun 6, 2000.
This week's theme: Earls who became words (or places that became words).
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Date: Fri Jan 9 00:03:11 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--yarborough
X-Bonus: Ships that pass in the night and speak each other in passing; / Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness; / So on the ocean of life we pass and speak one another, / Only a look and a voice; then darkness again and a silence. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet (1807-1882)
Yarborough (YAHR-bur-o) noun
In a card game, a hand in which no card is above a nine.
[After Charles Anderson Worsley, 2nd Earl of Yarborough (1809-1897), who
is said to have bet 1,000 to 1 against the occurrence of such a hand.]
"Many players know the odds against holding a Yarborough -- a hand with
no card above a nine -- are 1827 to 1. But though today's deal arose in
Reno at the ACBL's Spring Championships, I doubt anyone could have quoted
the odds against it: South and East both had Yarboroughs!"
Frank Stewart; On Bridge; Buffalo News (New York); Sep 30, 1998.
"You pass in sleep still wondering what the real odds for a Yarborough
are and West raises to four spades."
Peter Gibbs; Chess; Birmingham Post (UK); Aug 25, 2001.
This week's theme: Earls who became words (or places that became words).
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Date: Mon Jan 12 01:49:07 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bariatrics
X-Bonus: A man has to live with himself, and he should see to it that he always has good company. -Charles Evans Hughes, jurist (1862-1948)
bariatrics (bar-ee-A-triks) noun
A branch of medicine concerned with obesity.
[From Greek baros (weight) + -iatrics (medical treatment). Other words that
are derived from the same Greek root are barium, baritone, and barometer.]
"Michael Dionne, a physical therapist in Gainesville, Georgia, who
specializes in bariatrics, says more and more hospitals call on him
for help in reducing injuries to nurses and orderlies who must move
an increasing number of greatly overweight patients."
Unmesh Kher; How to Sell XXXL; Time (New York); Jan 27, 2003.
"Three years later, she left for St. Vincent Carmel and became one of
the founding surgeons for its new bariatrics unit. As a whole, the
hospital has done about 4,500 weight-loss surgeries in the past five
years."
Dan McFeely; Feeling Smaller Every Day; Indianapolis Star; Dec 21, 2003.
In the US, we've a growing problem. I'm talking about the problem of obesity
that has reached epidemic proportions. As economist John Kenneth Galbraith
put it, "More die in the United States of too much food than of too little."
The word obese comes from Latin obedere, literally, to eat away. Along with
other words such as edible, esurient, and comestible, it comes from Latin
edere (to eat).
While it's easy to blame or feel sorry for the obese, there's no simple
solution. Here's an informative story that explores many issues on the topic:
http://society.guardian.co.uk/publichealth/story/0,11098,872479,00.html
This week's AWAD will look at other words from the world of medicine.
-Anu Garg
(garg AT wordsmith.org)
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Date: Tue Jan 13 00:02:22 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--materia medica
X-Bonus: I will not play at tug o' war. / I'd rather play at hug o' war, / Where everyone hugs instead of tugs. -Shel Silverstein, writer (1930-1999)
materia medica (muh-TEE-ree-uh MED-i-kuh) noun
1. Substances used in preparation of medicines.
2. A branch of medical science concerned with the study of drugs, their
origins, properties, preparation, administration, etc.
[From New Latin, literally, medical material.]
"My father, who qualified during the Second World War, learned from his
father, who started doctoring in 1910 with the truncated and largely
cosmetic materia medica of the day, the value of mist. aq. rub. This was
water, coloured red and prescribed with confidence: the placebo."
Michael Bywater; Trust Your Doctor; The Daily Telegraph (London, UK);
Jan 11,2003.
"If the whole of the materia medica as now used could be sunk in the
bottom of the sea, it would be all the better for mankind and all the
worse for the fishes."
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.; 1883.
This week's theme: Words related to medicine.
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Date: Wed Jan 14 00:02:12 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--contraindicate
X-Bonus: The body is a house of many windows: there we all sit, showing ourselves and crying on the passers-by to come and love us. -Robert Louis Stevenson, writer (1850-1894)
contraindicate (kon-truh-IN-di-kayt) verb tr.
To indicate against (an otherwise suitable medical treatment) due
to a condition or circumstance. For example, the use of aspirin is
contraindicated in babies due to the danger of Reye's syndrome.
[From Middle English contra- (against) + indicate (to point out).]
"Unless proof of vaccination with rubella vaccine or laboratory evidence
of immunity is available, rubella vaccine is recommended for all adults,
unless contraindicated."
Rebecca Lorenzo-Castillo; Men Over Forty; The Manila Times (Philippines);
Dec 13, 2003.
"Other companies are flooding the airwaves with ads that coyly avoid
describing what a drug does, allowing them to skip airing the summary of
risks and contraindications."
Yumiko Ono; Debate Focuses on How Fine Print Should be in Drug Ads;
St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Apr 3, 1997.
This week's theme: Words related to medicine.
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Date: Thu Jan 15 00:12:07 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--antipyretic
X-Bonus: No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee. -John Donne, poet (1573-1631)
antipyretic (an-tee-py-RET-ik) adjective
Reducing or relieving fever.
noun
A medicine that reduces or relieves fever.
[From Middle English anti- (against) + pyretic (relating to fever),
from New Latin pyreticus, from Greek pureto (fever), from pur (fire).
Other words derived from the same root are fire, pyrotechnics (fireworks),
and pyrites (mineral that produces sparks when struck).]
"Physicians suggest antipyretic drugs and normal water sponging to reduce
fever."
Abdur Rahman Khan, Viral Fever Grips City, The Independent (Bangladesh),
Jun 13, 2000.
"From paint to pain: Friedrich Bayer and Friedrich Weskott were two
buddies who set up an international paint and dye company in Germany in
1863. Scientists in 1886 discovered an antipyretic painkiller could be
manufactured from the waste of one of the dye products. So, in 1888, the
pair set up a pharmaceutical department."
Marilyn Linton; Little Pill Made a Big Difference; The Toronto Sun
(Canada); Mar 14, 1999.
This week's theme: Words related to medicine.
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Date: Fri Jan 16 00:12:07 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--iatric
X-Bonus: What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. -Crowfoot, Native American warrior and orator (1821-1890)
iatric (eye-A-trik) adjective
Relating to medicine or a physician.
[From Greek iatrikos (medical), from iatros (physician), from iasthai
(to heal).]
As a suffix, today's word appears in a number of words such as pediatric,
psychiatric, geriatric, ec. A related word is iatrogenic, used to describe
a disorder (e.g. infection) caused by the actions (exam, diagnosis, etc.)
of a doctor.
"People who wonder what to do in a dire medical emergency during the
doctors' lie-down should consider flying to the handy United States for
treatment.
But before submitting to foreign iatric tinkering they should remember to
stuff their pockets with thousand-dollar (U.S.) bills."
William Child Currey; Stuff Your Pockets First; Toronto Star (Canada);
Jun 28, 1986.
"My husband laughed in his unkind iatric way at a friend of mine who had
said, 'If anything should happen to me...' Luckily he left it till after
she was gone before saying, 'Of course something will happen to her -
sooner or later.'"
Dot Wordsworth; Mind Your Language; The Spectator (London, UK);
Jun 17, 2000.
This week's theme: Words related to medicine.
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Date: Mon Jan 19 00:15:36 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--alienist
X-Bonus: The best way to predict the future is to invent it. -Alan Kay, inventor (1940- )
alienist (AYL-yuh-nist) noun
A psychiatrist, especially one who has been accepted by a court to assess
mental competence of those appearing in court regarding a case.
[From French ali�niste (alienist), from Latin alienatus, past participle of
alienare (to estrange), from Latin alienus (alien). Why this word? Because
an alienist treats those who are believed to be alienated from their normal
state of mind.]
"At the same time, Mr. Letterman makes it clear that he is quite aware
that only jerks would stay up late to watch him display 'Stupid Pet
Tricks' or to drop watermelons from great heights. Those who grasp
this are therefore obliged to laugh at themselves as well, a practice
recommended by many alienists but infrequently adopted by them or anyone
else."
George V. Higgins; The Clown Prince of Late Night Television; The Wall
Street Journal (New York); Aug 5, 1985.
"(T.E. Lawrence) To Lionel Curtis: 'When my mood gets too hot I haul out
my motorbike and hurl it at top speed over these unfit roads hour after
hour... I wish you were an alienist and could tell me how or when this
ferment will end.'"
Warren O. Ault; T.E. Lawrence: The Sword and the Pen; The Washington Post;
May 21, 1989.
Your friend has just received a check for a million dollars and is
unreachable. What are you going to do? I faced that problem years ago,
when, a newcomer to the US, I shared an apartment with another graduate
student. The supposed millionaire was traveling for a symposium when
I found that large envelope in our mailbox. I could see the check through
the window on the envelope.
Well, the check isn't going to expire in a couple of days, I figured, and
let it rest on the kitchen table. Soon, the rightful owner of the envelope
came back, and the mystery was solved. It turned out to be one of those hoax
letters sent by businesses that encourage people to sign-up for magazines
with the lure of a big check.
Eventually, my mail-sense sharpened and today I can tell just by looking at
the envelope if it needs a letter-opener or the round file. Many of these
letters begin,
Dear Anu,
We've reserved this exclusive offer for you as a preferred member...
Well, who is trying to fool whom, I wonder. How do they expect us to trust
them when almost always there turns out to be a fine-print, a catch, an
exception? Wouldn't it be a refreshing change if they simply advertised
"you get x for y dollars," without any need for a gimmick? Wouldn't it be
a breath of fresh air if we could rest assured that what was written in
the bold letters was what they meant?
In this week's theme we feature words that aren't what they appear to be.
-Anu Garg
(garg AT wordsmith.org)
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Date: Tue Jan 20 00:14:16 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--crapulent
X-Bonus: I was never less alone than when by myself. -Edward Gibbon, historian (1737-1794)
crapulent (KRAP-yuh-luhnt) adjective
Sick from excessive drinking or eating.
[From Late Latin crapulentus (very drunk), from Latin crapula (drunkenness),
from Greek kraipal (hangover, drunkenness).]
"A doctor examining one of his more crapulent patients said to him,
'Your body is a temple and your congregation is too large.'"
Dale Turner; Guarding Our Health Lets Us Better Serve in Role God
Intended; The Seattle Times; Apr 26, 2003.
"1975: Ever in search of new dining experiences, Vancouverites get
crapulent on goblets of beer and fat drumsticks at the Mediaeval Inn."
Liz Hodgson; The Curve Theme Restaurants; Vancouver Sun (Canada);
Feb 26, 2000.
This week's theme: words that aren't what they appear to be.
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Date: Wed Jan 21 00:14:08 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--missish
X-Bonus: The perfection of art is to conceal art. -Quintilian (Marcus Fabius Quintilianus), rhetorician (c. 35-100)
missish (MIS-ish) adjective
Prudish.
[From miss + -ish.]
"Every line is end-stopped, and we are aware of the clunk of the rhyme,
nowhere more than in 'troublesome' rhymed with 'come' and describing
with missish understatement the behaviour of two of the strongest forces
in the world, 'the winds and seas'."
Germaine Greer; Blame it on Housman; The Guardian (London, UK);
Mar 1, 2003.
"'Well, I am a widow, and no one questions my sense of propriety.' The
duchess cocked her head, her black eyes flashing, looking for all the
world like an inquisitive bird. 'I cannot believe you are so put off by
wagging tongues. Gracious, I have never known you to be so missish!'"
Elizabeth Powell; A Reckless Bargain; Signet; 2002.
This week's theme: words that aren't what they appear to be.
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Date: Thu Jan 22 00:14:07 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fencible
X-Bonus: You have not converted a man because you have silenced him. -John Morley, statesman and writer (1838-1923)
fencible (FEN-si-buhl) adjective
Capable of being defended.
noun
A soldier enlisted in the military for home service only.
[Short for defensable, ultimately from Latin defendere (to defend).]
"Maj. Thomas Skinner of the Royal Engineers, the man credited with
designing the defence construction on Signal Hill, was given permission
to raise a fencible infantry company consisting of 600 men."
Sandy Bierworth; Stepping Back in Time; The Telegram (St. John's NF,
Canada); Jul 7, 2003.
"The backbone of the drafted units were English, Welsh and Scottish
fencibles, who were volunteers whose terms of service confined them to
the British isles."
Lawrence James; Warrior Race: A History of the British at War;
St. Martin's Press; Feb 2003.
This week's theme: words that aren't what they appear to be.
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Date: Fri Jan 23 00:14:10 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--funicular
X-Bonus: Black holes are where God divided by zero. -Steven Wright, comedian (1955- )
funicular (fyoo-NIK-yuh-luhr) adjective
Of, relating to, or operated by a rope or cord.
noun
A cable railway on a hill, especially one where simultaneously
ascending and descending cars counterbalance each other.
[From Latin funiculus (thin rope), diminutive of funis (rope). The
word funambulist (tight-rope walker) derives from the same root.]
"Was it -- oh! finally, was it Tyrolean,
Standing on top of a view like Napoleon,
Mostly funicular, quite perpendicular,
Lots of new friends, if you aren't so particular?"
Philip Guedalla (1889-1944); Vacational.
"Those wanting to return to Dufferin Terrace without climbing the steps
can take a funicular ride up from Petit Champlain."
Joscelyn Proby; Quirky Side of Quebec City Beckons; The Toronto Star
(Canada); Jul 8, 2000.
This week's theme: words that aren't what they appear to be.
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Date: Mon Jan 26 02:04:07 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--swivet
X-Bonus: We require from buildings, as from men, two kinds of goodness: first, the doing their practical duty well: then that they be graceful and pleasing in doing it; which last is itself another form of duty. -John Ruskin, author, art critic, and social reformer (1819-1900)
swivet (SWIV-it) noun
A state of anxiety, discomposure or agitation; tizzy.
(Usually used in the phrase "in a swivet".)
[Of unknown origin.]
"Scientists were in a swivet last month when they learned that
Butterfields, a San Francisco-based auction house, was putting the
200-million-year-old fossil, a glider with the wingspan of a large
dragonfly, up for sale."
Happy Landings for Flying Fossil; Science (Washington, DC); Sep 8, 2000.
"Filmmakers are in another swivet over high costs in New York City and
prohibitive rules."
Liz Smith; Hoffman the Perfectionist is Hard at Work on `Billy Bathgate';
Orange County Register (Santa Ana, California); Nov 26, 1990.
Order is good. Mostly. It makes sure that the earth will go around the sun
in the same way as it has in the past and bring the summer to ripen the
mangoes. Patterns are good too - most of the time. They help us find our
shoes easily among an array of other pairs.
But if we stick too much to the same order and pattern, we lose. We lose
the opportunity to discover new lands, new paths, new flowers, new ways
(and new words!). Sometimes the break in order is by choice and at times
it's forced, as when you lose a job. Often it's a blessing in disguise.
It's an opportunity to explore and discover what remained hidden from the
old path.
This week's words have no order, pattern or theme. They just are. But
they're all interesting.
-Anu Garg
(garg AT wordsmith.org)
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Date: Tue Jan 27 00:04:11 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--illation
X-Bonus: What a child doesn't receive he can seldom later give. -P.D. James, writer (1920- )
illation (i-LAY-shuhn) noun
1. The act of inferring.
2. An inference or conclusion drawn.
[From Late Latin illation-, from Latin illatus, past participle
of inferre (to bring in), from il- + ferre (to carry).]
What could today's word have in common with terms such as fertile,
transfer, refer, and circumference? They all derive from the same
Latin root ferre (to carry).
"Her political illations are by any standards excessively childish."
Sion Simon; Love's labour lost; The Spectator (London, UK); Dec 4, 1999.
"The same high power of reason, intent in every one to explore and display
some truth ... of law, deduced by construction, perhaps, or by illation."
Rufus Choate; Eulogy of Daniel Webster; 1853.
This week's theme: assorted words.
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Date: Wed Jan 28 00:04:15 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--allocution
X-Bonus: Sometime they'll give a war and nobody will come. -Carl Sandburg, poet and biographer (1878-1967)
allocution (al-uh-KYOO-shuhn) noun
A formal speech or address, especially one that exhorts.
[From Latin allocution- (stem of allocutio), past participle of alloqui
(to speak to), from ad- + loqui (to speak). Some other words derived from
the same root are colloquium, elocution, soliloquy, and ventriloquism.]
"And then he (the judge) invited us to say what we would--to 'make
our allocutions'--before he rendered a sentence."
Bill McKibben; Patriotic Acts; Mother Jones (San Francisco); Nov 1, 2000.
"(Noel) Gallagher gets started on this soapbox allocution because
of Wal-Mart. He just recently found out the retail goliath balked
at selling 'Standing on the Shoulder of Giants,' the 2000 album by
Gallagher's Britpop band, Oasis."
Doug Elfman; Oasis' Noel Gallagher Always Ready to Vent;
Las Vegas Review-Journal; Apr 26, 2002.
This week's theme: assorted words.
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Date: Thu Jan 29 00:04:36 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--empyreal
X-Bonus: The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed. -Carl Jung, psychiatrist (1875-1961)
empyreal (em-PIR-ee-uhl, -pye-REE-) adjective
1. Relating to the highest heaven, believed to contain pure light or fire.
2. Relating to the sky; celestial.
3. Sublime; elevated.
[From Medieval Latin empyreus, from Greek empyrios (fiery), from pur (fire).
Other words derived from the same root are fire, pyre, pyrosis (heartburn),
and pyromania (an irresistible impulse to set things on fire).]
This is where the idiom "to be in the seventh heaven" (a state of great
bliss) comes from. In the Muslim and cabalist beliefs, heavens comprise
a system of concentric spheres, the seventh heaven being the highest and
a place of pure bliss.
"Into the Heaven of Heavens I have presumed,
An earthly guest, and drawn empyreal air."
John Milton; Paradise Lost: The Seventh Book.
"Holland enriches trumpeter Kenny Wheeler's wafting, empyreal work
'Angel Song' (ECM), which also features omnipresent guitarist Bill
Frisell."
Jim Fusilli; Rock 'n' Roll's Year in Review; The Wall Street Journal
(New York); Dec 31, 1997.
This week's theme: assorted words.
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Date: Fri Jan 30 00:04:53 EST 2004
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--balneal
X-Bonus: Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power. -Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (1902-1983)
balneal (BAL-nee-uhl) adjective
Relating to baths or bathing.
[From Latin balneum (bath), from Greek balaneion (bathing room or bath).]
How wide-ranging terms a single root could sprout. Today's term has cousins
in fields as diverse as medicine, cooking, and well, entertainment:
balneology: the study of therapeutic use of baths, especially in mineral
spring water. A related term is balneotherapy.
bain-marie: literally, bath of Mary, a pan with hot water in which
smaller pans may be placed for slow cooking or to keep the food warm.
bagnio : brothel.
"The Cajka baths are still appreciated, and balneal treatment is still
used to ameliorate neurone diseases ..."
D. Turnock & Francis W. Carter; Environmental Problems in Eastern Europe;
Routledge; 1993.
"Etienne was following with listless eye the reduced activity of his
balneal colleagues. Some suddenly got up and went to have a dip ..."
Raymond Queneau; Witch Grass (translated by Barbara Wright);
New York Review of Books; Feb 2003.
This week's theme: assorted words.