A.Word.A.Day Archives
from https://wordsmith.org/awad
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Date: Fri Jan 1 00:01:02 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--magnificat
X-Bonus: We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come. -Joseph Campbell, professor and writer (26 Mar 1904-1987)
This week's theme: First words
magnificat (mag-NIF-i-kat) noun
1. The hymn of the Virgin Mary in Luke 1:46-55.
2. An utterance of praise.
[From Latin magnificat (magnifies), the first word of the Latin version of
the hymn that opens with "Magnificat anima mea Dominum" ("My soul magnifies
the Lord"), from Latin magnus (great). Ultimately from the Indo-European root
meg- (great), which is also the source of magnificent, maharajah, master,
mayor, maestro, magnate, magistrate, maximum, magnify,
mickle https://wordsmith.org/words/mickle.html ,
mahatma https://wordsmith.org/words/mahatma.html ,
magnanimous https://wordsmith.org/words/magnanimous.html ,
magisterial https://wordsmith.org/words/magisterial.html ,
magnifico https://wordsmith.org/words/magnifico.html , and
majestious https://wordsmith.org/words/majestious.html .
Earliest documented use: before 450.]
"Upon this level of success in my life, I have enough reason to intone
my magnificat in honour of various people."
Charles Lwanga Mubiru; The Uganda Martyrs and the Need for Appropriate
Role Models in Adolescents' Moral Formation; Lit Verlag; 2012.
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Date: Mon Jan 4 00:01:03 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dox
X-Bonus: People who demand neutrality in any situation are usually not neutral but in favor of the status quo. -Max Eastman, journalist and poet (4 Jan 1883-1969)
What's new? Well, the year is new. So we bring you some new words. New is
relative, of course. In the linguistic world, where we have words going back
thousands of years, a few decades is new.
This week, we'll feature some words that have come into circulation in the last
few decades. Finally, we'll wrap up the week with a word that you might
think is new but, in reality, goes back more than 150 years.
dox (doks)
verb tr.: To gather and publish someone's personal information, such as
phone number, address, email messages, credit card numbers,
etc., especially with a malicious intent.
noun: Personal information about someone, collected and published without
permission.
[Phonetic respelling of docs, short for documents, from Latin documentum
(lesson, proof, specimen), from docere (to teach), which also gave us
doctor and docent. Earliest documented use: early 2000s.]
"He doxed her, posting her address and apartment number, which he had
filched from her Internet provider."
Jason Fagone; The Serial Swatter; The New York Times; Nov 24, 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/magazine/the-serial-swatter.html
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Date: Tue Jan 5 00:01:03 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--photoshop
X-Bonus: We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon. -Konrad Adenauer, statesman (5 Jan 1876-1967)
This week's theme: New words
photoshop (FOT-uh-shop) verb tr.
To digitally alter an image, especially in order to distort reality.
[From Adobe Photoshop, a widely-used software package for editing images.
Earliest documented use: 1992.]
"In the name of modesty an Israeli ultra-Orthodox publication photoshopped
the female leaders from its coverage."
First -- And Last -- Do No Harm; The Economist (London, UK); Jan 24, 2015.
http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21640347-speech-should-be-freer-it-many-western-countries-firstand-lastdo-no-harm
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Date: Wed Jan 6 00:01:02 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--defriend
X-Bonus: Sometime they'll give a war and nobody will come. -Carl Sandburg, poet and biographer (6 Jan 1878-1967)
This week's theme: New words
defriend (di-FREND) verb tr.
To remove someone from one's list of online friends.
[From Latin de- (from, away) + friend, from Old English freond. Ultimately
from the Indo-European root pri- (to love), which also gave us free,
Friday, and Sanskrit priya (beloved). Earliest documented use: 2004.]
NOTES: The first use of the word defriend in the Oxford English Dictionary
is from 2004. In contrast, the first use of the word befriend goes all the
way to 1559. It took us another 100 years to 'unfriend' someone -- 1659.
The verb 'to friend' goes way back to 1225. Finally, the noun friend is
attested in Old English (c. 450-1150).]
"In Trumplandia to our south, presidential candidates and governors are
trying to defriend a quarter of the world's population and put up 'No
Muslims allowed' signs."
Josh Freed; Tips on Life in Montreal for Syrian Refugees; Montreal Gazette
(Canada); Dec 19, 2015.
http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/josh-freed-tips-on-life-in-montreal-for-syrian-refugees
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Date: Thu Jan 7 00:01:02 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--affluenza
X-Bonus: He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers. -Charles Peguy, poet and essayist (7 Jan 1873-1914)
This week's theme: New words
affluenza (af-loo-EN-zuh) noun
A feeling of malaise accompanied by lack of motivation, dissatisfaction,
feelings of guilt, especially among wealthy young people.
[A blend of affluence + influenza. Both words are from Latin fluere (to flow).
Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhleu- (to swell or overflow), from
which flow words such as influence, fluctuate, fluent, fluid, fluoride, flush,
flux, reflux, superfluous, fluvial https://wordsmith.org/words/fluvial.html ,
and profluent https://wordsmith.org/words/profluent.html Earliest documented
use: 1973.]
"When Ethan Couch was 16, he was spared prison after killing four people
in a drink-driving accident because a judge found that he suffered from
affluenza ...
Couch's blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit and there
were traces of Valium and marijuana in his system when he took seven
friends for a high-speed ride in his pick-up truck on June 15, 2013. He
ploughed into a broken-down car at over 70 mph, killing four people who
were working on it. Two of his friends were critically injured and one
was left paralysed. ...
Couch's defence hinged on a psychologist's evidence that the boy could not
understand the consequences of his actions because he had been raised by
'profoundly dysfunctional' millionaire parents who encouraged his bad
behaviour. 'Instead of the golden rule, which was -- Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you -- he was taught 'We have the gold, we make the
rules,' Dick Miller [a psychologist hired by the defense] testified."
Ben Hoyle; Boy Who was Too Rich for Jail Goes on the Run; The Times
(London, UK); Dec 18, 2015.
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Date: Fri Jan 8 00:01:02 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--peeps
X-Bonus: A certain kind of rich man afflicted with the symptoms of moral dandyism sooner or later comes to the conclusion that it isn't enough merely to make money. He feels obliged to hold views, to espouse causes and elect Presidents, to explain to a trembling world how and why the world went wrong. The spectacle is nearly always comic. -Lewis H. Lapham, editor and writer (b. 8 Jan 1935)
This week's theme: New words
peeps (peeps) noun
People, especially when referring to one's friends or associates.
[Shortened form of people. Earliest documented use: 1847.]
"I was with my peeps in the right-field pavilion."
Chris Erskine; Buy Dodgers?; Los Angeles Times; Apr 18, 2013.
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Date: Mon Jan 11 00:01:03 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--onerous
X-Bonus: When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people. -Abraham Joshua Heschel, rabbi and professor (11 Jan 1907-1972)
SAT, LSAT, CAT, MCAT, GMAT, GRE, ACT, ... this jumble of alphabet may not
mean much to you, but for millions of high school and college students these
abbreviations want their pound of flesh. The T at the end of each of them
is the hint (or E for exam). These are all standardized tests and students
have to take one of them to reach the next stage in their academic life:
college, graduate school, or a professional school. To a student, it may
appear that a test like this may decide the rest of their lives (it doesn't).
Among other things, these tests test for vocabulary in various forms. For
a test taker, a word like sitzmark https://wordsmith.org/words/sitzmark.html
might be good to know, but chances are they are not going to see it on the
test.
This week we pick five words that are more likely to show up in these tests.
Sharpen your pencils and look out for these words. Good luck!
onerous (ON-uh-ruhs, OH-nuhr-) adjective
1. Oppressively burdensome.
2. Having obligations or responsibilities that outweigh the benefits.
[From Old French onereus, from Latin onerosus, from onus (burden). Earliest
documented use: 1395.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/onerous
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/onerous_large.jpg
Photo: Xavier J. Peg https://www.flickr.com/photos/studiodxavier/7814524588/
"Some would say the safety standards now are too onerous, he added. I don't
believe that. The only reticence I have is that they are taking the sport
of ocean racing further from the average person."
Christopher Clarey; The Enduring Thrills and Chills of an Iconic Race;
International Herald Tribune (Paris, France); Dec 20, 2008.
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Date: Tue Jan 12 00:01:03 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--torpor
X-Bonus: The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country. -Hermann G�ring, Nazi military leader (12 Jan 1893-1946)
This week's theme: Vocab words
torpor (TOR-puhr) noun
A state marked by apathy, lethargy, and inactivity.
[From Latin torpere (to be stiff or numb). Ultimately from the Indo-European
root ster- (stiff), which also gave us starch, stare, stork, starve,
cholesterol, torpedo, and torpid https://wordsmith.org/words/torpid.html .
Earliest documented use: 1607.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/torpor
A pair of dormice in torpor https://wordsmith.org/words/images/torpor_large.jpg
Photo: Kentish Plumber https://www.flickr.com/photos/plumberjohn/7191696078/
"I've had this job [film critic] for just more than a year, and during
that time going to the cinema once a week has become a deeply dreary
and onerous task, so much so that I now associate cinema buildings
themselves with torpor, contempt, and monotony."
Julie Burchill; Shooting for the Hip; The Times (London, UK); Oct 23, 1994.
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Date: Wed Jan 13 00:01:02 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--welter
X-Bonus: Sometimes laughter hurts, but humor and mockery are our only weapons. -Cabu (pen name of Jean Cabut), cartoonist and co-founder of Charlie Hebdo (13 Jan 1938-2015)
This week's theme: Vocab words
welter (WEL-tuhr)
noun: 1. A confused mass; a jumble.
2. A state of upheaval.
verb intr.: 1. To roll, writhe, or toss.
2. To lie soaked in something, such as blood.
[From Middle Dutch welteren or Middle Low German weltern (to roll). Ultimately
from the Indo-European root wel- (to turn or roll), which also gave us waltz,
revolve, valley, walk, vault, volume, wallet, helix,
devolve https://wordsmith.org/words/devolve.html , and
voluble https://wordsmith.org/words/voluble.html
Earliest documented use: 1400.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/welter
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/welter_large.jpg
Photo: ignatzmice https://www.flickr.com/photos/prawybuch/10015972895/
"For one reason or another I've found myself involved in several different
operations lately in a positive welter of activity, disturbing me from my
semi-retired torpor."
Richard Vaughan-Davies; Tangle of Red Tape Strangling Enterprise; Daily Post
(Liverpool, UK); May 9, 2007.
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Date: Thu Jan 14 00:01:02 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--invective
X-Bonus: A man does not have to be an angel in order to be saint. -Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, musician, Nobel laureate (14 Jan 1875-1965)
This week's theme: Vocab words
invective (in-VEK-tiv) noun
An insulting or abusive criticism or expression.
[From Latin invehi (to attack with words), from invehere (to carry in).
Ultimately from the Indo-European root wegh- (to go or to transport in a
vehicle), which also gave us deviate, way, weight, wagon, vogue, vehicle,
vector, envoy, trivial, and inveigh https://wordsmith.org/words/inveigh.html .
Earliest documented use: 1430.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/invective
Shakespearean invectives http://amazon.com/dp/B0038TYV7I/ws00-20
"The author does have some good points ... but they get lost in a welter
of invective and innuendo."
Stephen Schecter; Singularly Peevish View of Canada; The Gazette
(Montreal, Canada); Jul 22, 1995.
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Date: Fri Jan 15 00:01:03 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--reticence
X-Bonus: The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists, who are dedicated to justice, peace, and brotherhood. The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific, and religious freedom have always been nonconformists. In any cause that concerns the progress of mankind, put your faith in the nonconformist! -Martin Luther King, Jr., civil-rights leader (15 Jan 1929-1968)
This week's theme: Vocab words
reticence (RE-tuh-sens) noun
A reluctance to express one's thoughts and feelings.
[From Latin reticere (to be silent), from re- (again, back), from tacere
(to be silent). Earliest documented use: 1603.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/reticence
"What distinguished Bates was his quietness, reticence, and emotional
reserve. No towering rages for him or tirades of invective."
Obituary of Sir Alan Bates; The Daily Telegraph (London, UK); Dec 29, 2003.
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Date: Mon Jan 18 00:01:06 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--brass hat
X-Bonus: If triangles had a God, he would have three sides. -Charles de Montesquieu, philosopher and writer (18 Jan 1689-1755)
If you have ever wondered why a petticoat is called a petticoat, here's
the scoop. It is, literally, a petty coat. Or used to be. In the beginning
it was an undercoat worn by men. Over time, it jumped from men to women.
And then it slipped from shoulders to waist. That's language for you.
Don't try to make sense of it.
And, whatever you do, do not look for much logic in it. Or claim that
because a word meant such and such earlier, it should mean the same today.
This week we'll discuss words related to clothing that are used metaphorically.
And like petticoat, we'll start from the top and start sliding down as the week
progresses.
brass hat (bras hat) noun
A high-ranking official, especially from the military or police.
[From the gilt insignia worn on the cap. Also see
brass ring https://wordsmith.org/words/brass_ring.html ,
brass collar https://wordsmith.org/words/brass-collar.html ,
brassy https://wordsmith.org/words/brassy.html .
Earliest documented use: 1887.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/brass%20hat
Chiefs of North Dakota National Guard and Togolese Armed Forces https://wordsmith.org/words/images/brass_hat_large.jpg
Photo: North Dakota National Guard https://www.flickr.com/photos/ndguard/13630342665
"'I don't understand why a brass hat from the police would want to talk
to me,' I tell him. 'I'm just a passing academic.'"
Shashi Warrier; The Girl Who Didn't Give Up; Tranquebar Press; 2015.
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Date: Tue Jan 19 00:01:03 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sackcloth
X-Bonus: Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. -Edgar Allan Poe, poet and short-story writer (19 Jan 1809-1849)
This week's theme: Clothing terms used metaphorically
sackcloth (SAK-kloth) noun
1. A coarse cloth of jute, flax, etc., used for making sacks.
2. A garment made of this cloth, worn to express remorse, humility,
grief, etc.
3. An expression of penitence, mourning, humility, etc.
[From the Bible in which wearing of sackcloth and sprinkling of ashes
is indicated as a sign of repentance, mourning, humility, etc. Earliest
documented use: before 1400.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/sackcloth
As they say, don't judge them by their clothes. Your clothes indicate
contrition and humility, but your goal is to make life difficult for
your fellow human beings. This sackclothed man is in front of the US
Supreme Court, protesting against the gays https://wordsmith.org/words/images/sackcloth_large.jpg
Photo: Cool Revolution https://www.flickr.com/photos/coolrevolution/8596210074/
"This disappointment, coming just at the time when the yearly interest
upon the mortgage was due, had brought upon his father one of those
paroxysms of helpless gloom and discouragement in which the very world
itself seemed clothed in sackcloth."
Harriet Beecher Stowe; The Writings of Harriet Beecher Stowe; Houghton,
Mifflin; 1865.
"'Don't speak to him, Laura,' she had said. 'It will show how we despise
him for his disgraceful conduct, and make him the sooner come creeping
to our knees in sackcloth and ashes.'"
George Manville Fenn; Blind Policy; John Long; 1904.
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Date: Wed Jan 20 00:01:03 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--straitlaced
X-Bonus: All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster's autobiography. -Federico Fellini, film director, and writer (20 Jan 1920-1993)
This week's theme: Clothing terms used metaphorically
straitlaced or straight-laced (STRAYT-layst) adjective
Excessively strict, rigid, old-fashioned, or prudish.
[From Middle English streit (narrow), from Old French estreit, from Latin
strictus, past participle of stringere (to bind, draw tight) + laqueus (noose).
Earliest documented use: 1630.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/straitlaced
"Fashion before Ease - or - A good Constitution sacrificed for a Fantastick Form"
Thomas Paine tightening Britannia's laces https://wordsmith.org/words/images/straitlaced_large.jpg
Cartoon: James Gillray, 1793
Image: LOC https://www.loc.gov/item/93502016/
"Aren't they the rather dull, unimaginative, straitlaced characters who keep
their noses constantly buried in rule books?"
Your Stars; The Gold Coast Bulletin (Southport, Australia); Oct 13, 2015.
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Date: Thu Jan 21 00:01:02 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sansculotte
X-Bonus: The gods of the valley are not the gods of the hills. -Ethan Allen, revolutionary (21 Jan 1738-1789)
This week's theme: Clothing terms used metaphorically
sansculotte also sans-culotte (sanz-kyoo-LOT) noun
1. An extreme radical republican during the French Revolution.
2. A radical or revolutionary.
[From French, literally, without knee breeches. In the French Revolution,
this was the aristocrats' term of contempt for the ill-clad volunteers of
the Revolutionary army who rejected knee breeches as a symbol of the upper
class and adopted pantaloons. As often happens with such epithets, the
revolutionaries themselves adopted it as a term of pride. Earliest
documented use: 1790.]
Sansculotte (left), culottes (right) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/sansculotte_large.jpg
Image: "Mitglieder Der Kommune" (NYPL)
"The bigger deal is that the council ... was snookered into signing on
with a group of environmental and legal sansculottes."
Colin McNickle; Thrice the Hubris; Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh); Nov 21, 2010.
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Date: Fri Jan 22 00:01:04 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bootleg
X-Bonus: He who is only just is cruel. Who on earth could live were all judged justly? -Lord Byron, poet (22 Jan 1788-1824)
This week's theme: Clothing terms used metaphorically
bootleg (BOOT-leg)
verb tr., intr.: To make, sell, or transport something illegally.
noun: Something illegally made, sold, or distributed.
adjective: Made, sold, or distributed illegally.
[From the practice of concealing a liquor flask in the leg of a boot.
Earliest documented use: 1889.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bootleg
Woman putting flask in her Russian boot, Washington, DC, 1921 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bootleg_large.jpg
(Note: This is 1921. The swastika pattern in the floor is nothing unusual -- the
symbol hasn't yet been stigmatized by its association with Hitler. See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_use_of_the_swastika_in_the_early_20th_century#Architectural_use )
Photo: Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/89714357/
"I swear, every single movie he had was bootleg. I think his whole room
was bootleg."
Michelle Stimpson; Trouble in My Way; Pocket Books; 2008.
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Date: Mon Jan 25 00:01:04 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--autolycan
X-Bonus: Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind. -William Somerset Maugham, writer (25 Jan 1874-1965)
The word myth is from Greek mythos, meaning a story, legend, myth, etc.
Mythologies are full of stories with an incredible cast of characters
and plots. After all, when the only limit is imagination, why let yourself
be restrained by the laws of physics?
This week we'll see five characters from Roman and Greek mythologies who
became words in the English language.
We start with a word coined after a character from Greek mythology who
had the gift of invisibilia: Autolycus. If he had a sister, his parents
Hermes and Chione would have named her Hermione*. Well, enough with the
sis fuss.
On to this week's words.
(* Maybe not. That name was already taken by Menelaus and Helen for
their daughter.)
autolycan (o-TOL-uh-kuhn) adjective
Characterized by thievery or trickery.
[From Autolycus, the son of Hermes and Chione in Greek mythology, who
was skilled in theft and trickery. He was able to make himself (or things
he touched) invisible, which greatly helped him in his trade. Shakespeare
named a con artist after Autolycus in A Winter's Tale. Earliest documented
use: 1890.]
Shakespearean Autolycus selling his wares https://wordsmith.org/words/images/autolycan_large.jpg
Art: John Cawse (1779-1862)
"In a disarming note at the beginning of the book, Adams offers an
apology for his autolycan procedures."
Times Literary Supplement; Jun 5, 1981.
"His art was Autolycan, snapping-up, catching the mean minnows of the
commonplace when they were off their guard."
Anthony Burgess; Tremor of Intent; W.W. Norton; 1966.
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Date: Tue Jan 26 00:01:02 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--herculean
X-Bonus: Catch-and-release, that's like running down pedestrians in your car and then, when they get up and limp away, saying -- Off you go! That's fine. I just wanted to see if I could hit you. -Ellen DeGeneres, comedian, television host, and actress (b. 26 Jan 1958)
This week's theme: Words from mythology
herculean (hur-kyuh-LEE-uhn, hur-KYOO-lee-) adjective
1. Requiring extraordinary strength or effort.
2. Having great strength or size.
[From Hercules, the son of Zeus and Alcmene in Greek mythology. Hercules
performed many feats requiring extraordinary strength and effort, such
as cleaning the Augean https://wordsmith.org/words/augean.html stables.
Earliest documented use: 1594.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/herculean
Hercules fights the Nemean lion https://wordsmith.org/words/images/herculean_large.jpg
Art: Marcello Bacciarelli, 1776-77
"It would take a herculean performance for someone to wrest the world
sprint title away from Christine Nesbitt."
Rita Mingo; Dutchman Has Race of His Life; The Calgary Herald (Canada);
Jan 30, 2012.
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Date: Wed Jan 27 00:01:02 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--titan
X-Bonus: A fellow of mediocre talent will remain a mediocrity, whether he travels or not; but one of superior talent (which without impiety I cannot deny that I possess) will go to seed if he always remains in the same place. -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer and musician (27 Jan 1756-1791)
This week's theme: Words from mythology
titan (TYT-n) noun
A person, organization, or thing of great strength, size, or achievement.
[From Titan, any of a family of giant gods in Greek mythology who were
overthrown by Zeus and company. Atlas was a titan
https://wordsmith.org/words/atlas.html . Earliest documented use: 1412.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/titan
The Battle Between the Gods and the Titans https://wordsmith.org/words/images/titan_large.jpg
Art: Joachim Wtewael (1566-1638)
"But investors haven't exactly rewarded the media titan: Disney's stock
has tumbled more than six percent since that premiere."
Drew Harwell; Has the Force Deserted Disney?; The Argus (Cape Town,
South Africa); Jan 8, 2016.
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Date: Thu Jan 28 00:01:03 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--siren song
X-Bonus: To a poet, silence is an acceptable response, even a flattering one. -Colette, author (28 Jan 1873-1954)
This week's theme: Words from mythology
siren song (SYR-uhn song) noun
An enticing appeal that ultimately leads to disaster.
[From Siren, one of a group of sea nymphs, whose enchanting singing lured
sailors to shipwreck on the rocks around their island. Also see femme fatale
https://wordsmith.org/words/femme_fatale.html . Earliest documented use: 1568.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/siren%20song
The Siren https://wordsmith.org/words/images/siren_song_large.jpg
Art: John William Waterhouse, c. 1900
"We must reaffirm our commitment to the principles of open society and
resist the siren song of the likes of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, however
hard that may be."
George Soros; The Terrorists and Demagogues Want Us to Be Scared. We
Mustn't Give in; The Guardian (London, UK); Dec 28, 2015.
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Date: Fri Jan 29 00:01:03 EST 2016
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bacchant
X-Bonus: Love, friendship, respect, do not unite people as much as a common hatred for something. -Anton Chekhov, short-story writer and dramatist (29 Jan 1860-1904)
This week's theme: Words from mythology
bacchant (buh-KANT, -KAHNT, BAK-uhnt) noun (plural bacchants or bacchantes)
A boisterous reveler.
[From Bacchus, the god of wine in Roman mythology. His Greek equivalent is
Dionysus who gave us the word dionysian https://wordsmith.org/words/dionysian.html .
Earliest documented use:1699.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bacchant
The Boy Bacchus (it's never too early to start) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bacchant_large.jpg
Art: Guido Reni (1575-1642)
"I did not, as a young bacchant in the '60s and '70s, absent myself from the
garden of herbal and pharmacological delights -- far from it -- so I found
myself in an odd position, that is, lecturing a parent about drugs."
Christopher Buckley; Mum and Pup And Me; The New York Times Magazine;
Apr 26, 2009.