A.Word.A.Day Archives
from https://wordsmith.org/awad
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Date: Mon Feb 3 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ombrophobe
X-Bonus: It takes a lot of time to be a genius, you have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing. -Gertrude Stein, novelist, poet, and playwright (3 Feb 1874-1946)
Sometimes when you need just the right word and can't find it, do you
wish you at least had parts so you could assemble one yourself?
Well, there _are_ such parts in the language. We call them combining forms.*
Fear of heights? Take one part height (Greek acro-) and one part fear
(-phobia), and you've got acrophobia https://wordsmith.org/words/acrophobia.html .
Another example is plutocracy (government by the wealthy)
https://wordsmith.org/words/plutocracy.html . From Greek pluto- (wealth) + -cracy (rule).
This week we've picked a bunch of combining forms and we'll mix and
match and see what words we can make with them. Here are the combining
forms we have in our hands, though we'll not necessarily join them in
this order:
melo- (music),
cano- (dog),
archaeo- (ancient),
ombro- (rain),
sarco- (flesh)
-latry (worship),
-phobe (one who fears),
-mania (excessive enthusiasm),
-philist (lover),
-phagous (feeding)
* What are combining forms? Think of them as Lego (from Danish leg: play
+ godt: well) bricks of language. As the term indicates, a combining
form is a linguistic atom that occurs only in combination with some
other form which could be a word, another combining form, or an affix
(unlike a combining form, an affix can't attach to another affix).
So, let's get ready to "lego" of our inhibitions and build some words!
On a different note, I ran the Mumbai Marathon a week ago. It was rough.
High temp 91°F and a start time of 5 am. But I finished it. Where should
I run next? Keep your suggestions coming.
ombrophobe (AHM-bruh-fohb) noun
1. One who hates or fears rain.
2. A plant that cannot tolerate rainy conditions.
[From Greek ombro- (rain) + -phobe (one who fears or hates). Earliest documented use: 1897.]
NOTES: Are you a xerophilic, https://wordsmith.org/words/xerophilic.html
someone who cancels a picnic at the first sign of clouds? Do you keep an
umbrella _and_ a raincoat by the door, like loyal sentries defending your
dry sanctuary? If so, today's the perfect word for your rainy-day woes.
And two more to strengthen your arsenal: gamp https://wordsmith.org/words/gamp.html
and bumbershoot https://wordsmith.org/words/bumbershoot.html .
But a little pluvial H2O never hurt anyone. In Seattle, we sing in the
rain, organize puddle jumping parties, and, well, hike, run, and dance, rain
or shine.
("Umbrella", by the way, comes from "umbra" for shadow, not "ombro" for rain.)
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ombrophobe_large.jpg
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
"[In 'The Notebook'], during a deluge whose quick start puts Florida
thunderstorms to shame, Allie and Noah begin to clear the air and
reunite with a steaming hot kiss. Even an ombrophobe may hazard some
time out in the rain for a kiss like that."
Lauren Delgado; Cinema Sweethearts; Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort
Walton Beach, Florida); Feb 8, 2015.
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Date: Tue Feb 4 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--melomania
X-Bonus: There comes a point when a man must refuse to answer to his leader if he is also to answer to his own conscience. -Hartley Shawcross, barrister, politician, and prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes tribunal (4 Feb 1902-2003)
This week's theme: Words made with combining forms
melomania (mel-uh-MAY-nee-uh) noun
An inordinate enthusiasm for music.
[From French melo- (music), from Ancient Greek melos (song) + -mania
(excessive enthusiasm or craze). Earliest documented use: 1842.]
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/melomania_large.jpg
Cartoon: Dan Piraro https://www.facebook.com/bizarrocomics/
"Which do you like better: the Stones in the '70s, or the Stones in their 70s?"
"[Babylon] ... is home to some very serious and sophisticated music making.
Indeed, the whole neighborhood seems to be gripped by melomania."
John Ash; Celebration: Istanbul; The New York Times Magazine; Sep 16, 2001.
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Date: Wed Feb 5 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sarcophagus
X-Bonus: A hungry man is not a free man. -Adlai Stevenson II, lawyer, politician, and diplomat (5 Feb 1900-1965)
This week's theme: Words made with combining forms
sarcophagus (sar-KOF-uh-guhs) noun
A stone coffin, often inscribed or decorated.
[From Greek sarco- (flesh) + -phagous (feeding on). The limestone used
in their construction was believed to decompose flesh rapidly, giving
rise to the name. Earliest documented use: 1601.]
The Alexander Sarcophagus, Istanbul Archaeological Museums https://wordsmith.org/words/images/sarcophagus_large.jpg
Disclaimer: Contents do not include Alexander (great or little). The identity of its inhabitant is disputed. It's named for the depictions of him on its intricate walls.
Photo: Bjelica / Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alexander_Sarcophagus,_Istanbul_Archaeological_Museums_2024_(1).jpg
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/sarcophagus
"The shop's most expensive gift [item] ever was a Boeing jet for $35m in 1999.
The most memorable have included a submarine ($20m), ... and 'His and
Hers' mummy cases for $6,000 in 1971 ($35,000 in modern money). A mummy
was unexpectedly discovered in one sarcophagus, which caused a spot of
bother. A death certificate had to be issued before it could be delivered.
Gift wrapping was optional."
Hold the Myrrh -- The Neiman Marcus Catalogue; The Economist (London, UK);
Oct 18, 2014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usermontu_(mummy)
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Date: Thu Feb 6 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--canophilist
X-Bonus: There's a schizoid quality to our relationship with animals, in which sentiment and brutality exist side by side. Half the dogs in America will receive Christmas presents this year, yet few of us pause to consider the miserable life of the pig -- an animal easily as intelligent as a dog -- that becomes the Christmas ham. -Michael Pollan, professor and writer (b. 6 Feb 1955)
This week's theme: Words made with combining forms
canophilist (kuh-NOF-uh-list) noun
A person who loves dogs.
[From Latin cano- (dog) + -philist (lover). Earliest documented use: 1879.]
NOTES: Our deep affection for dogs is reflected in several terms dedicated
to dog lovers. Besides canophilist, synonyms include cynophilist https://wordsmith.org/words/cynophilist.html
and philocynic https://wordsmith.org/words/philocynic.html .
For feline enthusiasts, there’s the counterpart, ailurophile. https://wordsmith.org/words/ailurophile.html
(Take that, cats!)
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/canophilist_large.jpg
Photo: Lynn Friedman https://flickr.com/photos/lynnfriedman/4023240046/
"I'm not a 'doggy' person nor even a canophilist."
William Henry Hudson; Afoot in England; Hutchinson & Co; 1909.
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Date: Fri Feb 7 00:01:03 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--archaeolatry
X-Bonus: I used to think that the brain was the most wonderful organ in my body. Then I realized who was telling me this. -Emo Phillips, comedian, actor (b. 7 Feb 1956)
This week's theme: Words made with combining forms
archaeolatry or archeolatry (ar-kee-AH-luh-tree) noun
Excessive reverence for the past: an earlier time, old customs,
antiquity, etc.
[From Greek archaeo- (ancient) + -latry (worship). Earliest documented use: 1853.]
NOTES: Do you idealize history, viewing it through a rose-tinted lens?
Do you romanticize a supposedly glorious past or cling to traditions
without questioning their relevance today? Perhaps you dismiss innovation,
preferring old ways over progress. If so, you might be under the sway of
archaeolatry.
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/archaeolatry_large.jpg
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
"Although recourse to the classical past is hardly a criminal offense
what the prosecutors were trying to foreground in this case was the
connection between the party’s archaeolatry and Nazism."
Eleftheria Ioannidou; Mythologies of Genesis and Neo-Nazi Palingenesis
[rebirth]; Humanities (Basel, Switzerland); Aug 2022.
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Date: Mon Feb 10 00:11:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--insufflate
X-Bonus: What for centuries raised man above the beast is not the cudgel but the irresistible power of unarmed truth. -Boris Pasternak, poet, novelist, Nobel laureate (10 Feb 1890-1960)
I love words -- all words -- but I'm especially partial to verbs. They're
the engines of language, propelling us forward. Run, hike, and dance:
these three really move me. But you don't have to act on the verbs you
love. Instead, they can draw the world around us, capturing what its
inhabitants dream, build, or unravel.
This week, we'll share five verbs to kickstart your creativity and enrich
your verb stock. What verbs strike a chord with you? Share on our website
https://wordsmith.org/words/insufflate.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org.
Don't forget to include your location (city, state) so we know where the
verbs are vibing!
insufflate (IN-suh-flayt, in-SUHF-layt) verb tr.
1. To blow or breathe into.
2. To treat by blowing air, gas, vapor, or powder into a body cavity.
3. To bless by breathing or blowing on baptismal water or a person.
[From Latin insufflare (to blow upon), from in- (into) + sufflare (to
inflate), from suf- (sub-) + flare (to blow). Earliest documented use: 1670.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/insufflate
NOTES: An example of insufflation in medicine is to introduce carbon
dioxide into a body cavity to expand it to make it easier to perform
surgery. Medicines and vaccines can also be administered by insufflating
into a person's nose, for example.
In Christianity, one might insufflate upon the baptismal water to make
it pure.
If one can insufflate, why not exsufflate? Good news: one can! In medicine,
exsufflation is used to clear airways. In Christianity, it's used to remove
evil spirits (see exorcise https://wordsmith.org/words/exorcise.html).
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/insufflate_large.jpg
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
"Stunning live performances of traditional Mexican dance insufflated life
and movement to the creations of American-born artist Nicolas V. Sanchez."
Farah Abdessamad; "Art on Paper" at Pier 36 Held for the First Time Since
Mar 2020; The New York Observer; Sep 14, 2021.
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Date: Tue Feb 11 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--spanghew
X-Bonus: The government ought not to be invested with power to control the affections, any more than the consciences of citizens. -Lydia Maria Child, activist, novelist, and journalist (11 Feb 1802-1880)
This week's theme: Verbs
spanghew (SPANG-hyoo) verb tr.
To throw violently into the air.
[From Scots spang (to spring, leap, or throw) + hew, of obscure origin.
Earliest documented use: 1781.]
NOTES: It doesn't get any more specialized than this. It began as a word
for torturing animals in a specific manner. The "Dictionaries of the Scots
Language" defines it as "To jerk or catapult violently into the air, specif.
applied to a mode of torturing frogs and birds by placing the animal,
sometimes tied by the neck, on one end of a board, the other end of which
is then sharply struck downwards." Thankfully, this cruel practice is now
obsolete and so is that meaning of the word. Feel free to spanghew balls,
paper planes, and even jackets.
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/spanghew_large.jpg
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
"Spanghew his jacket, when you've riped [searched] his pockets."
Wilfrid Wilson Gibson; Krindlesyke; Macmillan; 1922.
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Date: Wed Feb 12 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--peregrinate
X-Bonus: Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. -Robert Green Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (1833-1899)
This week's theme: Verbs
peregrinate (PER-uh-gruh-nayt) verb tr., intr.
To travel, especially to wander from place to place.
[From Latin peregrinari (to travel abroad), from peregrinus (foreigner),
from per- (through) + ager (land). Earliest documented use: 1593.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/peregrinate
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/peregrinate_large.jpg
"Can't you just sit still for a moment?"
"But Mom, _peregrine_ falcon -- remember?"
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
"All my traveling life, 40 years of peregrinating Africa, Asia, South
America, and Oceania, I have thought constantly of home -- and
especially of the America I had never seen."
Paul Theroux; The Long Way Home; Smithsonian (Washington, DC); Sep 2009.
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Date: Thu Feb 13 00:01:01 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--quetch
X-Bonus: The crucial disadvantage of aggression, competitiveness, and skepticism as national characteristics is that these qualities cannot be turned off at five o'clock. -Margaret Halsey, novelist (13 Feb 1910-1997)
This week's theme: Verbs
quetch (kwech) verb intr.
1. To twitch or stir.
2. To break the silence by uttering a sound.
[From Old English cweccan (to shake or stir). Earliest documented use: 1150.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/quetch
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/quetch_large.jpg
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
"The hyena howled, berating himself for his paralysis, quetching into
the air at his own stupidity."
Jonathon Chase; Between; WestBow Press; 2014.
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Date: Fri Feb 14 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nidify
X-Bonus: Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles. -George Jean Nathan, author and editor (14 Feb 1882-1958)
This week's theme: Verbs
nidify (NID-uh-fy) verb intr.
To build a nest.
[From Latin nidificare (to build a nest), from nidus (nest) + facere
(to make or do). Earliest documented use: 1656.]
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nidify_large.jpg
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
"At the beginning of August, when we arrived in Weimar, almost everyone
was away -- 'at the Baths,' of course -- except the tradespeople. As
birds nidify in the spring, so Germans wash themselves in the summer."
George Eliot; The Spanish Gypsy; Worthington; 1890.
"The bird's 'most favourite place to nidify in', says an old book, 'is
in the impressed footmarks of cattle, made in damp soil, which offers,
when hardened by the sun, a sufficient protection for the young.'"
Michael Viney; Larksong an Abiding Sign of Life; Irish Times (Dublin);
Jun 17, 2006.
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Date: Mon Feb 17 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--onolatry
X-Bonus: If we would only give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life that we give to the question of what to do with a two weeks' vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimless procession of our busy days. -Dorothy Canfield Fisher, author, reformer, and activist (17 Feb 1879-1958)
Like a gemstone catching the light, a single word can reveal many different
facets depending on the context. This week, we're exploring words that lead
a double (or triple, or even quadruple!) life.
The words we've selected have multiple meanings. Some are homographs --
completely different words masquerading under the same spelling. Others have
evolved over time, piling on new senses like linguistic magpies.
onolatry (oh-NOL/NAHL-uh-tree) noun
1. Worship of the donkey or ass.
2. Devotion to foolishness.
[From Greek ono- (ass) + -latry (worship). Earliest documented use: 1903.]
NOTES: In the beginning, an ass was merely a donkey. The anatomical term
was arse. As words wade along the river of language, they get smoothened
with time: curse became cuss, parcel turned into passel, and arse morphed
into ass. Of course, both forms coexist.
Regardless of the form, one truth remains: asses get no respect. In any
language. Greek gave us onolatry and Latin added asinine to our linguistic
stable.
There's even the onocentaur, but that may be just a half-assed attempt at
mythology. https://www.google.com/search?q=onocentaur&udm=2
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/onolatry_large.jpg
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
"From his foretelling hoofs; the bray
Of the world of asses following Darius --
The sound that scattered the great Scythian hordes;
The sound of the crowd's onolatry, and after."
Edith Sitwell; Out of School: To José Garcia Villa; The Atlantic; Jun 1949.
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Date: Tue Feb 18 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--grizzle
X-Bonus: Nikos Kazantzakis suggests that ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own. -Leo Buscaglia, author, speaker and professor (1924-1998)
This week's theme: Words with multiple personas
grizzle (GRIZ-uhl)
verb tr.: To make gray.
verb intr.: 1. To turn gray.
2. To fuss; to gripe or grumble.
noun: 1. An animal with gray or grizzled fur.
2. Gray hair.
adjective: 1. Having gray hair.
2. Gray.
[For the grumble sense: origin unknown. For the color-related senses:
from Old French grisel, diminutive of gris (gray). Earliest documented
use: 1390.]
NOTES: Grizzly bears are so named because their fur appears silver-tipped
or grizzled.
If your hair begins to grizzle, you might also grizzle about it -- after
all, aging can be a gray-t issue!
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/grizzle
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/grizzle_large.jpg
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
"My hair has grizzled, I've developed a paunch and some rather
unpalatable views."
Sam Wollaston; On the Road; The Guardian (London, UK); Feb 18, 2012.
"Last night, as I was trying to settle my fretting son to sleep, I had
a thought, clear as day: 'I just don’t want to do this any longer.' He’d
been grizzling for 45 minutes, his dad was out, and after a long day at
work, all I wanted was a glass of wine and some mindless telly."
Cathy Adams; Mother Knows Best; The Independent (London, UK); May 10, 2021.
"Consider that I have no hair, no fur, no raiment to disarrange. No
silver-trimmed livery-hat to hang on a peg, like Thomas. No grizzle
wig to keep free of lice."
Verlyn Klinkenborg; Timothy; Vintage; 2007.
https://wordsmith.org/words/raiment.html
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Date: Wed Feb 19 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--polyphony
X-Bonus: Architecture is inhabited sculpture. -Constantin Brancusi, sculptor (19 Feb 1876-1957)
This week's theme: Words with multiple personas
polyphony (puh-LIF-uh-nee) noun
1. The combination of independent melodic lines sounded together. For example, a fugue https://wordsmith.org/words/fugue.html .
2. The representation of different sounds by a letter or symbol. For example, the letter c which can represent /s/ or /k/.
3. A multiplicity of distinct voices or perspectives.
[From Greek poly- (many) + -phony (sound). Earliest documented use: 1790.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/polyphony
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/polyphony_large.jpg
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
"[Franchino Gaffurio's] innovation reflected changes in musical style,
especially a transition from largely single melodic lines to polyphony."
Caspar Henderson; Auraculous; Natural History (New York); Apr 2024.
"It's now evident to [Cassidy] McFadzean that she was ... embracing the
polyphony of influences in her life. Whether in the form of overheard
conversations at New York museums or quoted musings from her architect
boyfriend Kourosh."
Jean Marc Ah-Sen; Sculpting Moments With Words; Toronto Star (Canada);
Apr 6, 2024.
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Date: Thu Feb 20 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bibble
X-Bonus: It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment. -Ansel Adams, photographer (20 Feb 1902-1984)
This week's theme: Words with multiple personas
bibble (BIB-l)
verb tr.: 1. To eat or drink noisily.
verb intr.: 2. To drink habitually or to excess.
3. To produce bubbles or a bubbling sound.
noun: 4. Nonsense; something worthless or deceptive.
[Senses 1-2: From bib (to drink) + -le (a frequentative ending). Probably from Latin bibere (to drink).
Senses 3-4: A variant of bubble, of expressive origin. Earliest documented use: 1529. See also: misophonia
https://wordsmith.org/words/misophonia.html .]
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bibble_large.jpg
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
"You helped me avoid slang in the editing process as we bibbled and
xertzed [gulped] coffee."
Jessica Dotta; Mark of Distinction; Tyndale; 2014.
"He swiftly reels off assignments: '... The Internet aspect, new paradigm,
Twitter, the Arab Spring, all that bibble.'"
Emily Nussbaum; Button-Pusher; The New Yorker; Jan 5, 2015.
"In June when the bonefish spawn, they bundle by the thousands just
under the surface, where they bibble, panting for air and blowing
and bubbling in the heat of passion."
Stanley Meltzoff; A Place of Liquid Light; Field & Stream (Miami,
Florida); Feb 1993.
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Date: Fri Feb 21 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jactation
X-Bonus: There is no such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some diehard's vote. -David Foster Wallace, novelist, essayist, and short story writer (21 Feb 1962-2008)
This week's theme: Words with multiple personas
jactation (jak-TAY-shuhn) noun
1. Boasting.
2. Involuntary bodily movements, such as tossing or twitching.
[From Latin jactation (tossing, boasting), from jactare (to throw, boast),
frequentative of jacere (to throw). Earliest documented use: 1576. Also
spelled as jactitation https://wordsmith.org/words/jactitation.html .]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/jactation
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/jactation_large.jpg
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
"The girls from the legal pools and the courthouse clerks stood out on
the sidewalks [and] engaged in conceited jactation ... Most of the talk
had little to do with actual facts."
Patricia Hickman; Katrina's Wings; Five Star; 2002.
"Amidst all the pain, and relentless jactation of his body, Laurel
thought he could still hear the man."
Emma Porter; The Fairy King; Xlibris; 2019.
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Date: Mon Feb 24 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--stela
X-Bonus: We're here to put a dent in the universe. -Steve Jobs, entrepreneur and inventor (24 Feb 1955-2011)
Have you tried the game Mr. Bugs' Wordy Nugz?
Believe it or not, that was the original name given by its creator, Josh
Wardle, before the world came to know it as Wordle. The game itself is a
delight, but for me, its backstory is just as captivating.
It was a true labor of love -- in more ways than one. During the Covid
lockdown, Wardle crafted it as a special gift for his partner. As he put
it, "I made the game for an audience of one." Of course, the audience
quickly grew from one... to millions. Talk about word spreading fast!
It's a testament to Wordle's popularity that it has inspired hundreds of
variants https://rwmpelstilzchen.gitlab.io/wordles/ -- covering everything
from music and math to chemistry, geography, and even vexillology (the
study of flags) https://wordsmith.org/words/vexillology.html .
I thought it would be fun this week to feature words in A.Word.A.Day as
if we were playing a game ourselves. Each day, we'll take a guess and see
if we can work our way toward our own special Wordle word on Fri.
Since this is A.Word.A.Day, you can bet our guesses -- and the final answer
-- won't be everyday words like WATER or DREAM.
Do you play Wordle? What's your go-to opening word? Share your stories,
tips, tricks, and strategies on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/stela.html
or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location
(city, state).
And if you want to take a crack at solving the Wordle word for this week,
give it a go here. https://wordsmith.org/wordle
stela (STEE-luh) noun, plural stelae (STEE-lee)
An upright stone or pillar inscribed or sculpted, often serving as a
monument. Also known as a stele.
[From Greek stele (pillar). Ultimately from the Indo-European root stel-
(to put or stand), which is also the source of stallion, stilt, install,
gestalt, stout, and pedestal, and epistolary https://wordsmith.org/words/epistolary.html .
Earliest documented use: 1776.]
A Mayan stela depicting the Calakmul king Yuknoom Took’ K’awiil, 731 CE https://wordsmith.org/words/images/stela_large.jpg
Photo: Thelmadatter / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stele#/media/File:Stele51CalakmulMuseum.JPG
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/stela_wordle.jpg
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/stela
"An Egyptian stela dating from more than four and a half thousand years
ago, now in the collection of the Louvre, depicts the Princess Nefertiabet
dressed in what looks like elegant contemporary evening wear."
Rebecca Mead; Saving the Cat’s Pajamas; The New Yorker; Mar 28, 2022.
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Date: Tue Feb 25 00:01:03 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--moity
X-Bonus: In the cellars of the night, when the mind starts moving around old trunks of bad times, the pain of this and the shame of that, the memory of a small boldness is a hand to hold. -John Leonard, critic (25 Feb 1939-2008)
This week's theme: Our own Wordle-style game
moity (MOI-tee) adjective
Containing moits -- foreign particles in wool, such as straw or bark.
[From moit (a small impurity in wool), a variant of mote (speck), from
Old English. Earliest documented use: 1844. Moity is sometimes used as
a variant spelling of moiety (a half or portion) https://wordsmith.org/words/moiety.html .]
Moity wool (top) after scouring (bottom) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/moity_large.jpg
Photo: CSIRO / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wool#/media/File:CSIRO_ScienceImage_11160_Siroscour.jpg
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/moity_wordle.jpg
"Every day's train brought down trucks upon trucks of bales, as if the
interior of Australia was one colossal wool store, just being emptied
at the command of an enchanter. But the 'heavy and moity' parcels were
not touched by the cautious operators at any price."
Rolf Boldrewood; The Squatter's Dream; Macmillan; 1890.
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Date: Wed Feb 26 00:01:03 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--crunk
X-Bonus: Men hate those to whom they have to lie. -Victor Hugo, poet, novelist, and dramatist (26 Feb 1802-1885)
This week's theme: Our own Wordle-style game
crunk (kruhnk) adjective
1. Intoxicated.
2. Crazy.
3. Excited.
4. Wonderful.
[Of uncertain origin. Possibly a nonstandard past tense of crank, a
variation of drunk, or a blend of crazy + drunk. Earliest documented
use: 1972.]
NOTES: The first recorded use of crunk appears in Dr. Seuss's 1972 book
"Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!" where it describes a strange
vehicle. This early usage seems unrelated to the later senses of the word.
The word is also the name of a hip-hop subgenre, characterized by heavy
bass call-and-response chants, and accelerated tempos.
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/crunk_large.jpg
Image: Random House
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/crunk_wordle.jpg
"Blow a .08, you're drunk. Blow a .18? You're crunk: Some Memphis police
officers got crunk over the weekend.
About 4 am Friday they were called to ... where a white pickup being driven
the wrong way had crashed into a building.
The driver, a 31-year-old Florence, Ala., man, was -- in copspeak --
'glassy-eyed, unsteady on his feet, with the odor of intoxicant on his
breath and person.'
His name? Samuel Crunk."
Daybreak; The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tennessee); May 18, 2005.
[See nominative determinism https://wordsmith.org/words/endonym.html .]
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Date: Thu Feb 27 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--crwth
X-Bonus: The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second. -John Steinbeck, novelist, Nobel laureate (27 Feb 1902-1968)
This week's theme: Our own Wordle-style game
crwth (krooth) noun
An ancient stringed instrument that's typically associated with Welsh
music. Also called a crowd.
[From Welsh. Earliest documented use: 1837.]
"Little Wren" played by Emerald Rae https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yYg_7cm0Rs (video, 1 min.)
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/crwth_wordle.jpg
"Other curiosities include ... a crwth, the missing link between the
Greek lyre and bowed and plucked medieval instruments."
Adele Freedman; Musical Magic a Treat for the Eyes; The Globe and Mail
(Toronto, Canada); Dec 9, 1980.
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Date: Fri Feb 28 00:01:02 EST 2025
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cwtch
X-Bonus: It is good to rub and polish your mind against that of others. -Michel de Montaigne, essayist (28 Feb 1533-1592)
This week's theme: Our own Wordle-style game
cwtch (kuch [u as in push or bush])
noun: 1. A hiding place, such as a cupboard or a cubbyhole.
2. A hug or a cuddle.
verb tr.: To hug or cuddle.
verb intr.: 1. To crouch down.
2. To hide.
[From Welsh cwtsh (hug, cuddle, recess, hiding place). Earliest documented use: 1890.]
"We all love a snuggle,
Who'd like a squeeze?
Fancy a cwtch?
Hands up please!"
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/cwtch_large.jpg
Poem: Sarah KilBride, Illustration: James Munro
Poster: Graffeg Books https://graffeg.com/products/fancy-a-cwtch-poster
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/cwtch_wordle.jpg
"Oh, lovely Catherine Zeta-Jones,
You make me tingle in my bones.
Fancy a cwtch with me tomorrow,
Or must I wear the Mask of Sorrow?
(poem by Ed Edwards)"
Week 649: Across the Wide What?; The Washington Post; Feb 12, 2006.