A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Jan 1 14:28:49 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--esperance X-Bonus: The butterfly counts not years but moments and so has enough time. -Tagore es.per.ance \'es-p(*-)r*n(t)s, .es-p*-'ra:n(t)-s*\ n [ME esperaunce, fr. MF esperance] obs : HOPE, EXPECTATION -- Happy New Year to all! We start the year with a week of miscellaneous words. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Jan 2 01:40:22 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vivific X-Bonus: Talent develops in tranquillity, character in the full current of human life. -Goethe vi.vif.ic \vi--'vif-ik\ aj : VIVIFYING, ENLIVENING -------- Date: Wed Jan 3 00:25:08 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sthenic X-Bonus: Everyone is necessarily the hero of his own life story. -John Barth sthen.ic \'sthen-ik\ aj [NL sthenicus, fr. Gk sthenos strength] 1: notably or excessively vigorous or energetic {~ fever ~ emotions} 2: PYKNIC -------- Date: Thu Jan 4 00:25:22 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--utile X-Bonus: The whole point of getting things done is knowing what to leave undone. -Stella, Lady Reading utile \'yu:t-*l, 'yu:-.ti-l\ aj [MF, fr. L utilis] : USEFUL -------- Date: Fri Jan 5 00:27:58 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--demiurge X-Bonus: Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind. -Kipling demi.urge or demi.ur.gi.cal \'dem-e--.*rj\ \.dem-e--'*r-j*s\ \-jik\ \-ji-k*l\ \-ji-k(*-)le-\ n [LL demiurgus, fr. Gk de-miourgos, lit., one who works for the p]eople, fr. de-mios of the people (fr. de-mos people) + -ourgos worker (fr. ergon work) - more at DEMAGOGUE, WORK cap 1a: a Platonic subordinate deity who fashions the sensible world in the light of eternal ideas 1b: a Gnostic subordinate deity who is the creator of the material world 2: something that is an autonomous creative force or decisive power - demi.urge.ous aj -------- Date: Sun Jan 7 00:25:22 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ecdysis X-Bonus: That life is worth living is the most necessary of assumptions, and were it not assumed, the most impossible of conclusions. -George Santayana ec.dy.sis \'ek-d*-s*s\ \-d*-.se-z\ n or ec.dy.ses [NL, fr. Gk ekdysis act of getting out] pl : the act of molting or shedding an outer cuticular layer (as in insects and crustaceans) -------- Date: Mon Jan 8 00:25:34 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--blitzkrieg X-Bonus: Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous patience. -Admiral Hyman Rickover blitz.krieg \'blit-.skre-g\ n [G, lit., lightning war, fr. blitz lightning + krieg war] 1: war conducted with great speed and force; specif : a violent surprise offensive by massed air forces and mechanized ground forces in close coordination 2: a sudden overpowering bombardment - blitzkrieg vt Did you go to a `kindergarten' when you were young? And did you meet a `wunderkind' while there? Over the years, many German words have entered the English language. This week, look for seven words adopted from Deutsch. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Jan 9 00:24:52 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--leitmotiv X-Bonus: The mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting. -Plutarch, biographer (c. 46-120) leit.mo.tiv or leit.mo.tif \'li-t-mo--.te-f\ n [G leitmotiv, fr. leiten to lead + motiv motive] 1: an associated melodic phrase or figure that accompanies the reappearance of an idea, person, or situation in a Wagnerian music drama 2: a dominant recurring theme -------- Date: Wed Jan 10 00:24:17 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--realpolitik X-Bonus: About the only worthwhile thing you can learn from a bore is how truly golden silence can be. -O. A. Battista re.al.po.li.tik \ra--'a:l-.po--li-.te-k\ n [G, fr. real practical + politik politics] : politics based on practical and material rather than theoretical or ethical factors -------- Date: Thu Jan 11 00:25:36 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--weltanschauung X-Bonus: It sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents. -Eric Hoffer welt.an.schau.ung \'vel-.ta:n-.shau.-*n\ \-*nz\ \-*n-*n\ n or weltanschauungs or welt.an.schau.ung.en [G, fr. welt world + anschauung view] pl often cap : a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world esp. from a specific standpoint -------- Date: Fri Jan 12 00:26:26 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sprachgefuhl X-Bonus: If you judge, investigate. -Seneca sprach.ge.fuhl \'shpra:k-k*-.fu-e-l\ n [G, fr. sprache language + gefu:hl feeling] 1: sensibility to conformance with or divergence from the established usage of a language 2: a feeling for what is linguistically effective or appropriate -------- Date: Sat Jan 13 00:25:21 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--weltschmerz X-Bonus: You won't be happy with more until you're happy with what you've got. -Viki King welt.schmerz \'velt-.shme(*)rts\ n [G, fr. welt world + schmerz pain] often cap 1: mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state 2: a mood of sentimental sadness -------- Date: Sun Jan 14 00:25:09 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--diktat X-Bonus: When I hear somebody sigh, "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?" -Sydney J. Harris dik.tat \dik-'ta:t\ n [G, lit., something dictated, fr. NL dictatum, fr. L, neut. of dictatu]s, pp. of dictare to dictate : a harsh settlement unilaterally imposed (as on a defeated nation) -------- Date: Mon Jan 15 00:24:30 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mithridatism X-Bonus: In great matters men show themselves as they wish to be seen; in small matters, as they are. -Gamaliel Bradford mith.ri.da.tism \.mith-r*-'da-t-.iz-*m\ n [Mithridates VI -63 BCE king of Pontus, fr. L Mithridates,] fr. Gk Mithridate-s; fr. the fact that he reputedly produced this condition in himself : tolerance to a poison acquired by taking gradually increased doses of it -- Perhaps the best way to become famous is to have a word named after oneself. Here is the first week of eponyms, the words coined after names of people. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Jan 16 00:24:16 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pecksniffian X-Bonus: If God intended one space between sentences, why do we have two thumbs? peck.sniff.ian \pek-'snif-e--*n\ aj [Seth Pecksniff, character in Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-44) by Charle]s Dickens : selfish and corrupt behind a display of seeming benevolence : SANCTIMONIOUS -------- Date: Wed Jan 17 00:24:51 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--podunk X-Bonus: Never forget: 2 + 2 = 5 for extremely large values of 2. Po.dunk \'po--.denk\ n [Podunk, village in Mass. or locality in Conn.] : a small, unimportant, and isolated town -------- Date: Thu Jan 18 00:25:16 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pasquinade X-Bonus: Quarrels would not last long if the fault were only on one side. -Francois de La Rochefoucauld pas.qui.nade \.pas-kw*-'na-d\ n [MF, fr. It pasquinata, fr. Pasquino, name given to a statue in Rom]e on which lampoons were posted 1: a lampoon posted in a public place 2: satirical writing : SATIRE - pasquinade vt -------- Date: Fri Jan 19 00:25:24 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jabberwocky X-Bonus: All that non-fiction can do is answer questions. It's fiction's business to ask them. -Richard Hughes jab.ber.wocky \'jab-*r-.wa:k-e-\ n [Jabberwocky, nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll] : meaningless speech or writing -------- Date: Sat Jan 20 00:25:49 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tantalus X-Bonus: The purpose of life is a life of purpose. -Robert Byrne tan.ta.lus \'tant-*l-*s\ n [L, fr. Gk Tantalos] cap 1: a wealthy king and son of Zeus punished in the lower world by being condemned to stand in water up to the chin and beneath fruit-laden branches with water and fruit receding at each attempt to drink or eat 2: a locked case or cellarette with contents visible but not obtainable without a key -- That's where "tantalize" came from. -Anu -------- Date: Sun Jan 21 00:24:40 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dishabille X-Bonus: Life is a series of collisions with the future; it is not the sum of what we have been, but what we yearn to be. -Jose Ortega y Gasset dis.ha.bille \.dis-*-'be-(*)l, -'bil, -'be-\ n [F de`shabille`, fr. pp. of de`shabiller to undress, fr. de`]s- dis- + habiller to dress - more at HABILIMENT archaic 1a: NEGLIGEE 1b: the state of being dressed in a loose or careless style 2: UNTIDINESS, DISORDER -------- Date: Mon Jan 22 00:25:48 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--triste X-Bonus: Life begets life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich. -Sarah Bernhardt triste \'tre-st\ aj [F, fr. L tristis] : SAD, MOURNFUL; also : WISTFUL -------- Date: Tue Jan 23 00:24:25 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--canton X-Bonus: Men govern nothing with more difficulty than their tongues, and can moderate their desires more than their words. -Spinoza 1. can.ton \'kant-*n, 'kan-.ta:n\ \'kant-*n-*l, kan-'ta:n-*l\ n [MF, fr. OProv, fr. cant edge, corner fr. L canthus iron tire - m] [MF, fr. It cantone, fr. canto corner, fr. L canthus]ore at CANT obs 1: DIVISION, SECTION 2: a small territorial division of a country : as 2a: one of the states of the Swiss confederation 2b: a division of a French arrondissement 3: the top inner quarter of a flag 4: the dexter chief region of a heraldic field - can.ton.al aj 2. can.ton \'kant-*n, 'kan-.ta:n, in sense 2 usu kan-'to-n or -'ta\ vt:n 1: to divide into parts; specif : to divide into cantons 2: QUARTER -------- Date: Wed Jan 24 00:25:24 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--predilection X-Bonus: You won't be happy with more until you're happy with what you've got. -Viki King pre.di.lec.tion \.pred-*l-'ek-sh*n, .pre-d-\ n [F pre`dilection, fr. ML praedilectus, pp. of praediligere t]o love more, prefer, fr. L prae- + diligere to love - more at DILIGENT : a prepossession in favor of something : PREFERENCE implies a strong liking deriving from one's temperament or experience; PREPOSSESSION suggests a fixed conception likely to preclude objective judgment of anything seeming to be counter to it; PREJUDICE implies usu. but not always an unfavorable prepossession and connotes a feeling rooted in suspicion, fear, intolerance; BIAS implies an unreasoned and unfair distortion of judgment in favor of or against a person or thing SYN syn PREPOSSESSION, PREJUDICE, BIAS: PREDILECTION -------- Date: Thu Jan 25 00:25:16 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ere X-Bonus: I worked myself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty. -Groucho Marx 1. ere \(.)e(*)r, (.)a(*)r\ pp [ME er, fr. OE -r, fr. -r, adv., earl]y, soon; akin to OHG e-r earlier, Gk e-ri early : BEFORE 2. ere cj : BEFORE {go back ~ it is too late} -------- Date: Fri Jan 26 00:24:26 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--digitate X-Bonus: I have lived in the world just long enough to look carefully the second time into those things that I am most certain of the first time. -Josh Billings dig.i.tate \'dij-*-.ta-t\ \.dij-*-'ta--sh*n\ aj 1: having digits 2: resembling a finger; specif : having divisions arranged like fingers of a hand {~ leaf} - dig.i.tate.ly av -------- Date: Sat Jan 27 00:24:12 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--deuterogenesis X-Bonus: When you make your mark in the world, watch out for guys with erasers. deu.tero.gen.e.sis \.d(y)u:t-*-ro--'jen-*-s*s\ n : the appearance of a new adaptive character late in life -------- Date: Sun Jan 28 00:27:06 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--solipsism X-Bonus: You can't always get what you want. But if you try, sometimes you'll get what you need. so.lip.sism \'so--l*p-.siz-*m, 'sa:l-*p-\ \'so--l*p-s*st, 'sa:l-*p-, s*-'lip-\ \.so--l*p-'sis-tik, .sa:l-*p-\ n [L solus alone + ipse self] : a theory holding that the self can know nothing but its own modifications and that the self is the only existent thing - so.lip.sist n -------- Date: Mon Jan 29 13:21:33 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--iliad X-Bonus: If today is the first day of the rest of your life, what was Il.i.ad \'il-e--*d, -e--.ad\ \.il-e--'ad-ik\ n [Iliad, ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer, fr. L Iliad-,]Ilias, fr. Gk 1: a long narrative; esp : an epic in the Homeric tradition 2a: a series of exploits regarded as suitable for an epic 2b: a series of miseries - Il.i.ad.ic aj -- Ancient Greek literature is replete with fascinating stories of their heroes and gods, the nature of universe and other mythos. This week's words have their origins in the Greek mythology. If your curiosity is piqued after seeing these words, you can read the epics at http://the-tech.mit.edu/Classics/ -Anu -------- Date: Tue Jan 30 00:38:35 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nestor X-Bonus: A small mind is obstinate. A great mind can lead and be led. -Alexander Cannon Nes.tor \'nes-t*r, -.to.(*)r\ n [L, fr. Gk Nesto-r] 1: an aged and wise counselor of the Greeks in the Trojan War often not cap 2: one who is a patriarch or leader in his field -------- Date: Wed Jan 31 00:26:46 EST 1996 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hector X-Bonus: You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by. -James M. Barrie Cross references: 1. bait 1. hec.tor \'hek-t*r\ n [L, fr. Gk Hekto-r] cap 1: a son of Priam, husband of Andromache, and bravest of the Trojans in Homer's Iliad 2: BULLY, BRAGGART 2. hector \-t(*-)rin\ vb or hec.tor.ing : to play the bully : SWAGGER : to imtimidate by bluster or personal pressure