A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Fri Sep 1 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--secundan X-Bonus: When wealth is passed off as merit, bad luck is seen as bad character. This is how ideologues justify punishing the sick and the poor. But poverty is neither a crime nor a character flaw. Stigmatize those who let people die, not those who struggle to live. -Sarah Kendzior, journalist and author (b. 1 Sep 1978) This week's theme: Words with AI usage examples secundan (se-KUHN-duhn) adjective Occurring every other day. [From Latin secundus (second). Earliest documented use: c. 1400.] A water conservation ad, Brisbane, Australia https://wordsmith.org/words/images/secundan_large.jpg Photo: Tamara https://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeasart/1659438065/ "Forsooth! Sir Henry hath adopted a curious habit, taking his long walks secundan, as if the morrow's sun offends and the next shines but to please him." William Shakespeare; Tales of Time's Oddities; The Stratford Sentinel (England); Jun 1, 1599. [An AI-generated usage example] https://wordsmith.org/words/forsooth.html -------- Date: Mon Sep 4 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pronation X-Bonus: In hatred as in love, we grow like the thing we brood upon. What we loathe, we graft into our very soul. -Mary Renault, novelist (4 Sep 1905-1983) If you see the word pronation and your first guess is that it's related to patriotism, prepare to have your etymological expectations upended. The word has absolutely nothing to do with patriotism or matriotism. This week we have picked words that don't always mean what they seem. Sometimes quirky, sometimes confounding, but always captivating -- welcome to a week of words that are downright deceptive! Be prepared to encounter words that whimsically waltz away from their phonetic first impressions. Surrender to the sheer unpredictability of English. pronation (pro-NAY-shuhn) noun 1. Rotation of the forearm so that the palm faces downward or backward. 2. Rotation of the foot such that the weight is borne on its inner edge. 3. The resulting position when the arm or foot is rotated in such a manner. [From Latin pronare (to turn or lean forward). Earliest documented use: 1657. A counterpart is supination in which the palm is facing upward or the weight is borne on the outer edge of the foot.] NOTES: A counterpart to pronation is supination, where the palm faces upward or the weight is borne on the outer edge of the foot. Q. Why did the patriotic shoe embrace both pronation and supination? A. Because it always stood for its rights, even when leaning left! See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/pronation https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pronation_foot_large.jpg Image: Ducky2315 / Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ankle_Pronation_Position.png https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pronation_arm_large.jpg Image: Adrian Camacho-Ramirez, et al https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/12/6164 "The detective turned the shoes upside down and ran her gaze over the soles. ... The wear pattern was typical of someone with moderate pronation." Diane Kelly; Bending the Paw; St. Martin's; 2020. -------- Date: Tue Sep 5 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--militate X-Bonus: If he does not fight, it is not because he rejects all fighting as futile, but because he has finished his fights. He has overcome all dissensions between himself and the world and is now at rest... We shall have wars and soldiers so long as the brute in us is untamed. -Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, philosopher and second president of India (5 Sep 1888-1975) This week's theme: Misleading words militate (MIL-i-tayt) verb intr. To exert a strong influence, either for or against something. [From Latin militare (to serve as a soldier), from miles (soldier). Over time, the term evolved from its military origins to signify a strong influencing force. Earliest documented use: 1598.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/militate Q. Why did the soldier retreat when he saw the bombshell at the military ball? A. Because she militated against his advances. "'The twin imperatives of corporate profit and national security,' Igo says, militate against greater privacy protections." Louis Menand; Nowhere to Hide; The New Yorker; Jun 18, 2018. "The importance of the town's biggest industry seems to militate for sticking with Britain." Scottish Independence; The Economist (London, UK); Aug 2, 2014. -------- Date: Wed Sep 6 00:01:03 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--instar X-Bonus: When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kind of dogmas or goals, it's always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt. -Robert M. Pirsig, author and philosopher (6 Sep 1928-2017) This week's theme: Misleading words instar (noun: IN-star, verb: in-STAR) noun: A stage in the life of an insect between two molts, prior to reaching maturity. verb tr.: To make a star or decorate using stars. [For noun: From Latin instar (image, form). Earliest documented use: 1895. For verb: From in- (in, into) + star, from Old English steorra (star). Earliest documented use: 1592.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/instar NOTES: Arthropods have exoskeletons, and they must shed these exoskeletons to grow. This process requires them to undergo one or more moltings. Q. Why did the young firefly do full molting scenes in her Hollywood debut? A. She wanted to be both a star and an instar. Space Caterpillar in the Carina Nebula https://wordsmith.org/words/images/instar_large.jpg Image: Stuart Rankin / NASA https://www.inverse.com/science/look-hubble-spots-a-space-caterpillar-in-the-carina-nebula "So they forced one of their own through all the instars they needed to make her a queen." Seanan McGuire; Calculated Risks; Astra; 2021. -------- Date: Thu Sep 7 00:01:03 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--diaeresis X-Bonus: We offer great rewards to a man who can tame a tiger, admire those who can train horses, monkeys, and elephants, and praise to the skies the author of some modest work. Yet we neglect women who have spent years and years nourishing and educating children. -Francois Poulain, author, philosopher, and priest (?? Jul 1647-1723) This week's theme: Misleading words diaeresis or dieresis (dy-ER-uh-sis) noun 1. The separation of two adjacent vowel sounds. 2. The mark ¨ placed over a vowel to indicate that it's pronounced as a separate syllable, for example, in naïve or Brontë. 3. A break in a line of verse when the end of a word coincides with the end of the metric foot. [From Latin diaeresis, from Greek diairesis (division), from diairein (to divide), from dia- (apart) + hairein (take). Earliest documented use: 1656.] NOTES: Q. Why did the vowel wear a diaeresis to the NYC party? A. It didn't want to blend in! Especially when the party was thrown by "The New Yorker". The diaeresis is a favorite of the magazine. Read more about it: The Curse of the Diaeresis https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-curse-of-the-diaeresis The umlaut looks the same as the diaeresis but functions differently. The umlaut changes the pronunciation of the underlying vowel as opposed to indicating separate pronunciation. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/diaeresis "However, it was not until much later in life that Patrick went a step further and adopted the diaeresis which was to make the name Brontë." James Tully; The Crimes of Charlotte Bronte; Constable & Robinson; 1999. -------- Date: Fri Sep 8 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--funambulism X-Bonus: If more politicians in this country were thinking about the next generation instead of the next election, it might be better for the United States and the world. -Claude Pepper, senator and representative (8 Sep 1900-1989) This week's theme: Misleading words funambulism (fyoo-NAM-byuh-liz-uhm) noun 1. The act of walking on a rope between two points elevated from the ground. 2. The balancing act between contrasting situations, such as appeasing two groups with opposing views. [From Latin funis (rope) + ambulare (to walk). Earliest documented use: 1801.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/funambulism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOzdqb4KsY0&t=185s Video: The Wallendas https://wallenda.com/ Please don't try this at home. A linguist once merely tried to come up with a word for it, funamdzkcjfw ... and is still in intensive care. "There's a fine line between those two ways of thinking, and DJs ... walk this tightrope skillfully. Call it musical funambulism." Jason Bracelin; Mix It Up; Las Vegas Review-Journal (Nevada); Aug 2, 2012. "[The] US strategy has slid into total incoherence, drifting from a futile and deadly funambulism among the tribes of Afghanistan to propping up the Lebanese Army." George Gilder; The Economics of Settlement; The American Spectator (Alexandria, Virginia); Jun 2011. -------- Date: Mon Sep 11 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--anachronistic X-Bonus: A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows. -O. Henry, short-story writer (11 Sep 1862-1910) The Earth is slowing down its rotation. And who can blame it? If you have been on the go for 4.5 billion years, you are entitled to take it easy from time to time. So, yes, it is slowing down at the rate of 2.3 milliseconds per century. In about 150 million years a day will be an hour longer. A whole extra hour. Every single day, instead of only once each year when we turn the clocks back under the illusion that we are getting more daylight! What would I do with an extra hour? I don't know, so many possibilities I might finally catch up on my reading. Assuming they don't publish anything new in the intervening time. Conversely, the dinosaurs enjoyed only 23 hours in a day. No time at all for reading in between hunting, foraging, and dodging asteroids. No wonder they weren't smart enough to ruin their own climate and environment, and thus survived for hundreds of millions of years more than we are likely to. What would _you_ do if you magically had an extra hour each day? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/anachronistic.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state). Meanwhile, this week in A.Word.A.Day we'll look at words related to time. anachronistic (uh-nak-ruh-NIS-tik) adjective 1. Out-of-date, old-fashioned. 2. Involving something or someone in the wrong historical period. [From French anachronisme, from Latin anachronismus, from Greek anakhronismos, from ana-, (backwards) + khronos (time). Earliest documented use: 1778.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/anachronistic What's Shakespeare working on? Mac-beth. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/anachronistic_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI NOTES: An anachronistic error can be of two kinds. A parachronism is when the assigned date is too late, and prochronism is when the date is too early. Even language can be fraught with anachronism. Imagine a science fiction story where the protagonist rides a time machine to go back some 500 years. While there, he compliments someone's dress, calling it "nice". Well, at that time the word "nice" would have meant "stupid". Sometimes anachronisms can be unintentional, a story written in 1970 and set in 2000 that features the USSR, for example. What are your favorite anachronistic examples, in literature, art, films, and beyond? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/anachronistic.html or write to us at words@wordsmith.org. "In an on-demand world, the two-week pay cycle most Canadian workers live with does seem anachronistic and a bit patronizing. You’re asked to work harder and smarter to meet the demands of today's world, but The Man keeps paying you the same way your parents and probably your grandparents were." Rob Carrick; Pay on Demand Reflects today's Financial Stress; The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); Jul 25, 2023. -------- Date: Tue Sep 12 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--kairos X-Bonus: All zoos actually offer the public, in return for the taxes spent upon them, is a form of idle witless amusement, compared to which a visit to the state penitentiary, or even a state legislature in session, is informing, stimulating, and ennobling. -H.L. Mencken, writer, editor, and critic (12 Sep 1880-1956) This week's theme: Words related to time kairos (KY-rahs) noun The right time for taking an action; a decisive moment. [From Ancient Greek kairos (a fitting time). In Modern Greek the word means weather or time. Earliest documented use: 1936.] "Time as Occasion (Kairos)" (1543-1545) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/kairos_large.jpg Art: Francesco Salviati https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Francesco_Salviati_-_Time_as_Occasion_(Kairos)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg NOTES: There's the regular time, chronos, the mundane one that keeps moving. Then there's kairos, the special occasion, the opportune moment to do something. In Salviati's painting, notice Time putting his finger on the scale -- he can do it because it's not the boring 9-5 kind of time. Rather, it's the one where stars are aligned, winds are favorable, and the universe is conspiring in your favor. It's meant to be. Seize the day. Kairos, the Greek god of opportunity, is putting his thumb (or finger) on the scale in your favor. What are you waiting for? "Barbara said, 'I imagined her as having entered more fully into kairos -- the appointed time, the fullness of time. There's a suspension of certainty.'" Rachel Aviv; The Edge of Identity; The New Yorker; Apr 2, 2018. -------- Date: Wed Sep 13 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chiliad X-Bonus: Spurned pity can turn into cruelty just as spurned love turns into hate. -Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, writer (13 Sep 1830-1916) This week's theme: Words related to time chiliad (KIL-ee-ad) noun 1. A period of a thousand years. 2. A group of 1000. [From Latin chilias, from Greek chilioi (thousand). Earliest documented use: 1598.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/chiliad https://wordsmith.org/words/images/chiliad_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "As Jan 1, 1990, hits the ground running, so do I, toward the biggest marketing opportunity in chiliads." Patricia Cadigan Tucker; Beginning of the End? No, It's Fin-De-Siecle; St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri); Jan 1, 1990. -------- Date: Thu Sep 14 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--epoch X-Bonus: Elitism is the slur directed at merit by mediocrity. -Sydney J. Harris, journalist (14 Sep 1917-1986) This week's theme: Words related to time epoch (EP-uhk, EE-pok) noun A distinctive time period in history. [From Latin epocha, from Greek epoche (stoppage, pause), from epi- (upon) + ekhein (to stay or hold). Ultimately from the Indo-European root segh- (to hold), which also gave us hectic, scheme, scholar, cathect https://wordsmith.org/words/cathect.html , and asseverate https://wordsmith.org/words/asseverate.html . Earliest documented use: 1614.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/epoch A still from the silent film "Safety Last!" (1923) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/epoch_large.jpg Image: Hal Roach / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_Last! "Half a millennium from now, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa will have become great engines of productivity. Stranger things have happened. A millennium ago real output per person was significantly higher in China than in Britain. To predict that a European backwater would lead the world into the most transformative economic epoch in history would have seemed like madness." Hitting the Big Time; The Economist (London, UK); Apr 20, 2019. -------- Date: Fri Sep 15 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--isochronal X-Bonus: It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them. -Agatha Christie, author (15 Sep 1890-1976) This week's theme: Words related to time isochronal (eye-SAH-kruh-nuhl, eye-suh-KRO-nuhl) adjective 1. Equal in time. 2. Occurring at regular intervals. [From Greek iso- (equal) + chronos (time). Earliest documented use: 1680.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/isochronal https://wordsmith.org/words/images/isochronal_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The sphere, hanging from a long wire set into the ceiling of the choir, swayed back and forth with isochronal majesty." Umberto Eco; Foucault's Pendulum; Secker & Warburg; 1989. -------- Date: Mon Sep 18 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--castaneous X-Bonus: [Film and theater critic John] Simon has simply discovered the trick used with great effectiveness by certain comedians, talk show hosts and punk rock musicians: people of modest talent can attract attention, at least for a while, by being unrelentingly offensive. -Steven Pinker, author and psychology professor (b. 18 Sep 1954) In his unfinished novel "Billy Budd, Sailor", Herman Melville wrote: Who in the rainbow can draw the line where the violet tint ends and the orange tint begins? Distinctly we see the difference of the colors, but where exactly does the one first blendingly enter into the other? So with sanity and insanity. Sanity and insanity, Melville knew something about that. In another of his novels, "Moby-Dick", he depicted the insane Captain Ahab so well. Ahab destroyed everything in his obsession with the white whale, including the people around him. The whole ship. Like the blurry line between sanity and insanity, who in the world these days could have drawn the line where fiction ends and real life begins? Melville's mad character was naturally tanned; his latter-day counterpart come to life is spray painted in a fake orange tint. This former captain is willing to destroy everything in his obsession with the White House. So many around him have already paid for it, so many are going to pay for it, yet so many haven’t learned the lesson yet. In his mad fixation, this man is willing to sink the whole ship too. Here's hoping The Former Guy and his ilk fail in their quest for a monochrome nation. A colorful world is much more vibrant and rich. This week we fill your world with colors. We’ll see five uncommon words related to colors and shades (No orange!). castaneous (ka-STAY-nee-uhs) adjective Deep reddish-brown. [From Latin castanea (chestnut). Earliest documented use: 1688.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/castaneous_large.jpg Photo: Pexels / Freerange Stock https://freerangestock.com/photos/130657/chestnuts-and-hedgehogs.html "Her large castaneous eyes were intensified by kohl and mascara." Sasha Mirage; Fatal Aroma; AuthorHouse; 2011. -------- Date: Tue Sep 19 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--rubricate X-Bonus: This is what power really is: the privilege of ignoring anything you might find distasteful. -Oksana Zabuzhko, writer (b. 19 Sep 1960) Words related to colors rubricate (ROO-bri-kayt) verb tr. 1. To color or mark with red. 2. To highlight or decorate. 3. To provide with a rubric (a guide, rule, commentary, etc.). [From Latin rubricare (to color red), from rubrica (rubric, red earth). Ultimately from the Indo-European root reudh- (red), which also gave us red, rouge, ruby, ruddy, rubella, robust, rambunctious, raddle https://wordsmith.org/words/raddle.html , corroborate https://wordsmith.org/words/corroborate.html , roborant https://wordsmith.org/words/roborant.html , robustious https://wordsmith.org/words/robustious.html , rubicund https://wordsmith.org/words/rubicund.html , rufescent https://wordsmith.org/words/rufescent.html , and russet https://wordsmith.org/words/russet.html . Earliest documented use: 1570.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/rubricate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/rubricate_large.jpg Image: Turning Over A New Leaf https://flickr.com/photos/medievalfragments/14240703113/ "The sunken sun rubricated the sky." Patricia Colton; The Window Blind; AuthorHouse; 2011. "In all her scenes Linney rubricated the collaborative nature of their partnership." Marvin Kitman; Birth of a Nation; The New Leader (New York); Mar/Apr 2008. "Writing about Perez Prado's arrangements, Cuban musicologist Helio Orovio in his 'Dictionary of Cuban Music' suggests, '... Underneath all, the trombones rubricate the musical phrases.'" Sergio Muñoz; Musical America; Los Angeles Times; Aug 8, 1999. -------- Date: Wed Sep 20 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cerulean X-Bonus: It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it. -Upton Sinclair, novelist and reformer (20 Sep 1878-1968) Words related to colors cerulean (suh-ROO-lee-uhn) adjective Sky blue. [From Latin caeruleus (sky blue), from caelum (sky). Earliest documented use: 1677.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/cerulean Blue Grotto, Capri, Italy https://wordsmith.org/words/images/cerulean_large.jpg Photo: Tanlingyin / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_blue#/media/File:Blue_Grotto,_Capri,_Italy.jpg "Some 250 NATO warplanes roared into the cerulean heavens to smash the intruders." Mare Nostrum Balticum; The Economist (London, UK); Aug 12, 2023. -------- Date: Thu Sep 21 00:01:01 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--brunneous X-Bonus: Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work. -Stephen King, novelist (b. 21 Sep 1947) Words related to colors brunneous (BRUH-nee-uhs) adjective Dark brown. [From Latin brunus (brown). Earliest documented use: 1815.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/brunneous_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "It looked as though nature was taking over the planet. The colours were astounding. All shades of the brown: tawn, russet, chestnut, and filemot blending in perfectly with the reds of goldenrod, terracotta, sorrel, and rufous as the greens splashed sprays of apple, antique bronze, celadon, olive, and citrine all over the landscape like rivers of paint. I was driving on a veritable palette. The way the trees contrasted so alarmingly with their brunneous barks left me agape." Derek Ghirlando; Doune; AuthorHouse; 2017. https://wordsmith.org/words/filemot.html https://wordsmith.org/words/sorrel.html https://wordsmith.org/words/rufescent.html https://wordsmith.org/words/celadon.html -------- Date: Fri Sep 22 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--variegate X-Bonus: Learning is acquired by reading books; but the much more necessary learning, the knowledge of the world, is only to be acquired by reading man, and studying all the various editions of them. -Lord Chesterfield, statesman and writer (22 Sep 1694-1773) Words related to colors variegate (VAR-ee-uh-gayt, VAR-i-gayt) verb tr. To diversify, enliven, or to make more interesting, especially with colors. [From Latin variegare (to diversify with colors), from varius (various) + agere (to do). Earliest documented use: 1653.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/variegate Variegated fairywren (male) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/variegate_large.jpg Photo: Paul Balfe https://flickr.com/photos/paul_e_balfe/51697045348/ "She was enchanting in an unstudied, guileless way. ... The eyes were very fancy indeed, the lids variegating in a rainbow from plum to lavender to mauve." Allene Arthur; Recalling the Tammy Faye Scoop; The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, California); Oct 21, 2007. -------- Date: Mon Sep 25 00:01:01 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Goshen X-Bonus: No battle is ever won he said. They are not even fought. The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools. -William Faulkner, novelist (25 Sep 1897-1962) As a non-believer, I have probably spent more time with the Bible than many believers have. I have a deep interest in religion, in an anthropological manner. I often invite door-to-door missionaries in for tea and a chat. I like to learn why people believe what they believe in. An old man, a doctor in Ohio, used to email me from time to time. At the last chapter of his life, he was wrestling with mortality. Also, with inconsistencies of religion. He was afraid that if he disavowed belief he'd be consigned to hell. Fear can be a potent motivator. It can make us believe in the unbelievable, follow the worst (especially demagogues), and do the unthinkable. It's hard to cast away the shackles we have accepted since childhood. I don't know why the doctor wrote to me instead of, say, his pastor. I suspect it was because he saw someone who had no fear in this world, or of what he believed lay beyond. He also saw someone who told it like it is. He was looking for real answers instead of the unsatisfying His-ways-are-mysterious. I'd write back that I didn't have all the answers. None of us are perfect, but I try to do the right thing and if there's a cosmic judge, he would look at what I did, at my actions. Beliefs are a dime a dozen. A thousand thoughts and prayers amount to less than a single action. I haven't heard from the doctor in a while. I hope he's well. Or that he was at peace. I may not have the answers, but I do have words. I'd read any book to find words. This week I have taken a dip in the Bible and have come back with words that are now a part of English. These words were derived from names of people and places in the Bible and are now used figuratively in English. Goshen (GO-shuhn) noun A place of comfort and abundance. [After Goshen, a fertile region in Egypt, east of the Nile delta. In the Bible, it was allotted to the Israelites. They were also spared from the plagues of flies and hail. Earliest documented use: 1625.] NOTES: "Land o' Goshen!" is an old-fashioned exclamation of surprise, dismay, annoyance, and other similar emotions, comparable to saying "My goodness!" "Goshen is my happy place" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/goshen_large.jpg Must be a place of comfort and abundance Goshen, Indiana (not Goshen, Egypt) Photo: Sherry Van Arsdall / The Goshen News https://www.goshennews.com/news/fans-gather-to-greet-al-roker-in-goshen/article_6780f3f6-87d7-11e5-8a77-27da39711281.html "Where is that Goshen of mediocrity in which a smattering of science and learning will pass for profound instruction ... ?" George Eliot; Evangelical Teaching: Dr. Cumming; Westminster Review (London, UK); 1855. -------- Date: Tue Sep 26 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--christen X-Bonus: The Hollow Men: Between the idea / And the reality / Between the motion / And the act / Falls the shadow. -T.S. Eliot, poet (26 Sep 1888-1965) This week's theme: Biblical people and places that became words christen (KRI-suhn) verb tr. 1. To name someone or something. 2. To use something for the first time. 3. To initiate a person, especially a child, into the Christian church, by baptizing and giving a name. [From Old English cristen (Christian), from Latin Christus, from Greek Khristos (anointed), from khriein (to anoint). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghrei- (to rub), which also gave us cream, grime, and grisly. Earliest documented use: c. 450 CE.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/christen Christening of a locomotive https://wordsmith.org/words/images/christen_large.jpg Photo: North Carolina Department of Transportation https://www.flickr.com/photos/ncdot/36315101585/ https://www.ybw.com/news-from-yachting-boating-world/naval-tradition-scrapped-environmentally-unfriendly-23659 NOTES: In Christian traditions, during the sacrament of baptism, a child is given a name, which has led to the term "Christian name" to refer to a person's first or given name. This contrasts with the family name or surname. When christening a vessel or a vehicle (firetrucks https://flickr.com/photos/photog-actress/9534065822/ , boats https://flickr.com/photos/usace-kcd/5713777701/ , warships https://flickr.com/photos/compacflt/17361290765/ , submarines https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/photos-and-video/photo/2015/10/first-lady-michelle-obama-christens-pcu-illinois-submarine , buses https://flickr.com/photos/walkwitharose/160605585/ , even cars? https://flickr.com/photos/evaxebra/9441984584/) traditionally a champagne bottle is smashed against it. It supposedly brings good luck. It's not known what they smash when launching a new line of champagne -- anything less than a warship would be a disgrace. "It was James Roscoe who first christened him Pirate. The nickname stuck." Carola Dunn; A Second Spring; Belgrave House; 1994. -------- Date: Wed Sep 27 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Sodom X-Bonus: Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be equally outraged by silence. -Henri Frederic Amiel, philosopher and writer (27 Sep 1821-1881) This week's theme: Biblical people and places that became words Sodom (SAHD/SOD-uhm) noun A place considered to be full of wickedness and sin. [After the biblical city of Sodom. Earliest documented use: 1550.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Sodom NOTES: In the biblical account, Sodom and Gomorrah were sinful places, so Yahweh rained fire and brimstone (sulfur) upon them. National Gay Pride march, Rome, Jun 16, 2007 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/sodom_large.jpg Photo: G.dallorto / Wikimedia "No amount of iPod emporia can save Regent Street from what it has become: a Sodom of the crassest commercialism." Stephen Bayley; "Once a Masterpiece, Now a Sodom of Commercialism"; The Independent on Sunday (London, UK); Jun 26, 2005. -------- Date: Thu Sep 28 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Rechabite X-Bonus: There is always more goodness in the world than there appears to be, because goodness is of its very nature modest and retiring. -Evelyn Beatrice Hall, biographer (28 Sep 1868-1956) This week's theme: Biblical people and places that became words Rechabite (REK-uh-byt) noun 1. One who abstains from intoxicating drinks. 2. One who lives in tents. [After Rechabites, a biblical clan named after the patriarch Rechab, whose members were commanded to not drink, not live in houses (instead live in tents), and not cultivate fields. Earliest documented use: 1382.] NOTES: An Independent Order of Rechabites was founded in England in 1835 as a temperance movement. It's not known why it didn't go for full compliance with the biblical tenets, and discourage living in houses and cultivating land as well. Instead, they call their lodges tents. It's also unknown why they don't just call wine lemonade. The English language is not dry when it comes to words related to temperance. Besides Rechabite and teetotal https://wordsmith.org/words/teetotal.html , there are also aquabib https://wordsmith.org/words/aquabib.html and nephalism https://wordsmith.org/words/nephalism.html . "We will drink no wine or strong drink" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/rechabite_large.jpg Image: Museum of Primitive Methodism https://www.myprimitivemethodists.org.uk/content/subjects-2/temperance/independent_order_of_rechabites "St Kilda [Football Club] has a crazy past. Party boys, thugs, mergers, sackings, cash flows as dry as a rechabite's barbie."* Patrick Smith; St Kilda up the Creek With No Name; The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Aug 18, 1998. *Australianism for a barbecue -------- Date: Fri Sep 29 00:01:02 EDT 2023 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tower of Babel X-Bonus: There are two possible outcomes: If the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery. -Enrico Fermi, physicist and Nobel laureate (29 Sep 1901-1954) This week's theme: Biblical people and places that became words tower of Babel (TOU-uhr ov BAY-buhl) noun 1. A scene of noise or confusion. 2. An ambitious or impractical plan. [From Hebrew Babhel (Babylon) https://wordsmith.org/words/babylon.html . According to the Bible, at one time everyone on Earth spoke the same language (though earlier it says that they spoke different languages). When people got together to build a city with a tower that reached the heavens, God was not happy and halted the project by confounding their speech, making them unable to understand one another. Earliest documented use: 1718.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Tower%20of%20Babel "Tower of Babel" 1595 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/tower_of_babel_large.jpg Art: Abel Grimmer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abel_Grimmer#/media/File:'The_Tower_of_Babel'_by_Abel_Grimmer,_1595.jpg "Unfortunately, makers of acoustic nodes have developed several incompatible data protocols, creating a 'Tower of Babel and a world of pain' for teams trying to link them together, says Mr. Potter." Captain Nemo Goes Online; The Economist (London, UK); Mar 9, 2013.