|
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1
stranger
|
OP
stranger
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1 |
I hope that someone out there may be able to help me.
Is there a word that describes a group of collective nouns or, in other words, is there a collective noun for collective nouns?
Meryl
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
If you're thinking about things like "a skein of geese," "a pride of lions,"an exultation of larks," etc, they're called 'terms of venery.' The sport originated with a bunch of old brandy-drinking, cigar-smoking gents sitting around in their little gentlemen's clubs reminiscing about the old days when they didn't break their horses backs while out chasing down the wily fox.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290 |
they're called 'terms of venery.'Terms of venery are a subset of collective nouns restricted to describing groups of animals. The asked for meta-collective noun probably doesn't fall into that category. FWIW, the TsC (tsuwm's count) for collective noun is 13 (general), 15 (special), link, and for terms of venery it's 1 (general), 2 (special), link. The first number is the number of Outlook results in the general category, and the second number includes specialty dictionaries, e.g., medicine, art. (Anyway, I added that to the mix, because Occam's razor be damned.) I suppose in these days of Inter-Web variability one should also add an access date, such as referenced in Wikipedia. For the record, the Dahilian semantico-typo-lexical constants for type-1 word, type-2 word, type-3 word are all 0 (zero). (Personally, I don't think tsuwm's method is complicated enough. The number of angels who can dance on the head of a pin ought to be taken into account as some sort of leavening number.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
> Dahilian
very good.
> The number of angels who can dance on the head of a pin ought to be taken into account as some sort of leavening number.
at the very yeast!
formerly known as etaoin...
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
jheem, I've been using the OL total, which is given in bold at the very top of the entry. link unfortunately, the eye is drawn to the General total, which is bolded and underlined. I'm afraid it's an inherent flaw in the system.  >For the record, the Dahilian semantico-typo-lexical constants for type-1 word, type-2 word, type-3 word are all 0 (zero). this is a sham e; dal should begin impetrating various on-line lexicographers to get his terms included. [drat, 'striket^hrough some text' no longer seems to work.]
Last edited by tsuwm; 12/09/09 01:40 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290 |
I've been using the O[ver]L[ook] total, which is given in bold at the very top of the entry. unfortunately, the eye is drawn to the General total, which is bolded and underlined.
I guess, at the very least, we shall have to agree (gentlemanly) to disagree (academically). I propose that my modification to tsuwm's system be called JhIc (pronounced jynx) for Jheem's Inconstant ...
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290 |
at the very yeast!
Trub, at the very lees.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 876
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 876 |
I guess, at the very least, we shall have to agree (gentlemanly) to disagree (academically). My ear wants to hear something different. Is gentlemanlyly a word? If not, what is the proper word? You are saying that you have to agree in a "gentlemanly" way, not a "gentleman" way. What is wrong with my thinking? I'm confusing myself! 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
that's 'cuz gentlemanly can be either adjective or adverb, depending..
adv : in the manner of a gentleman he was sitting gentlemanly up in the ... taxi -- Saul Bellow
adj : having the character of or characteristic of a gentleman in nature, behavior, or appearance gentlemanly instincts
[W3]
more to the point, -ly can be either adj or adv suffix.
Last edited by tsuwm; 12/09/09 04:09 PM.
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,915
Posts229,837
Members9,197
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
596
guests, and
6
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
