A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Wed Jun 1 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--phycology X-Bonus: The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else. -George Bernard Shaw, writer, Nobel laureate (1856-1950) This week's theme: Words made with combining forms phycology (fy-KOL-uh-jee) noun The branch of botany dealing with algae. Also known as algology. [From Greek phyco- (seaweed) + -logy (study). First recorded use: 1847.] Macrocystis integrifolia - giant bladder kelp: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/phycology_large.jpg [Photo: Carol van Maarth http://www.flickr.com/photos/clarasbell/3029703991/ ] "Sandra Lindstrom does independent research and consulting, identifying seaweeds for environmental surveys. At the University of British Columbia she got her PhD in botany with a specialty in phycology." Jonathan Grass; Juneau Researchers Publish Book on Seaweeds; Juneau Empire (Alaska); Oct 18, 2010. -------- Date: Thu Jun 2 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hagiocracy X-Bonus: The excesses of our youth are drafts upon our old age, payable with interest, about thirty years after date. -Charles Caleb Colton, author and clergyman (1780-1832) This week's theme: Words made with combining forms hagiocracy (hag-ee-OK-ruh-see, hay-jee-) noun A government by holy persons. Also a place thus governed. [From Greek hagio- (holy) + -cracy (rule). Earliest documented use: 1846.] Two synonyms of this term are hagiarchy and hierocracy. Also, literally speaking, hierarchy is the rule of the high priest. "But money has assumed a more exalted place in the Fed's hagiocracy in recent months." Alan Murray; Slow Money Growth Stirs Worry at Fed; The Wall Street Journal (New York); Jul 29, 1991. -------- Date: Fri Jun 3 01:23:19 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--paleography X-Bonus: Belief in the supernatural reflects a failure of the imagination. -Edward Abbey, naturalist and author (1927-1989) This week's theme: Words made with combining forms paleography (pay-lee-AWG-ruh-fee) noun 1. The study of ancient writings and inscriptions, dating, deciphering, and interpreting them. 2. Ancient forms of writing: documents, inscriptions, etc. 3. An ancient style or method of writing. [From Greek paleo- (old, ancient) + -graphy (writing). Earliest documented use: 1763.] "Yanis Bitsakis, of the Center for History and Paleography in Athens, added that he expects to be busy for years to come deciphering still-unread inscriptions." Brian Handwerk; Greek "Computer" Tracked Ancient Olympics, Other Games; National Geographic News (Washington, DC); Jul 30, 2008. -------- Date: Mon Jun 6 00:01:08 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--claque X-Bonus: The hands that help are better far / Than lips that pray. / Love is the ever gleaming star / That leads the way, / That shines, not on vague worlds of bliss, / But on a paradise in this. -Robert Green Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (1833-1899) What does a dog's bark sound like? Ask someone this question and the answer would depend on what language that person speaks. To an English speaker it may be woof woof or ruff ruff, while a Japanese speaker would say it's wan wan, while to an Indian it sounds like bhow bhow, even if it's the same dog. Sounds we hear conform to the aural palette we are familiar with. Onomatopoeic words are those that are formed by the imitation of sounds they describe. There are words coined to describe sounds, words such as beep, honk, and boom. There are animals named after their calls, such as cuckoo and gecko. This week we'll feature five words whose imitative origins may not always be so obvious. claque (klak) noun A group of people hired to applaud at a performance. [From French claque, from claquer (to clap), of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1864.] NOTES: Although a claque is usually hired to applaud, sometimes it is also used to heckle at a rival's performance. Then there are moirologists https://wordsmith.org/words/moirologist.html (hired mourners at a funeral). "The publicist even trained both the singer [Frank Sinatra] and his claques in the art of call-and-response." James Kaplan; Frank; Doubleday; 2010. Read this fascinating extract about claques from the book: http://www.delanceyplace.com/view_archives.php?1629 -------- Date: Tue Jun 7 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ululate X-Bonus: There is nothing more agreeable in life than to make peace with the Establishment - and nothing more corrupting. -A.J.P. Taylor, historian (1906-1990) This week's theme: Onomatopoeic words ululate (UHL-uh-layt, YOOL-) verb intr. To howl or wail. [From Latin ululare (to howl or shriek), of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1623.] NOTES: Ululation with a distinctive trilling sound is performed in many cultures in celebration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyNnzSnrHkM (video) and in mourning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhJJ2Ow6_HI (video). "Bells rang and the peasantry ululated their pleasure beneath battleship grey skies. Past imperious London buildings, the state coach clattered, followed by the Household Cavalry pompously bobbing. Kate practised waving, the one-word job description of monarchy." Robert McNeil; Rousing Stuff; The Herald (Glasgow, Scotland); Apr 30, 2011. -------- Date: Wed Jun 8 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--susurrus X-Bonus: Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others. -Fyodor Dostoevsky, novelist (1821-1881) This week's theme: Onomatopoeic words susurrus (soo-SUHR-uhs) noun A whispering or rustling sound. [From Latin susurrus (whisper, humming), from susurrare (to whisper or hum), of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1826.] "A susurrus of dismay rustled through the ranks of the Aboriginal leaders gathered there." Annabel Crabb; Gracious Rudd Turns Grubby; The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Oct 31, 2009. -------- Date: Thu Jun 9 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tintinnabulation X-Bonus: Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives. -William C. Dement, professor of psychiatry (b. 1928) This week's theme: Onomatopoeic words tintinnabulation (tin-ti-nab-yuh-LAY-shuhn) noun The ringing of or the sound of bells. [From Latin tintinnabulum (bell), from tintinnare (to ring, jingle), reduplication of tinnire (to ring), of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1831, in Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Bells http://books.eserver.org/poetry/poe/bells.html .] "Abigail gazed to the sea where splashing surf sounded like the tintinnabulation of a thousand tiny bells." (a contest entry by Andrew Bowers) Ana Samways; Sideswipe; The New Zealand Herald (Auckland); Aug 19, 2008. -------- Date: Fri Jun 10 00:01:04 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cockalorum X-Bonus: Gullibility and credulity are considered undesirable qualities in every department of human life -- except religion. -Christopher Hitchens, author and journalist (b. 1949) This week's theme: Onomatopoeic words cockalorum (KOK-uh-lor-uhm, -LOAR-) noun 1. A self-important or boastful person. 2. Bragging. [From Middle English cock (rooster), of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1715.] "Sam also has to deal with a cockalorum fellow actor who shares just enough to demoralize him." Rohan Preston; 'Fully Committed' is Fully Glorious; Star-Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota); Jul 25, 2003. "Once a comic space cowboy full of cockalorum, Spider One has refashioned himself into an advocate for our nation's impressionable youth." Friendly Fire; The Boston Globe; May 28, 2003. -------- Date: Mon Jun 13 01:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--etiolate X-Bonus: I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him. -Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer (1564-1642) If you are one of more than 600 million people on Facebook, it's likely that you regularly friend (and sometimes unfriend) others. This extending of language -- verbing of nouns -- brings growing pains. Some rail against it. Why verb a noun when a perfectly serviceable verb 'to befriend' is already a part of the language? But language grows with need, and 'to friend' someone online is not necessarily the same as 'to befriend'. Each new verb or noun adds a new shade to the mosaic of the language. And it happens all the time. We have the verb 'serve' and the noun 'service', but we extend 'service' to use it as a verb again because 'to service' is not necessarily the same as 'to serve'. This week we'll serve you five verbs. Put them into service in your conversation and writing, at work, home, and beyond. Friend them into your vocabulary, and don't worry about those who complain against the verbing of nouns (all of this week's words have been verbed from nouns). It has been going on for quite a while now. The Oxford English Dictionary has the first citation for the word friend as a verb from the year 1225. In fact, 'to friend' has an older pedigree than 'to befriend' (1559). A similar pattern emerges for the undoing part, unfriend (1659) vs. unbefriend (1884). There was no Facebook, no Web, no computers, not even electricity back in the 13th century. But there was language, and a need to stretch it to fill a need. And long after Facebook is gone, we'll continue using language in ways that fit. Here's to verbing of nouns (and nouning of verbs)! etiolate (EE-tee-uh-layt) verb tr. 1. To make pale by preventing exposure to sunlight. 2. To make weak by stunting the growth of. verb intr. 3. To become pale, weak, or stunted. [From French étioler (to make pale), from Latin stipula (straw). Earliest documented use: 1791.] "America itself was a stunted universe where men etiolate and shrink." Herb Greer; Down With the Yanks! (Book Review); The World & I (Washington, DC); Feb 2004. "Convinced republican that I am, and foe of the prince who talks to plants and wants to be crowned 'head of all faiths' as well as the etiolated Church of England, I find myself pierced by a pang of sympathy. Not much of a life, is it, growing old and stale with no real job except waiting for the news of Mummy's death?" Christopher Hitchens; Beware the In-Laws; Slate (New York); Apr 18, 2011. http://www.slate.com/id/2291497/ "If the history of the American sentence were a John Ford movie, its second act would conclude with the young Ernest Hemingway walking into a saloon, finding an etiolated Henry James slumped at the bar in a haze of indecision, and shooting him dead." Adam Haslett; The Art of Good Writing; Financial Times (London, UK); Jan 21, 2011. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/8c60799c-24e2-11e0-895d-00144feab49a.html -------- Date: Tue Jun 14 00:01:08 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--betide X-Bonus: Bigotry tries to keep truth safe in its hand with a grip that kills it. -Rabindranath Tagore, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator, composer, Nobel Prize in literature (1861-1941) This week's theme: Verbs betide (bi-TYD) verb tr., intr. To happen. [From Old English tidan (happen), from tid (time). Often used in the phrase "woe betide". Earliest documented use: 1297.] "Whatever betided at the end of Mitt Romney's term and whatever betides in the future, that shouldn't be forgotten." David A. Mittell Jr.; As the Good Times Roll; Providence Journal (Rhode Island); May 17, 2007. -------- Date: Wed Jun 15 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lancinate X-Bonus: Life is a long lesson in humility. -James M. Barrie, novelist, short-story writer, and playwright (1860-1937) This week's theme: Verbs lancinate (LAN-suh-nayt) verb tr. To pierce or tear. [From Latin lancinare (to tear), from lacer (torn). Earliest documented use: 1603.] "The Honorable Rep. Spear is fixing to lancinate our state by declaring the American bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, the official North Carolina amphibian. To me, a stab like this makes about as much sense as declaring Bunny Bread the official loaf of Paris or 'darn' the official swear word of New York City." Phil Woodhall; An Amphibian Worth Complimenting; The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina); May 5, 2007. -------- Date: Thu Jun 16 00:01:10 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lignify X-Bonus: We grow tyrannical fighting tyranny. The most alarming spectacle today is not the spectacle of the atomic bomb in an unfederated world, it is the spectacle of the Americans beginning to accept the device of loyalty oaths and witchhunts, beginning to call anybody they don't like a Communist. -E.B. White, writer (1899-1985) This week's theme: Verbs lignify (LIG-nuh-fy) verb tr.: To convert into wood. verb intr.: To become wood or woody. [From Latin lignum (wood). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leg- (to collect), which is also the source of lexicon, legal, dialogue, lecture, logic, legend, logarithm, intelligent, diligent, sacrilege, elect, and loyal. Earliest documented use: 1828.] "Many leguminous plants offer edible products in addition to their seeds. Many of their immature pods are edible two or three weeks before the fibres lignify to render them inedible." Lam Peng Sam; Make Your Landscape Edible; The New Straits Times (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia); Dec 2, 2000. -------- Date: Fri Jun 17 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--obtest X-Bonus: Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? -T.S. Eliot, poet (1888-1965) This week's theme: Verbs obtest (ob-TEST) verb tr. 1. To invoke as a witness. 2. To implore or beseech. verb intr. 3. To protest. 4. To plead. [From Latin obtestari (to implore, affirm, protest), from ob- (on, over), from testari (to bear witness or to make a will), from testis (witness). Ultimately from the Indo-European root trei- (three), which is also the source of three, sitar, trivia (from trivium, place where three roads meet), trivial, troika, trivet, testimony, testament, attest, testify (to be the third person: to bear witness), triskaidekaphobia https://wordsmith.org/words/triskaidekaphobia.html (fear of the number 13), tercel https://wordsmith.org/words/tercel.html (the male of a hawk), and trammel https://wordsmith.org/words/trammel.html (restraint, shackle, net). Earliest documented use: 1548.] "But I obtest, dear readers, I know nothing of any previous correspondence." Peter Hawes; Turakina Beach, Village of Thieves?; Manawatu Standard (New Zealand); Jul 8, 2008. -------- Date: Mon Jun 20 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--golgotha X-Bonus: It is the certainty that they possess the truth that makes men cruel. -Anatole France, novelist, essayist, Nobel laureate (1844-1924) To mark the 400 years of translation of the King James Version of the Bible this year. Earlier we featured five people from the Bible https://wordsmith.org/words/jonah.html who have become words in the English language. This week we feature another set of five words. Now it's the turn of five places that have taken root as metaphors in the language. What's in the Bible may surprise most people, even those who believe they know it. In a recent article on CNN, Rabbi Rami Shapiro says, "Most people who profess a deep love of the Bible have never actually read the book." (see http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/05/thats-not-in-the-bible/ ) How much do you know about the "Good Book"? Try this Bible quiz: http://ffrf.org/legacy/quiz/bquiz.php Golgotha (GOL-guh-thuh) noun 1. A place or occasion of great suffering. 2. A burial place. [After Golgotha, the hill near Jerusalem believed to be the site of Jesus's crucifixion. From Latin, from Greek golgotha, from Aramaic gulgulta, from Hebrew gulgolet (skull). The hill was perhaps named from the resemblance of its shape to a skull. Earliest documented use: 1597.] "The attack has turned the once peaceful serenity of a plateau state to a Golgotha." Chris Agbiti; How Not to Govern a Volatile State; Vanguard (Apapa, Nigeria); Apr 1, 2011. -------- Date: Tue Jun 21 00:01:08 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--laodicean X-Bonus: A man has to live with himself, and he should see to it that he always has good company. -Charles Evans Hughes, jurist (1862-1948) This week's theme: Biblical places that became words in English Laodicean (lay-ah-duh-SEE-uhn) adjective Lukewarm or indifferent, especially regarding religion. [After Laodicea, a city in Asia Minor, whose Christians were rebuked for their indifference to religion in Revelation 3:16 in the New Testament. Earliest documented use: 1633.] Notes: Laodicean was the 2009 Spelling Bee Championship word: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFj1-Iu7UI8 "How can we expect such vital realism from our pathologically Laodicean political class?" Kevin Myers; An Irishman's Diary; Irish Times (Dublin); Jul 19, 2005. -------- Date: Wed Jun 22 00:01:08 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--calvary X-Bonus: One day I was speeding along at the typewriter, and my daughter -- who was a child at the time -- asked me, "Daddy, why are you writing so fast?" And I replied, "Because I want to see how the story turns out!" -Louis L'Amour, novelist (1908-1988) This week's theme: Biblical places that became words in English calvary (KAL-vuh-ree) noun 1. A place or occasion of severe trial, anguish, or suffering. 2. A sculptured depiction of the crucifixion. [From Latin calvaria (skull), translation of Greek golgotha https://wordsmith.org/words/golgotha.html where Jesus Christ's crucifixion took place according to the New Testament. Earliest documented use: around 1000.] "'Simply put, when someone is in a terminal phase, that means they are clinically condemned, that there is no solution and what they are facing is a calvary before dying,' Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba added." Spain to Pass Law to Allow Death 'With Dignity'; Agence France-Presse (Paris); Nov 19, 2010. -------- Date: Thu Jun 23 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--babel X-Bonus: Nobody can be lucky all the time; / so when your luck deserts you in some fashion / don't think you've been abandoned in your prime, / but rather that you're saving up your ration. -Piet Hein, poet and scientist (1905-1996) This week's theme: Biblical places that became words in English babel (BAB-uhl, BAY-buhl) noun 1. A confused mixture of noises or voices. 2. A scene of noise or confusion. [From Hebrew Babhel (Babylon). In the Old Testament (Genesis 11:4-9), people united in an attempt to build a city with a tower that reached the heavens. This displeased god who halted the project by confounding people's speech so they wouldn't understand one another. Earliest documented use: before 1382.] The Tower of Babel https://wordsmith.org/words/images/babel_large.jpg [Painting: Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525-1569)] "While an excited babel of Spanish, German, Japanese, and Hindi emanated from the dozens of television news crews in the street, the response to Charles and Camilla's 'I do's' among locals was mostly 'We Don't.'" Glenda Cooper; In Windsor, a Royal Pain; The Washington Post; Apr 10, 2005. -------- Date: Fri Jun 24 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--aceldama X-Bonus: It is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English -- up to fifty words used in correct context -- no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese. -Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (1934-1996) This week's theme: Biblical places that became words in English aceldama (uh-SEL-duh-muh) noun A place of bloodshed. [The term is derived from the name Aceldama, a potter's field https://wordsmith.org/words/potters_field.html described in the New Testament. It was purchased by the priests with the money Judas Iscariot received for betraying Jesus. From Greek Akeldama, from Aramaic haqeldema (field of blood). Earliest documented use: 1382.] "Mickelsson describes Philosophy Department as a 'treacherous, ego-bloated, murder-stained hovel.' Ah, the groves of aceldama!" Margaret Manning; Book Review; Boston Globe; May 30, 1982. -------- Date: Mon Jun 27 00:01:07 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jeeves X-Bonus: Writing, when properly managed, (as you may be sure I think mine is) is but a different name for conversation. -Laurence Sterne, novelist and clergyman (1713-1768) Have you ever read a novel so well-written that the characters came alive? This week's words are about those fictional men and women who have walked off the pages of their books and entered the dictionary. Perhaps it's a testament to the genius of the authors that their imaginary creations are now part of the living language. Let's meet five of these words, also known as eponyms, this week. Jeeves (jeevz) noun A personal servant, especially one who is resourceful and reliable. [After Reginald Jeeves, a valet in the stories by P.G. Wodehouse. Jeeves first made his appearance in a short story in 1915. Earliest documented example of the word used allusively: 1952.] "When you've got a billion dollars at your disposal, and a Jeeves to take care of your travel arrangements, nothing untoward is going to happen to you." Nicholas Barber; The Bucket List; The Independent (London, UK); Feb 17, 2008. -------- Date: Tue Jun 28 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--thrasonical X-Bonus: When you say that you agree to a thing in principle, you mean that you have not the slightest intention of carrying it out. -Otto von Bismarck, statesman (1815-1898) This week's theme: Eponyms thrasonical (THRAY-SON-i-kuhl) adjective Bragging or boastful. [After Thraso, a braggart soldier in the comedy Eunuchus (161 BCE) by the Roman playwright Terence. The name is derived from the Greek word thrasos (bold). Earliest documented example of the word used allusively: 1564.] "But I decided to give further thought to this friend's thrasonical effusion." Ground Zero Ekitiland; The Nation (Lagos, Nigeria); Apr 15, 2009. -------- Date: Wed Jun 29 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--barmecidal X-Bonus: The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. -William James, psychologist and philosopher (1842-1910) This week's theme: Eponyms barmecidal (bahr-mih-SYD-l) adjective Giving only an illusion of something; unreal. [After Barmecide, a nobleman in the story "Barber's Sixth Brother" from the collection "One Thousand and One Nights" (also known as "The Arabian Nights"). In the story, Barmecide pretends to host a lavish feast for a beggar. The beggar plays along, pretending to enjoy the food and wine. He then pretends to get drunk and knocks Barmecide down in the process. In the end, Barmecide is pleased with the beggar for going with the joke and offers him a real feast. Earliest documented example of the word used allusively: 1844.] The Barmecide's Feast: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/barmecidal_large.png [From the book The Arabian Nights Entertainments, Illustration: Henry Justice Ford (1860-1941)] "A section of the industry gives the illusion of health, but it is in reality quite infirm. The barmecidal lifestyle of these thrifts is sustained by the absence of market-value accounting." Sanford Rose; Saving the Thrifts; American Banker (New York); Feb 14, 1989. -------- Date: Thu Jun 30 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--man Friday X-Bonus: Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think. -Jean de la Bruyere, essayist and moralist (1645-1696) This week's theme: Eponyms man Friday (man FRY-day) noun A man who is an efficient and faithful aide to someone. [After Friday, a character in the novel Robinson Crusoe (1719) by Daniel Defoe. Crusoe named him Friday because that was the day they met. Crusoe often referred to him as his man Friday. By extension, the term girl Friday is used for a female. Earliest documented example of the word used allusively: 1809.] Robinson Crusoe and His Man Friday: https://wordsmith.org/words/man_friday_large.jpg Art: John Charles Dollman (1851-1934) "It was almost as if Kalnirnay was the Jeeves of the houses, always at hand. And in many ways, Kalnirnay today has become the man Friday of millions of Indians." Gaurav Pai; KNY; The Economic Times (New Delhi, India); Mar 18, 2009.