Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#140128 02/23/05 02:08 AM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Jackie Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
A friend used this word in writing to me; and when I asked about it, I was told it had been more or less transliterated as a guess.
So--who knows what it means...without looking it up?


#140129 02/23/05 02:21 AM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
HINT: People like convention planners and travel agents use this term all the time ... probably as a way of making their art look so arcane that mere mortals will not be tempted to do for themselves what these planners and agents do for a fee.



#140130 02/23/05 02:25 AM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
did your friend use it in a legal sense or in a gereralized sense?


#140131 02/23/05 02:29 AM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Jackie Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Generalized; specifically using the example of waiting and waiting for a bus, then 3 or so all come at once. Interesting, since I went to catch a bus this afternoon, and found two buses halted at the stop!



#140132 02/23/05 07:04 AM
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Well, I had to look it up because I'd never heard or read the word. It wasn't included anywhere on onelook.com (that's over 900 online references that don't list it), so then I tried 'ponibility' and got a definition, albeit an obsolete one.

Then there is 'dispone' listed on brainydictionary. com, but that could be a stretch to connect it even to ponibility. And corn pones, but I become absurd.


#140133 02/23/05 12:52 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
FWIW, the Port. disponibilidade (and, I suspect, Sp. disponibilidad) means "availability."


#140134 02/23/05 01:02 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Jackie Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
That at least is understandable; more so than what my friend found in the OED:
disponi'bility, capability of being disponed; condition of being at one’s disposal.



#140135 02/23/05 01:52 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
>condition of being at one’s disposal. [OED]

so weren't any of those bussses[sic] at your disposal, Ms. J?


#140136 02/23/05 07:20 PM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Okay, enough with the hinting already.

Hoteliers use the term disponibility to refer to the number of rooms which can be made available to a large gathering. It works like this: total number of rooms in the hotel minus those committed to other people at the time of the planned event = disponibility. Something like that, anyway.



#140137 02/24/05 12:23 AM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
B
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
B
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Disponibilité means availability in French.

Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,351
Members9,182
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV
9,182 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 775 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,549
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,918
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5