A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Mar 2 00:01:20 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bon ton X-Bonus: Power is only important as an instrument for service to the powerless. -Lech Walesa, human rights activist, Polish president, Nobel laureate (b. 1943) The great humorist Mark Twain once said, "In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their language." Well, that's the pitfall of learning a foreign language away from its natural habitat. We might become proficient in the grammar but there is never a certainty about the nuances of the language. No matter. Some of the terms we borrow from French have now become part of the English language. They often help us convey a whole idea succinctly just in a word or two. This week we'll look at five of them. A note about pronunciation: When we adopt words from other languages, we don't always adopt their pronunciations as well. So the pronunciation suggestions given with these words reflect how they're generally pronounced in English. bon ton (bon ton) noun 1. Good form or style. 2. Something regarded as fashionably right. 3. High society. [From French, literally, good tone.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "It was bon ton to knock Netanyahu and very few top Likudniks resisted the temptation. Netanyahu's prime-ministerial stint (1996-1999) was doomed." Sarah Honig; Jabotinsky Who?; The Jerusalem Post (Israel); Jan 16, 2004. "Evelyn and I were impostors -- not members of the bon ton but a visiting, unembarrassed American couple." Roger Angell; La Vie En Rose; The New Yorker; Feb 16, 2004. -------- Date: Tue Mar 3 00:01:08 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--moue X-Bonus: Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. -Oscar Wilde, writer (1854-1900) This week's theme: Terms from French moue (moo) noun Pout; grimace. [From French moue (pout), from Middle French moe.] "You can almost see the helpless little shrug of the shoulders that accompanies it and the moue of that perfectly lipsticked mouth." Allison Pearson; How to Eat For Petite; The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Jan 15, 2005. -------- Date: Wed Mar 4 00:01:09 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--au fait X-Bonus: Words are the small change of thought. -Jules Renard, writer (1864-1910) This week's theme: Terms from French au fait (o FAY) adjective Being well-informed or skillful in something. [From French, literally "to the fact", from Latin facere (to make or do).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Some technology degree holders took two years in a job before they were au fait with the practical skills." Caitlin McKay; Award for Dedication; Manawatu Standard (New Zealand); Aug 27, 2007. -------- Date: Thu Mar 5 00:01:09 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--clou X-Bonus: Like cars in amusement parks, our direction is often determined through collisions. -Yahia Lababidi, author (b. 1973) This week's theme: Terms from French clou (kloo) noun A major point of interest, or a central idea. [From French clou (nail), from Latin (clavus).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Day four. Open introduction. Read these lines by Joyce describing his novel -- 'Penelope is the clou of the book'." Kevin Myers; Bluffer's Guide to Ulysses; Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland); Jun 16, 1997. -------- Date: Fri Mar 6 00:01:09 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pied-a-terre X-Bonus: Conscience is a man's compass, and though the needle sometimes deviates, though one often perceives irregularities when directing one's course by it, one must still try to follow its direction. -Vincent van Gogh, painter (1853-1890) This week's theme: Terms from French pied-a-terre (pee-ay-duh-TARE) noun, plural pieds-a-terre A place of lodging for temporary or secondary use. [From French, literally foot on the ground.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "These days [Arthur Miller] divides his time between his ample farmhouse in Roxbury, Connecticut and the pied-a-terre in New York." Deborah Solomon; Goodbye (Again), Norma Jean; The New York Times; Sep 19, 2004. -------- Date: Mon Mar 9 00:01:08 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--infundibuliform X-Bonus: I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world. I may not complete this last one but I give myself to it. -Rainer Maria Rilke, poet and novelist (1875-1926) This week marks the quindecennial of Wordsmith.org. Fifteen years ago, on Mar 14, 1994, the first word went out to a handful of grad school friends. Since then, here's the journey in numbers: 15 years, 200 countries, 4000 words, 700,000 subscribers, who share our infinite enjoyment of words. To mark the milestone, this week we'll feature words that are 15 letters long. And a contest for you. Today's 15-letter word infundibuliform can be defined in exactly 15 letters as "shaped as a funnel". For the other four words this week, can you likewise provide definitions that are exactly 15 letters each? We'll select four winning definitions, one for each of the words. Winners will receive their choice of an autographed copy of any book written by Anu Garg. Send your definitions to (contest at wordsmith.org) by Friday (replace at with @). infundibuliform (in-fuhn-DIB-yuh-luh-form) adjective Funnel-shaped. [From Latin infundibulum (funnel), from infundere (to pour in), from fundere (to pour). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gheu- (to pour) that is also the source of funnel, font, fuse, diffuse, gust, gush, and geyser.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "[Yossarian] might have remained in the hospital until doomsday had it not been for that patriotic Texan with his infundibuliform jowls and his lumply rumpleheaded, indestructible smile." Joseph Heller; Catch-22; Simon & Schuster; 1961. -------- Date: Tue Mar 10 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--subintelligitur X-Bonus: All men -- whether they go by the name of Americans or Russians or Chinese or British or Malayans or Indians or Africans -- have obligations to one another that transcend their obligations to their sovereign societies. -Norman Cousins, author, editor, journalist and professor (1915-1990) This week's theme: 15-letter words subintelligitur (sub-in-tuh-LIJ-it-uhr) noun Something that is not stated but understood. [From Latin sub- (below) + intelligere (to understand, literally, to choose between), from inter- (between) + legere (to choose, collect, read). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leg- (to collect) that is also the source of lexicon, lesson, lecture, legible, legal, and select.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "We pray to God as a Person, as a larger self; but there must always be a subintelligitur that He is not a Person. Our forms of worship, public and private, imply some interference with the course of nature." Benjamin Jowett; Life & Letters; 1886. -------- Date: Wed Mar 11 00:01:11 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lepidopterology X-Bonus: Men have slow reflexes. In general it takes several generations later for them to understand. -Stanislaw J. Lec, poet and aphorist (1909-1966) This week's theme: 15-letter words lepidopterology (lep-i-dop-tuh-ROL-uh-jee) noun The study of butterflies and moths. [From Greek lepido- (scale) + pteron (wing, feather), ultimately from the Indo-European root pet- (to rush or fly) that also gave us feather, petition, compete, and perpetual.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Mr. Sokolenko's exhibition comes at a time when Nabokov's reputation is on an upswing in the rarefied world of lepidopterology. During his lifetime some lepidopterists, perhaps jealous of his literary fame, carped about his lack of formal training." Alexander Osipovich; St. Petersburg Exhibition Shows Nabokov Under (and Behind) a Microscope; The New York Times; Jul 26, 2006. -------- Date: Thu Mar 12 00:10:14 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mathematicaster X-Bonus: I want to realize brotherhood or identity not merely with the beings called human, but I want to realize identity with all life, even with such things as crawl upon earth. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) This week's theme: 15-letter words Check out this week's contest: https://wordsmith.org/words/infundibuliform.html mathematicaster (math-uh-mat-uh-KAS-tuhr) noun A minor or incompetent mathematician. [From Latin mathematicus, from Greek mathematikos, from manthanein (to learn) + -aster (a pejorative suffix).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "I hope [the theorem] will discover more of these empty mathematicasters." Noel Malcolm and Jacqueline Stedall; John Pell and His Correspondence with Sir Charles Cavendish; Oxford University Press; 2005. -------- Date: Fri Mar 13 00:10:20 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dermatoglyphics X-Bonus: Snakes and ladders: the game of organized religions. -Yahia Lababidi, writer (b. 1973) This week's theme: 15-letter words dermatoglyphics (duhr-mat-uh-GLIF-iks, -muh-tuh-) noun 1. The ridge patterns of skin on the inner surface of the hands and feet. 2. The scientific study of these skin patterns. [Coined in 1926 by Dr Harold Cummins (1893-1976) from Greek dermato- (skin) + glyphein (to carve). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gleubh- (to tear apart) that is also the source of cleve, glyph, clever, and clove (garlic). And that's also where we get cleavage, cleft palate, and cloven hooves.] Einstein's dermatoglyphics, with whom AWAD shares a birthday (March 14): https://wordsmith.org/words/images/dermatoglyphics_left_large.jpg https://wordsmith.org/words/images/dermatoglyphics_right_large.jpg [Source: Marianne Raschig; Hand und Persönlichkeit; 1932.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "What makes dermatoglyphics important as markers for disease and traits is the fact that they develop at specific times in the foetus. Fingerprints, for example, begin to form at around the 13th week and are completed around week 18 -- the same time that critical growth in the brain is taking place." Roger Dobson; Scientists Say Palm-reading is True Guide to Intelligence; The Sunday Times (London, UK); Dec 9, 2001. -------- Date: Mon Mar 16 00:10:17 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--quodlibet X-Bonus: Gold in its native state is but dull, unornamental stuff, and only lowborn metals excite the admiration of the ignorant with an ostentatious glitter. However, like the rest of the world, I still go on underrating men of gold and glorifying men of mica. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910) What does a Francophile have in common with a bluestocking or a profligate? Each of these words is made up of letters that are not repeated. The longest word with no letters repeated was last Friday's word: dermatoglyphics. No two persons have the same fingerprints, and dermatoglyphics with distinct letters is an apt word to describe them. Can you think of another equally long word? Hint: You can't copyright the word. It's "uncopyrightable". Are these the longest examples of such words? Well, it's possible to extend them with prefixes or suffixes, but then they enter the domain of showcase words -- words formed just to serve as examples. It's easy to find short examples ("I"), but this week we feature five longer words in which no letter is repeated. Try them in a game of Hangman! quodlibet (KWOD-li-bet) noun 1. A subtle argument, especially on a theological or philosophical issue. 2. A musical medley: a whimsical combination of popular tunes. [From Latin quodlibetum, from Latin quod (what) + libet (it pleases), meaning "whatever pleases". Earlier the term referred to a mock exercise in discussion. Sense 2 arose from its use in German to refer to a gallimaufry of light-hearted musical compositions.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Someone was sending me a signal. If words are unimportant, punctuation is something even more lowly. Why worry about such quodlibets? When was the last time anyone even noticed?" Charles R. Larson; Its Academic, Or Is It?; Newsweek (New York); Nov 6, 1995. "The swirling mist of sound [pianist Joanna MacGregor] made of the end of the penultimate quodlibet was almost shocking." Rian Evans; Joanna MacGregor: St George's, Bristol; The Guardian (London, UK); Feb 5, 2005. -------- Date: Tue Mar 17 00:01:06 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--epistolary X-Bonus: "Faith" is a fine invention / For gentlemen who see -- / But microscopes are prudent / In an emergency. -Emily Dickinson, poet (1830-1886) This week's theme: Words with no repeating letters epistolary (i-PIS-tuh-ler-ee) adjective 1. Of or relating to letters. 2. Composed of letters (as a literary work). [From Latin epistola (letter), from Greek epistole (something sent), from epi- (upon, over, on) + stellein (to send). Ultimately from the Indo-European root stel- (to put or stand) that is also the source of stallion, stilt, install, gestalt, stout, and pedestal.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Case in point: 'Griffin & Sabine', Nick Bantock's epistolary novels told entirely through extravagantly illustrated postcards and letters tucked into envelopes contained in the book." Jennie Yabroff; Love on the Blocks; Newsweek (New York); Mar 2, 2009. -------- Date: Wed Mar 18 00:01:06 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--schwerpunkt X-Bonus: What monstrosities would walk the streets were some people's faces as unfinished as their minds. -Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (1902-1983) This week's theme: Words with no repeating letters schwerpunkt (SHVEHR-pungkt) noun The point of focus; an area of concentrated effort, especially in a military operation. [From German Schwerpunkt (center of gravity, focal point), from schwer (weighty) + Punkt (point).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "In the only arty shot, the Dalai Lama, seen in silhouette, sits at the schwerpunkt of a Mondrian-like composition." Meir Ronnen; Happy Families?; The Jerusalem Post (Israel); June 25, 2004. "But is the pledge to abolish Australian Workplace Agreements a masterstroke or a blunder? That question could be the greatest contest of judgment between Beazley and Prime Minister John Howard. Should it be the schwerpunkt of Labor's attack or will it be an unproductive dilution of forces?" Terry Sweetman; Kim Finds a Sore Point; The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Australia); Jun 16, 2006. -------- Date: Thu Mar 19 00:01:06 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gramineous X-Bonus: The propagandist's purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human. -Aldous Huxley, novelist (1894-1963) This week's theme: Words with no repeating letters gramineous (gruh-MIN-ee-uhs) adjective Of or relating to grass. [From Latin gramineus, from gramen (grass).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Riding in a canoe, the king [Zahir Shah] often fired with his air gun on the sparrows that flew in a flock from gramineous plants, Rauf Liwal added." Wali Ahmad Zai; Kol Hashmat Khan is No More Splendid Land; Afghan News (Kabul, Afghanistan); Jul 12, 2006. -------- Date: Fri Mar 20 00:01:05 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--overslaugh X-Bonus: Faith is believing what you know ain't so. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910) This week's theme: Words with no repeating letters overslaugh (O-vuhr-slaw) verb tr. 1. To pass over someone in favor of another, as in a promotion. 2. To bar or to hinder. [From Dutch overslaan (to pass over, omit), from over + slaan (to strike).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "The disgusted James Grimes told William Fessenden, 'The men of brains are still overslaughed and ignored.'" T. Harry Williams; Lincoln and the Radicals; University of Wisconsin Press; 1960. -------- Date: Mon Mar 23 00:01:05 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--diptych X-Bonus: It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. -J. Krishnamurti, author, speaker, and philosopher (1895-1986) Two for the price of one! It's a come-on commonly used by marketeers. But getting two of something isn't always desirable. Consider diplopia https://wordsmith.org/words/diplopia.html or duplicity (literally, doubleness). All of this week's words have some connection with doubling. And if a whole week of double-mania proves too much, keep this term handy -- it's guaranteed to purge all the doubling: hemidemisemiquaver https://wordsmith.org/words/hemidemisemiquaver.html It manages to fit three halvings into one word. diptych (DIP-tik) noun A work of art on two hinged panels, such as a painting or carving. [From Latin diptycha, from Greek diptycha, from di- (two) + ptyche (fold).] A diptych: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/diptych_large.jpg (Artist: Christina Goodman http://www.christinagoodman.com ) Then there is triptych, the word for a set of three hinged panels. http://www.christinagoodman.com/purchase5.html The words are sometimes extended to refer to movies, books, etc., for what usually would be called a trilogy or dilogy/duology. -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "It's an installation in which participants interact with a diptych of two real-time images of themselves." Tom Shields; Electronic Madness; Sunday Herald (Glasgow, Scotland); Jun 28, 2008. -------- Date: Tue Mar 24 00:01:05 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--snake eyes X-Bonus: I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity. -Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. general and 34th president (1890-1969) This week's theme: Double trouble snake eyes (snayk aaiz) noun A throw of two ones with a pair of dice. Since this is the lowest possible score, by extension the term is also used to refer to bad luck. [Either from the apparent resemblance of such a throw to a snake's eyes, or from the association of snakes with treachery. The origin of the word craps, where this term is often used, is also derived from an animal: crab. A synonym of today's term is ambsace https://wordsmith.org/words/ambsace.html ] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Detroit's bet on big trucks and sport-utility vehicles has turned snake eyes." David Kiley; Michigan: Epicenter of Unemployment; BusinessWeek (New York); Jun 24, 2008. -------- Date: Wed Mar 25 00:01:05 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--portmanteau X-Bonus: There are two ways of being happy: We may either diminish our wants or augment our means - either will do - the result in the same; and it is for each man to decide for himself, and do that which happens to be the easiest. If you are idle or sick or poor, however hard it may be to diminish your wants, it will be harder to augment your means. If you are active and prosperous or young and in good health, it may be easier for you to augment your means than to diminish your wants. But if you are wise, you will do both at the same time, young or old, rich or poor, sick or well; and if you are very wise you will do both in such a way as to augment the general happiness of society. -Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author, and inventor (1706-1790) This week's theme: Double trouble portmanteau (port-MAN-to, -TOH, PORT-) noun, plural portmanteaus, portmanteaux 1. A word coined by blending two or more words. 2. A case opening in two parts, used for carrying clothes while traveling. [From French portemanteau, from porter (to carry) + manteau (coat, mantle).] Originally a portmanteau was a court official who carried the robes of a king. Since a portmanteau had two hinged compartments, Lewis Carroll used the word to describe a blended word in his book "Through the Looking-Glass" (1871). While explaining the poem Jabberwocky, Humpty Dumpty tells Alice: "Well, 'slithy' means 'lithe and slimy'. 'Lithe' is the same as 'active'. You see it's like a portmanteau -- there are two meanings packed up into one word." Some everyday portmanteaux are brunch (breakfast + lunch), smog (smoke + fog), and motel (motor + hotel). Some more examples are adultescent https://wordsmith.org/words/adultescent.html bumbershoot https://wordsmith.org/words/bumbershoot.html mingy https://wordsmith.org/words/mingy.html Alice and Humpty Dumpty: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/portmanteau_large.jpg [Artist: John Tenniel] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Montreal's annual Fantasia Film Festival has come a long way since its beginnings in 1996. A portmanteau of 'fantasy' and 'Asia', the festival's name once reflected the programmers' focus." Al Kratina; Fantasia's Past is Present on DVD; Montreal Gazette (Canada); Jul 4, 2008. -------- Date: Thu Mar 26 00:01:05 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--zwieback X-Bonus: I once met a man who had forgiven an injury. I hope some day to meet the man who has forgiven an insult. -Charles Buxton, brewer, philanthropist, writer and politician (1823-1871) This week's theme: Double trouble zwieback (ZWY-bak, ZWEE-, SWY- SWEE-) noun A crispy, sweetened bread made by slicing a loaf and baking it a second time. Also known as a rusk. [From German Zwieback (twice baked), from zwie (twice), a variant of zwei + backen (to bake). The word biscuit has a similar origin. It was twice-baked (or used to be), from Latin bis (twice) + coquere (to cook). The name of the color bisque owes its origin to a biscuit.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "[Hilda] Schmidt said she did all the family baking, making a variety of tasty treats, including white French bread, wheat bread, zwieback, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, coffee cakes, other cakes, and hamburger buns." Wendy Nugent; Newton Woman Saves Baking Labels For 40 Years; Associated Press; Feb 21, 2008. -------- Date: Fri Mar 27 00:19:05 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dicephalous X-Bonus: Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) This week's theme: Double trouble dicephalous (dai-SEF-uh-luhs) adjective Having two heads. [From Greek dikephalos (two-headed), from di- (two) + kephale head. Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghebh-el- (head) that is also the root of the word gable. A synonym of today's word, bicephalous, also has all distinct letters.] One body, two souls: Learn about the conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/dicephalous.jpg Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_and_Brittany_Hensel Documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkKWApOAG2g -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "A woman pregnant with Siamese twins with two heads and one body has spoken of her decision to keep them. Miss Chamberlain and Mr Pedace, 32, a Roman Catholic, hope their babies will follow the example of 18-year-old American dicephalous twins Abigail and Brittany Hensel, who share a body but lead a full life." Ellen Widdup; Woman is Expecting Twins With One Body; The Evening Standard (London, UK); Jan 12, 2009. -------- Date: Mon Mar 30 00:01:05 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--diaphanous X-Bonus: We are all of us more or less echoes, repeating involuntarily the virtues, the defects, the movements, and the characters of those among whom we live. -Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824) An odd lot. That's what this week's five words are. They don't fit in a theme, but they're useful anyway, as we pick one word at a time when writing or speaking. And while all words are usable, these five words may, in fact, be more usable than others. So give them a spin. Let them take you where they will, in this random walk through the dictionary. diaphanous (dy-AF-uh-nuhs) adjective 1. Transparent, light, or delicate. 2. Vague or hazy. [From Latin diaphanus (transparent), from Greek diaphanes, from diaphainein (to show through), from dia- (across) + phainein (to show). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bha- (to shine) that is also the source of beacon, banner, phantom, photo, phosphorus, phenomenon, fantasy, and epiphany.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "In its main sale of the week, the house will offer five watercolors by Turner spanning his career, including the late picture 'The Brunig Pass from Meiringen, Switzerland', a whirlwind of diaphanous color and light." Above and Beyond; The New Yorker; Feb 2, 2009. -------- Date: Tue Mar 31 00:01:05 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lucubrate X-Bonus: They are happy men whose natures sort with their vocations. -Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626) This week's theme: A random walk through the dictionary lucubrate (LOO-kyoo-brayt) verb intr. To work (such as study, write, discourse) laboriously or learnedly. [Here's a word that literally encapsulates the idiom "to burn the midnight oil". It's derived from Latin lucubrare (to work by lamplight), from lucere (to shine). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leuk- (light) that's resulted in other words such as lunar, lunatic, light, lightning, lucid, illuminate, illustrate, translucent, lux, and lynx.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "So MPs have voted to lucubrate less. To lucubrate fewer? To sit for fewer midnight hours. To work less antisocial hours. To have less/fewer late nights." Philip Howard; Less is More Prevalent http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/article820049.ece ; The Times (London, UK); Nov 1, 2002.