A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Sat Nov 1 00:03:06 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--libration X-Bonus: I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves. -Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosopher (1889-1951) li.bra.tion n. A very slow oscillation, real or apparent, of a satellite as viewed from the larger celestial body around which it revolves.[Lat. libratio, oscillation [librare, to balance [libra, balance] Ernan McMullin, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)., Vol. 10, Colliers Encyclopedia CD-ROM, 02-28-1996. "After its appearance, Galileo made his last observational discovery, the libration (a slight apparent rotational variation) of the moon." This week's theme: skywatchers' watchwords. -------- Date: Sun Nov 2 00:03:05 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--planisphere X-Bonus: It is in vain to hope to please all alike. Let a man stand with his face in what direction he will, he must necessarily turn his back on one half of the world. -George Dennison Prentice pla.ni.sphere n. 1. A representation of a sphere or part of a sphere on a plane surface. 2. Astron. A polar projection of the celestial sphere on a chart equipped with an adjustable overlay to show the stars visible at a particular time and place.[ME planisperie [Med. Lat. planisphaerium : Lat. planus, flat + Lat. sphaera, sphere [Gk. sphaira] Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, Confessions Of Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Book Six: Part 2., Great Works of Literature, 01-01-1992. "I bought a celestial planisphere to study the constellations." This week's theme: skywatchers' watchwords. -------- Date: Mon Nov 3 00:44:50 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fjord X-Bonus: Genius is eternal patience. -Michelangelo fjord or fiord n. A long, narrow, often deep inlet from the sea between steep cliffs and slopes.[Norw.] Huber, Kathleen, Troll on the mountain.(short story)., Vol. 74, Child Life, 12-01-1995, pp 42(4). "From somewhere nearby came the soft sound of laughing, like the broken echo of voice that was as deep as the fjords and as old as the mountains." When one lets nature take control of oneself, only then can one comprehend the invaluable teachings from it as many poets and artists have discovered and portrayed in their works. We can learn limitless amounts from nature and are thankful to the omnipresent for the beauty of nature that He created for us to cherish and learn from. This week's theme is Oeuvres of Nature. -Stuti Garg (stutiATwordsmith.org) (Stuti, my loving wife and mother of our four-month-old daughter Ananya, is this week's Guest Wordsmith. She has an MBA with interests in Internet and electronic commerce. -Anu) -------- Date: Tue Nov 4 00:04:59 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--estuary X-Bonus: A purple cow is a confirming instance of the hypothesis that all crows are black. -Hempel's Paradox es.tu.ar.y n. 1. The part of the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides. 2. An arm of the sea that extends inland to meet the mouth of a river.[Lat. aestuarium [aestus, tide] Kenneth R. Weiss, Treasured Island of Wilderness; Los Angeles Times, 06-09-1996, pp B-1. "The Ventura River and its estuary--the place where fresh river water meets the sea--are home to a number of species close to extinction: the tidewater goby, western snowy plover, California least terns and brown pelicans." This week's theme: Oeuvres of nature. -------- Date: Wed Nov 5 00:03:06 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--massif X-Bonus: The really efficient laborer will be found not to crowd his day with work, but will saunter to his task surrounded by a wide halo of ease and leisure. -Henry David Thoreau mas.sif n. A large mountain mass or compact group of connected mountains forming an independent portion of a range.[Fr. [massif, massive [OFr.^ see massive] Schaller, George, Tracking the Gobi's last wild bears and camels.., Vol. 25, International Wildlife, 01-11-1995, pp 18(6). "Only about 30 mazalai, as the Gobi bear is known locally, survive, and they concentrate around several massifs--the Atas Bogd, Shar Hulas, Tsagaan Bogd--that rise to 1,850 meters (6,000 ft.) or more in the southern part of the park." This week's theme: Oeuvres of nature. -------- Date: Thu Nov 6 00:03:20 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--peninsula 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 [A Long Walk to Freedom] pen.in.su.la n. A long projection of land into water, connected with the mainland by an isthmus.[Lat.: paene, almost + insula, island] Harlin, John, Olympic odyssey: this is not what I'd planned. (backpacking in Olympic National Park), Backpacker, 09-01-1997, pp 52). "The 900,000-acre national park comprises most of the interior of the peninsula, as well as a thin strip along the Pacific Coast." This week's theme: Oeuvres of nature. -------- Date: Fri Nov 7 00:03:19 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--terrain X-Bonus: When we ask advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice. -Marquis de la Grange ter.rain n. 1. A tract of land; ground. 2. The character of land; topography. 3. A particular geographic area; region. 4. Variant of terrane .[Fr. [OFr. [Lat. terrenus, terrene] Jay Parini, Tree of Thoughtfulness., Vol. 12, The World & I, 05-01-1997, pp 246. "Dorris has taken upon himself a huge task here by attempting to cover so much historical and geographical terrain, but his large ambitions pay off handsomely." This week's theme: Oeuvres of nature. -------- Date: Sat Nov 8 00:03:18 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--archipelago X-Bonus: A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and the time in which it is used. -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. ar.chi.pel.a.go n., A large group of islands. 2. A sea, as the Aegean, containing a large group of islands.[Ital. Arcipelago, the Aegean Sea: [Gk. arkhi-, archi- + Gk. pelagos, sea] James C. Simmons, Cruise: Adventure Tours; Eco-options, from pole to pole; Home Edition., Los Angeles Times, 02-11-1996, pp L-16. "The boats navigate the shallow waters of the Amazon's tributaries, inland lakes and island archipelagoes." This week's theme: Oeuvres of nature. -------- Date: Sun Nov 9 00:03:04 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--subterranean X-Bonus: How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. -Annie Dillard sub.ter.ra.ne.an adj. 1. Situated or operating beneath the earth's surface; underground. 2. Hidden; secret.[Lat. subterraneus : sub-, under + terra, earth] Nelson, Peter, The cave that holds clues to life on Mars. (Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico)., Vol. 34, National Wildlife, 08-18-1996, pp 36(8). "Might there still be water underground on Mars helping to sustain subterranean life similar to ours?" This week's theme: Oeuvres of nature. -------- Date: Mon Nov 10 00:03:31 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vomitorium X-Bonus: He who has a why can endure any how. -Friedrich Nietzsche vo.mi.to.ri.um n. A passage or opening in an ancient amphitheatre or theatre, leading to or from the seats. Usu. pl. 1754 Dictionary of Arts & Sciences. I. 129/2 "They were entered by avenues, at the end of which were gates, called vomitoria." When AWAD ran the word "urinator" (meaning "diver"), many subscribers thought it was a joke, because the word sounds as if it refers to a bodily function that most people prefer to keep private. This week's theme is other words that seem risque, but that are fit for the most delicate company. -Ron Davis (davisrATaecl.ca) (When not thinking about dirty-sounding words, this week's Guest Wordsmith, Ron works as a theoretical physicist for a Canadian energy company. -Anu) -------- Date: Tue Nov 11 00:03:25 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--defalcate X-Bonus: In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty. -Ralph Waldo Emerson de.fal.cate intr.v. To misuse funds; embezzle.[Med. Lat. defalcare, defalcat- : Lat. de-, off + Lat. falx, sickle] Pennell, Jeffrey N., Expect legislation and ethics debates., Vol. 133, Trusts & Estates, 01-01-1994, pp 26(2). "To illustrate, some courts would impose an obligation on the attorney who represents a defalcating fiduciary to advise the beneficiary..." This week's theme: words that seem risque. -------- Date: Wed Nov 12 00:04:05 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mensuration X-Bonus: I wish no living thing to suffer pain. -Shelley (1792-1822) men.su.ra.tion n. 1. The process, act, or art of measuring. 2. The measurement of geometric quantities. Burke, Edmund, Sublime and Beautiful: Sections I - VII, Great Works of Literature, 01-01-1992. "These relations give an origin to the idea of proportion. They are discovered by mensuration, and they are the objects of mathematical inquiry." This week's theme: words that seem risque. -------- Date: Thu Nov 13 00:03:11 EST 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--castigate X-Bonus: The best vitamin for making friends, B-1. cas.ti.gate tr.v. 1. To punish or chastise. 2. To criticize severely. [Lat. castigare, castigat-