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