A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Jul 3 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cantrip X-Bonus: It has been said that a pretty face is a passport. But it's not, it's a visa, and it runs out fast. -Julie Burchill, writer and journalist (b. 3 Jul 1959) There's no dog in dogma https://wordsmith.org/words/dogmatic.html , no fart in fartlek https://wordsmith.org/words/fartlek.html , and no history in histrionics https://wordsmith.org/words/histrionics.html . These are just some examples of what one may find in the winding wilderness of the English language, where words can be cloaked in mystery and the paths of meaning often lead us astray. Join me as we explore this linguistic labyrinth where words are not what they appear to be. Beware of these semantic mirages! They can trip you up. cantrip (KAN-trip) noun 1. A magic spell. 2. A trick, sham, prank, etc. [From Scots cantrip (spell, magic, trick, mischief, etc.). Earliest documented use: 1719.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/cantrip_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Unless you have come across a cantrip that will cause currency to rain from the skies, I must continue to practice my profession." Matthew Hughes; Sweet Trap; Fantasy & Science Fiction (Hoboken, New Jersey); Jun 2007. -------- Date: Tue Jul 4 00:01:03 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--maladdress X-Bonus: There are few uglier traits than this tendency -- witnessed in men no worse than their neighbors -- to grow cruel, merely because they possessed the power of inflicting harm. -Nathaniel Hawthorne, writer (4 Jul 1804-1864) This week's theme: Misleading words maladdress (mal-uh-DRES) noun Rudeness; tactlessness; clumsiness; awkwardness. [From French maladresse (clumsiness, tactlessness, awkwardness), a blend of maladroit (clumsy, tactless) + adresse (dexterity, skill). Earliest documented use: 1804.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/maladdress_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Even when under the cosh, [Professor Olabisi Ugbebor] does not display maladdress towards anyone." Celebrating a Woman of Many Firsts; This Day (Lagos, Nigeria); Feb 10, 2021. https://wordsmith.org/words/cosh.html -------- Date: Wed Jul 5 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--asportation X-Bonus: Take a commonplace, clean it and polish it, light it so that it produces the same effect of youth and freshness and originality and spontaneity as it did originally, and you have done a poet's job. The rest is literature. -Jean Cocteau, author and painter (5 Jul 1889-1963) This week's theme: Misleading words asportation (as-puhr-TAY-shuhn) noun The carrying away of something unlawfully. [From Latin ab- (away) + portare (to carry). Earliest documented use: 1503. See also disport https://wordsmith.org/words/disport.html .] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/asportation_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Wargo was charged with sixth-offense shoplifting by asportation." Ayer Woman Charged as Serial Shoplifter; Sentinel & Enterprise (Fitchburg, Massachusetts); Oct 22, 2013. -------- Date: Thu Jul 6 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--epicrisis X-Bonus: In an earlier stage of our development most human groups held to a tribal ethic. Members of the tribe were protected, but people of other tribes could be robbed or killed as one pleased. Gradually the circle of protection expanded, but as recently as 150 years ago we did not include blacks. So African human beings could be captured, shipped to America, and sold. In Australia white settlers regarded Aborigines as a pest and hunted them down, much as kangaroos are hunted down today. Just as we have progressed beyond the blatantly racist ethic of the era of slavery and colonialism, so we must now progress beyond the speciesist ethic of the era of factory farming, of the use of animals as mere research tools, of whaling, seal hunting, kangaroo slaughter, and the destruction of wilderness. We must take the final step in expanding the circle of ethics. -Peter Singer, philosopher and professor of bioethics (b. 6 Jul 1946) This week's theme: Misleading words epicrisis (i-PIK-ruh-sis, EP-i-kry-sis for #3) noun 1. A quotation followed by a commentary upon it. 2. A summary, review, or discussion of a case. 3. A secondary crisis, something that follows a crisis. [From Greek epikrisis (judgment), from epikrenein (to judge), from epi- (upon) + krenein (to judge). Earliest documented use: 1593.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/epicrisis_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Even the very limited experience gained by our seminar has led me to corrections and additions which will be discussed in an epicrisis." Owsei Temkin; The Double Face of Janus; Johns Hopkins University Press; 2006. "The epicrisis has to be written, you know. ... You can't be discharged until the epicrisis is ready." Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Translation: David Burg & Nicholas Bethell); Cancer Ward; Dial Press; 1968. -------- Date: Fri Jul 7 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--oxytone X-Bonus: It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. -Robert A. Heinlein, science-fiction author (7 Jul 1907-1988) This week's theme: Misleading words oxytone (OK-si-tohn) adjective: Having stress on the last syllable. noun: A word having stress on the last syllable. [From Greek oxys (acute) + tonos (tone). Earliest documented use: 1720.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/oxytone NOTES: As you can see from its pronunciation, oxytone is a do-as-I-say kind of word, not do-as-I-do. Once you have mastered oxytone, here are some advanced members of this family: paroxytone: the second to last syllable stressed proparoxytone: third from last syllable stressed https://wordsmith.org/words/proparoxytone.html As a proper name, Oxytone can be a music pedal https://www.bo-effects.com/shop/oxytone/ vent https://www.archiproducts.com/en/products/aldes/natural-ventilation-hse-oxytone-lames-2013_243805 steroid https://steroid-planet.com/en/home/132-oxytone-50-oxymetholone-sb-laboratories.html intestinal cleanser https://www.amazon.com/Digestive-Cleanser-Capsules-Intestinal-Supplement/dp/B083JL6S14 hair bleacher https://gomarket.com.do/products/oxytone-polvo-decolorante-8-8-oz and a book https://www.flipkart.com/oxytone/p/itmdcptkdpdeunhh . Will the real oxytone stand up? If you're fond of stress on the last syllable and feel like making oxytone at home, here's the chemical reaction that should work, though we haven't tried it ourselves: oxygen + acetone = oxytone + acegen The byproduct acegen is believed to be a pain reliever: https://www.tradeindia.com/products/acegen-p-tablet-10x10-tablets-7807408.html. "What a lot our language misses by the clipped and oxytone 'lament'!" Egerton Castle & Agnes Castle; A Little House in War Time; Good Press; 2022. -------- Date: Mon Jul 10 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--reflexive X-Bonus: We are healed of a suffering only by expressing it to the full. -Marcel Proust, novelist (10 Jul 1871-1922) When you _peruse_ https://wordsmith.org/words/peruse.html a document, are you paying close attention to it or giving it a cursory glance? Who knows! Depends on whom you ask. Also, on the context. Let's agree the word is skunked. Better to stay away from it. Sometimes, the location defines the word. In the UK, to _table_ a proposal is to bring it forward for consideration. In the US, it's to put it away. A thoroughly skunk word, if you ask me. The language has many of these skunks in its menagerie. Best to stay away from such weaselly, foul words. That said, you may still come across them in the wild. This week we prepare you for such a possibility by introducing five such words. * The scientific name for the striped skunk is "Mephitis mephitis". Because saying it's mephitic https://wordsmith.org/words/mephitic.html once isn't sufficient. reflexive (ri-FLEK-siv) adjective 1. Unthinking; instinctive; spontaneous. 2. Thoughtful; reflective. 3. In grammatical contexts: Directed on itself. [From Latin reflectere (to bend back), from re- (back) + flectere (to bend). Earliest documented use: 1588.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/reflexive NOTES: Anyone who has studied another language has probably come across the term reflexive. A reflexive action is directed on the subject. Example: He was so dismissive of both the facts and the law that he often implicated himself. Here, the reflexive pronoun "himself" indicates that the action of implication is directed back at the subject. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/reflexive_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "[Julia Ratti said:] 'Perhaps we shouldn't just do that out of a reflexive nature, we should think about it.'" Brian Duggan; Sparks Going Its Own Way, for Now; Reno Gazette-Journal (Nevada); May 6, 2012. "The ability to think and be reflexive elevates the status of the mind to the definition of a human being." Jessica R. Johnston, ed.; The American Body in Context; Scholarly Resources; 2001. -------- Date: Tue Jul 11 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nervy X-Bonus: The influence of each human being on others in this life is a kind of immortality. -John Quincy Adams, 6th president of the US (11 Jul 1767-1848) This week's theme: Skunk words (words to avoid) nervy (NUHR-vee) adjective 1. Nervous or anxious. 2. Brash. 3. Bold. [From Latin nervus (nerve). Earliest documented use: 1598.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nervy https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nervy_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "[The undercover cop Lachlan McCulloch] had the nervy alertness that shrinks call hypervigilance. He says: 'I felt like a zebra walking into a lion's den, having to convince the lion I wasn't a zebra at all.'" Andrew Rule; I Lost Me; Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia); Apr 16, 2023. "Someone nervy enough to tackle Stanley on his home turf." Matt Wolf; Paul Mescal Electrifies in a Revelatory 'Streetcar'; The New York Times; Jan 18, 2023. -------- Date: Wed Jul 12 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mathematical X-Bonus: Everything you've learned in school as "obvious" becomes less and less obvious as you begin to study the universe. For example, there are no solids in the universe. There's not even a suggestion of a solid. There are no absolute continuums. There are no surfaces. There are no straight lines. -R. Buckminster Fuller, engineer, designer, and architect (12 Jul 1895-1983) This week's theme: Skunk words (words to avoid) mathematical (math-uh-MAT-i-kuhl) adjective 1. Relating to mathematics. 2. Absolute or certain. 3. Possible, but highly improbable. [From Latin mathematicus, from Greek mathematikos, from mathema (learning, science), from manthanein (to learn). Ultimately from the Indo-European root mendh- (to learn), which also gave us chrestomathy https://wordsmith.org/words/chrestomathy.html , philomath https://wordsmith.org/words/philomath.html , and opsimath https://wordsmith.org/words/opsimath.html . Earliest documented use: 1475.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/mathematical The Sun rising in the east tomorrow: mathematical, def 2 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/mathematical2_large.jpg Image: Qimono / GoodFreePhotos https://www.goodfreephotos.com/astrophotography/sunrise-over-the-earth.jpg.php A giant asteroid hitting tomorrow: mathematical, def 3 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/mathematical3_large.jpg Image: urikyo33 / Pixabay https://pixabay.com/illustrations/meteorite-space-earth-planet-6059746/ "By March, through superior voter targeting and organization, his nomination had become a mathematical certainty." Tom Rosenstiel; Shining City; HarperCollins; 2017. "There's also a mathematical chance at a four-way tie, but let's not get too worked up yet." Michael Fornabaio; Many Contributors Helping Yale Challenge for Ivy Football Title; New Haven Register (Connecticut); Nov 9, 2021. -------- Date: Thu Jul 13 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--moot X-Bonus: The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny. -Wole Soyinka, playwright, poet, Nobel laureate (b. 13 Jul 1934) This week's theme: Skunk words (words to avoid) moot (moot) adjective: 1. Open to discussion: debatable. 2. Of little practical value, hence not worth considering. 3. Irrelevant or insignificant as a result of the issue being resolved. noun: 1. An assembly or court. 2. A discussion or argument. verb tr.: 1. To bring up for discussion or debate. 2. To make something irrelevant or insignificant as a result of the issue being resolved. [From Old English gemot (meeting, assembly, court). Earliest documented use: 450.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/moot NOTES: Moot courts are mock courts where law students try cases for practice. Apparently, they don't get enough practice in the law school because even after they graduate and deal in real cases with real people, they still call it a practice. Same with doctors. Etymology makes things clear. The word practice is from Latin practica meaning practical work. It's not academic any more. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/moot_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The position of Greek banks is almost as untenable as the government's; it is a moot point which will buckle first." When the Talking Has to Stop; The Economist (London, UK); May 30, 2015. "And besides, it is moot. I have won." Michele Jaffe; The Water Nymph; Gallery Books; 2001. -------- Date: Fri Jul 14 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mosey X-Bonus: You are the sky. Everything else -- it's just the weather. -Pema Chodron, Buddhist nun and author (b. 14 Jul 1936) This week's theme: Skunk words (words to avoid) mosey (MOH-zee) verb intr. 1. To move in a leisurely manner. 2. To leave quickly. [Of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1829.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/mosey https://wordsmith.org/words/images/mosey_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Everyone moseys here. There is no hurry to get anywhere." Sandra Block; What Happened That Night; Sourcebooks; 2018. "So he took his money and moseyed. No one stopped him." Phil Brody; The Holden Age of Hollywood; Medallion; 2012. -------- Date: Mon Jul 17 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--visceral X-Bonus: There are stars whose radiance is visible on Earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind. -Hannah Senesh, poet, playwright, and paratrooper (17 Jul 1921-1944) Science and technology have advanced, but "Fantastic Voyage" remains fiction. We will land a human ship on Mars before we can take a miniature submersible and travel inside veins, arteries, and inner organs. Meanwhile, we'll do the closest we can get to it: take a metaphorical trip. We have visited parts of the human body many times in the past. Examples: https://wordsmith.org/words/inoculate.html https://wordsmith.org/words/supercilious.html https://wordsmith.org/words/jawbone.html https://wordsmith.org/words/inveigle1.html This week, we'll visit some of the inner parts of the body that have become metaphors in the English language. visceral (VIS-uhr-uhl) adjective 1. Related to viscera. 2. Instinctive, not reasoning or intellectual. 3. Dealing with base emotions; earthy, crude. [From Latin viscera (internal organs), plural of viscus (flesh). From the belief that viscera were the seat of emotions. Earliest documented use: 1575.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/visceral https://wordsmith.org/words/images/visceral_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The movie is less visceral than the book, omitting scenes of a turtle and a shark being butchered on the lifeboat." Brian D. Johnson; A New Life for Pi; Maclean's (Toronto, Canada); Nov 7, 2012. "They endured visceral racial hostility openly expressed, doors slammed in their faces when they sought jobs and accommodations, and disheartening signs: 'No Blacks, No Irish, No dogs.'" Barrington M. Salmon; The Queen is Dead. Maybe the Monarchy Needs to Die, Too; Washington Informer; Sep 15, 2022. -------- Date: Tue Jul 18 00:01:03 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--blood-and-guts X-Bonus: There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. -Nelson Mandela, activist, South African president, Nobel laureate (18 Jul 1918-2013) This week's theme: Words derived from body parts blood-and-guts (BLUHD-n-GUHTS) adjective 1. Marked by great violence, especially when depicted in a graphic way. 2. Dealing with fundamental concerns. 3. Performed with great zeal or vigor. [From blood, from Old English blod and gut, from Old English guttas (guts). Earliest documented use: 1894.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/blood-and-guts https://wordsmith.org/words/images/blood-and-guts_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Mortal Kombat, the blood-and-guts arcade game that triggered Congressional hearings ... [had] a feature giving players the gory choice of whether to kill by decapitating an opponent or ripping out their heart." Mortal Kombat Among Four Inducted to Video Game Hall of Fame; Associated Press; May 3, 2019. "Economics is often an ivory tower pursuit, and Nobel winners get penthouse views. ... But the difference between [James] Heckman and many Nobel winners is that he takes on blood-and-guts issues that affect real people." David Greising; Nobel Economist Deflates Policies, Guts Assumptions; Chicago Tribune; Oct 18, 2000. "Pairing two standout siblings on the same team can lead to bickering, jealousy, and some blood-and-guts competition." Andy Olson; Sisters Are Biggest Fish in the Pool; Milwaukee Journal (Wisconsin); Sep 30, 1993. -------- Date: Wed Jul 19 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hamstring X-Bonus: I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, "Mother, what was war?" -Eve Merriam, poet and writer (19 Jul 1916-1992) This week's theme: Words derived from body parts hamstring (HAM-string) noun: 1. Any of the tendons at the back of the knee. 2. Any of the three muscles in the back of the thigh, connecting the pelvis and the knee. verb tr.: 1. To disable or make ineffective. 2. To cut the hamstring. [From ham (the back of the knee) + string (tendon). Earliest documented use: 1565.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hamstring NOTES: In the past, literal hamstringing -- cutting someone's hamstring -- was done to humans (such as prisoners and runaway slaves) and to animals (horses of the enemy, bull in a bullfighting ring). Hamstring muscles https://wordsmith.org/words/images/hamstring_large.gif Animation: Niwadare / Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hamstrings-animation.gif The crowd hamstrings a bull at the end of a bullfight (1816) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/hamstring_bull_large.jpg Art: Francisco de Goya https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Francisco_de_Goya,_Desjarrete_de_la_canalla_con_lanzas,_medias-lunas,_banderillas_y_otras_armas_(The_Rabble_Hamstring_the_Bull_with_Lances,_Sickles,_Banderillas_and_Other_Arms),_in_or_before_1816,_NGA_4779.jpg "Why hamstring your own side with needless restrictions?" Publish and Perish?; The Economist (London, UK); May 3, 2003. -------- Date: Thu Jul 20 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chopped liver X-Bonus: The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace. -Carlos Santana, musician (b. 20 Jul 1947) This week's theme: Words derived from body parts chopped liver (CHOPT LIV-uhr) noun Something or someone treated as unimportant. [From Yiddish gehakte leber (chopped liver). Earliest documented use: 1947.] NOTES: The term is often heard in the rhetorical form, protesting one's treatment as not worthy of being noticed: "What am I, chopped liver?" It was popularized by Jewish comedians in the Borscht Belt of the Catskill Mountains in New York. Literally speaking, chopped liver is a traditional dish made from a calf or chicken liver. Since it's offered as a side dish or appetizer, and is made from inexpensive organ meat, the term began to be used metaphorically. Yes, there _is_ a chunk of chopped liver in there somewhere https://wordsmith.org/words/images/chopped_liver_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "[Barry Diller] says, 'Now, I wasn't chopped liver, I was the chairman of Paramount at thirty-three.'" Larissa MacFarquhar; The Huntress; The New Yorker; Sep 25, 2006. -------- Date: Fri Jul 21 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--heart-whole X-Bonus: The man who has begun to live more seriously within begins to live more simply without. -Ernest Hemingway, author, journalist, Nobel laureate (21 Jul 1899-1961) This week's theme: Words derived from body parts heart-whole (HART-hohl) adjective 1. Unattached: not in love. 2. Sincere; wholehearted. [From heart, from Old English heorte + whole, from Old English hal (whole). Earliest documented use: 1470.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/heart-whole From my aorta to my apex I love you with my whole heart https://wordsmith.org/words/images/heart-whole.jpg Image: PineandIsle / Etsy https://www.etsy.com/listing/1177101671/from-my-aorta-to-my-apex-i-love-you-with "And Myra had charmed the hearts out of many men, while remaining herself heart-whole. She was still heart-whole although she was engaged to be married to Tony ... 'Yes, I'll marry you, Tony, but I don't love you ... I'm going to marry you because Aunt Clarissa insists I must marry a rich man, and you happen to be the least objectionable rich man who wants me.'" Juanita Savage; Bandit Love; Dial; 1931. "[Wolfgang] Stange's performers work with a heart-whole involvement which gives his productions a true theatrical force." Clement Crisp; Dance; Financial Times (London, UK); Jun 2, 2007. -------- Date: Mon Jul 24 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gospel X-Bonus: Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things. -Amelia Earhart, aviator (24 Jul 1897-1937) The poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) once wrote: So many gods, so many creeds, So many paths that wind and wind, While just the art of being kind Is all the sad world needs. There are literally thousands of religions around https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/visualizing-religions-worldwide/ . To each his own. Do your duty the best you can and don't hurt anyone -- that's my religion. Wilcox further wrote: I am the voice of the voiceless; Through me the dumb shall speak, Till the deaf world's ear be made to hear The wrongs of the wordless weak. Speaking for the powerless, with each verse one has to love the poet more and more. We do speak out, and while we can't fix everything in this world, we do our best not to leave you wordless. This week we'll feature five words having origins in religion. What are your thoughts about religion? Share on our website or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state). gospel (GOS-puhl) noun 1. Message, teachings, or principles of a person or organization. 2. Something regarded as authoritative or infallible, especially when believed unquestionably. [From Old English gōdspel, from gōd (good) + spell (tale, news). Earliest documented use: 950.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/gospel NOTES: Is God good? We won't comment on that, but in gospel, it's a mistaken assumption, literally speaking. In Old English gōdspel, the word gōd (with a long o) meaning "good" changed to "god" with the erroneous assumption that godspel means "God's news" instead of "good news". Ultimately, the word is a translation of Latin evangelium or bona annuntiatio (good news), which itself is a translation of Greek euangelion (good news). In Christianity, a Gospel is any of the first four books of the New Testament about the story of Jesus's life. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/gospel_large.jpg Image: Devin C https://in.pinterest.com/pin/692358142719731277/ https://twitter.com/ThreeDayPass/status/835972520276803585 "The No. 3 man [Rick Santorum] in the Senate leadership is hard at work spreading the GOP gospel. Will his crusades take him all the way to the White House?" Howard Fineman & Andrew Romano; Mister Right; Newsweek (New York); Jan 3, 2005. -------- Date: Tue Jul 25 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--messiah X-Bonus: There are no chaste minds. Minds copulate wherever they meet. -Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (25 Jul 1902-1983) This week's theme: Words from religion messiah (muh-SY-uh) noun A savior, liberator, or leader of a group or a cause. [From Latin messias, from Greek messias, from Hebrew mashia (anointed), from Aramaic masiah (the anointed one), from masah (to anoint). Ultimately from the Semitic root msh (to anoint), which also gave us massage and masseur. Earliest documented use: 450.] NOTES: Someone anointed is one on whom a liquid is smeared, literally speaking. The word anoint is from unguere (to smear), which also gave us ointment and unctuous https://wordsmith.org/words/unctuous.html . In a religious context, the liquid is typically some plant-based oil applied to a person to consecrate them or make them sacred. In Christianity, the Messiah or the anointed one is Jesus Christ (from Greek christos: anointed). In Judaism, it's a king sent by God to save the Jews -- notably, King David. In MAGAism, the anointing is done with a fake sprayed-on tan in a bright orange. Holy Anointing Oil https://wordsmith.org/words/images/messiah_large.jpg "Made to the exact specifications of God" Image: https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Anointing-Oil-Specifications-Cinnamon/dp/B07DKG3F6R/ See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/messiah "The Cult of the Shining City ... raised Trump on high like a faulty messiah, and as they lauded him with titles like 'chosen one', his blasphemous word became living gospel." Jared Yates Sexton; Failing Upward: The Donald Trump Story; The Progressive (Madison, Wisconsin); Oct/Nov 2020. https://progressive.org/magazine/failing-upward-donald-trump-story-sexton/ -------- Date: Wed Jul 26 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--apocalypse X-Bonus: I have never thought much of the courage of a lion tamer. Inside the cage he is at least safe from other men. There is not much harm in a lion. He has no ideals, no religion, no politics, no chivalry, no gentility; in short, no reason for destroying anything that he does not want to eat. -George Bernard Shaw, writer, Nobel laureate (26 Jul 1856-1950) This week's theme: Words from religion apocalypse (uh-POK-uh-lips) noun 1. The destruction of the world. 2. Any widespread destruction or disaster. 3. A massive, decisive conflict. 4. A prophecy. [From Latin apocalypsis (revelation), from Greek apokalypsis (revelation), from apo- (un-) + kalyptein (to cover). Earliest documented use: 1384.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Apocalypse NOTES: The Book of Revelation is the last book of the New Testament. It's also known as the Apocalypse and discusses prophecies, end times, the Second Coming, Judgment Day, etc. "Judgment Day: May 21, 2011. The Bible Guarantees it" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/apocalypse_large.jpg Photo: Bart Everson https://www.flickr.com/photos/11018968@N00/5513863436 "[J.D. Vance] believed Trump to be a false messiah bound to break the hearts of his supporters. Nevertheless, the Trump phenomenon was an apocalypse in the strict sense of the word." Rod Dreher; Hillbilly Energy; American Conservative (Arlington, Virginia); Jan/Feb 2017. -------- Date: Thu Jul 27 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--exodus X-Bonus: In any free society, the conflict between social conformity and individual liberty is permanent, unresolvable, and necessary. -Kathleen Norris, novelist and columnist (27 Jul 1880-1966) This week's theme: Words from religion exodus (EK-suh-duhs) noun A large-scale departure or emigration. [From Latin, from Greek exodos (the road out), from ex- (out) + hodos (way, road, journey), which also gave us odometer, electrode, diode, episode, method, and synod. Earliest documented use: 1000.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/exodus NOTES: Exodus is the second book of the Hebrew Bible (known in Christianity as the Old Testament) and contains an account of the Exodus, the departure of the Israelites from Egypt. "The Flight out of Egypt" 1849-50 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/exodus_large.jpg Art: Richard Dadd https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/dadd-the-flight-out-of-egypt-n05767 "Then, at the same time, I'm seeing Venezuela, the country I grew up in, totally on fire. Literally. I'm seeing an apocalypse. I'm seeing a mass exodus of over 2,000 people a day trying to leave the country that I grew up in." Richard Bienstock; Space Man; Guitar Player (New York); Feb 2020. -------- Date: Fri Jul 28 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--crusade X-Bonus: We are social creatures to the inmost centre of our being. The notion that one can begin anything at all from scratch, free from the past, or unindebted to others, could not conceivably be more wrong. -Karl Popper, philosopher and professor (28 Jul 1902-1994) This week's theme: Words from religion crusade (kroo-SAYD) noun: A zealous effort for an idea or cause. verb intr.: To engage in a zealous effort. [A blend of Spanish cruzada + French croisade, both ultimately from Latin crux (cross). Earliest documented use: 1577.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/crusade NOTES: The original Crusades were a number of military expeditions undertaken by European Christians against the Muslims during 11-13th centuries to win the Holy Land (modern-day Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt). Read about modern-day crusaders here https://time.com/5696546/far-right-history-crusades/ "Hello Sir. Do you Have a moment to talk about Jesus Christ?" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/crusade_large.jpg Image: https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1176880-deus-vult "On his election to the Senate, [Charles] Sumner led a virtually one-man crusade in Congress for the repeal of this act. The law had led to the exodus of thousands of African Americans to Canada." Manisha Sinha; The Caning of Charles Sumner; Journal of the Early Republic (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); Summer 2003. -------- Date: Mon Jul 31 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--benignant X-Bonus: Trust is the first step to love. -Premchand, novelist and poet (31 Jul 1880-1936) If people can sing or speak in unison, why not in multison? Well, they can; it's just that we use a different word because multison doesn't exist in English. Don't expect perfect harmony in a language any more than in a big messy lump of humanity. Human languages are a reflection of people lumbering along, making things up as they go. This week we have dived into the deep chambers of the English language to bring out unsung words. These are words that are counterparts of their well-known cousins. Rare lexical gems that deserve to be better known. What words that don't already exist would you like to make as counterparts? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/forgettery.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state). benignant (bih/buh-NIG-nuhnt) adjective 1. Kind and gracious. 2. Beneficial. 3. Not harmful. [Modeled after the word malignant. From benign, from Old French benigne, from Latin bene (well) + gignere (to beget). Earliest documented use: 1782.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/benignant https://wordsmith.org/words/images/benignant_large.jpg https://wordsmith.org/words/images/malignant_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The itch to be seen as benignant is a hell of a lot better than the studied neutralism of indifference." Rex Murphy; The Right Spirit Behind the Giving; The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); Jan 8, 2005. "Human beings ... are forever ascribing malignant or benignant motives even to inanimate forces such as the weather, volcanoes, and internal-combustion engines." Stephen Budiansky; The Truth About Dogs; The Atlantic Monthly (Boston); Jul 1999.