A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Thu Aug 1 00:01:06 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--menology X-Bonus: Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, poet, dramatist, novelist, and philosopher (1749-1832) menology (mi-NOL-uh-jee) noun A calendar, especially one commemorating specific people. [From Modern Latin menologium, from Late Greek menologion, from meno- (month) + -logy (account). It's the same meno that appears in menopause.] "Starting with the May issue -- which, in accordance with typically bizarre magazine menology, will be out in the US on April 3 -- it is to undergo a radical makeover under the hands of unlikely new editorial director Rosie O'Donnell." Sally Jackson, McCall's Gets a Rosie Glow, The Australian (Sydney), Mar 22, 2001. "The state Department of Archives and History's 1994 calendar, available beginning this month, is the first in a series of menologies to honor Mississippi's writers, lost architectural treasures, street scenes and famous gardens." Jack Elliott Jr., Miss. Writers Calendar a Talent Roll Call, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana), Nov 28, 1993. This week's theme: words related to calendar. -------- Date: Fri Aug 2 00:01:05 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fin de siecle X-Bonus: To be well informed, one must read quickly a great number of merely instructive books. To be cultivated, one must read slowly and with a lingering appreciation the comparatively few books that have been written by men who lived, thought, and felt with style. -Aldous Huxley, writer (1894-1963) fin de siecle (fahn duh see-EH-kluh) adjective, also fin-de-siecle Of or pertaining to the end of a century, especially the nineteenth century, and its climate of sophisticated world-weariness, self-doubt, etc. [From French, literally, the end of the century.] "She (Katherine Clark) uses motifs from Chinese porcelain and from the drawings of Aubrey Beardsley, who made the peacock the height of fin de siecle fashion a century ago." Suzy Menkes, Homage to the Glories of the Peacock, The International Herald Tribune (France), Dec 15, 1998. "In these fin-de-siecle circumstances, it is perhaps surprising there is not more sign of millenarian panic." Harbingers of Doom, The Independent (London), Apr 14, 1998. This week's theme: words related to calendar. -------- Date: Mon Aug 5 04:01:09 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sacrilegious X-Bonus: The poet judges not as a judge judges but as the sun falling around a helpless thing. -Walt Whitman, poet (1819-1892) sacrilegious (sak-ri-LIJ-uhs) adjective Violating what is considered sacred. [From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sacrilegium, from sacrilegus (one who steals sacred thing), from scar, from sacer (sacred) + -legere (to gather, steal).] The word has no etymological connection to "religious" though its pronunciation has altered due to its similarity with the latter. It comes from the same Indo-European root (sak- : to sanctify) as the words saint, consecrate, and sacred. "A media buyer for a company whose clients include Volkswagen, Fidelity and McDonald's told the Journal: `I don't think you will see any of our clients advertising during the special 9/11 coverage on the TV networks.' Here you have companies -- some of them pillars of the economy -- saying, in effect, that there is something inherently vulgar about commerce, perhaps even sacrilegious." Tunku Varadarajan, No Television Ads This 9/11?, The Wall Street Journal (New York), Jul 31, 2002. "The chief executive, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, says the government believes in complete freedom of the press but it would not allow the publication of any derogatory and sacrilegious material. Condemning the publication of an outrageous and sacrilegious letter in an English language daily of Peshawar, he said stern action would be taken against those responsible. Firm action under the law has already been taken and offenders will be proceeded against strictly in accordance with the law." Radio Pakistan (Islamabad), Jan 30, 2001. When an ambitious entrepreneur in Silicon Valley raises capital and an industrious farmer in an African hamlet raises cattle, they are not doing something very different, etymologically speaking. The words cattle, capital (and chattel) are of the same parentage. They are derived from the same word root -- all are ultimately from Latin caput (head). Such words are called cognates. On the other hand, we have false cognates, also known as false friends. These are words that appear to be related but have completely different origins. In this week's AWAD we'll see five of these word pairs. False friends work across languages too. You'd think you can figure out the meanings if you come across the words embarazada, tasten, and stanza in Spanish, German, and Italian. But watch out! They actually mean "pregnant", "to touch or feel" and "room" in the respective languages. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Aug 6 01:13:05 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--scission X-Bonus: It's a shallow life that doesn't give a person a few scars. -Garrison Keillor, radio host and author (1942- ) scission (SIZH-uhn) noun 1. An act of cutting or dividing. 2. Division, separation. [From Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin scission- from scindere (to cut).] Today's word has no relation with scissors. The two words have entirely different roots. Scissors ultimately came from cisorium (cutting tool) though on the way it became influenced by the root of today's word. -Anu "Suddenly, appetite is no longer quite part of me - or yes, it is, but a potential enemy, too. A scission is taking place." Tim Parks, Growing Pains, The Independent (London), Jun 28, 1997. "If they would but dispassionately weigh the blessings they will throw away, against an abstract principle more likely to be effected by union than by scission, they would pause before they would perpetrate this act of suicide on themselves, and of treason against the hopes of the world." Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Holmes, Monticello, April 22, 1820. (Complete text at http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/jefferson/159.html ) This week's theme: false cognates (words that appear to be related but aren't.) -------- Date: Wed Aug 7 01:13:05 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--oust X-Bonus: Speech is conveniently located midway between thought and action, where it often substitutes for both. -John Andrew Holmes, physician and writer oust (oust) verb tr. To expel from a place or position. [From Middle English, from Anglo-French ouster, from Old French oster, from Latin obstare (to stand in the way), from ob- (in the way) + stare (to stand).] Even though the resemblance is strong, the words oust and out have no shared history (out comes from Old English ut). Here are two interesting cousins of oust: obstetrics and obstacle. -Anu "The ouster of Ukraine's reform-minded Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko will deepen a political crisis in the country ..." Simon Saradzhyan, Kiev Crisis Won't Hit Russia Ties, The Moscow Times (Russia), Apr 30, 2001. "(Treasury Secretary, Paul) O'Neill's habit of being out of the country during times of economic turmoil has led even some Republicans to call for his ouster." James Carney, et al, Inside the Mind of the CEO President, Time (New York), Aug 5, 2002. This week's theme: false cognates (words that appear to be related but aren't.) -------- Date: Thu Aug 8 02:09:06 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--impregnable X-Bonus: Nature is trying very hard to make us succeed, but nature does not depend on us. We are not the only experiment. -R. Buckminster Fuller, engineer, designer, and architect (1895-1983) impregnable (im-PREG-nuh-buhl) adjective Incapable of being taken by force; strong enough to withstand attack. [From Middle English, from Old French imprenable, from in- (not) + prenable, from pren-, from prendre (to seize) + -able.] Even though the word impregnable appears to be a cousin of impregnate, the two have separate ancestries or what linguists call etymologies. The latter word comes from praegnas (pregnant), ultimately from Indo-European root gen- (to give birth), the source of words such as generate, engine, indigenous, and germ. -Anu P.S. I'll be appearing on the program "Weekday" on Seattle's NPR affiliate KUOW Radio 94.9 FM on Fri, Aug 9, 2002 during 9-10 AM. You're welcome to call in the show (206-543-KUOW) to talk about your favorite words or language gaffes, the joy of words, etc. "So Home Depot is a lot like Wal-Mart. An impregnable giant. No one's ever going to catch 'em, right? Not so fast. Don't look now, Mr. Nardelli, but little brother Lowe's is coming up your tailpipe." Andy Serwer, Lowe's Hits the Nail on the Head, Fortune (New York), Jun 24, 2002. "The theory that the Highlanders were impregnable may be supportable, but the theory that the ACT Brumbies are a pushover at home owes much to woolly thinking." Andy Capostagno, Rugby: Is it Deja Vu For Cats?, The Mail and Guardian (Johannesburg), March 19, 1999. This week's theme: false cognates (words that appear to be related but aren't.) -------- Date: Fri Aug 9 02:09:06 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mellifluous X-Bonus: A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled. -Barnett Cocks, former Clerk of the British House of Commons (1907-1989) mellifluous (muh-LIF-LOO-uhs) adjective Smoothly or sweetly flowing, as if like honey. [From Middle English, from Late Latin mellifluus, from melli-, from Latin mel (honey) + fluere (to flow).] Some other words that come from the same root are marmalade, molasses, and the unlikely mildew! One word that has somewhat similar sense and sound but different root is melodious (from melos: song). -Anu "The lambada, a mellifluous, nearly licentious dance from the north-east part of Brazil, piqued the world's interest (and briefly Hollywood's) early in this decade." What makes Brazil Brazilian? (Brazilians' Passion for Dancing), The Economist (London), Mar 30, 1996. "Lincoln Center provided a symbolic glossary: the good guys wear green and white, the villains red. Heroes sing mellifluous chant; villains speak; women are played by heavily veiled men." Edward Rothstein, A Gap Between Cultures Crying Out for a Bridge, The New York Times, Jul 20, 2002. If you live in Seattle area, join me in a discussion on words on the program "Weekday" on Seattle's NPR affiliate KUOW Radio 94.9 FM, today, Fri, Aug 9, 2002 during 9-10 AM PDT. The call-in number is (800) 289-KUOW. -Anu This week's theme: false cognates (words that appear to be related but aren't.) -------- Date: Mon Aug 12 01:50:05 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--undulate X-Bonus: If the gods listened to the prayers of men, all humankind would quickly perish since they constantly pray for many evils to befall one another. -Epicurus, philosopher (c. 341-270 BCE) undulate (UN-juh-layt, UN-dyuh-) verb tr., intr. To move or to cause to move in a wavy motion. undulate (UN-juh-lit, UN-dyuh-) adjective Having a wavy appearance. [From Latin undulatus (waved), diminutive of unda (wave).] "Named the North, East and West Course with lakes and undulating terrain, play is difficult on the East section, with the West providing the exact opposite huge fairways, allowing many a wild shot." Sir Buaya, Tee Up For a Great Year Ahead, Malaysian Business, Jan 1, 2002. "Mackerel sharks swim by swinging only their tails, whereas cat sharks undulate their entire bodies." Ryosuke Motani, Rulers of the Jurassic Seas, Scientific American, Dec 1, 2000. Just about three feet above the floor, a number of crayon murals had been on exhibit on our living room wall for many months. I had been assigned to paint over them and finally the day came when (rather reluctantly) I got hold of some paint and a brush. As I finished applying the second coat of paint to the patch of the wall where once the artwork stood, my pre-school-age daughter delivered her expert opinion, "This doesn't look much gooder." Ability to spot patterns helps us immensely when learning words: sweet/sweeter, hot/hotter, good/ ... but there are times we fall into gotchas. At first glance, it would appear that the word undulate is the opposite of "dulate". But you can't dulate no matter how hard you try. Sorry, but there is no such verb. This week's AWAD features words which lead us into pitfalls if we try to deduce their meaning by guessing. I know why I felt badder after the paint job... I'll take a crayon painting over a squeaky-clean wall any day. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Aug 13 00:44:06 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fartlek X-Bonus: Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) fartlek (FART-lek) noun A method of training, originally developed for runners, that involves intense activity interspersed with low effort. For example, sprinting and walking. [From Swedish fart (speed) + lek (play).] "They also work fartlek training into their practices, which involves jogging with running intervals around the track. On the command of their coach, Matt Adams, the Hawks will sprint for short intervals, or occasionally drop and do push-ups." Rick Freeman and Todd Jacobson, Urbana's Boys Go The Distance, The Washington Post, Nov 16, 2000. "Within a single fartlek session you can also vary the duration of the fast bursts." Lisa Ondieki, Speed Kills Training Boredom, The Sunday Mail (Brisbane, Australia), Jul 1, 2001. This week's theme: red-herring words. -------- Date: Wed Aug 14 00:01:06 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--conversant X-Bonus: Why should I fear death? If I am, death is not. If death is, I am not. Why should I fear that which cannot exist when I do? -Epicurus, philosopher (c. 341-270 BCE) conversant (kuhn-VUHR-suhnt) adjective Having familiarity by study or experience. [From Middle English conversaunt (associated with), present participle of converser, from Latin conversari (to associate with).] "`Most school inspectors are not conversant with the learning difficulties of deaf children. The inspection manual will help them to know what to look for and properly advice special education teachers,' says Adera." Ken Ramani, Learning For The Deaf In Big Crisis, The East African Standard (Kenya), Feb 24, 2002. "In the case of Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), I am only conversant with his most famous book, Robinson Crusoe, widely regarded as the first English language novel." Herman Goodden, A Bundle of Books to Live by, The London Free Press, Jan 2, 2000. This week's theme: red-herring words. -------- Date: Thu Aug 15 00:01:06 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--assize X-Bonus: The mountain remains unmoved at seeming defeat by the mist. -Rabindranath Tagore, poet, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator, composer, Nobel laureate (1861-1941) assize (uh-SYZ) noun A session of a court or a verdict made at such a session. [From Middle English assise, from Old French, from asseoir (to seat), from Latin assidere (to sit), from ad- + sedere (to sit).] "Did Miss Dunbar admit writing it?" "Yes, sir." "What was her explanation?" "Her defence was reserved for the Assizes. She would say nothing." Arthur Conan Doyle, The Problem of Thor Bridge, 1922. This week's theme: red-herring words. -------- Date: Fri Aug 16 00:01:06 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--valorize X-Bonus: Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned. -Buddha (c. 566-480 BCE) valorize (VAL-uh-ryz) verb tr. To maintain the price of a commodity at a high level through government action. [From Portuguese valorizar, from valor (value, price), from Medieval Latin, from Latin valere (to be strong).] Valorizing is, in fact, price-fixing by government. A few other words that derive from the same root (wal-) are valence, valiant, valid, value, avail, and convalesce. "This leads to a tendency for realized earnings to fall below the level that would validate or re-valorize the capitalized values of corporate equities and debt service costs." James Ronald Stanfield and Michael Carroll, The Monopoly Capital School And Original Institutionalist Economics, Journal of Economic Issues (Reno, Nevada), Jun 1997. This week's theme: red-herring words. -------- Date: Mon Aug 19 00:01:05 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nares X-Bonus: It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) nares (NAR-eez) noun, singular naris The nostrils or nasal passages. [From Latin nares, plural of naris (nostril).] Today's word shares the same root (nas-) with nose, nuzzle, nostril, nasal, and pince-nez. "There's a fine frost around their eyes and nares." Tom Walker, Venus at Minus 55, Alaska (Anchorage), Nov 1997. Here is a pop quiz: Who was Gluteus Maximus? Even though it sounds like the name of some ancient Roman general, gluteus maximus is actually the name of a muscle. Its claim to fame is that it's the biggest muscle in the human body. Can you guess where one can find it? Hint: you sit on it. It finds its home in the posterior. An incredible machine, the human body is a source of many fascinating facts, discoveries, tidbits. Here is one more: Who have a greater number of bones: babies or adults? Babies have more than 300 bones, while adults have just 206. As we grow, many bones in our body fuse together. This week we'll look at a few terms that are synonyms for better-known words relating to the human body. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Aug 20 00:01:13 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--oxter X-Bonus: Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste they hurry past it. -Soren Kierkegaard, philosopher (1813-1855) oxter (OK-stuhr) noun The armpit. [From Old English oxta. The Latin form is axilla. Both allude to the idea of the axis around which the arm rotates.] "I got lumbered in the three-legged race with a guy so much shorter than me that he barely came up to my armpit. It would have been easier for me to have tucked him under my oxter and just carried him to the finish." Charles Jennings, Running Joke: Forget the Pupils, Sports Day is Hell for Parents, The Guardian (London), Jul 3, 2001. This week's theme: terms related to the body. -------- Date: Wed Aug 21 00:01:04 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pollex X-Bonus: If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. -Dalai Lama pollex (POL-eks) noun, plural pollices The thumb. [From Latin.] Hallux is the equivalent term for the big toe. "He caught his thumb between his gun and a sharp rock. It was a nasty cut spurting blood. I said, `Ben, that's it. We've got to get you to a doctor.' "`Heck no, let's get a turkey first,' answered Ben, quickly wrapping his dripping pollex with a handkerchief." Fred LeBrun, Just Another Turkey Shoot, The Times Union (Albany, NY) Nov 13, 1997. This week's theme: terms related to the body. -------- Date: Thu Aug 22 00:01:05 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nevus X-Bonus: I feel we are all islands -- in a common sea. -Anne Morrow Lindbergh, writer (1906-2001) nevus (NEE-vuhs) noun A congenital blemish on the skin, such as a mole or birthmark. [From Latin naevus (mole).] "`Stephany had a hairy nevus, a big mole on her cheek right underneath the eyelid and across the nose,' Marquez said." Marion Webb, Doctors, Volunteers Offer a Fresh Start to Those With Afflictions, San Diego Business Journal, Sep 13, 1999. This week's theme: terms related to the body. -------- Date: Fri Aug 23 00:01:05 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--glossal X-Bonus: We are so fond of being out among nature, because it has no opinions about us. -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900) glossal (GLOS-uhl) adjective Of or pertaining to the tongue. [From Greek glossa (tongue).] "Anthony Herrel, a researcher at the University of Antwerp, wondered how chameleons capture creatures nearly one-sixth their size-- the equivalent of a human bagging a large turkey--using only their glossal appendages. Granted, the lizards' slingshot tongues are comparatively longer than humans' tongues, but that still doesn't account for chameleons' prodigious snaring abilities." Mark Cheater, Slip of the Tongue, National Wildlife (Washington), Apr/May 2001. "An ironic consequence of Rudd's apprenticeship as an Ivy Leaguer playing Dixieland, a style that demands of its horn players a vocalized approach, was that he became the first (and, until the emergence of George Lewis, Ray Anderson, Craig Harris, and several Europeans in the seventies and eighties, the only) trombonist capable of matching split tones and glossal outbursts with saxophonists who were bidding their horns to speak in tongues." Borscht-Belt Trombone, The Atlantic (Boston), Sep 1992. This week's theme: terms related to the body. -------- Date: Mon Aug 26 00:01:05 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--oniomania X-Bonus: There is no frigate like a book / To take us lands away, / Nor any coursers like a page / Of prancing poetry. -Emily Dickinson, poet (1830-1886) oniomania (O-nee-uh-MAY-nee-uh, MAYN-yuh) noun Compulsive shopping; excessive, uncontrollable desire to buy things. [From Latin, from Greek onios (for sale), from onos (price) + -mania.] "Usually, oniomania leads to financial problems, such as overspending on credit cards and bad credit ratings." Just Ask Us, Current Health 2 (Highland Park, Illinois), Mar 2, 2001. "Like other compulsive disorders, scientists are working on a cure for oniomania. And according to a report in HealthScout, it could be just around the corner. At Stanford University, researchers are testing a drug to treat a shopaholic's desire to spend." Phenomena, Ottawa Citizen (Canada), Nov 25, 2000. Many years ago, when I came to the US to study, I quickly realized that the laws of economics don't apply here. When you buy something, you actually save, rather than spend. The more you buy, the more you save. Buy And Save ... isn't there something wonderful about this whole thing? I figured that if I bought a new car every month, the money I saved as a result would easily pay for my graduate school. I marveled at the compassion and generosity of the shopkeepers who were willing to forgo as much as 70, 80 or even 90% of the price of things several times a year, perhaps just to help out impecunious graduate students like me. Be it Labor Day, Presidents' Day, or Memorial Day, they'd join in the spirit and open their doors for people to come in and save. I recall writing home: Dear Mother and Father, Today is Memorial Day in the US. On this day we recognise the sacrifices of members of the armed forces who gave their lives to protect this truly great country. Like my American friends, I'm also going to observe this solemn day by visiting some Memorial Day sale and BBQ ... Well, a long time has passed since. I no longer call the storeowners, shopkeepers. And I spell recognise as recognize now. But I wonder. What does it mean to buy something? What do we buy when we buy something? When we buy Coke, for instance, are we simply hoping to get carbonated, sweetened and colored water, or something more? Coolness and confidence, maybe? Ability to attract women/men, perhaps? What do you think? -Anu -------- Date: Tue Aug 27 00:01:05 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--duopoly X-Bonus: The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly. -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900) duopoly (doo-OP-uh-lee, dyoo-) noun A market, political, or other situation where the control is in the hands of two persons or groups. [From duo- (two) + -poly, patterned after monopoly.] "Deena Mehta says that a duopoly is excellent from the investor's perspective for it keeps both exchanges on their toes. She argues, `Competition always brings the best out of concerns in this country for service till recently was taken for granted.'" The Battle of the Bourses, Business India, Jun 26, 2000. "Jennifer Capriati politely denies the popular notion that she alone can break the duopoly of the Williams sisters in this year's championships." Paul Weaver, Tennis: Wimbledon : Capriati Most Likely to Upstage Sister Act: Serena and Venus Williams Loom in the Semis and Final, The Guardian (London), Jun 25, 2002. This week's theme: words related to buying and selling. -------- Date: Wed Aug 28 00:01:05 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--monopsony X-Bonus: I have never been contained except I made the prison. -Mary Evans, actress (1888-1976) monopsony (muh-NOP-suh-nee) noun A market condition where there is only one buyer for a product or service that's being sold by many. [From Greek mono- (one) + opsonia (purchase of provisions).] Here's a little chart that explains this week's jumble: monopsony : one buyer, many sellers duopsony : two buyers, many sellers oligopsony : a few buyers, many sellers monopoly : one seller, many buyers duopoly : two sellers, many buyers oligopoly : a few sellers, many buyers "Thirty years ago many African countries had active `anti-agricultural' policies, taxing farm exports to finance poorly performing industrial firms, and allowing state monopsonies to gouge producers." Agriculture and Technology: Biting the Silver Bullet, The Economist (London), Mar 25, 2000. "One new technology soon to be reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission is the business-to-business exchange, a single online shopping site formed by a group of major buyers. The Big Three automakers and the major defense companies, for example, have created their own sites, through which they buy parts from smaller companies. Klein said these sites would violate antitrust rules if the buyers improperly shared information, or if they effectively created a single buyer - a monopsony - and drove prices so low that innovation by the smaller companies would suffer." Neil Munro, White House: Omens From the Microsoft Case, National Journal (Washington, DC), May 27, 2000. This week's theme: words related to buying and selling. -------- Date: Thu Aug 29 00:01:06 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nummary X-Bonus: The great rulers - the people do not notice their existence. The lesser ones they attach to and praise them. The still lesser ones - they fear them. The still lesser ones - they despise them. For where faith is lacking it cannot be met by faith. -Tao Te Ching nummary (NUM-uh-ree) adjective Pertaining to coins or money. [From Latin nummarius, from nummus (coin).] "`Originally the nummary Denomination of Silver,' observed William Douglass, a physician who commented on economic affairs, `seems to have been the same as its Weight ...'" Elizabeth E Dunn, `Grasping at the Shadow': The Massachusetts Currency Debate, The New England Quarterly (Boston), Mar 1998. This week's theme: words related to buying and selling. -------- Date: Fri Aug 30 00:01:05 EDT 2002 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--emptor X-Bonus: If you don't execute your ideas, they die. -Roger von Oech, author and consultant emptor (EMP-tuhr) noun A buyer. [From Latin emptor (buyer), from emere (to buy, take).] We're more familiar with today's word in the form of caveat emptor (buyer beware). Other words that come from the same root emere are pre-empt (literally, to buy beforehand), example (to take out something), premium (inducement to buy), prompt (to be quick in taking), redeem (to buy again), and vintage (to take from vinum, grapes). -Anu "American `retail anthropologist' Paco Underhill is one of the plumbers. Mr Underhill makes his living watching homo emptor -- the king and queen of retail, otherwise known as the shopper: you and me. One of his findings: `Men are buying their own underpants.'" Steve Evans, Futility is the Driving Force of Fashion, The Dominion (Wellington, New Zealand), Oct 18, 1997. "His personal nominees for the most-likely-to-deceive award are the Midtown electronics stores, infamous for bait-and-switch ads, selling used goods as new and not posting prices so that they can be adjusted according to the perceived sophistication of the emptor." Paula Span, New York: The Unconventional Guide, The Washington Post, Jul 12, 1992. This week's theme: words related to buying and selling.