A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Tue Aug 1 00:06:08 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--luculent X-Bonus: Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944) luculent (LOO-kyoo-luhnt) adjective Easily understood; clear or lucid. [Middle English, shiny, from Latin luculentus, from lux, luc-, light.] "... prose that manages to be leaden and luculent at the same time ...." Profumo, David, An Amiable Insanity, The Spectator, Nov 20, 1999. (This week you discover the themes of the words. Each word belongs to one of the previous themes listed in https://wordsmith.org/awad/themes.html ) -------- Date: Wed Aug 2 00:06:07 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--endogenous X-Bonus: As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own. -Margaret Mead, anthropologist (1901-1978) endogenous (en-DOJ-e-nuhs) adjective 1. Produced or growing from within. 2. Originating or produced within an organism, a tissue, or a cell. [Endo- inside + -genous producing.] "This (Air Force Institute of Technology) thesis simultaneously attacks the questions of endogenous effort, retirement, and promotions." Endogenous Effort, Promotion, Retirement, and Heterogeneous Ability in a Labor Hierarchy, Innovator's Digest, Jul 1999. (This week you discover the themes of the words. Each word belongs to one of the previous themes listed in https://wordsmith.org/awad/themes.html ) -------- Date: Thu Aug 3 00:06:10 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Don Juanism X-Bonus: Life's greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved. -Victor Hugo, poet, novelist, and dramatist (1802-1885) Don Juanism (don WA-niz-em) noun A syndrome, occurring in males, of excessive preoccupation with sexual gratification or conquest and leading to persistently transient and sometimes exploitative relationships. Also called satyriasis. [After Don Juan, legendary 14th-century Spanish nobleman and libertine.] "Though he dutifully chronicles Eastwood's prodigious but variable cinematic output, McGilligan's main concern is the Don Juanism that grew to dominate his personal life. We learn that he fathered at least seven children by five women - four out of wedlock." Emma Hagestadt and Christopher Hirst, Book Review, The Independent - London May 20, 2000. (This week you discover the themes of the words. Each word belongs to one of the previous themes listed in https://wordsmith.org/awad/themes.html ) -------- Date: Fri Aug 4 00:06:08 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--atticism X-Bonus: Because no battle is ever won he said. They are not even fought. The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools. -William Faulkner, novelist (1897-1962) [The Sound and the Fury, 1929] atticism (AT-i-siz-em) noun 1. A characteristic feature of Attic Greek. 2. An expression characterized by conciseness and elegance [After Attica, an ancient region of east-central Greece around Athens.] "The syntactical simplicity of atticism characterizes the prose of Waugh's early novels." Robert Frick, Style and structure in the early novels of Evelyn Waugh, Papers on Language & Literature, Fall 92. (This week you discover the themes of the words. Each word belongs to one of the previous themes listed in https://wordsmith.org/awad/themes.html ) -------- Date: Sat Aug 5 00:06:07 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fantabulous X-Bonus: Hope: Desire and expectation rolled into one. -Ambrose Bierce, writer (1842-1914) [The Devil's Dictionary, 1906] fantabulous (fan-TAB-yuh-luhs) adjective Slang. Marvelously excellent. [Blend of fantastic and fabulous.] "At last week's Polo for the Pops benefit in Fort Worth, your humble scribe here played opposite developer Ed Bass in a polo match at the Upchurch family's fantabulous Brushy Creek Polo Ranch." Alan Peppard, It's a Wynne - Wynne - Wynne situation, The Dallas Morning News, Jun 9, 1996. (This week you discover the themes of the words. Each word belongs to one of the previous themes listed in https://wordsmith.org/awad/themes.html ) -------- Date: Sun Aug 6 00:06:09 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--aerious X-Bonus: Liberty is the possibility of doubting, the possibility of making a mistake, the possibility of searching and experimenting, the possibility of saying No to any authority - literary, artistic, philosophic, religious, social, and even political. -Ignazio Silone, author (1900-1978) aerious also aereous (AY-ree-uhs) adjective Of the nature of air, airy. [From Latin aereus or aerius, adjectival form of aer, air, + -ous.] "Aerious science aside, the accompanying signs are often tongue-in-cheek." Seila Hotchkin, Delaware arts center has funny, scary fossils Exhibit, The Des Moines Register, May 14, 2000. (This week you discover the themes of the words. Each word belongs to one of the previous themes listed in https://wordsmith.org/awad/themes.html ) -------- Date: Mon Aug 7 00:06:12 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--longueur X-Bonus: The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men. -Martin Luther King, Jr., civil-rights leader (1929-1968) longueur (long-GUR) noun A tedious passage in a work of literature or performing art. [French, from Old French longor, a protracted discussion, from, long, from Latin longus.] "The book is too long: twice the length of predecessors. There are longueurs, notably the culminating explications when the whole course of events is decoded. The denouements have been ponderous in earlier books, but this one had me struggling." Penelope Lively, Thursday Book: Harry's in robust form, although I'm left bug-eyed, The Independent - London, Jul 13, 2000. I assumed it would be a humorous book but was I wrong. I'm talking about "How to Manage Your Mother," a very serious, $24 book released a few months ago. Perhaps it is a commentary on our time that that we need a 200 page tome to find out how to `manage' our moms. I'm sure the authors are furiously busy penning the sequel "How to Deal With Your Dad" and the subsequent, "How to Grapple With Your Grandparents". It is a large reflection on the state of our affairs when we need to consult books in the style of "How to Manage Your Money" for our parents. It seems there is a how-to book for everything under the sun, and all the ills in our world could be cured if only we spend time with another such book. Until there comes along a book entitled "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Seven Habits on How to Improve Your Word Power in 24 Hours and Influence Others for Dummies," you will just have to do with A.Word.A.Day. This week it's words about books and writing. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Aug 8 00:06:09 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--locus classicus X-Bonus: There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. -Mary Little locus classicus (LO-kus KLAS-i-kus) noun plural loci classici (lo-KI KLAS-i-si, -ki) A passage from a classic or standard work that is cited as an illustration or instance. [New Latin : Latin locus, place + Latin classicus, belonging to the highest class.] "Two thousand years ago, the Roman poet Horace gave the argument to mice, at the end of one of his Satires. A mouse from the city visits a mouse in the country and insists that life is too short to be spent in rustic deprivation. The city awaits, with its endless easy pleasures. The country mouse is persuaded and leaves home with his friend. The two crawl under the city wall - pass a decisive boundary between the old condition and the new - and enter a great house, where they nibble like kings on the remains of a fancy meal. It's all as promised, until barking dogs interrupt the dinner and scare the mice off their seats and out of their wits. `Who needs this?' cries the country mouse, in flight back to the fields. "The Horatian fable is a locus classicus for the debate, which was already old at the time." James M. Morris, Out of bounds (city vs. country life), The Wilson Quarterly, Spring 1998. This week's theme: words about books and writing. -------- Date: Wed Aug 9 00:26:09 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--opisthograph X-Bonus: There is no such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts. -George Matthew Adams opisthograph (o-PIS-thuh-graf) noun A manuscript, parchment, or book having writing on both sides of the leaves. [Latin opisthographus, from Greek opisthographos: opistho-, back + -graph, writing.] "Let's get out of this with opisthograph, which refers to a manuscript or book having writing on both sides of the leaves. That said, I just know you'll handle anopisthograph flawlessly." Alden Wood, Random House Not Only Pushes the Envelope, but Marks It Express Mail, Communication World, Aug 1999. This week's theme: words about books and writing. -------- Date: Thu Aug 10 00:26:12 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--prosateur X-Bonus: Calamity, n. A more than commonly plain and unmistakable reminder that the affairs of this life are not of our own ordering. Calamities are of two kinds: misfortune to ourselves, and good fortune to others. -Ambrose Bierce, writer (1842-1914), [The Devil's Dictionary, 1906] prosateur (pro-zuh-TUR) noun A person who writes prose, especially as a livelihood. [French, from Italian prosatore.] "He [Bertolt Brecht] was also one of the finest modern storytellers and overall prosateurs, and perhaps not merely in German letters." Reinhold Grimm, Grosse kommentierte Berliner und Frankfurter Ausgabe (book reviews), World Literature Today, Spring 1996. This week's theme: words about books and writing. -------- Date: Fri Aug 11 00:26:10 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--interleaf X-Bonus: Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth's surface relative to other matter; second, telling other people to do so. The first is unpleasant and ill-paid; the second is pleasant and highly paid. -Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, and author (1872-1970) interleaf (IN-ter-leef) noun A blank leaf inserted between the regular pages of a book. [Inter- + leaf.] "In the note to this page Darlington says, 'The lines at the top of the page are drafts toward the version on 152/153iv (i.e., the verso of the interleaf between page 152 and 153)." Tomoya Oda, The identity of four fragmentary lines, Notes and Queries, Sep 1997. This week's theme: words about books and writing. -------- Date: Sat Aug 12 00:26:09 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pandect X-Bonus: The difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, certainly is one of degree and not of kind. -Charles Darwin, naturalist and author (1809-1882) [The Descent of Man] pandect (PAN-dekt) noun 1. A comprehensive digest or complete treatise. 2. pandects. A complete body of laws; a legal code. 3. Pandects. A digest of Roman civil law, compiled for the emperor Justinian in the sixth century A.D. and part of the Corpus Juris Civilis. In this sense, also called Digest. [Latin pandectes, encyclopedia, from Greek pandektes, all-receiving : pan-, + dektes, receiver (from dekhesthai, to receive, accept).] "These phenomena were memorialized in the novels of Zola, themselves accumulations between covers of a vast aggregation of sedulously recorded trivia. Flaubert had his contemporaries' number, however. Looking askance at this pretence to pandects, the empirical mastering of all knowledge on a given topic and the boiling it down to easily swallowed doses, he reduced it to absurdity in his savant idiots Bouvard and Pecuchet." Laurence Senelick, Double Vision: Second Empire Theatre in Stereographs, Theatre Research International, Spring 1999. This week's theme: words about books and writing. -------- Date: Sun Aug 13 00:26:09 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--variorum X-Bonus: Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome. -Isaac Asimov, science-fiction writer (1920-1992) variorum (var-ee-OR-um) noun 1. An edition of the works of an author with notes by various scholars or editors. 2. An edition containing various versions of a text. adjective Of or relating to a variorum edition or text. [From Latin (editio cum notis) variorum, (edition with the notes) of various persons, genitive plural of varius, various.] "Howe asked the question, `Whose Emily Dickinson?' Though others have been asking it ever since, most scholars have continued to cite the Johnson variorum in their own work, and Johnson's 1960 one-volume Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, an edition of his edition, is the accessible paperback most readers know." Attempting the impossible, Women's Review of Books, Jan 1999. This week's theme: words about books and writing. -------- Date: Mon Aug 14 00:06:08 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dol X-Bonus: Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. -Pablo Picasso, painter and sculptor (1881-1973) dol (dol) noun A unit for measuring the intensity of pain. [From Latin dol(or) pain.] "Minutes later it was still a comfortable four dol--what did they do, shut off the steam? Finally I removed my hand and examined my fingers: great blisters on thumb and finger." Richard Kopperdahl, Bettervue hospital, Village Voice, Oct 3, 1995. One doesn't have to know the unit of pain to realize that the unit of joy is not the dollar, or any other currency for that matter. We don't have to look far to discover that some of the richest people on this planet are not the most happy ones. Having lived in two not only geographic but also economically antipodal places, I've met persons who were blissful and those who were miserable, but their conditions were hardly a function of money. Certainly it is good to have the means to pay for basic necessities, but after that it's only a series of zeros in some account. English author Samuel Butler once said, "Words are like money; there is nothing so useless, unless when in actual use." We can't do much about circulating money (which I hope you have plenty of), but we do try our best to put words in actual use. This week it is those words that make one say, "I didn't know there was a word for that." -Anu -------- Date: Tue Aug 15 00:06:12 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mora X-Bonus: To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer. -Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) mora (MOR-uh) noun The unit of time equivalent to the ordinary or normal short sound or syllable. [Latin, delay, hence, space of time.] "I was only able to identify a small number of cases where the number of mora on each section of the proverb is identical." Tae-Sang Jang, A Poetic Structure in Hausa Proverbs Relevancy, Research in African Literatures, Apr 15, 1999. This week's theme: words that make one say, I didn't know there was a word for that. -------- Date: Wed Aug 16 00:06:09 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--thalweg X-Bonus: I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something. -Jackie Mason (1931-) thalweg (TAHL-veg, -vek) noun 1. A line, as drawn on a map, connecting the lowest points of a valley. 2. The middle of the main navigable channel of a waterway that serves as a boundary line between states. [From German, equivalent to Thal, now obsolete spelling of tal, valley + weg, way.] "Five others and I have been detailed to Los Trancos Creek, a major tributary of the San Francisquito, to prepare a Thalweg profile." Edwin Kiester, Jr., A creek defies the odds, Smithsonian, Dec 1997. This week's theme: words that make one say, I didn't know there was a word for that. -------- Date: Thu Aug 17 00:06:08 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ylem X-Bonus: In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice; In practice, there is. -Chuck Reid ylem (I-lum) noun A form of matter hypothesized by proponents of the big bang theory to have existed before the formation of the chemical elements. [Middle English, universal matter, from Old French ilem, from Medieval Latin hylem, accusative of hyle, matter, from Greek hule.] "Alpher and Gamow focused on the point when the universe had cooled to a state consisting of radiation and matter, ylem, Greek for the primordial stuff of life." Joseph D'Agnese, The last Big Bang man left standing, Discover, Jul 1999. This week's theme: words that make one say, I didn't know there was a word for that. -------- Date: Fri Aug 18 00:06:09 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--murdrum X-Bonus: Nowadays, people can be divided into three classes - the Haves, the Have-Nots, and the Have-Not-Paid-for-What-They-Haves. -Earl Wilson, newspaper columnist (1907-1987) murdrum (MUR-drum) noun 1. The killing of a human being in a secret manner. 2. The fine payable to the king by the hundred where such a killing occurred, unless the killer was produced or the victim proved to be a Saxon. [From Medieval Latin, from Old French, murdre, murder.] "[F]or the unsolved murders of Frenchmen, they inflicted a particularly punitive version of the long-lasting murdrum fine ..." Saint George for England. Rebecca Colman, Saint George for England, Contemporary Review, Apr 1997. Did you notice that today's word is a palindrome? Two other palindromic words have made the AWAD list so far: minim and Nauruan. -Anu This week's theme: words that make one say, I didn't know there was a word for that. -------- Date: Sat Aug 19 00:06:09 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--panopticon X-Bonus: Avarice, envy, pride, / Three fatal sparks, have set the hearts of all / On Fire. -Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) [The Divine Comedy] panopticon (pan-OP-ti-kon) noun A building, as a prison, hospital, library, or the like, so arranged that all parts of the interior are visible from a single point. [Pan- + Greek optikon sight, seeing (neuter of optikos).] "We know that they know they are being watched by a contemporary writer; but inside this careful panopticon they live and breathe fully as free fictional characters." James Wood, The Palpable Past-Intimate, New Republic, Mar 27, 2000. This week's theme: words that make one say, I didn't know there was a word for that. -------- Date: Sun Aug 20 00:06:13 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--scurf X-Bonus: Today the real test of power is not capacity to make war but capacity to prevent it. -Anne O'Hare McCormick scurf (skurf) noun 1. Scaly or shredded dry skin, such as dandruff. 2. A loose, scaly crust coating a surface, especially of a plant. [Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin.] "One moment the sky was full of words, the next flakes of blue were falling upon the earth like scurf from the unwashed heads of angels." Jeremy Sharp, Necessary Angel: On the Nature and History of Anne Szumigalski, Essays on Canadian Writing, Fall 1998. This week's theme: words that make one say, I didn't know there was a word for that. -------- Date: Mon Aug 21 00:06:08 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--risorgimento X-Bonus: It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910) Risorgimento (ri-sor-juh-MEN-toh, ree-zor-jee-) noun 1. The period of or the movement for the liberation and unification of Italy (1750-1870). 2. risorgimento. Any period or instance of rebirth or renewed activity; resurgence. [Italian, from risorgere, to rise again, from Latin resurgere.] "Interestingly, Saba believed that his poetry would be understood only when a new Risorgimento took place, that is when `Petrarchan values (which are related to death) ... once again give way to Dantean values (which are those of life).'" John Taylor, Songbook: Selected Poems, Poetry, Jun 1999. Apart from its massively dominant importance in the world of music, where directions for form and expression are customarily written in Italian (concerto, allegro, andante, rubato, etc.) and, more recently, the shallower domains of popular movies, TV and best-selling novels, which have given us a host of Mafia-derived terms, the contribution of the language of Dante to English is far more useful and subtle than many of us may realize. Whether the subject is philosophy, politics, diplomacy, religion, sport, or even chess, we may thank the Italians for having coined the just-right words we lacked in English until they came along to help us out. Like their wonderful food -- there's another word-subject for you -- we have merrily gobbled these words up and incorporated them as our own, as English always does. This week's theme thanks the Italians for helping up express ourselves more colorfully and precisely. Maybe we should put that in italics. -Rudolph Chelminski (rudychelminskiATcompuserve.com) (This week's Guest Wordsmith, Rudy, is an American freelance writer who lives in France. He is the author of many books and regularly contributes to Reader's Digest, Smithsonian, and other publications. -Anu Garg) -------- Date: Tue Aug 22 00:26:20 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--condottiere X-Bonus: The true test of a civilization is, not the census, nor the size of the cities, nor the crops - no, but the kind of man the country turns out. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist (1803-1882) condottiere (kon-duh-TYAR-ee, -ay) noun 1. A leader of a private band of mercenary soldiers in Italy, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries. 2. Any mercenary; soldier of fortune. [From Italian, equivalent to condotto, from Latin conductus hired man, past participle of condicere to conduce + -iere, from Latin -arius -ary.] "Plenty of states are willing to supply condotierre for the Saudis." Y. Sadowski, Revolution, reform, or regression?, Brookings Review, Winter 90/91. This week's theme: words from the Italian language. -------- Date: Wed Aug 23 00:26:09 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--aggiornamento X-Bonus: Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot; others transform a yellow spot into the sun. -Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) aggiornamento (a-jor-nuh-MEN-toh) noun The process of bringing an institution or organization up to date; modernization. [Italian, from aggiornare, to update : a-, to (from Latin ad-) + giorno, day, from Latin diurnus, daily.] "He (Jay Josen) terms journalism a hidebound profession to which he is offering an aggiornamento, to engender a `healthier public climate.'" E.F. Porter, Rosen's civic journalism counter to good journalism, St. Louis Journalism Review, Dec 1999. This week's theme: words from the Italian language. -------- Date: Thu Aug 24 00:26:14 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--omerta X-Bonus: In order to form an immaculate member of a flock of sheep one must, above all, be a sheep. -Albert Einstein (1879-1955) omerta (o-mer-TAH, oh-MER-tuh) noun Secrecy sworn to by oath; code of silence. [Italian.] "Roth wrote that Congress should take further steps to make sure IRS employees aren't held to a mafia-like omerta, code of silence, so they can `share information necessary for appropriate oversight and reform.'" Senator: IRS targeting whistle-blowers, Las Vegas Review - Journal, Mar 23, 1999. This week's theme: words from the Italian language. -------- Date: Fri Aug 25 00:26:17 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fata morgana X-Bonus: A ship ought not to be held by one anchor, nor life by a single hope. -Epictetus, philosopher (c. 60-120) fata morgana (fata mor-GAH-nuh) noun An optical phenomenon that creates the illusion of water, often with inverted reflections of distant objects, and results from distortion of light by alternate layers of hot and cool air. Also called mirage. [Italian, mirage, Morgan le Fay (from the belief that the mirage was caused by her witchcraft) : fata, fairy (from Vulgar Latin fata, goddess of fate) + Morgana, Morgan, probably from Old Irish Morrigain.] "It is too early in Go-Go to have predictable, controllable results, and a bonus based exclusively on a formula of controllable and achievable results is a fata morgana." Ichak Adizes, Surviving the Go-Go Years, The Pursuit of Prime, Jan 1996. This week's theme: words from the Italian language. -------- Date: Sat Aug 26 00:26:10 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fiasco X-Bonus: Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things. -Amelia Earhart, aviator (1897-1937) fiasco (fee-AS-koh) noun A complete failure. [French, from Italian fare fiasco, to make a bottle, fail, from fiasco, bottle (translation of French bouteille, bottle, error, used by the French for linguistic errors committed by Italian actors on the 18th-century French stage), from Late Latin flasco.] "President Obasanjo has, at several fora been accused of having this unexplainable contempt for sports... One of the greatest tragedies this year for close watchers of the intrigues of sports in Nigeria would be for the president, after a possible disgraceful outing in Sydney repeats his statement of the post All Africa Games fiasco. Remember it? He said, blame me, not my minister." Click The Glasses? P.M. News - Nigeria, Jun 2, 2000. This week's theme: words from the Italian language. -------- Date: Sun Aug 27 00:26:09 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--imbroglio X-Bonus: It is criminal to steal a purse, daring to steal a fortune, a mark of greatness to steal a crown. The blame diminishes as the guilt increases. -Johan Christoph Friedrich von Schiller, poet and dramatist (1759-1805) imbroglio (im-BROL-yoh) noun 1. A difficult or intricate situation; an entanglement. A confused or complicated disagreement. 2. A confused heap; a tangle. [Italian, from Old Italian, from imbrogliare, to tangle, confuse : in- + brogliare, to mix, stir, probably from Old French brooiller, brouiller.] "Leasing would have helped Serbs and ethnic Albanians out of the Kosovo imbroglio. Both sides demanded exclusive control over the province, and Western negotiators could convince neither to back down." James Ron and Alexander Cooley, Suppose Israel Leased the Jordan Valley From the Palestinians, International Herald Tribune, Jul 8, 2000. -------- Date: Mon Aug 28 00:26:15 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sophomoric X-Bonus: Hot lead can be almost as effective coming from a linotype as from a firearm. -John O'Hara, journalist (1905-1970) sophomoric (sof-uh-MOR-ik) adjective 1. Of or pertaining to a sophomore or sophomores. 2. Suggestive of or resembling the traditional sophomore; intellectually pretentious, overconfident, conceited, etc., but immature. [Alteration (probably influenced by Greek sophos, wise, and moros, dull), of sophumer, from obsolete sophom, sophism, dialectic exercise variant of sophism.] South Park: Bigger, Longer And Uncut, Cineman Syndicate Jul 6, 1999. "The story is too streamlined and dialogue is alternately sophisticated and sophomoric." With back-to-school season here, it is appropriate to address learning and the learned. While the study of science, math and history and other worldly pursuits is worthwhile, it is also important to remember that what really matters can hardly be taught. I'll part with the words of Kabir, a medieval Indian mystic poet, who never set foot in a classroom. Here is one of his couplets, rendered in my less than poetic translation: The world passes while reading tomes, none any wiser; Truly learned is the one who learns the meaning of love. So welcome back to school with the thought that the true purpose of education is to realize that love counts most. And remember that school never stops at AWAD. This week let's learn words from the world of learning. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Aug 29 00:26:15 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--graduand X-Bonus: It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. -Voltaire (1694-1778) graduand (GRAJ-oo-and) noun A student who is about to graduate or receive a degree. [From Middle Latin graduandus, gerundive of graduare to graduate.] "Speaking at the convocation ceremony of 481 graduands of the college in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Dr Ling said Malaysia's rapid economic growth in the last decade has generated a demand for skilled manpower which has exceeded supply." Knowledge a life-long quest, Business Times Malaysia, Aug 2, 1997. This week's theme: words from the world of learning and the learned. -------- Date: Wed Aug 30 00:26:08 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pedantic X-Bonus: Men seek out retreats for themselves in the country, by the seaside, on the moutains... But all this is unphilosophical to the last degree... when thou canst at a moment's notice retire into thyself. -Marcus Aelius Aurelius pedantic (pe-DAN-tik) adjective Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules. [French pedant, or Italian pedante (French, from Italian), possibly from Vulgar Latin *paedens, -paedent-, present participle of -paedere, to instruct, probably from Greek paiduein, from pais, paid-, child + -ic.] "Mr Updike uses different names for his characters... But the name changes are jarring, and their flavour is pedantic, as if Mr Updike simply wants credit for doing his homework." Witty, wise, then weary, Economist, Feb 19, 2000. This week's theme: words from the world of learning and the learned. -------- Date: Thu Aug 31 00:26:08 EDT 2000 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--didactic X-Bonus: Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up. -Jesse Louis Jackson didactic (dy-DAK-tik) also didactical (-ti-kal) adjective 1. Intended to instruct. 2. Morally instructive. 3. Inclined to teach or moralize excessively. 4. didactics, (used with a singular verb) the art or science of teaching. [Greek didaktikos, skillful in teaching, from didaktos, taught, from didaskein, didak-, to teach, educate.] "Tt might be argued that literature has only very rarely represented character. Even the greatest novelists, such as Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, resort to stock caricature, didactic speaking over characters, repetitive leitmotifs, and so on. The truly unhostaged writer, such as Chekhov, is rare." James Wood, Human, all too inhuman, New Republic, Jul 24, 2000. This week's theme: words from the world of learning and the learned.