A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Jun 2 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sulfurous X-Bonus: If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved, the inquisition might have let him alone. -Thomas Hardy, novelist and poet (1840-1928) Ask anyone on the street about the term pH and chances are most of them are familiar with it, even if they are not sure what it means. Thanks to the manufacturers' addition of the term on shampoo bottles, pH has become a household term. Adding just a bit of jargon helps them to bring an aura of science to convince the consumer of the merit of the product. If only they took that space on the shampoo bottle to tell people what pH really means, it could make for a little relaxing bathroom reading. This could also be an opportunity to learn not only chemistry (pH tells how acidic or alkaline a solution is), but also mathematics (pH is based on a logarithmic scale) and foreign languages (it's from German Potenz 'power' + H, the symbol for hydrogen). This week we'll look at five terms from chemistry that are used in general contexts as well. Better living through chemistry. Or, at least, better vocabulary through chemistry. sulfurous or sulphurous (SUHL-fuhr-uhs, suhl-FYOOR-uhs) adjective 1. Relating to or resembling sulfur. 2. Pale yellow. 3. Fiery; hellish. 4. Hot-tempered. 5. Profane, blasphemous. [From Latin sulfur. Earliest documented use: 1530.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/sulphurous "And like a screeching harpy* screaming up from the sulfurous depths of Hell, Kim Kardashian has sensed our happiness and seeks to destroy it, destroy it, DESTROY IT! According to the Daily Mail, Kardashian is 'cutting deals left and right' to 'minimize expenditure and maximize profits for herself and the rest of the family' when she gets married to Kanye West! By auctioning off everything from video rights to wedding photos, Kim stands to make $21 million from the wedding -- in other words, $3 million more than she made from her 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries! And that is why Kardashians get married." Ann Romano; One Day at a Time; The Portland Mercury (Oregon); May 21, 2014. * https://wordsmith.org/words/harpy.html "The author Besma Lahouri describes the operation by the Elysee in 2008 to replace Carla Bruni's sulphurous reputation with that of a demure first lady." Charles Bremner; Carla Bruni's Not-So-Model Life; The Times (London, UK); Sep 13, 2010. -------- Date: Tue Jun 3 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--catalyst X-Bonus: Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness. -Allen Ginsberg, poet (1926-1997) This week's theme: Words from chemistry catalyst (KAT-uh-list) noun 1. A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without changing itself. 2. Someone or something that causes an event or change to happen. [Via Latin, from Greek katalusis, from kataluein (to dissolve), from kata- (down) + luein (loosen). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leu- (to loosen, divide), which is also the source of forlorn, lag, loss, solve, analysis, and resolute https://wordsmith.org/words/resolute.html . Earliest documented use: 1902.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/catalyst "Doctoroff had seen how the Games served as a growth catalyst for host cities -- Tokyo expanded its subway system, Atlanta transformed its downtown." Ken Auletta; After Bloomberg; The New Yorker; Aug 26, 2013. -------- Date: Wed Jun 4 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fulminate X-Bonus: I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires. -Susan B Anthony, reformer and suffragist (1820-1906) This week's theme: Words from chemistry fulminate (FUHL-muh-nayt, FOOL-, -mih-) noun: An explosive salt of fulminic acid. verb tr., intr.: 1. To explode or to cause to explode. 2. To issue denunciations. [From Latin fulminare (to strike with lightning), from fulmen (lightning), from fulgere (to shine). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhel- (to shine or burn), which is also the source of blaze, blank, blond, bleach, blanket, flame, refulgent https://wordsmith.org/words/refulgent.html , and effulgent https://wordsmith.org/words/effulgent.html . Earliest documented use: 1500.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/fulminate "She would fulminate honestly against anything she didn't like." Robert Thirkell; Conflict; Bloomsbury; 2010. "It was plain to see that her temper was delicately adjusted on a fulminate of mercury fuse." L. Ron Hubbard; The Chee-Chalker; Galaxy Press; 2008. -------- Date: Thu Jun 5 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--acidic X-Bonus: As I have not worried to be born, I do not worry to die. -Federico García Lorca, poet, playwright, and painter (1898-1936) This week's theme: Words from chemistry acidic (uh-SID-ik) adjective 1. Relating to or containing acid. 2. Having a sour or sharp taste. 3. Bitter or cutting (e.g. a remark). [From Latin acidus (sour), from acere (to be sour). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ak- (sharp), which is also the source of acrid, vinegar, acute, edge, hammer, heaven, eager, oxygen, and mediocre. Earliest documented use: 1868.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/acidic "Following Pete Townshend's acidic comment, a stunned silence descended on the amphitheater." Fred Shuster; Who Carry on, with Attitude; Daily News (Los Angeles, California); Jul 3, 2002. -------- Date: Fri Jun 6 00:01:04 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--brimstone X-Bonus: The illusion which exalts us is dearer to us than ten thousand truths. -Aleksandr Pushkin, poet, novelist, and playwright (1799-1837) This week's theme: Words from chemistry brimstone (BRIM-stohn) noun 1. Sulfur. 2. Fiery rhetoric, especially one filled with references to hell. 3. A virago. [From Old English brynstan, from brinnen (to burn) + stan (stone). Earliest documented use: 1300.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/brimstone NOTES: The Bible has many references to fire and brimstone pointing to burning in hell. Accordingly, the term "fire and brimstone" is used to refer to speech involving strong language, condemnation, damnation, etc., for example: a fire and brimstone preacher. "One of the things that makes Alan Clark so compelling a writer is the whiff of brimstone that comes off him, what Mr Cornwell describes as his 'potential for evil'." Old Nick Rides Again; The Economist (London, UK); Oct 1, 2009. "Under all that fire and brimstone, you're an old softy at heart." Michael Morpurgo; War Horse; Scholastic; 2010. -------- Date: Mon Jun 9 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dispositive X-Bonus: I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don't trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance, any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it. -Charles Dickens, novelist (1812-1870) The Lord Privy Seal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Privy_Seal is neither a lord, nor a privy, nor a seal (it's a British cabinet minister's title). The Holy Roman Empire http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire , was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire (it was Germanic). There's no law against naming yourself anything you want. You may be inducing cancer in your customers by peddling carcinogenic products to them, but you can still call yourself Altria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altria because it hints of altruism: unselfish concern for the welfare of others. This week we'll see five words that aren't what they appear to be. dispositive (dis-POZ-i-tiv) adjective Relating to or bringing about the settlement of a case. [From dispose, from Old French disposer, from Latin disponere (to arrange), from dis- (apart) + ponere (to put). Ultimately from the Indo-European root apo- (off or away), which is also the source of pose, apposite, after, off, awkward, post, puny, apposite https://wordsmith.org/words/apposite.html , and apropos https://wordsmith.org/words/apropos.html . Earliest documented use: 1483.] "The Justice Department subsequently asked the National Academy of Sciences to re-examine the Dictabelt evidence and it concluded it was not dispositive, which naturally led to years of debate among forensic acoustic experts." Ron Rosenbaum; Seeing Zapruder; Smithsonian (Washington, DC); Oct 2013. "Marilyn Yalom supplements her summaries of love in French culture with lively, if hardly dispositive, anecdotes from her own encounters with France and the French." How the French Invented Love; The New Yorker; Feb 4, 2013. -------- Date: Tue Jun 10 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--holograph X-Bonus: Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door. -Saul Bellow, writer, Nobel laureate (1915-2005) This week's theme: Words that aren't what they appear to be holograph (HOL-uh-graf) noun: A document handwritten by its author. adjective: Handwritten by the author. [Via Latin, from Greek holographos, from holos (whole) + -graphos (written). Earliest documented use: 1623.] noun: A hologram: a three-dimensional image created using laser. [From holography, which was coined from hologram on the pattern of photography, from Greek holos (whole). Earliest documented use: 1968.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/holograph Lincoln's letter to Henry Clay Whitney: https://wordsmith.org/words/holograph_large.jpg "There is some probability that my Scrap-book will be reprinted; and if it shall, I will save you a copy." Who knew Lincoln was a scrapbooker! Photo: Library of Congress http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/stern-lincoln/letters.html "Writing on a blackboard is like writing a letter, or a poem, by hand. For one class period, what you've written is your holograph." Michael McFee; Ode to the Blackboard; The Chronicle of Higher Education (Washington, DC); May 19, 2014. -------- Date: Wed Jun 11 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--plutarchy X-Bonus: The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men. -Alice Walker, poet and novelist (b. 1944) This week's theme: Words that aren't what they appear to be plutarchy (PLOO-tahr-kee) noun 1. Rule by the wealthy. 2. A wealthy ruling class. [The Greek biographer Plutarch (c. 46-120 CE) has no connection with this word. Rather, it's Ploutos, the god of riches in Greek mythology. The word (and its synonym plutocracy) are derived from Greek pluto- (wealth) + archos (ruler), from arkhein (to rule). Earliest documented use: 1643.] Ploutos with his mother Eirene: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/plutarchy_large.jpg Photo: Oriana https://www.flickr.com/photos/orianaitaly/4002352758/in/photostream/ "Boston's upper crust made sure that they had an unfair advantage over their less fortunate neighbors, an advantage intended to perpetuate plutarchy and a socially stratified society." Keith Krawczynski; Daily Life in the Colonial City; Greenwood; 2012. -------- Date: Thu Jun 12 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--reproof X-Bonus: I believe that in the course of the next century the notion that it's a woman's duty to have children will change and make way for the respect and admiration of all women, who bear their burdens without complaint or a lot of pompous words! -Anne Frank, diarist (1929-1945) This week's theme: Words that aren't what they appear to be reproof (ri-PROOF) noun Disapproval; blame. [From Old French reprover (to criticize), from Latin reprobare (to disapprove), from re- (opposite) + probare (to approve), from probus (good). Earliest documented use: 1375.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/reproof "The nuns have continued to insist on their right to debate and challenge church teaching, which has resulted in the Vatican's reproof." Laurie Goodstein; Nuns Weigh Response to Scathing Vatican Rebuke; The New York Times; Jul 29, 2012. -------- Date: Fri Jun 13 00:01:04 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--votary X-Bonus: The mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting. -Plutarch, biographer (c. 46-120) This week's theme: Words that aren't what they appear to be votary (VOH-tuh-ree) noun: 1. One who is devoted to an activity, person, institution, etc. 2. One who has taken vows to a religion, such as a monk or nun. adjective: Bound by a vow or relating to a vow. [From Latin votum (vow), from vovere (to vow), which also gave us vow, vote, and devote. Earliest documented use: 1546.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/votary "The issue has been a matter of debate with strong votaries on both sides." Road to Basel; Financial Express (New Delhi, India); May 4, 2012. -------- Date: Mon Jun 16 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--camarilla X-Bonus: I learned long ago that being Lewis Carroll was infinitely more exciting than being Alice. -Joyce Carol Oates, writer (b. 1938) On my morning walk, I came across an old table and some chairs on the sidewalk. A sign was taped to the furniture: FREE LIBRE My Spanish vocabulary isn't as extensive as I'd like to be, but something about the sign didn't sound right. LIBRE reminded me of liberty and I felt this wasn't the meaning the homeowner had intended. GRATIS might have worked better. But I believe we must give the other person the benefit of doubt, so my interpretation is that the furniture is not only FREE (as in free beer), but also FREE (as in freedom). That's until someone else claims it and becomes its new owner. But you don't have to know Spanish to understand (some) Spanish. If you speak English, you already have many words from Spanish in your vocabulary. English has incorporated thousands of words from Spanish. From mosquito to peon to plaza -- they're part of everyday English language. This week we'll see five other words borrowed from Spanish that may not be as common. camarilla (kam-uh-RIL-uh, Spanish: kah-mah-REE-yah) noun A group of confidential scheming advisers. [From Spanish, diminutive of cámara (chamber), from Latin camera (room), from Greek kamara (an object with an arched cover). Earliest documented use: 1839.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/camarilla "In China ... successions to a bureaucratic collective leadership are managed by a tiny camarilla in a self-declared one-party state." Simon Sebag Montefiore; In Russia, Power Has No Heirs; The New York Times; Jan 11, 2009. -------- Date: Tue Jun 17 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fandango X-Bonus: Just as appetite comes by eating so work brings inspiration. -Igor Stravinsky, composer (1882-1971) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Spanish fandango (fan-DANG-go) noun 1. A lively Spanish dance in triple time. 2. A piece of music for this dance. 3. A foolish or silly behavior, act, or thing. [From Spanish, of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1766.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/fandango "Going through this ridiculous fandango of chicken and blackmail again is the height of irresponsibility." Norman Ornstein; Extending Debt Limit Past Elections is Right Path; Roll Call (Washington, DC); Jul 27, 2011. -------- Date: Wed Jun 18 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pungle X-Bonus: The problem with being sure that God is on your side is that you can't change your mind, because God sure isn't going to change His. -Roger Ebert, film-critic (1942-2013) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Spanish pungle (PUNG-uhl) verb tr. To make a payment; to shell out. [Alteration of Spanish póngale (put it down), from poner (to put), from Latin ponere (to put). Ultimately from the Indo-European root apo- (off or away) that is also the source of after, off, awkward, post, puny, apposite https://wordsmith.org/words/apposite.html , apropos https://wordsmith.org/words/apropos.html , and dispositive https://wordsmith.org/words/dispositive.html . Earliest documented use: 1851.] "Congress pungled up $700 billion for a bailout." Steve Rubenstein; 2008 in Review; San Francisco Chronicle; Dec 30, 2008. -------- Date: Thu Jun 19 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--picaroon X-Bonus: A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return. -Salman Rushdie, writer (b. 1947) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Spanish picaroon (pik-uh-ROON) noun: 1. A rogue, thief, or pirate. 2. A pirate ship. verb intr.: To act as a pirate. [From Spanish picarón (scoundrel), from picaro (rogue). Earliest documented use: 1624.] "I don't like bank stocks or banksters -- especially the big-city picaroons who have less conscience than a fox in a henhouse." Malcolm Berko; Some OK Banksters and a Primer on Scripophily*; Creators Syndicate (Los Angeles); Dec 14, 2011. https://wordsmith.org/words/scripophily.html -------- Date: Fri Jun 20 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--arroyo X-Bonus: Since when do we have to agree with people to defend them from injustice? -Lillian Hellman, playwright (1905-1984) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Spanish arroyo (uh-ROI-oh) noun A narrow, steep-sided watercourse, usually dry except after rain. [From Spanish arroyo, from Latin arrugia (mine shaft). Earliest documented use: 1845.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/arroyo "A wooden bridge took us across an arroyo and into a grassy area." Gene Sager; In Touch With Nature; Natural Life (Toronto, Canada); Jan/Feb 2014. -------- Date: Mon Jun 23 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--squirrelly X-Bonus: A note of music gains significance from the silence on either side. -Anne Morrow Lindbergh, writer (1906-2001) According to my unscientific survey, 52.9% of all videos on YouTube are about cats pulling toilet paper and dogs making funny faces. We take time to record the videos, upload them to the net, watch them, and then forward endlessly. It's a reflection of our close relationships with animals. Our language also mirrors this as so many of the words are derived from animals. An easel is, literally, an ass (from Dutch ezel: ass), a muscle is a little mouse (from Latin mus: mouse), and bugle is an ox (from Latin buculus: young bullock, whose horn was used by hunters for giving signals). This week, we'll see five words derived from five animals (squirrel, dog, monkey, flea, and toad), words in which the animal origin sometimes may not be immediately obvious. squirrelly or squirrely (SKWUR-uh-lee) adjective 1. Restless, jumpy, nervy. 2. Odd or crazy. [Why do we consider a squirrel squirrelly? Well, it's either their unpredictable running around or we think they are nutty because of their preference for nuts. The word came to us via French and Latin from Greek skiouros (shadow-tailed), from skia (shadow) + oura (tail). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ors- (buttocks) which also gave us ass, dodo, and cynosure https://wordsmith.org/words/cynosure.html . Earliest documented use: 1925.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/squirrelly https://wordsmith.org/words/images/squirrelly_large.jpg Photo: Pascale https://www.flickr.com/photos/21863711@N03/5001363631/ "'It's indicative of how squirrelly the market is,' Christopher Dixo said, adding that investors are skittish about any degree of negative news." Sallie Hofmeister; Diller's Internet Empire Takes a Hit; Los Angeles Times; Jan 7, 2003. -------- Date: Tue Jun 24 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--canaille X-Bonus: Money, n. A blessing that is of no advantage to us excepting when we part with it. An evidence of culture and a passport to polite society. -Ambrose Bierce, writer (1842-1914) This week's theme: Words coined after animals canaille (kuh-NAYL, -NY) noun The common people; the masses; riffraff. [From French canaille (villain, rabble), from Italian canaglia (pack of dogs, rabble), from cane (dog), from Latin canis (dog). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kwon- (dog), which is also the source of canine, chenille (from French chenille: caterpillar, literally, little dog), kennel, canary, hound, dachshund, corgi, cynic https://wordsmith.org/words/cynic.html , and cynosure https://wordsmith.org/words/cynosure.html . Earliest documented use: 1676.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/canaille_large.jpg Photo: Brett Davies https://www.flickr.com/photos/photosightfaces/6107948667/ "The gang in the alley was not canaille; fine gentlemen from the court were raging here." Isak Dinesen; Last Tales; Random House; 1957. -------- Date: Wed Jun 25 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--monkeyshine X-Bonus: If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. -George Orwell, writer (1903-1950) This week's theme: Words coined after animals monkeyshine (MUNG-kee-shyn) noun A trick, prank, or antic. [After monkey + shine (a caper). A similar term is monkey business. Earliest documented use: 1832.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/monkeyshine_large.jpg Photo: Frank Gualtieri "Senator Fritz Hollings opened in his usual direct fashion: Let's cut out the monkeyshines and get down to business." Mary McGrory; Amtrak Melodrama; The Washington Post; Jun 30, 2002. -------- Date: Thu Jun 26 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--puce X-Bonus: Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members. -Pearl S. Buck, Nobelist novelist (1892-1973) This week's theme: Words coined after animals puce (pyoos) noun: A dark red or brownish purple color. adjective: Of this color. [From French puce (flea), from Latin pulex (flea). Earliest documented use: 1778. Other terms coined after the flea are flea market, a direct translation of French marché aux puces and ukulele (from Hawaiian, literally leaping flea, perhaps from the rapid motion of the fingers in playing it).] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/puce https://wordsmith.org/words/images/puce_large.jpg Art: Leah Palmer Preiss http://www.leahpalmerpreiss.com/ "An increasingly puce Mr Farage complained about Britain's loss of sovereignty." The Third Man; The Economist (London, UK); Mar 29, 2014. -------- Date: Fri Jun 27 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--toady X-Bonus: The test of a democracy is not the magnificence of buildings or the speed of automobiles or the efficiency of air transportation, but rather the care given to the welfare of all the people. -Helen Adams Keller, lecturer and author (1880-1968) This week's theme: Words coined after animals toady (TOH-dee) noun: A person who flatters or tries to please someone to gain favor. verb intr.: To behave as a toady. [From shortening of toad-eater. In times past, a quack employed an assistant who ate (or pretended to eat) a poisonous toad and was supposedly cured by the quack's medicine. From there the word extended to a person who would do anything to curry favor. Earliest documented use: 1827.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/toady https://wordsmith.org/words/images/toady_large.jpg Photo: Gavin Macrae https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinmacrae/7638345758/ "Klein and the rest of Mission Control want a bunch of yes men and toadies." Martin Shoemaker; Murder on the Aldrin Express; Analog Science Fiction & Fact (New York); Sep 2013. -------- Date: Mon Jun 30 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mossback X-Bonus: Not that I want to be a god or a hero. Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone. -Czeslaw Milosz, poet and novelist (1911-2004) What words do you choose to describe a person? Do you go for overused everyday words such as nice, good, bad, cool, and the like? How about a word that may be more colorful or precise or exotic? Let's give the tired words a rest and use this week's terms to describe people. mossback (MOS-bak) noun A very old-fashioned person or one holding extremely conservative views. [From the idea that someone is old enough to have moss grow on his back. Old aquatic animals, such as turtles, do develop mosslike growth on their backs. Earliest documented use: 1865.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/mossback https://wordsmith.org/words/images/mossback_large.jpg Photo: George Cathcart http://www.finsfeathersfoto.com/ "Here, Markowitz deals with ... moldy old mossbacks in English departments who won't teach writing by women." Miriam Markowitz; Here Comes Everybody; The Nation (New York); Dec 9, 2013.