A site part of Scripps-Howard spelling bee, with discussion of words with Greek roots
Well worth browsing.
http://www.spellingbee.com/cc03/Week17/Greek.htm
Not that I let the Academy Award influence my movie-going options but. I see that one of the five documentaries nominated is called "Spellbound," and it details the experiences of the finalists in the National Spelling Bee.
...it details the experiences of the finalists in the National Spelling Bee.Sounds like
gripping stuff.
I caught a film on HBO or possibly Cinemax about an eight year old cross-dresser who was a spelling bee champion. I missed the first half hour or thereabouts, so I've no idea what the title was.
Bingley
Dear musick: I can imagine you having a gripping in the gut if you had to spell,and also
define these few words I selected. I picked them because I cannot.I'll just post them, and
maybe later come back with definitions. I'll try not to make typos, but if you suspect some
you know where to look to find correct spelling.
[aroemiology
phytocoenesis
hippogryph
epyllion
paphresia
psammophile
psephology
promaine
ptosis
mnestic
cnemis
leucoryx
toreutics
zeuglodon
ichneumon
skeuomorph
wwh - I broke my eyes reading those.
Dear musick: you have given me a task. Allegedly the Greeks had a word for everything.
I must admit I don't know their word for "I broke my eyes" and will have to *hunt for it.
"I broke my eyes"egospazomati?
stales
wwh:
Will you post the definitions to those words so we won't have to look them up--at least, if you have the definitions close by and can just copy and paste?
No 6 - psephology - is the "science" of voting-behaviour. This is the only one I know for certain ( and only two others that I'd even have a guess at!) and this is only because one of my friends and drinking companions (and erstwhile tutor) is a noted British psephologist!
Paroemiographers (folks who write proverbs) and paroemologists (students of
proverbs) aren't the only ones interested in paroemiology (the subject of
proverbs). But while they're busy parsing proverbs, we'll present our $64,000
question: just how many synonyms does proverb have, anyway?
(From M-W)
Already posted in Animal Safari, I think. The condition in which plants are mutually
compatiible, and tend to be found together, though not actually dependent on each other.
A fantasy, dungeons and dragons word:
The hippogryph, living far beyond the seas in the Rhiphaean Mountains, is the result of the
rare breeding of a male gryphon and a filly. It has the head, wings and front legs of a
gryphon, and the back and hind legs of a horse. It is a large powerful creature that can move
through the air more swiftly than ligthning. It figured in several of the legends of Charlemagne
as a mount for some of the knights.
epyllion [pln]
n., pl. -lia [-l].
a miniature epic.
[from Greek, diminutive of
{epos}]
psammophile, sand-loving plant.
Source: The Collins English Dictionary ©
1998 HarperCollins Publishers
psephology [sfld]
n. the statistical and sociological
study of elections.
[from Greek psephos pebble, vote +
{-logy}, from the ancient Greeks'
custom of voting with pebbles]
psephological [sfldkl]
adj.
psephologically adv.
psephologist n.
A long time ago, some kinds of food poisoning were attributed to presence of a toxic
protein, called "ptomaine". It is no longer a valid diagnosis. One of my father's patients
told him he had "pantomime poisoning".
Drooping of upper eyelid due to nerve injury.
ptosis
n.
5ModL < Gr ptbsis, a fall, falling < piptein: see FEATHER6 a prolapse, or falling of some organ or part; esp., the drooping of the upper eyelid, caused by the paralysis of its muscle
pto4tic 73tik8
adj.
cnemis
n. shin bone. cnemial, a.
The gastrocnemius muscle is the muscle of the calf of the leg, so prized by the muscle boys.
. The Arabian
oryx (Oryx leucoryx) has been successfully bred in captivity
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
toreutics
SYLLABICATION:
to·reu·tics
PRONUNCIATION:
t-rtks
NOUN:
(used with a sing. verb) The art of working metal or other materials by the use
of embossing and chasing to form minute detailed reliefs.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek toreutikos, of metal work, from toreutos, worked in relief, from
toreuein, to work in relief, from toreus, a boring tool. See ter-1 in Appendix
I.
OTHER FORMS:
to·reutic —ADJECTIVE
Basilosaurus
cetoides (formerly Zeuglodon cetoides).Eocene archaeocete whale, (1984). ... recent than 65
million years ago w
Skeuomorphs and Cultural Algorithms - ... The skeuomorph here does not replace
function, but merely simulates the referent, in a ... man’s extrasomatic means of adaptation," and
so by definition, is that ...
Enough. Skeuo the skeuomorph.
egospazomati?
I no longer have an ego. I sold it for "value received".
Dear musick:
"My eyes are blind, I cannot see
I have not got ;my specs with me...."
wwh,
Thank you for posting those definitions! You're a dear!
WW
Dear Wordwind: too bad only you and I think so. Bill
Oh, wwh! Cast out those negative thoughts. I'm sure there are others here who enjoy reading these definitions. It's a challenge trying to guess what the words may mean and it's a relief not to have to look all of them up since I'm sure we're all busy looking up other words.
Dear WW: Try your French on this Maxim of Delarochefoucauld .
Le refus de la louange n'est que le desire d'être loué deux fois.
Dear wwh, WW is right. I too have enjoyed reading all the definitions you have posted. My favourites - paroemiology and skeuomorph. Thanks very much for sharing. As for, synonyms for proverbs, I don't have M-W, but I can think of, maxim, adage, aphorism and maybe, quotation too. How many are listed?
I know ichneumon is a N. African animal, something like a stoat or weasel.
Bingley
In US, ichneumon is an insect larger than a wasp, with an ovipositor longer than its body.
hat larval Ichneumon can prey upon other insects is possible because of the method by which the
adult female lays its eggs. Mated adult females fly from tree to tree, pressing their long antennae
against bark to detect vibrations made by insect larvae. Having found life underneath the bark,
she curls her ovipositor up over her abdomen, then curves it down to enter the bark at a right
angle. The sharp tip cuts into the bark until it reaches the larval insect tunnel. An Ichneumon
egg is then inserted into the tunnel, where it will hatch and feed upon the host larvae until it
develops into a mature larvae itself.
I used to think the ichneumon dmaged the tree. Maybe they actually benefit ;the tree.
I'm glad I popped back to see those definitions posted. I even found them useful, made me chuckle. I emailed my husband cnemis
n. [nab] shin bone. cnemial, a.
The gastrocnemius muscle is the muscle of the calf of the leg, so prized by the muscle boys. He happens to be one of those muscle boys who prizes his calf muscle. How flat his stomach is means nothing to him compared to the size of his calf muscle.
Hi, ladymoon, nice to see you. Well, I guess we all have our little vanities, don't we? Bet he wears shorts a lot. And shoot, I can't blame him. Wish mine were worth showing off!
If you find this one word interesting, try this URL for several more:
http://www.spellingbee.com/archive.htmcareer
Definition: to go at top speed especially in a headlong manner
Example sentence: "He darted onward—straight, headlong—dashing through brier and brake, and
leaping gate and fence as madly as his dog, who careered with loud and sounding bark before him."
(Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist)
Did you know?
In the days when mounted knights participated in jousting matches, one popular contest
required a horseman to ride around closely placed barriers and insert his lance through
small metal rings. The activity necessitated short gallops at full speed and a lot of turning.
By the late 1500s, English speakers were referring to such short all-out gallops with the
noun career (from Middle French carriere) and we were using the verb career to mean "to
gallop for a short burst at full speed." By the mid-17th century, the verb had been
extended to the now familiar sense of "to move at top speed." The implicit headlong or
reckless manner in this speed is perhaps a legacy of the contortions and twistings of the
jousting steed.
In the days when mounted knights participated in jousting matches…
Dim memories of researching the word career in the OED lead me to believe this etymology is all folked up. It was, as I remember it, originally a noun referring to a portion of a horse race track and it got itself verbed fairtly early in its career (this definition of career is a derived definition from the race track sense). Y'all'll have to wait for tonight for confirmation of this unless tsuwm or some other person with ready access to the OED can come along and back me up.
In Addition, King Arthur never had any knights, they had little armor, and probably didn't even
have horses. They were far from chivalrous. Nostalgia for what never existed.
[a. F. carrière racecourse; also career, in various senses; = It., Pr. carriera, Sp.
carrera road, carrer:late L. carrria (via) carriage-road, road, f. carr-us wagon.
The normal Central Fr. repr. of late L. carraria is OF. charriere, still usual in the dialects; it is not clear whether carrière is northern, or influenced by It. or Pr.]
1. a. The ground on which a race is run, a racecourse; also, the space within the barrier at a tournament. b. transf. The course over which any person or thing passes; road, path way. Obs.
1580 SIDNEY Arcadia (1622) 286 It was fit for him to go to the other end of the Career. 1642 HOWELL For. Trav. (Arb.) 46 In the carrere to Her mines. a1649 DRUMMOND OF HAWTHORNDEN Poems Wks. (1711) 6 Rowse Memmon's mother..That she thy [Phbus'] career may with roses spread. 1651 HOWELL Venice 39 Since the Portuguais found out the carreer to the East Indies by the Cape of Good Hope. 1751 CHAMBERS Cycl., Career, or Carier, in the manage, a place inclosed with a barrier, wherein they run the ring.
2. a. Of a horse: A short gallop at full speed (often in phr. to pass a career). Also a charge, encounter (at a tournament or in battle). Obs.
1571 HANMER Chron. Irel. (1633) 139 Seven tall men..made sundry Carreers and brave Turnaments. 1591 HARINGTON Orl. Fur. xxxviii. 35 (N.) To stop, to start, to pass carier. 1598 BARRET Theor. Warres V. ii. 142 The Lanciers..ought to know how to manage well a horse, run a good carrier, etc. 1617 MARKHAM Caval. II. 203 To passe a Cariere, is but to runne with strength and courage such a conuenient course as is meete for his ability. 1667 MILTON P.L. I. 766 Mortal combat or carreer with Lance. 1751 CHAMBERS Cycl., Career..is also used for the race, or course of the horse itself, provided it do not exceed two hundred paces. 1764 HARMER Observ. XXVII. vi. 284 Horses..walking in state and running in full career.
b. ‘The short turning of a nimble horse, now this way, nowe that way’ (Baret Alvearie); transf. a frisk, gambol. Obs.
1577 HOLINSHED Chron. III. 809/1 Manie a horsse raised on high with carrier, gallop, turne, and stop. 1594 2nd Rep. Faustus in Thoms Pr. Rom. (1858) III. 338 Careers and gambalds. 1599 SHAKES. Hen. V, II. i. 132 The king is a good king, but..he passes some humors, and carreeres.
3. a. By extension: A running, course (usually implying swift motion); formerly [like Fr. carrière] applied spec. to the course of the sun or a star through the heavens. Also abstr. Full speed, impetus: chiefly in phrases like in full career, to take, give (oneself or some thing) career, etc., which were originally terms of
horsemanship (see 2).
c1534 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (1846) I. 55 Theie..tooke privilie there carier abowte, and violentlie assailed the tents of there adversaries. 1591 SPENSER Ruins Time xvi, As ye see fell Boreas..To stop his wearie cáriere suddenly. 1626 T. H. Caussin's Holy Crt. 31 Dolphins..leape and bound with full carrere in the tumultuous waues. 1667 MILTON P.L. IV. 353 The Sun..was hasting now with prone carreer To th' Ocean Iles. a1677 BARROW Serm. Wks. 1716 III. 35 Sooner may we..stop the Sun in his carriere. 1762 FALCONER Shipwr. II. 258 Vast torrents force a terrible career. 1810 SCOTT Lady of L. III. xiii, Stretch onward on thy fleet career! 1863 M. HOWITT tr. F. Bremer's Greece II. xvi. 137 Away we went in full career with the waves and the wind.
b. Hawking. (See quot.)
1727-51 CHAMBERS Cycl., Career, in falconry, is a flight or tour of the bird, about one hundred and twenty yards.
4. fig. (from 2 and 3) Rapid and continuous ‘course of action, uninterrupted procedure’ (J.); formerly also, The height, ‘full swing’ of a person's activity.
1599 SHAKES. Much Ado II. iii. 250 Shall quips and sentences..awe a man from the careere of his humour? 1611 Wint. T. I. ii. 286 Stopping the Cariere Of Laughter, with a sigh. 1603 FLORIO Montaigne I. ix. (1632) 15 He takes a hundred times more cariere and libertie unto himselfe, than hee did for others. 1643 W. BURTON Beloved City 57 Antichrist, in the full course and carrére of his happynesse. 1663 COWLEY Verses & Ess. (1669) 35 Swift as light Thoughts their empty Carriere run. 1675 TRAHERNE Chr. Ethics xxv. 389 Quickly stopt in his careir of vertue. 1722 WOLLASTON Relig. Nat. ix. 174 Not to permit the reins to our passions, or give them their full carreer. 1767 FORDYCE Serm. Yng. Women II. viii. 29 A..beauty..in the career of
her conquests. 1848 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. II. 599 In the full career of success.
5. a. A person's course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life), esp. when publicly conspicuous, or abounding in remarkable incidents: similarly with reference to a nation, a political party, etc. b. In mod. language (after Fr. carrière) freq. used for: A course of professional life or employment, which affords opportunity for progress or advancement in the world. Freq. attrib. (orig. U.S.), esp. (a) designating one who works permanently in the diplomatic service or other profession, opp. one who enters it at a high level from elsewhere; (b) career girl, woman, etc., one who works permanently in a profession, opp. one who ceases full-time work on marrying. Also, careers master, mistress, a schoolteacher who advises and helps pupils in choosing careers.
1803 WELLINGTON in Gurw. Disp. II. 424 A more difficult negotiation than you have ever had in your diplomatic career. 1815 Scribbleomania 200 That great statesman's public career. 1860 MOTLEY Netherl. (1868) I. i. 7 A history..which records the career of France, Prussia, etc. 1868 GEO. ELIOT F. Holt 20 Harold must go and make a career for himself. 1884 Contemp. Rev. XLVI. 99 An artist, even in the humblest rank, had a career before him. 1927 Lit. Digest 25 June 14/2 The foundation of any sound Foreign Service must consist of ‘career men’ who have become expert. 1931 F. J. STIMSON My U.S. xviii. 190 The career professors look somewhat askance at one who comes in from the outside worldjust as career secretaries in diplomacy do upon a chief who has not gone through all the grades. 1936 Yale Rev. XXV. 288 Other steps essential to a well-rounded career service remain to be taken... The prospect of permanent undersecretaryships for career men needs to be realized. 1937 Collier's Wkly. 26 June 20 (heading) Career girl. 1937 Sat. Rev. Lit. 9 Oct. 16/3 Most career women are different. 1943 Assistant Masters' Year Book
24 The Committee enables members who are careers masters to exchange information. 1947 Daily Mail 25 Aug. 2/3 (heading) Should the career woman make dates? 1951 R. HOGGART Auden vi. 200 The career-girl Rosetta yearns for her lush English landscape. 1954 F. P. KEYES Royal Box viii. 101 He might well have expected the offer of an embassy... It's only occasionally that they go to career diplomats like me. 1959 Times 15 Apr. 13/4 As careers mistress in a grammar school it is certainly not my habit. 1970 New Yorker 17 Oct. 167/1 Philip Habib, a competent, if unusually brusque, career diplomat.
[OED2]
>they had little armor, and probably didn't even
have horses.
Of course they didn't have horses - they just banged empty coconut halves together rhythmically.
>"run away!"
But first, bring me a shrubbery.
Um--am I right in thinking Monty Python? Ooh, speaking of that, look what Anu wrote in one of his articles for SF Gate: guess where the name for the programming language Python comes from?