A.Word.A.Day Archives
from https://wordsmith.org/awad
--------
Date: Wed Mar 1 00:17:34 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bibliotics
X-Bonus: When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness. -Joseph Campbell
bib.li.ot.ics \-iks\ \'bib-le--*-t*st\ n [biblio- + connective -t- + --ics]
pl but sing or pl in constr : the study of handwriting, documents, and
writing materials esp. for determining genuineness or authorship -
bib.li.o.tist n
--------
Date: Thu Mar 2 00:17:51 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mansuetude
X-Bonus: Books had instant replay long before televised sports. -Bern Williams
man.sue.tude \'man(t)-swi-.t(y)u:d, man-'su:-*-\ n [ME, fr. L mansuetudo,
fr. mansuetus tame, mild, fr. pp. of mans]uescere to tame, fr. manus hand +
suescere to accustom; akin to Gk e-thos custom - more at MANUAL, ETHICAL :
the quality or state of being gentle : MEEKNESS, TAMENESS
--------
Date: Fri Mar 3 00:17:29 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--orgulous
X-Bonus: Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.
or.gu.lous \'o.r-g(y)**-l*s\ aj [ME, fr. OF orgueilleus, fr. orgueil pride,
of Gmc origin; akin to]OHG urguol distinguished : PROUD, HAUGHTY
--------
Date: Sat Mar 4 00:17:37 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fungible
X-Bonus: The faculty of imagination is both the rudder and the bridle of the senses. -Leonardo da Vinci
1. fun.gi.ble \'f*n-j*-b*l\ n : fungible goods - usu. used in pl.
2. fungible aj [NL fungibilis, fr. L fungi to perform - more at FUNCTION]
1: of such a kind or nature that one specimen or part may be used in place
of another specimen or equal part in the satisfaction of an obligation 2:
INTERCHANGEABLE
--------
Date: Sun Mar 5 00:17:23 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fustian
X-Bonus: He who throws mud loses ground.
Cross references:
1. bombast
fus.tian \'f*s-ch*n\ n [ME, fr. OF fustaine, fr. ML fustaneum, prob. fr.
fustis tree] trunk, fr. L, club 1a: a strong cotton and linen fabric usu.
having a pile face and twill weave 2: pretentious writing or speech -
fus.tian aj
--------
Date: Sun Mar 5 20:09:13 EST 1995
Subject: Portmanteaux, and wordsmith.org
Response to portmanteaux-week has been overwhelming -- I've been submerged in
email. This is the fourth compilation in this series. For the benefit of
linguaphiles who joined recently, in January we had a portmanteaux-week where
we saw blend words such as "chortle" made by fusing two words together
(chuckle + snort). For the previous issues please see the archives for the
months of January and February (archive#s 0195 and 0295).
Shuman Ghosemajumder (uwo.ca):
My karate sansei was quite fond of saying "absitively" when giving
his assent -- absolutely + positively.
Jeanne Aloia(sdsc.edu):
First, I must say that the A.Word.A.Day list is most entertaining and
enlightening! Hmmm "enterlightening?" That just came to mind. I'm wondering
whether "yupple" (for a "yuppie couple") qualifies as a portmanteau?
Gary Wingert (z-code.com):
Have we seen "coopetition" (cooperation while in competition), as coined
by Novell's former president, Ray Noorda? Refers to companies that cooperate
in technology or standards-setting, while being fierce competitors otherwise.
Christina Hvitfeldt (nie.ac.sg):
My son Justin referred to the cloth square at the dinner table as a lapkin.
Michael Murray (bates.edu):
How about a portmanteau word that is an oxymoron, among other things: the
very word oxymoron itself, with the meaning of a stupid student attending
Occidental College in Southern California. Oxy's high admissions standards
make an Oxymoron an oxymoron. (And whatever do linguists call words that
name themselves - like "noun"? And is THAT another list you can give us?)
Jena (wwu.edu):
I liked the list of combination words a lot, one I didn't see list is:
Surraining: the surreal experience when it is sunny out and raining at the
same time.
Diane Purdie (freenet.carleton.ca):
Kidstuff: My son uses the term "yesterweek" to mean anything that
happened a little while ago, and a "Couple of whiles" for when he will
clean his room.
P.S. I'd like to apologize for typos, which may or may not be mine.
I can't read what this editor is poas^Hting. That should be pasting/posting.
David Pendlebury (compulink.co.uk):
When I correspond with Thomas Poppe, a German author for whom I have
done some translating, we converse either in Engleutsch or in Deunglish,
depending on our mood at the time.
Simon Ford (mpx.com.au):
Ever since childhood, windscreen wipers have always been referred to
in our family as windscreepers.
Nancy Geiger (washington.edu):
"spork": It's a spoon with tines cut in the end so you can use it
(or attempt to) as either a spoon or a fork. It's not very good either,
but they're popular in school cafeterias anyway.
Kevin Cheek (oracle.com):
Apatheist, which means that I can't be bothered to find religion.
Vijay Talati (iitb.ernet.in):
I think if the advertisers have their way, there will be as many
portmanteaux as there are words... and this is just a guesstimate.
Battles Brian (arrl.org):
Avid Amateur Radio operators often go on "DXpeditions," i.e.
expeditions to distant, and sometimes uninhabited and forbidding
(would that be uninhabidding? - anu) places, such as Bouvet Island
or the South Shetlands. The purpose of these endeavors is to put a
rarely heard location "on the air" to be contacted by other hams
worldwide who want to receive credit toward awards that recognize
operators who have contacted a given number of "countries."
Mark Wainwright (harlequin.co.uk):
_Independent_: glitterati. The word, defined by Chambers as meaning
`the society lions of the day -- famous, fashionable, rich and articulate
people', is, of course, a portmanteau of glitter+literati
------
I'll take this opportunity to announce the new domain name for the
wordserver. The wordserver now boasts of its very own nameplate in
the cyberspace: wordsmith.org
Please use the following addresses from now on:
Wordserver: wsmith@wordsmith.org
A.Word.A.Day Homepage: https://wordsmith.org/
From the windy shores of Lake Erie,
Anu
--------
Date: Mon Mar 6 00:19:40 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--insufflate
X-Bonus: When nations grow old, the arts grow cold and commerce settles on every tree. -William Blake
in.suf.flate \'in(t)-s*-.fla-t, in-'s*f-.la-t\ vt [LL insufflatus, pp. of
insufflare, fr. L in- + sufflareX to blow up, fr. sub- up + flare to blow -
more at SUB-, BLOW 1: to blow upon or into 2: to disseminate by blowing
--------
Date: Tue Mar 7 00:19:30 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--reify
X-Bonus: It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly. -Bertrand Russell
re.ify \'ra--*-.fi-, 're--\ vt [L res thing - more at REAL] : to regard
(something abstract) as a material thing
--------
Date: Wed Mar 8 00:18:57 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--polymath
X-Bonus: You can't depend on your judgment when your imagination is out of focus. -Mark Twain
poly.math or poly.math.ic \'pa:l-i-.math\ \.pa:l-i-'math-ik\
\p*-'lim-*-the-, 'pa:l-*-.math-e-\ n [Gk polymathe-s very learned, fr.
poly- + manthanein to le]arn - more at MATHEMATICAL : one of encyclopedic
learning - polymath aj
--
Interestingly, polymath has a synonym: polyhistor. Makes me wonder
why we don't have words like polyphys, polychem, polygeog...
Or polycompsci (-:
--------
Date: Thu Mar 9 00:18:37 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--quondam
X-Bonus: Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art. -Leonardo da Vinci
quon.dam \'kwa:n-d*m, -.dam\ aj [L, at one time, formerly, fr. quom, cum
when; akin to L qui]who - more at WHO : FORMER, SOMETIME {a ~ friend}
--------
Date: Fri Mar 10 00:19:58 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--quiescent
X-Bonus: He then learns that in going down into the secrets of his own mind he has descended into the secrets of all minds. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Cross references:
1. latent
qui.es.cent \-*nt\ aj [L quiescent-, quiescens, prp. of quiescere to become
quiet,]rest, fr. quies 1: being at rest : INACTIVE 2: causing no trouble or
symptoms - qui.es.cent.ly av
--------
Date: Sat Mar 11 00:18:30 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--exordium
X-Bonus: Don't make an ideology out of your limitations. -Tom Bourbon
ex.or.di.um \-e--*m\ \-e--*\ n or exordiums or ex.or.dia [L, fr. exordiri
to begin, fr. ex- + ordiri to begin - more] pl at ORDER : a beginning or
introduction exp. to a discourse or composition
--------
Date: Sun Mar 12 00:18:55 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hebdomadally
X-Bonus: The best labor saving device is doing it tomorrow.
heb.dom.a.dal.ly \-*l-e-\ av : every week
--------
Date: Mon Mar 13 00:18:50 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--coparcenary
X-Bonus: Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. -Larry Wilde
co.par.ce.nary \ko--'pa:rs-*n-.er-e-\ n 1: joint heirship 2: joint
ownership
--------
Date: Tue Mar 14 00:17:36 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--abulia
X-Bonus: It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about? -Henry David Thoreau
abu.lia \a--'b(y)u:-le--*\ \-lik\ n [NL, fr 2a- + Gk boule- will] :
abnormal lack of ability to act or to make decisions - abu.lic aj
--------
Date: Tue Mar 14 09:27:36 EST 1995
Subject: Happy Birthday Wordserver!
The wordserver is 365 words old today. It was exactly a year ago that
A.Word.A.Day got started. The first word to go out of the wordserver
"zephyr" (a gentle breeze) was received by 189 linguaphiles who subscribed
on the first day.
Thanks to all the linguaphiles -- 8312, who are registered at the wordserver
and few thousand more who get it from other means -- who helped create what
it is today. Your email with stories, anecdotes and words of support are
much appreciated. The day "quondam" went out, I received a message from
Anupa Bajwa (psu.edu). She confided: "My husband, who is not yet on the
linguaphile list, would be quite shocked if I introduced a childhood boy
friend of mine as my 'quondam friend'!" Getting your little stories such
as this one and knowing how the words touch you in ways big or small, makes
this whole effort worthwhile.
Recently, I opened my mailbox to discover a message from a father
who mentioned that his son had coined a new word and wanted to
know how to get it into the dictionaries. So, on this occasion,
I invite all of you to be a wordsmith and submit a word(s) (with proper
definition), which is not in the English language, but you feel should
be. Let your mind run free, let the word be crazy or maybe a little sensible.
Just two letters long or twenty. If you think a sentence using the word would
help illustrate your coinage, send it along. Doesn't matter if your first
encounter with English was only a few months ago or if you are a PhD in
English (I didn't know ABCD until my sixth grade). If you wish, send me a
few lines about yourself too.
I can't promise that the word you coin will ever grace the pages of a
dictionary but it might find a place in a book. If I get sufficient number of
interesting responses, I plan to compile and publish them in a book (any
publishers around here who might be interested in this project?). Of course
the word will be attributed to you and you get full credit for your
creation. I hope to receive 8312 responses, if not more. Happy wording!
Wordstruck near Lake Erie,
Anu
--------
Date: Wed Mar 15 00:18:04 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nugatory
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
Cross references:
1. vain
nu.ga.to.ry \'n(y)u:-g*-.to-r-e-, -.to.r-\ aj [L nugatorius, fr. nugatus,
pp. of nugari to trifle, fr. n]ugae trifles 1: INCONSEQUENTIAL, WORTHLESS
2: having no force : INOPERATIVE
--------
Date: Thu Mar 16 00:19:31 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--autodidact
X-Bonus: If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
au.to.di.dact \.o.t-o--'di--.dakt\ \-di--'dak-tik\ n [Gk autodidaktos
self-taught, fr. aut- + didaktos taught, fr.] didaskein to teach - more at
DOCILE : a self-taught person - au.to.di.dac.tic aj
--------
Date: Fri Mar 17 00:17:53 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--widdershins
X-Bonus: The physical distance between people has nothing to do with loneliness. It's the psychic distance. -Robert Pirsig
Cross references:
1. deasil
wid.der.shins \'wid-*r-sh*nz, 'with-*r-\ av [MLG weddersinnes] : in a
left-handed, wrong, or contrary direction : COUNTERCLOCKWISE
--------
Date: Sat Mar 18 10:17:22 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--doodad
X-Bonus: There is a close correlation between getting up in the morning and getting up in the world. -Ron Dentinger
doo.dad \'du_:-.dad\ n : a small article whose common name is
unknown or forgotten
--------
Date: Wed Mar 22 00:32:45 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vernal
X-Bonus: The majority of failures in life are simply the victims of their mental defeats.
ver.nal \'v*rn- *l\ adj : of, relating to, or occurring in the
spring of the year
--
Due to some glitches, there were no postings for the last four days.
--------
Date: Thu Mar 23 00:18:42 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--myrmidon
X-Bonus: Is a mirage real? Well, it's a real mirage. -Edward Abbey
myr.mi.don \'m*r-m*-.da_:n\ n : a loyal follower; esp : one who
executes orders without protest or pity
--------
Date: Fri Mar 24 00:18:34 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--traduce
X-Bonus: I'm not indecisive. Am I indecisive? -Jim Scheibel, St. Paul MN mayor
tra.duce \tr*-'d(y)u_:s\ vb : to lower the reputation of : DEFAME,
SLANDER
SYN: malign, libel
-- tra.duc.er n
--------
Date: Sat Mar 25 00:17:57 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--contretemps
X-Bonus: It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about? -Henry David Thoreau
con.tre.temps \'ka_:n-tr*-.ta_: n\ n, pl con.tre.temps \-.ta_: n(z)\
: an inopportune embarrassing occurrence
--------
Date: Sun Mar 26 00:18:27 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lugubrious
X-Bonus: Never enough time, unless you're serving it.
lu.gu.bri.ous \lu_.-'gu_:-bre_--*s\ adj : mournful often to an
exaggerated degree
-- lu.gu.bri.ous.ly adv
-- lu.gu.bri.ous.ness n
--------
Date: Mon Mar 27 00:18:23 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--stentorian
X-Bonus: Leadership is getting someone to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve. -Tom Landry
sten.to.ri.an \sten-'to_-r-e_--*n\ adj : extremely loud
--------
Date: Tue Mar 28 00:18:13 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ratiocination
X-Bonus: Learn to pause--or nothing worthwhile can catch up to you.
rat.i.o.ci.na.tion \.rat-e_--.o_-s- *n-'a_--sh*n, .rash-, -.a_:s-\ n
: exact thinking : REASONING
-- rat.i.o.ci.nate \-'o_-s- *n-.a_-t, -'a_:s-\ vb
-- rat.i.o.ci.na.tive \-.a_-t-iv\ adj
-- rat.i.o.ci.na.tor \-.a_-t-*r\ n
--------
Date: Wed Mar 29 00:18:19 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--concupiscence
X-Bonus: That you may fail, is not sufficient reason for not trying.
con.cu.pis.cence \ka_:n-'kyu_:-p*-s*ns\ n : ardent sexual desire :
LUST
--------
Date: Thu Mar 30 00:18:48 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gallimaufry
X-Bonus: I'm not at all contemptuous of comforts, but they have their place and it is not first. -E.F. Schumacher
gal.li.mau.fry \.gal-*-'mo_.-fre_-\ n : MEDLEY, JUMBLE
--------
Date: Fri Mar 31 00:18:29 EST 1995
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--parvenu
X-Bonus: You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus. -Mark Twain
par.ve.nu \'pa_:r-v*-.n(y)u_:\ n : one who has recently or suddenly
risen to wealth or power and has not yet secured the social
position appropriate to it