Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Jul 2 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--deuteragonist X-Bonus: The best work is done with the heart breaking, or overflowing. -Mignon McLaughlin, journalist and author (1913-1983) "All the world's a stage, / And the men and women merely players: / They have their exits and their entrances; / And one man in his time plays many parts." So wrote our friend Bill Shakespeare some 400 years ago in one of his most profound observations on the human condition. Yet, we often treat this life as if we really are the people we're playing. Imagine how few troubles we might have if we remember it's only a role we are playing. All we need do is play it as best we can and then gracefully exit the stage. This week AWAD features words from the world of theater. deuteragonist (doo-tuh-RAG-uh-nist, dyoo-) noun The second most important part in a play. [From Greek deutero- (second) + agonistes (contestant, actor).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Jennifer Paterson cut such an extraordinary figure that it was easy to overlook the fact that she was, for most of her life, a deuteragonist rather than a main player." Jonathan Meades; Before She Was Fat; The Times (London, UK); Sep 2, 2000. -------- Date: Tue Jul 3 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ingenue X-Bonus: We love flattery, even though we are not deceived by it, because it shows that we are of importance enough to be courted. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) This week's theme: words from theater. ingenue (AN-zhuh-noo, -nyoo) noun 1. The role of an artless, innocent girl. 2. An actress who plays such a role. [From French ingénue (guileless), from Latin ingenuus (free-born).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Ida Lupino shed her ingenue image by gunning for hard-edged roles." Carrie Rickey; First Heyday of Gay; The Philadelphia Inquirer; Jun 7, 2007. -------- Date: Wed Jul 4 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--breeches part X-Bonus: All religions are the same: religion is basically guilt, with different holidays. -Cathy Ladman, comedian, writer, actress (1955- ) This week's theme: words from theater. breeches part (BRICH-iz part) noun A male part played by an actress. [After breeches (knee-length trousers worn by men in the past), from breech (the lower part of the body).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Mary Robinson supported her family by going on the stage, aged 14. She must have been gorgeous, especially with her legs on show in the breeches parts so common in Shakespeare." Edwina Currie; Tart history; New Statesman (London, UK); Nov 15, 2004. -------- Date: Thu Jul 5 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fourth wall X-Bonus: Which of us is not forever a stranger and alone? -Thomas Wolfe, novelist (1900-1938) This week's theme: words from theater. fourth wall (forth wol) noun The imaginary wall between the stage and the audience. [From the idea of a stage as a box open on one side through which the audience sees the action. The term is also used as a metaphor for the boundary between fiction and reality.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "The comedy breaks the fourth wall to include audience members in a school spelling bee populated by odd characters." Clintons Attend Broadway's 'Spelling Bee' and Get Laughs; AP (New York); Jun 1, 2007. -------- Date: Fri Jul 6 00:01:06 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--greenroom X-Bonus: Propaganda is a soft weapon; hold it in your hands too long, and it will move about like a snake, and strike the other way. -Jean Anouilh, playwright (1910-1987) This week's theme: words from theater. greenroom or green room (GREEN-room) noun A room in a studio or theater for performers to relax in before or after their appearances. [There are various unproven theories about the origin of the term. The most popular one, though unconfirmed, is that the area was painted green as a respite from the bright stage lighting.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Actress Alicia Silverstone, who was also in the greenroom, was not happy that her segment was next." Bryan Alexander and Mark Dagostino; The View Blowout: Behind the Scenes; People (New York); May 30, 2007. -------- Date: Mon Jul 9 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--detente X-Bonus: Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life. -Jesse Lee Bennett If you've ever wondered whether a diplomat had anything to do with a diploma, the answer is yes. The word diplomacy comes from diploma (from Greek diplo- double), which is, literally speaking, a document folded in double, those documents being the letters of international relations. And that's how a diplomat is related to diplodocus, the dinosaur. The name of those herbivorous giants of the Jurassic era literally means two beams: a long neck and a long tail (Greek dokos: beam). That's the joy of words. Begin with an ordinary word and you don't know where it might lead you to and what connections it might show. This week we feature words related to diplomacy. Enhance your savoir-faire in any diplomatic circle with these words from the world of international relations, treaties, and agreements. detente (day-TANT) noun An easing of tension between rivals. [From French détente (loosening, relaxation). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ten- (to stretch) that's also the source of tense, tendon, tenor, pretend, extend, tenure, tetanus, and hypotenuse.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Threats won't ease anyone's fears. Perhaps it's time to give detente a chance." Mr. Lieberman's Rash Rhetoric; The Hartford Courant (Connecticut); Jun 13, 2007. -------- Date: Tue Jul 10 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--plenipotentiary X-Bonus: The man who thinks he can do without the world is indeed mistaken; but the man who thinks the world cannot do without him is mistaken even more. -Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld, writer (1613-1680) This week's theme: words about diplomacy. plenipotentiary (plen-uh-puh-TEN-shee-er-ee, -shuh-ree) noun A person, such as a diplomatic agent, fully authorized to represent a government. adjective Invested with full power. [From Latin plenipotentiarius, from plenum (full) + potent (powerful).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "On Wednesday, Blair officially resigned as Britain's prime minister and immediately took on the role of senior plenipotentiary for the so-called Middle East Quartet -- the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia." Matthew Fisher; Blair Named Mideast Envoy; Windsor Star (Canada); Jun 28, 2007. -------- Date: Wed Jul 11 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--extraterritoriality X-Bonus: In death the many become one; in life the one becomes many. -Rabindranath Tagore, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator, composer, Nobel laureate (1861-1941) This week's theme: words about diplomacy. extraterritoriality (ek-struh-ter-i-tor-ee-AL-i-tee) noun Exemption from the jurisdiction of local law, granted to foreign diplomats. [From Latin extra- (outside) + territorium (land around a town), from terra (land).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Henry McMaster also said he plans to argue that the extraterritoriality principle bars one state from passing laws that would affect people in other states." Monica Chen; State Attorney General Addresses York County Day; The Herald (Rock Hill, South Carolina); Mar 28, 2007. -------- Date: Thu Jul 12 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--demarche X-Bonus: It is difficult to begin without borrowing, but perhaps it is the most generous course thus to permit your fellow-men to have an interest in your enterprise. -Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862) This week's theme: words about diplomacy. demarche (day-MARSH) noun A course of action, especially a diplomatic petition or protest. [From French démarche (gait). Ultimately from the Indo-European root merg- (border) that's also the source of marquee, margin, march, mark, and remark.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Beijing sent Canberra a formal diplomatic protest in May -- not about the Dalai Lama but over a perception that Australia, the US, Japan and India are cobbling together a security alliance to contain China. The Chinese demarche is an acute example of the type of problem Australian policymakers will continue to face." Great and Powerful -- But is China Our Friend? The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Jun 18, 2007. -------- Date: Fri Jul 13 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--identic X-Bonus: Wit is educated insolence. -Aristotle, philosopher (384-322 BCE) This week's theme: words about diplomacy. identic (eye-DEN-tik) adjective 1. Relating to a diplomatic action in which two or more governments agree to follow the same course in relations with another government. 2. Identical. [From Latin identicus (identical).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "The Ottoman response of the same day ... led the ambassadors to forward an identic note pressuring the Ottoman government." M. Sukru Hanioglu; Preparation for a Revolution; Oxford University Press; 2001. -------- Date: Mon Jul 16 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--aposematic X-Bonus: I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him. -Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) Guest Wordsmith Judge Bruce M. Selya (honorable_bruce_selya ca1.uscourts.gov) writes: My love of language can be traced directly to the Providence public schools and, particularly, to Classical High School -- where four years of study in Latin was compulsory and some study of Greek was encouraged. I became fascinated with the origin and evolution of words, and the flames of my interest were fanned during my years at Harvard. When I was fortunate enough to receive an appointment to the federal bench, I saw an opportunity to attempt to change the drabness of the prose in which judicial opinions historically have been couched. "Legal language" tends to be both stiff and prosaic, not to mention dense. Thus, if court opinions can be thought of as word pictures, many opinions over the years can be characterized as word pictures painted in various shades of gray. I thought then -- and still believe -- that interesting language and sound jurisprudence are not mutually exclusive. My opinions, therefore, tend to be word pictures painted in less somber colors -- sometimes even pastels or an occasional touch of puce. My love of language and my approach to judicial opinion writing is controversial in some circles. Judges, by nature and by training, rarely tend to be free spirits, and I have encountered from time to time an undercurrent of anti-lexiphanicism. But like Job, I persevere. Language is the lifeblood of our culture, and it would be a shame not to use it to its fullest. (This week's Guest Wordsmith, Bruce M. Selya, is a senior federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Anu Garg is traveling.) aposematic (ap-uh-suh-MAT-ik) adjective Serving as a warning or alarm. [From Greek apo- (away, off) + sematic (serving as a sign of danger), from sema (sign). The term is especially used in case of insects, referring to features such as bright colors or markings to warn a predator that they may be poisonous.] "Winslow departed port in utter disregard of an aposematic forecast, and then stayed overlong in worsening seas before turning back." Excerpt from opinion of the court (Selya, J.) in DiMillo v. Sheepscot Pilots, Inc. 1989. -------- Date: Tue Jul 17 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pleochroic X-Bonus: Conceal a flaw, and the world will imagine the worst. -Martial (Marcus Valerius Martialis) This week's theme: Words from the writing of Judge Bruce M. Selya. pleochroic (plee-uh-KRO-ik) adjective Showing different colors when viewed from different directions. [From Greek pleo- (more) + -chroic (having a color).] "The plaintiffs cloaked this theory in pleochroic raiment; their multitudinous statements of claim included counts for declaratory judgment, rescission, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, breach of a covenant of good faith and fair dealing, breach of fiduciary duty, and civil conspiracy." Excerpt from opinion of the court (Selya, J.) in Buck v. American Airlines, Inc., 2007. -------- Date: Wed Jul 18 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pastiche X-Bonus: Appeal, v.t. In law, to put the dice into the box for another throw. -Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary (1906) This week's theme: Words from the writing of Judge Bruce M. Selya. pastiche (pa-STEESH) noun 1. An artistic piece, for example a literary, musical, or dramatic work, that imitates works of other artists. 2. A hodgepodge of incongruous parts taken from various sources. [From French, from Italian pasticcio (pastiche), from Vulgar Latin pasticium (pasty), from Late Latin pasta (dough).] "The majority's reading ... unduly emphasizes the concurring opinion by two justices, and it engrafts onto the plurality and concurring opinions selected statements from the dissent. Then, to hold this pastiche together, it overrules ... well-established Massachusetts law." Excerpt from concurring opinion (Selya, J.) in Redgrave v. Boston Symphony Orchestra, Inc., 1988. -------- Date: Thu Jul 19 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--haboob X-Bonus: Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? -T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) This week's theme: Words from the writing of Judge Bruce M. Selya. haboob (huh-BOOB) noun A violent dust storm or sandstorm, especially in Sudan. [From Arabic habub (strong wind).] "What appellant labors to portray as a robust haboob is not even a gentle zephyr. The house, we think, is sturdy enough to withstand the prevailing winds." Excerpt from opinion of the court (Selya, J.) in Aoude v. Mobil Oil Corp. 1988. -------- Date: Fri Jul 20 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--resipiscent X-Bonus: If you want something really important to be done you must not merely satisfy the reason, you must move the heart also. -Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) This week's theme: Words from the writing of Judge Bruce M. Selya. resipiscent (re-si-PIS-uhnt) adjective Having returned to a saner mind. [From Latin resipiscere (to recover one's senses), from re- (again) + sapere (to taste, to know). Ultimately from Indo-European root sep- (to taste or perceive) that is also the source of sage, savant, savvy, savor, sapid, sapient, and insipid.] "I am a recidivist, frequently guilty of overwriting and overciting. But I am at least a resipiscent recidivist. I have come around to the view that, though it may take discipline to cut more quickly to the chase and to doff the security blanket that writers weave from string citations, we, as judges, must dedicate ourselves to the task." Excerpt from Hon. Bruce M. Selya; In Search of Less; Texas Law Review; Volume 74, 1996. -------- Date: Mon Jul 23 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--anecdotage X-Bonus: Nothing produces such odd results as trying to get even. -Franklin P. Jones Guest Wordsmith Fred Shapiro (fred.shapiro yale.edu) writes: My recently published book, The Yale Book of Quotations (Yale University Press), is intended to supplant Bartlett's Familiar Quotations and the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations as the most authoritative quotation dictionary. It is the first major quotation book to emphasize modern sources, including popular culture, children's literature, sports, computers, politics, and law. The Yale Book of Quotations is also the first quotation book of any sort to use state-of-the-art research methods to comprehensively collect famous quotations and to trace quotations to their accurate origins. The Yale Book of Quotations includes hundreds of very famous and popular quotations omitted from other quotation dictionaries, and corrects the standard accounts of how many important quotations originated. (This week's Guest Wordsmith Fred Shapiro is a librarian and lecturer at the Yale Law School. Anu Garg is traveling.) anecdotage (an-ik-DO-tij) noun 1. The telling of anecdotes. 2. Anecdotes collectively. [From Greek anekdota (things unpublished), from an- (not) + ekdidonai (to publish). Originally applied by the Greek historian Procopius to his unpublished memoirs of the Emperor Justinian and his consort Theodora.] 3. Old age characterized by excessive telling of anecdotes. [Humorous blend of anecdote and dotage, from dote (to be foolish).] "When a man fell into his anecdotage it was a sign for him to retire." Benjamin Disraeli; Lothair; 1870; quoted in The Yale Book of Quotations. -------- Date: Tue Jul 24 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--circumambulate X-Bonus: Along this tree / From root to crown / Ideas flow up / And vetoes down. -A senior executive, quoted by Peter Drucker This week's theme: unusual words used in famous quotations. circumambulate (sur-kuhm-AM-byuh-layt) verb tr., intr. To walk around, especially ritually. [From Latin circum- (around) + ambulate (to walk about), from ambulare (to walk).] "And even the Abstract Entities Circumambulate her charm." T.S. Eliot; Whispers of Immortality; 1919; quoted in The Yale Book of Quotations. -------- Date: Wed Jul 25 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dictatress X-Bonus: The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist." -Maria Montessori, educator (1870-1952) This week's theme: unusual words used in famous quotations. dictatress (dik-TAY-tres) noun A female dictator. [From Latin dictator, from dictare (to dictate), frequentative of dicere (to say). Ultimately from the Indo-European root deik- (to show, to pronounce solemnly) that is also the source of other words such as judge, verdict, vendetta, revenge, indicate, dictate, and paradigm.] "America ... might become dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit." John Quincy Adams; Address; Jul 4, 1821; quoted in The Yale Book of Quotations. -------- Date: Thu Jul 26 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gladsome X-Bonus: If I can stop one Heart from breaking / I shall not live in vain / If I can ease one Life the Aching / Or cool one Pain / Or help one fainting Robin / Unto his Nest again / I shall not live in Vain. -Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) This week's theme: unusual words used in famous quotations. gladsome (GLAD-suhm) adjective Causing or showing joy. [From Old English gloed. Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghel- (to shine) that is also the source of words such as yellow, gold, glimmer, glimpse, glass, arsenic, melancholy, and cholera.] "The gladsome light of Jurisprudence." Edward Coke; The First Part of the Institutes of the Laws of England; 1628; quoted in The Yale Book of Quotations. -------- Date: Fri Jul 27 00:01:04 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--supramundane X-Bonus: Science is built with facts as a house is with stones--but a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house. -Jules Henri Poincare (1854-1912) This week's theme: unusual words used in famous quotations. supramundane (soo-pruh-MUN-dayn) adjective Above or beyond this world. [From Latin supra- (above) + mundus (world).] "At first it was a giant column that soon took the shape of a supramundane mushroom." William L. Laurence; Drama of the Atomic Bomb Found Climax in July 16 Test; The New York Times; Sep 26, 1945; quoted in The Yale Book of Quotations. -------- Date: Mon Jul 30 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--diplopia X-Bonus: Those who are incapable of committing great crimes do not readily suspect them in others. -Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) What do you call a town full of twins? DupliCity! And what do you ask twin witches? "Which witch is which?" Well, there'll be no witches in an Ohio town named Twinsburg next week, but if you happen to be there, you'll think you're suffering from an acute case of diplopia. Every August, thousands of twins -- from infants to octogenarians -- converge there to celebrate Twins Days Festival http://www.twinsdays.org. To mark the occasion, this week we'll feature words with double connections. diplopia (di-PLO-pee-uh) noun Double vision. [From Greek diplo- (double) + -opia (vision).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Life was a blur. Or so he thought. The thing Was, he'd been diagnosed with a small-time Astigmatism. Why think otherwise? But when the doctor told him, 'Read the chart,' And he replied, 'Which one?' even the smart, Young nurse said, 'Uh oh.'" Greg Williamson; Binocular Diplopia; The Kenyon Review (Gambier, Ohio); Winter 2001. -------- Date: Tue Jul 31 00:01:05 EDT 2007 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--didymous X-Bonus: God gives every bird his worm, but he does not throw it into the nest. -Swedish proverb This week's theme: words with double connections. didymous (DID-uh-muhs) adjective Occurring in pairs; twin. [From Greek didymos (twin). Ultimately from the Indo-European root dwo- (two) that also gave us dual, double, dubious, doubt, diploma, twin, and between.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Shakespeare portrays the didymous functionaries as if they were a unit comprised of two parts." Peter Usher; Hamlet's Universe; Aventine Press; 2006.