A.Word.A.Day Archives from http://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Oct 3 00:41:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--narcissism X-Bonus: You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity. -Thomas Wolfe, novelist (3 Oct 1900-1938) I usually look for usage examples for words in A.Word.A.Day in newspaper articles. Nowadays, things are a little different -- you open any newspaper and top news stories are about a narcissistic con man running for the president of the United States. It's impossible to avoid them. So this week we'll feature all our usage examples from newspaper stories about him. We'll include links to the stories -- do read them (and share). Also, we'll include quotations from the man himself. PS: I highly recommend following the reporter Christina Wilkie @christinawilkie https://twitter.com/christinawilkie on Twitter. Also, the writer Stuart Stevens @stuartpstevens https://twitter.com/stuartpstevens PPS: Here's a review of a new biography of Hitler. Try this experiment: Replace the word Hitler with Trump and Germany with the US in it and see if you can tell the difference http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/books/hitler-ascent-volker-ullrich.html narcissism (NAHR-si-siz-uhm) noun Excessive self-interest or self-love. [In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a hunter and a young man of exceptional beauty. He spurned the nymph Echo. One day he saw his reflection in water and fell in love with himself. Not realizing it was himself and unable to leave, he eventually died. Earliest documented use: 1822.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/narcissism Narcissus spurning Echo and falling in love with himself, 1903 http://wordsmith.org/words/images/narcissist_large.jpg Art: John William Waterhouse "George Simon, a clinical psychologist who conducts seminars on manipulative behavior, says Trump is 'so classic that I'm archiving video clips of him to use in workshops because there's no better example' of narcissism. ... "When, in the summer of 1999, he stood up to offer remarks at his father's funeral, Trump spoke mainly about himself. It was the toughest day of his own life, Trump began. He went on to talk about Fred Trump's greatest achievement: raising a brilliant and renowned son." Dan P. McAdams; The Mind of Donald Trump; The Atlantic (Washington, DC); Jun 2016. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/the-mind-of-donald-trump/480771/ "I feel like a supermodel. Except like times 10. It's true. I'm a supermodel. I'm on the cover of these magazines -- I'm on the cover of the biggest magazines." -Donald Trump http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/trump-tells-phoenix-crowd-i-feel-supermodel-n595081 "My fingers are long and beautiful, as, it has been well documented, are various other parts of my body." -Donald Trump http://www.people.com/article/donald-trump-fingers-small-vanity-fair-hands -------- Date: Tue Oct 4 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lien X-Bonus: He serves his party best who serves the country best. -Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th US president (4 Oct 1822-1893) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words lien (leen, LEE-uhn) noun A claim on another's property until a debt owed by that person is paid back. [From French lien (bond, tie), from Latin ligamen (bond, tie), from ligare (to bind). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leig- (to bind), which also gave us league, ligament, ligature, ally, alloy, rally, liaison, religion, rely, oblige, and furl. Earliest documented use: 1530.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/lien "At least 60 lawsuits, along with hundreds of liens, judgments, and other government filings reviewed by the USA Today Network, document people who have accused Trump and his businesses of failing to pay them for their work. Among them: a dishwasher in Florida. A glass company in New Jersey. A carpet company. A plumber. Painters. Forty-eight waiters. Dozens of bartenders and other hourly workers at his resorts and clubs, coast to coast. Real estate brokers who sold his properties. And, ironically, several law firms that once represented him in these suits and others." Steve Reilly; Hundreds Allege Donald Trump Doesn't Pay His Bills; USA Today (Washington, DC); Jun 9, 2016. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/06/09/donald-trump-unpaid-bills-republican-president-laswuits/85297274/ "I like money. I'm very greedy. I'm a greedy person. I shouldn't tell you that, I'm a greedy -- I've always been greedy. I love money, right?" -Donald Trump http://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/opinion/22901449-113/donald-drumpf-boy-wonder -------- Date: Wed Oct 5 00:01:03 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vitriol X-Bonus: Wandering in a vast forest at night, I have only a faint light to guide me. A stranger appears and says to me: 'My friend, you should blow out your candle in order to find your way more clearly.' The stranger is a theologian. -Denis Diderot, philosopher (5 Oct 1713-1784) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words vitriol (VI-tree-uhl) noun Cruel, mean-spirited, bitter criticism. [From Latin vitrum (glass). Sulfuric acid, a highly corrosive substance, was formerly known as oil of vitriol or simply vitriol. It was named vitriol owing to the glassy appearance of its salts. Earliest documented use: 1386.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/vitriol "Trump's vitriol is making it off the campaign trail and into the lingua franca of children at an alarming rate. Just watch coverage from Trump rallies to hear the next phrases kids will be slinging at school." Petula Dvorak; The 'Trump Effect' is Contaminating Our Kids -- and Could Resonate for Years; The Washington Post; Mar 7, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-trump-effect-is-contaminating-our-kids--and-could-resonate-for-years-to-come/2016/03/07/594a7f46-e47a-11e5-a6f3-21ccdbc5f74e_story.html "My entire life, I've watched politicians bragging about how poor they are, how they came from nothing, how poor their parents and grandparents were. And I said to myself, if they can stay so poor for so many generations, maybe this isn't the kind of person we want to be electing to higher office. How smart can they be? They're morons." -Donald Trump http://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/28/opinion/liberties-trump-shrugged.html -------- Date: Thu Oct 6 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--precarious X-Bonus: It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy. -George H. Lorimer, editor (6 Oct 1867-1937) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words precarious (pri-KAYR-ee-uhs) adjective Risky; uncertain; insecure; unstable; unsafe. [From Latin precarius (obtained by entreaty, hence uncertain), from prex (prayer). So something precarious is hanging by a prayer, which is, not by much. Ultimately from the Indo-European root prek- (to ask), which also gave us pray, precarious, deprecate, postulate, precatory http://wordsmith.org/words/precatory.html and expostulate http://wordsmith.org/words/expostulate.html . Earliest documented use: 1638.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/precarious "The craft plunged 2,800 feet to the ground, killing all five passengers. Among them were three of Trump's top casino executives. ... By early 1990, as financial prospects at the casinos worsened, Trump began badmouthing the executives who had died, laying blame on them, although the cause of his problems was the precarious, debt-laden business structure he had built." Kurt Eichenwald; Donald Trump's Many Business Failures, Explained; Newsweek (New York); Aug 2, 2016. http://www.newsweek.com/2016/08/12/donald-trumps-business-failures-election-2016-486091.html "I look at myself in the first grade and I look at myself now, I'm basically the same. The temperament is not that different." -Donald Trump http://theweek.com/speedreads/575962/donald-trump-tells-biographer-hes-same-now-first-grade -------- Date: Fri Oct 7 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--demagogue X-Bonus: An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field. -Niels Bohr, physicist, Nobel laureate (7 Oct 1885-1962) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words demagogue or demagog (DEM-uh-gog) noun: A person who appeals to the prejudices and emotions of the people to gain power. verb tr., intr.: To manipulate an issue, to speak, or to act in the manner of a demagogue. [From Greek demagogos (leader of the people), from demos (people) + agogos (leader). Earliest documented use: 1649.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/demagogue "We're at a tipping point in America, and a media so eager to be objective can no longer pretend that Donald Trump isn't the most dangerous, authoritarian, and unhinged demagogue to ever seek the nation's highest office. We can barely keep up now with his misstatements and lies, with his name-calling and racist rants, with his crazy, self-absorbed pontifications. It's so bad that I almost suspect each new mini-scandal is a deliberate ruse to distract from the last one. And his candidacy is so toxic that I can no longer pretend to show respect for anyone who still supports him." Dianne Williamson; Time to Stop Pretending Trump is Presidential Material; Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts); Jun 9, 2016. http://www.telegram.com/news/20160609/dianne-williamson-time-to-stop-pretending-trump-is-presidential-material "We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated." Donald Trump https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-i-love-the-poorly-educated-144008662.html -------- Date: Mon Oct 10 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--confute X-Bonus: When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set. -Lin Yutang, writer and translator (10 Oct 1895-1976) This sentence no verb. This one neither. Well, it may be possible to crank out a sentence or two without verbs, but this train isn't going very far. It's glaringly obvious in the above paragraph that the first car is missing a key part, while in the second there's a verb, just hidden under the floor. Verbs make the world go around. You can't say the same about other parts of speech. Let's take a look at five uncommon verbs this week. confute (kuhn-FYOOT) verb tr. To prove to be wrong. [From Latin confutare (to restrain or silence), from con- (an intensifier) + futare (to beat). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhau- (to strike), which also gave us refute, beat, button, halibut, and buttress. Earliest documented use: 1529.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/confute "Page after page of these volumes confute that claim by showing how philoprogenitive the mothers were who sat for [the artist George] Romney with their children." Edward Short; The English Look; The Weekly Standard (Washington, DC); Jun 6, 2016. http://wordsmith.org/words/philoprogenitive.html -------- Date: Tue Oct 11 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--propine X-Bonus: Most men resemble great deserted palaces: the owner occupies only a few rooms and has closed off wings where he never ventures. -François Mauriac, writer, Nobel laureate (11 Oct 1885-1970) This week's theme: Verbs propine (pro-PEEN, PYN) verb tr.: To gift, tip, or pledge. noun: A gift or tip. [From Latin propinare (to drink to someone's health, to present), from Greek propinein (to drink first, to give), from pro- (for, before) + pinein (to drink). Earliest documented use: 1448.] "The priests of a neighbouring convent, in expectation of the ample donation ... which Cedric had propined, attended upon the car." Walter Scott; Ivanhoe; A. Constable & Co.; 1820. -------- Date: Wed Oct 12 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--flocculate X-Bonus: The mosque is too far from home, so let's do this / Let's make a weeping child laugh. -Nida Fazli, poet (12 Oct 1938-2016) This week's theme: Verbs flocculate (FLOK-yuh-layt) verb tr., intr. To form or cause to form into clumps. [From Latin flocculus, diminutive of Latin floccus (tuft of wool). Earliest documented use: 1826.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/flocculate "Organic matter causes clay particles to flocculate and make larger lumps." Laurie Donnelly; Soil Smarts; Country Living Gardener (Birmingham, Alabama); Fall 2004. -------- Date: Thu Oct 13 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--absolve X-Bonus: You can't do anything with anybody's body to make it dirty to me. Six people, eight people, one person -- you can do only one thing to make it dirty: kill it. Hiroshima was dirty. -Lenny Bruce, comedian and social critic (13 Oct 1925-1966) This week's theme: Verbs absolve (ab-ZOLV, -solv) verb tr. To free from guilt, blame, responsibility, obligation, etc. [From Latin absolvere (to set free), from solvere (to loosen). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leu- (to loosen, divide), which also gave us forlorn, lag, loss, solve, analysis, resolute http://wordsmith.org/words/resolute.html, and catalyst http://wordsmith.org/words/catalyst.html . Earliest documented use: 1475.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/absolve "His Eminence might also be able to absolve us of the original sin of being Mets fans, which is purgatory on Earth." Denis Hamill; Oh, the Pain of Mets Fans; New York Daily News; Jul 5, 2015. -------- Date: Fri Oct 14 00:01:01 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--objurgate X-Bonus: To read fast is as bad as to eat in a hurry. -Vilhelm Ekelund, poet (14 Oct 1880-1949) This week's theme: Verbs objurgate (OB-juhr-gayt) verb tr. To scold severely. [From Latin objurgare (to scold), from ob- (against) + jurgare/jurigare (to quarrel, to scold). Ultimately from the Indo-European root yewes- (law), which is also the source of jury, judge, just, injury, perjury, conjure, adjure http://wordsmith.org/words/adjure.html and de jure http://wordsmith.org/words/de_jure.html . Earliest documented use: 1616.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/objurgate "Occasionally he objurgated Mr. Ledbetter's clumsiness, and urged him to hurry." H.G. Wells; Mr. Ledbetter's Vacation; The Strand Magazine (London, UK); Jul-Dec 1898. -------- Date: Mon Oct 17 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ruminate X-Bonus: Don't be seduced into thinking that that which does not make a profit is without value. -Arthur Miller, playwright and essayist (17 Oct 1915-2005) Did Rumi ruminate? We don't know for sure. He was a poet and mystic, so most likely he did ruminate a bit. The word ruminate isn't derived from his name, but it very well could have been. This week we have selected five words that appear to be coined after someone, but aren't. Now Rumi out of the way, the rest of the week we'll feature words that appear to be after four living persons: the previous US president, the current president, a president wannabe, and the next president. Which one is which is left as an exercise for the reader (and the voter). ruminate (ROO-mi-nayt) verb tr., intr. 1. To think deeply upon. 2. To chew the cud. [From Latin ruminare (to chew the cud), from rumen (throat). Earliest documented use: 1533.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ruminate A ruminating giraffe: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bugeyed_g/3645489497/ Video, 1 min., by G Vargas "A 33-year-old writer and teacher named Ben is ruminating on the possibility of a second novel." Philip Maughan; Future Fiction; New Statesman (London, UK); Jan 16-22, 2015. -------- Date: Tue Oct 18 00:01:05 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bushwa X-Bonus: A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life. -Isadora James This week's theme: Words that appear to be coined after someone (but aren't) bushwa or bushwah (BUSH-wa) noun Nonsense; bull. [Of uncertain origin. Perhaps a mispronunciation of bourgeois. Earliest documented use: 1920.] "There ain't no Santa Claus ... It's all bushwa." Sam Ross; Melov's Legacy; Permanent Press; 1984. -------- Date: Wed Oct 19 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--obambulate X-Bonus: Life is mostly froth and bubble, / Two things stand like stone, / Kindness in another's trouble, / Courage in your own. -Adam Lindsay Gordon, poet (19 Oct 1833-1870) This week's theme: Words that appear to be coined after someone (but aren't) obambulate (o-BAM-byuh-layt) verb intr. To walk about. [From Latin ob- (to) + ambulare (to walk). Earliest documented use: 1614.] "Mukul was obambulating in circles like a caged animal." Sam Mukherjee; Chopped Green Chillies in Vanilla Ice Cream; Rupa Publications; 2011. -------- Date: Thu Oct 20 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--trumpery X-Bonus: I have three ex-wives. I can't remember any of their names, so I just call 'em Plaintiff. -Lewis Grizzard, humorist (20 Oct 1946-1994) This week's theme: Words that appear to be coined after someone (but aren't) trumpery (TRUHM-puh-ree) noun 1. Something showy but worthless. 2. Nonsense or rubbish. 3. Deceit; fraud; trickery. [From French tromper (to deceive). Earliest documented use: 1481.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/trumpery "The room was crowded with a chilly miscellany of knick-knacks and ornaments, gewgaws, and trumpery of every kind." Leo Bruce; Case for Three Detectives; Academy Chicago; 1980. "History, made up as it is of so much trumpery, treachery, and tyranny, needs deeds of valor, of sacrifice, and of heroism if it is to be palatable." The Medal of Honor: A History of Service Above and Beyond; Zenith Press; 2014. -------- Date: Fri Oct 21 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hilarity X-Bonus: If you would stand well with a great mind, leave him with a favorable impression of yourself; if with a little mind, leave him with a favorable impression of himself. -Samuel Taylor Coleridge, poet, and philosopher (21 Oct 1772-1834) This week's theme: Words that appear to be coined after someone (but aren't) hilarity (hi-LAYR-i-tee) noun Cheerfulness; merriment. [From French hilarité (hilarity), from Latin hilaris (cheerful), from Greek hilaros (cheerful). Earliest documented use: 1568.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hilarity "A merry school of porpoises, a square mile of them, suddenly appear, tossing themselves into the air in abounding strength and hilarity." John Muir; Travels in Alaska; Houghton Mifflin; 1915. -------- Date: Mon Oct 24 00:01:03 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ornery X-Bonus: I have no riches but my thoughts, yet these are wealth enough for me. -Sarah Teasdale, poet (1884-1933) Could "thru", a phonetic respelling of the word "through", become standard and replace the original some day? It's possible. But don't start girding your loins to defend the purity and honor of the English language. It has happened many times. Let me rephrase that: It happens all the time, though the rate of change is slowing down. Like a flowing river, language often takes the path of least resistance. Language is a spoken thing. In the beginning, few people knew how to read or write. As long as you could understand what word was meant, spelling didn't matter. Just take any word, say "spelling". We have at least four forms of the word attested: spellynge, spellyng, Spelling, and spelling -- there are likely many other possibilities. Printing and literacy resulted in the spelling becoming standardized, but we still respell, shorten, and mold words as it suits us. For example, the word donut has replaced doughnut, at least in the US. This week we'll see five words that have had their spellings altered over time based on pronunciation, sometimes resulting in a new word with a new sense. ornery (OR-nuh-ree) adjective Having an unpleasant disposition: irritable, stubborn, combative, etc. [An alteration of the word ordinary, from Latin ordo (order, rank). In the beginning the word ornery was just a dialect pronunciation of the word ordinary and meant the same. Over time it acquired negative senses, from commonplace to lazy to mean to cantankerous. Earliest documented use: 1692.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ornery http://wordsmith.org/words/ornery_large.jpg Photo: Gorilla esq. https://www.flickr.com/photos/73289930@N00/3085871195 "DI John Rebus is an ornery and often difficult detective who is frequently at odds with his young assistant and his supervisors." Tom Budlong; Video; Library Journal (New York); Oct 15, 2016. -------- Date: Tue Oct 25 00:01:03 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--passel X-Bonus: The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out. -Thomas Babington Macaulay, author and statesman (25 Oct 1800-1859) This week's theme: Words formed by dialectal pronunciation passel (PAS-uhl) noun A large group or a large number. [Alteration of parcel, from Anglo-French parcele, from Latin particella, diminutive of particula (small part), diminutive of pars (part). Earliest documented use: 1325.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/passel "Must be tough, going from no relatives at all to a whole passel of them." Vicki Lewis Thompson; Midnight Thunder; Harlequin; 2015. -------- Date: Wed Oct 26 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sassy X-Bonus: A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons. ... America's strength doesn't come from lashing out. Strength relies on smarts, judgment, cool resolve, and the precise and strategic application of power. That's the kind of Commander-in-Chief I pledge to be. -Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, Senator, Democratic nominee for the US president (b. 26 Oct 1947) This week's theme: Words formed by dialectal pronunciation sassy (SAS-ee) noun Impudent; bold; outspoken; lively; feisty; stylish. [Alteration of saucy, from sauce, from Latin salsa, from sallere (to salt), from sal (salt). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sal- (salt), which is also the source of silt, sausage, salad, salami, salary, and salmagundi http://wordsmith.org/words/salmagundi.html . Earliest documented use: 1833.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/sassy http://wordsmith.org/words/images/sassy_large.jpg Comic: Mahkayla "vsock" Arthur http://awutcomic.com/sassy-cats "Ada had sounded like her strong and sassy self on the phone." Laura Trentham; Slow and Steady Rush; St. Martin's; 2015. -------- Date: Thu Oct 27 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tarnal X-Bonus: It is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. -Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President (27 Oct 1858-1919) This week's theme: Words formed by dialectal pronunciation tarnal (TAHR-nuhl) adjective, adverb Damned. [Alteration of eternal (as in "eternal damnation"), from Latin aeternus, from aevum (age). Ultimately from the Indo-European root aiw-/ayu- (vital force, life, eternity), which also gave us ever, never, aye, nay, eon, eternal, medieval, primeval, utopia, Sanskrit Ayurveda, aught http://wordsmith.org/words/aught.html , coeval http://wordsmith.org/words/coeval.html , and coetaneous http://wordsmith.org/words/coetaneous.html . Earliest documented use: 1790.] "Why had he let himself get suckered into that tarnal poker game?" W. Michael Gear; Long Ride Home; Tor Books; 1988. -------- Date: Fri Oct 28 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--raiment X-Bonus: It is a curious thing that every creed promises a paradise which will be absolutely uninhabitable for anyone of civilized taste. -Evelyn Waugh, novelist (28 Oct 1903-1966) This week's theme: Words formed by dialectal pronunciation raiment (RAY-muhnt) noun Clothing. [Alteration of arrayment, from array, from Old French arrayer (to array). Ultimately from the Indo-European root reidh- (to ride), which also gave us ride, raid, road, and ready. Earliest documented use: 1425.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/raiment "I wear this raiment while working at my desk." Tom Wolfe; My Favorite Thing; Esquire (New York); Sep 2016. -------- Date: Mon Oct 31 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hippology X-Bonus: Time engraves our faces with all the tears we have not shed. -Natalie Clifford Barney, poet, playwright, and novelist (31 Oct 1876-1972) I recently came across an unfamiliar word, hippocracy. A rule by horses, I thought, until I realized it was a misspelling of the word hypocrisy. Then I searched Google News and found many examples of this misspelling: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&q=hippocracy Well, a rule by horses would probably be better than a rule by some men. Don't take my word for it -- ask Gulliver who has seen both in his travels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahoo_(Gulliver%27s_Travels) . It takes a village to raise a child and it takes an assortment of combining forms to make a language. This week we'll see words made with various combining forms: hippo- (horse), hypo- (under), xero- (dry), stego-/stegano- (cover), nidi- (nest) -logy (study), -geal (earth), -philic (loving), -graphy (writing), -colous (inhabiting) What words can you make with them? [What are combining forms? You can think of them as Lego (from Danish, leg: play + godt: well) bricks of language. As the term indicates, a combining form is a linguistic atom that occurs only in combination with some other form, which could be a word, another combining form, or an affix (unlike a combining form, an affix can't attach to another affix).] hippology (hi-POL-uh-jee) noun The study of horses. [From Greek hippo- (horse) + -logy (study). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ekwo- (horse), which also gave us equestrian, equitant http://wordsmith.org/words/equitant.html , hippocampus, hippogriff, and the name Philip (lover of horses). Earliest documented use: 1854.] Gulliver Addressing the Houyhnhnms http://wordsmith.org/words/images/hippology_large.jpg Art: Sawrey Gilpin, 1768 "Ask them any question about horses, and odds are they know the answer. Three of the club members are preparing for the national hippology bowl." Amy J. Wise; Club's Horse Sense Abounds; The Post and Courier (Charleston, South Carolina); Mar 23, 1995.