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 9 of 91 1 2 7 8 9 10 11 90 91
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1

ZOÖNOSIS

PRONUNCIATION: (zo-AHN-uh-sis, zo-uh-NOH-sis)

MEANING: noun: Any disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek zoo- (animal) + nosos (disease). Earliest documented use: 1873.

NOTES: It’s too late now. The COVID-19 has already jumped from animals to humans. Let’s not make it jump from humans to humans. So, let’s wear a mask when in a public place.
_______________________________

OZONOSIS - what you get from too much tri-molecular oxygen

ZOOMOSIS - what you get from participating in too many streamed on-line meetings

ZONOSIS - I'm sick of this defense !

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1

FOMITES

PRONUNCIATION: (FOM-uh-teez, FOH-myts)

MEANING: noun: Any inanimate object, such as a book, money, carpet, etc., that can transmit germs from one person to another.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin fomites, plural of fomes (touchwood, tinder), from fovere (to warm). Earliest documented use: 1803.

NOTES: The word fomites is a plural of fomes, but the s at the end of the word led people to assume it’s a plural and make a singular: fomite (FOH-myt). Some would say that it’s an error, but then there are many more words formed like this: cherry, from the singular cherise, pea from the singular pease, for example. The word is often used as a singular nowadays, similar to other technically plural words such as agenda or errata.
All this should be the least of our worries right now. Don’t be a walking fomites. Wear your mask when away from home.
____________________________________

FORMITES - things that are shaped like ants

UFO MITES - parasites that infest visiting spaceships

FO-LITES - what the enemy uses to see, when it's dark

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1

ASYMPTOMATIC

PRONUNCIATION: (ay-simp-tuh-MAT-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Not showing any symptoms of disease.

ETYMOLOGY: From a- (not) + Latin symptoma (symptom), from Greek symptoma (occurrence), from sym- (together) + piptein (to fall). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pet- (to rush or fly), which also gave us appetite, feather, petition, compete, perpetual, propitious, appetence, lepidopterology, peripeteia, pinnate, petulant, and pteridology. Earliest documented use: 1932.

NOTES: If you’re asymptomatic you don’t show any symptoms, but it’s still possible you are infected and can transmit the infection to others. That’s why it’s important to wear a mask.
_______________________________

ASYMPTOMATIN - genetic material that confers freedom from disease symptoms (we wish)

ASYMPTOMAGIC - what it looks like when you have the trait above

ASYMMTOMATIC - having symptoms on only one side of your body

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1

TYPHOID MARY

PRONUNCIATION: (TY-foid MAIR-ee)

MEANING: noun: A person from whom a disease or something undesirable spreads.

ETYMOLOGY: After Mary Mallon (1869-1938), a cook in New York, who was a healthy carrier (contagious but showing no symptoms: asymptomatic) of typhoid. She died of pneumonia. Earliest documented use: 1909.

NOTES: One Typhoid Mary is enough in the history of humankind. Don’t let yourself be the new Typhoid Mary. Wear your mask when out and about.
_____________________________________

TYPHOID WARY - worried about getting a Salmonella disease

TYCHOID MARY - another late 16th century Danish astronomer, daughter of Mr Brahe

TOPHOID MARY - unfortunate woman afflicted with crippling gout

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1

VACCINATE

PRONUNCIATION: (VAK-si-nayt)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.:
1. To administer a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease.
2. To immunize against something.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin vacca (cow), because in the beginning the cowpox virus was used against smallpox. Earliest documented use: 1803.

NOTES: Don’t vacillate when it’s time to vaccinate. But until a COVID-19 vaccine appears, the next best thing is to wear a mask. Some are resistant to the idea, so we see billboards with encouraging messages: “Real Heros Wear Masks”
No, wearing a mask does not make you a hero. Neither is having to wear a mask some sort of tyranny any more than having to wear a seat belt is. But if you need a medal, we can nominate you for a Presidential Medal of Freedom. They are going cheap these days.
_______________________

VACCINNATE - born with smallpox immunity

VA: CC IN A TEE - veterans can get their shot even if casually dressed

VACCINA-TEL - offers disease prevention and Web access together

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1

CLITICIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (KLIT-uh-syz)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To attach or become attached.

ETYMOLOGY: From clitic (an unstressed word that occurs in combination with another word), from enclitic/proclitic, from klinein (to lean), from klitos (slope). Ultimately from the Indo-European root klei- (to lean), which also gave us decline, incline, recline, lean, client, climax, ladder, heteroclite, and patrocliny. Earliest documented use: 1970s.

NOTES: In linguistics, to cliticize is to attach a clitic to another word. What’s a clitic? An unstressed linguistic element that can’t exist on its own and is dependent on its neighbor. An example in the previous sentence is ’t in can’t”.
______________________________________

CLINICIZE - translate from research to patient care

GLITICIZE - add a single medication treat diabetes, kidney trouble, and heart failure (see SGLT2 inhibitor)

CLIO-TICIZE - reduce to the stature of a small goldfish, so it fits in a Walt Disney cartoon movie

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1

ORDONNANCE

PRONUNCIATION: (OR-dn-uhns, or-duh-NAHNS)

MEANING: noun: The systematic arrangement of parts in art, literature, architecture, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From French, from alteration of Old French ordenance (order), from Latin ordinantia, from ordinare (to put in order), from ordo (order). Earliest documented use: 1660.

NOTES: The same Old French ordenance has also given us two more cousins of today’s word. So the whole lineup is:
ordnance: military supplies
ordinance: an order, decree, law, etc.
ordonnance: a systematic arrangement
I say we go back to communicating in grunts.
___________________________

OR DON NANCY - then again, maybe it's the Italian nobleman with the unusual name

ORLONNANCE - conversion to a synthetic fabric

ORDO NUANCE - the ordering is very subtle

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1

SETTLOR

PRONUNCIATION: (SET-luhr/lohr)

MEANING: noun: One who makes a settlement of property.

ETYMOLOGY: From alteration of settler, from settle, from Old English setlan (to seat or place). Earliest documented use: 1818.
_________________________________

SENT L.O.R. - I've just dispatched the Letter of Recommendation

SEAT L'OR - King Midas' Golden Chair

S.E.T.I.-LOR - the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence has its own mythology

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1

EXORCISE

PRONUNCIATION: EK-sor/suhr-syz)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To drive out something or someone undesirable, such as an evil spirit, malign influence, troubling feeling, etc.
2. To free a person or place of an evil spirit.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French exorciser, from Latin exorcizare, from Greek exorkizein (to swear a person), from ex- (out) + horkizein (to make one swear), from horkos (oath). Earliest documented use: 1546.
______________________________

EXHORCISE - to issue a command

EXO-CISE - to peel away the outer covering

EXPORCISE - to decree that bacon no longer comes from a pig

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,356
Likes: 1

EQUIPOLLENT

PRONUNCIATION: (ee-kwuh-PAH-luhnt)

MEANING: adjective: Equal in power, force[align:center][/align], effect, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French equipolent, from Latin aequipollent (of equal value), from aequus (equal) + pollens (able), present participle of pollere (to be strong). Earliest documented use: 1420.
————————————————

EQUIPOLLEN - allergic to two irritants exactly the same amount

EQUIPULLENT - tugging just as strongly but in opposite directions

AQUIPOLLENT - determining whether people say they prefer Evian or Poland Springs water or some other brand entirely

Page 9 of 91 1 2 7 8 9 10 11 90 91

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,910
Posts229,081
Members9,175
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Standy, Teytonon, jgronk71, gronk1964, MiscPractice
9,175 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 159 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,356
LukeJavan8 9,909
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

© 1994-2023 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5