A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Jan 1 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--numero uno X-Bonus: I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy. -J.D. Salinger, writer (1 Jan 1919-2010) A joyous and peaceful new year to all our readers. It's the new year, so it makes sense to feature new words. But these are not recently coined words. They just start with the sound "new". What's new that you are hoping to do or to have in your life in the next 366 days? Maybe you are considering a new diet. Whatever I eat I always have Anu diet. Share your goals and dreams on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/numero_uno.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state). This year on Mar 14 we complete 30 years of Wordsmith.org. What are some ways you'd like to celebrate? Send your suggestions to words@wordsmith.org or post on our website. numero uno (NOO/NYOO-muh-roh OO-noh) noun 1. Oneself; one's own interests. 2. The highest in rank, quality, importance, etc. [From Italian numero uno (number one) or Spanish número uno (number one). Earliest documented use: 1944.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/numero_uno_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Lola's big plan for her thirties, all two of them so far, was to 'put herself first' ... and to start focusing on numero uno, and numero uno's career. Oh, and numero uno's marriage. Right." Lynn Harris; Death By Chick Lit; Penguin; 2007. -------- Date: Tue Jan 2 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--noodgy X-Bonus: Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right. -Isaac Asimov, scientist and writer (2 Jan 1920-1992) This week's theme: "New" words noodgy (NOO-jee) adjective Nagging, pestering, annoying, or complaining. [From noodge (to pester; one who pesters), from Yiddish nudyen (to pester, bore), from Polish nudzic. A cousin of this word is nudnik (a boring pest) https://wordsmith.org/words/nudnik.html . Earliest documented use: 1969.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/noodgy_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "What we had most in common were noodgy, hard-driving parents, the type of people who’d push their children to attend supplemental schooling for a year and a half." Vinson Cunningham; Test Case; The New Yorker; Mar 9, 2020. -------- Date: Wed Jan 3 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pneumatology X-Bonus: Still round the corner there may wait, / a new road or a secret gate. -J.R.R. Tolkien, novelist and philologist (3 Jan 1892-1973) This week's theme: "New" words pneumatology (noo/nyoo-muh-TOL-uh-jee) noun The study of spiritual phenomena. [From Greek pneuma (breath, wind, spirit). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pneu- (to breathe), which is also the source of pneumatic https://wordsmith.org/words/pneumatic.html , French pneu (tire), pneumonia, apnea, sneer, sneeze, snort, snore, and pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis https://wordsmith.org/words/pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.html . Earliest documented use: 1648.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pneumatology_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "He was rejoicing that African people were, as a result of their faith in God, displacing their belief in magic with a reasoned understanding of science, technology, economics, and rationality. Rolly spoke in praise of the diversity of the Bible college curriculum that included anthropology, psychology, and psychiatry with theology, Christology, and pneumatology." Jim Harries; To Africa in Love; 2019. -------- Date: Thu Jan 4 00:01:01 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nuciform X-Bonus: People who demand neutrality in any situation are usually not neutral but in favor of the status quo. -Max Eastman, journalist and poet (4 Jan 1883-1969) This week's theme: "New" words nuciform (NOO/NYOO-suh-form) adjective Like a nut. [From Latin nux (nut) + -form (having a shape). Earliest documented use: 1843.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nuciform_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Her perfect little nuciform body only vaguely stirred him." Corey Mesler; Memphis Movie; Soft Skull; 2015. -------- Date: Fri Jan 5 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nutant X-Bonus: Fear prophets and those prepared to die for the truth, for as a rule they make many others die with them, often before them, at times instead of them. -Umberto Eco, philosopher and novelist (5 Jan 1932-2016) This week's theme: "New" words nutant (NOO/NYOO-tuhnt) adjective Drooping; nodding. [From Latin nutare (to nod repeatedly), frequentative of -nuere (to nod), from numen (nod of the head, command, divine will). Earliest documented use: 1751.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nutant_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "When I awoke the next morning, the sun was peeking through a cluster of leafy, nutant willow branches." P.W. Walters; Reunion; Izzard Ink; 2019. -------- Date: Mon Jan 8 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--capacitate X-Bonus: When you counsel someone, you should appear to be reminding him of something he had forgotten, not of the light he was unable to see. -Baltasar Gracian, writer and philosopher (8 Jan 1601-1658) We have the words inanimate/animate, unable/able, and more. So why not inane/ane? The short answer is: Just because. The word inane (silly or senseless) comes to us from Latin inanis (empty or void). And where does Latin inanis come from? No one knows. Could it be connected with anima (soul, spirit)? We don't have any evidence so we have to suspend judgment. That's how language goes. Some words develop their matter and antimatter equivalents. In others, only one form materializes. In still other cases, both forms exist, but only one is well-known. It's the last category of words we focus on this week. We have dug out and brought to light the lesser-known counterparts of everyday words. What words would you like to create counterparts for in this manner? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/capacitate.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state). capacitate (kuh-PAS-i-tayt) verb tr. To make capable. [From Latin capax (able to hold much), from capere (to take). Earliest documented use: 1657.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/capacitate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/capacitate_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "'She can't leave the house. She's incapacitated.' 'Tell her to CAPACITATE then,' he snapped." Katherine Clark; The Headmaster's Darlings; 2015. "'Rock music was perfectly set up to capacitate everything that I was looking to express in a marketable fashion,' says Lewis." Kim Mulford; Camden Pianist Eric Lewis' Take on Music Is Classic Shock; Courier Post (Cherry Hill, New Jersey); Sep 28, 2012. -------- Date: Tue Jan 9 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--eptitude X-Bonus: One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation, and compassion. -Simone de Beauvoir, author and philosopher (9 Jan 1908-1986) This week's theme: Forgotten positives eptitude (EP-ti-tood/tyood) noun Skill or proficiency in a situation or a task. [Back-formation from ineptitude, from Latin aptus (apt, fitted), past participle of apere (fasten). Earliest documented use: 1967.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/eptitude_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Desperate vegetation clung to cracks in the rocks, demonstrating nature's marvelous eptitude at making the best of a hellish situation." John Vorhaus; The Albuquerque Turkey; Bafflegab Books; 2013. -------- Date: Wed Jan 10 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mediate X-Bonus: The most certain test by which we can judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities. -Lord Acton (John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton), historian (10 Jan 1834-1902) This week's theme: Forgotten positives mediate (adj: MEE-dee-uht, verb: -ayt) adjective: 1. Involving an intervening agency; not direct or immediate. 2. Being in a middle position. verb tr., intr.: 1. To act as an intermediary to resolve a conflict, bring about a solution, etc. 2. To divide into two parts. [From Latin mediare (to be in the middle), from Latin medius (middle). Ultimately from the Indo-European root medhyo- (middle), which also gave us middle, mean, medium, medal (originally a coin worth a halfpenny), mezzanine, mediocre, mediterranean, moiety https://wordsmith.org/words/moiety.html , and mullion https://wordsmith.org/words/mullion.html . Earliest documented use: 1440.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/mediate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/mediate_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "[James Wilson] supported the direct election of the office, but had to settle for the mediate election of the president by offering the compromise electoral college system." Lawrence J. DeNardis; The Electoral College; New Haven Register (Connecticut); Dec 4, 2016. "Though it was a very muffled love, mediated as it was through the screen and the keyboard." Elizabeth Cohen; The Hypothetical Girl; Other Press; 2013. -------- Date: Thu Jan 11 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--maculate X-Bonus: Some are guilty, but all are responsible. -Abraham Joshua Heschel, rabbi and professor (11 Jan 1907-1972) This week's theme: Forgotten positives maculate (MAK-yuh-layt, adj: -lit/-luht) verb tr.: To stain, blemish, or pollute. adjective: Stained, spotted, or impure. [From Latin maculare (to stain, disgrace), from macula (stain, blemish). Earliest documented use: 1475.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/maculate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/maculate_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "I had to maculate the gleam in my eye." Justin Phillip Reed; When I Was a Poet; Poetry (Chicago, Illinois); Dec 2019. "I can make out its long-fingered wings and tightly ruddering tail, its maculate underside." Richard Smyth; There's a Buzzard in the Air; The Guardian (London, UK); Apr 14, 2020. -------- Date: Fri Jan 12 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nocent X-Bonus: People's memories are maybe the fuel they burn to stay alive. -Haruki Murakami, writer (b. 12 Jan 1949) This week's theme: Forgotten positives nocent (NOH-suhnt) adjective 1. Harmful. 2. Guilty. [From Latin nocens (injurious, guilty), present participle of nocere (to harm). Earliest documented use: 1447.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nocent https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nocent_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Sadly, I am even used to threatening emails. In my line of work, they are an occupational hazard and nearly always these are the usual nocent missives about how I have mightily offended the GOP or Islam or God." Philip Kerr; Prayer: A Novel; Penguin; 2015. -------- Date: Mon Jan 15 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--peccant X-Bonus: The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists, who are dedicated to justice, peace, and brotherhood. The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific, and religious freedom have always been nonconformists. In any cause that concerns the progress of mankind, put your faith in the nonconformist! -Martin Luther King, Jr., civil-rights leader (15 Jan 1929-1968) Seasons change. People change. Languages change too. If a language hasn't changed in its words' meanings, pronunciations, or spellings, chances are it's a dead language. If you have exactly the same beliefs and opinions as you did 10 or 20 years ago, check your pulse. But in a world where words constantly shift in meaning, how do we keep track? The secret lies in the gradual nature of these changes, occurring over decades or centuries. Moreover, context is a powerful tool, often revealing half of a word's meaning in how it's used. This week we'll feature five words that have changed. A lot. How have you changed over time? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/peccant.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state). peccant (PEK-uhnt) adjective 1. Sinful. 2. Violating a rule. [From Latin peccare (to err). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ped- (foot) which gave us peccadillo (alluding to a stumble or fall) https://wordsmith.org/words/peccadillo.html , pedal, impeccable, podium, octopus, and impeach. Earliest documented use: 1595.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/peccant NOTES: The earliest recorded meaning of the word peccant is unhealthy or diseased. Over time, the term morphed into figurative senses of being sinful or erring. It's speculated the Latin peccare (to err) arose from pes (foot) meaning having an injured foot or stumbling. Then the stumbling became metaphorical. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/peccant_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "None of these writers believes atheists, agnostics, or skeptics are less moral than their religious fellows. Were there any evidence that unbelievers were more peccant, Dennett notes, the religions would be onto it like a duck on a June bug." Michael Cohen; The God Damners; Skeptic (Altadena, California); Fall 2018. -------- Date: Tue Jan 16 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--prestigious X-Bonus: One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters. -English Proverb This week's theme: Words that have changed prestigious (pre-STEEJ-uhs, -STIJ-) adjective Honored, esteemed, or having high status. [From French prestige (current meaning: prestige, earlier: illusion, deceit), from Latin praestigiosis (full of tricks), from praestringere (to dazzle, to blindfold), from pre- (before) + stringere (to tie or bind). Earliest documented use: 1534.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/prestigious NOTES: How times change! Earlier, to be prestigious was to be deceitful. Prestige was another word for deceit. If you were really good with tricks, you got a certain respect or admiration. Eventually the word turned its life around and arrived on the right side of the law. Despite similarities, the word prestidigitation https://wordsmith.org/words/prestidigitation.html has a different origin. It's from French preste (nimble) + Latin digitus (finger). https://wordsmith.org/words/images/prestigious_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The announcement of the winner of the Nobel prize in literature usually prompts one of three reactions. The first is 'Who?'; the second is 'Why?'; the third -- by far the rarest -- is 'Hurrah!' This year, reactions were firmly in the first two camps. On Oct 5, Jon Fosse, a Norwegian, was awarded the world's most prestigious writing prize." Prestigious, Lucrative, and Bonkers; The Economist (London, UK); Oct 14, 2023. -------- Date: Wed Jan 17 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dapper X-Bonus: Half the truth is often a great lie. -Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author, and inventor (17 Jan 1706-1790) This week's theme: Words that have changed dapper (DAP-uhr) adjective 1. Stylish in dress. 2. Small and active. [Probably from Middle Dutch dapper (strong or stout). Earliest documented use: 1440.] NOTES: Talk about a style makeover! "Dapper" flexed its muscles as "strong and hefty" back in the day, but decided to hit the fashion runway and emerged as "sleek and stylish". From lifting weights to turning heads, that's one word that knows how to reinvent itself! See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/dapper https://wordsmith.org/words/images/dapper_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "A guru of the airwaves, [Bryan Cranston] is dapper and spry, striding up and down the stage as he lectures on the woes of corporate capitalism." Alexandra Schwartz; Mad, Mad World; The New Yorker; Dec 17, 2018. -------- Date: Thu Jan 18 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--peterman X-Bonus: Everyone has a belief system, B.S., the trick is to learn not to take anyone's B.S. too seriously, especially your own. -Robert Anton Wilson, novelist (18 Jan 1932-2007) This week's theme: Words that have changed peterman (PEE-tuhr-muhn) noun Safecracker. [From peter, slang for a safe. Earliest documented use: 1400.] NOTES: Earlier a peterman was a fisherman, after St. Peter who was a fisherman. Later, the word developed the sense of a safecracker from slang peter meaning safe: peter. It's not clear how peter developed this sense. Perhaps because St. Peter held the keys to heaven or because the name Peter meaning stone alludes to solidity, and from thence to a safe. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/peterman_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "He's a peterman. Housebreaking's just the last thing we got him for. He blows safes. He did the British Linen Bank on Kilmarnock Road in '66." Liam McIlvanney; The Quaker; HarperCollins; 2019. -------- Date: Fri Jan 19 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--prudish X-Bonus: On stage, I make love to 25,000 different people, then I go home alone. -Janis Joplin, singer-songwriter (19 Jan 1943-1970) This week's theme: Words that have changed prudish (PROO-dish) adjective Overly concerned with propriety or decorum, especially in matters of sex. [From prude, from Old French prudefemme (wise or good woman), feminine of prud'homme (wise man). Earliest documented use: 1717.] NOTES: No one today would be caught being called prudish, but earlier if you were prudish, you were a wise person -- prudent. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/prudish Discreet Shoe-Fitting Device https://wordsmith.org/words/images/prudish_large.jpg Image: afraidofglobalwarming / eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/141383502756 "Don't tell me you're one of those prudish types who thinks every piano should be skirted so its legs won't show." Catherine Anderson; Lucky Penny; Penguin; 2012. -------- Date: Mon Jan 22 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Machiavellianism X-Bonus: He who is only just is cruel. Who on earth could live were all judged justly? -Lord Byron, poet (22 Jan 1788-1824) Everyone, even the blandest ones among us, has more than one side to them. However, there are people whose impact on the world, for better or worse, is so profound that it overshadows everything else about them. Their contributions might be in the form of a theory, a work of fiction, a mode of behavior, their role in a historical event, or simply the force of their personality. Such impactful legacies often inspire eponyms, words that are derived from someone's name. This week, we're diving into the whimsical world of eponyms, celebrating names that have journeyed from the halls of history and pages of fiction into our everyday vocabulary. What eponyms would you coin after leaders, past or present, in your country? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/machiavellianism.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state). Include: eponym, part of speech, definition, usage example. Machiavellianism (mak-ee-uh-VEL-ee-uh-niz-uhm) noun The use of unscrupulous means, cunning, and deceit in pursuit of power, especially in politics. [After Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), Florentine statesman and author of "The Prince", a political treatise describing the use of craft and deceit to achieve political power. Earliest documented use: 1607.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/machiavellianism_large.jpg Art: Cristofano dell'Altissimo (c. 1525-1605) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli#/media/File:Portrait_of_Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli_Cristofano_di_Papi_dell'Altissimo.jpg "Ms. Merkel rose to power by besting the men around her. She took over the Christian Democrats by sidelining her mentor, the former Chancellor Helmut Kohl (who used to call her "mein Mädchen" -- my girl). In 2005, she beat the macho Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, a man known for considering women's emancipation as "Gedöns" -- bric-a-brac. Ms. Merkel did so by applying her unusual political intelligence as well as an age-old Machiavellianism." Anna Sauerbrey; What Do Clinton and Merkel Have in Common?; The New York Times; Oct 31, 2016. -------- Date: Tue Jan 23 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Don Quixote X-Bonus: If you don't love me, it does not matter, anyway I can love for both of us. -Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle), novelist (23 Jan 1783-1842) This week's theme: Eponyms Don Quixote (don kee-HO-tee/tay, KWIK-suht) noun Someone who is unrealistic, naive, chivalrous, idealistic, etc. to an absurd degree. [After Don Quixote, hero of the eponymous novel by Miguel de Cervantes https://wordsmith.org/words/cervantic.html (1547-1616). Earliest documented use: 1644. Sometimes the term is used simply as Quixote https://wordsmith.org/words/quixote.html . The adjectival form is quixotic https://wordsmith.org/words/quixotic.html .] Don Quixote and Sancho Panza https://wordsmith.org/words/sancho.html , Brussels, Belgium https://wordsmith.org/words/images/don_quixote_large.jpg Photo: Dennis Jarvis https://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/13935042848 See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Don%20quixote "Being a Don Quixote -- pursuing what other people say is a lost cause -- in our culture is tantamount to being a fool." Beverly Willett; I Was Falsely Accused and My Reputation Was Disparaged. I Don't Regret Fighting Back; USA Today (Arlington, Virginia); Sep 28, 2018. -------- Date: Wed Jan 24 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--thespian X-Bonus: I begin to see what marriage is for. It's to keep people away from each other. Sometimes I think that two people who love each other can be saved from madness only by the things that come between them: children, duties, visits, bores, relations, the things that protect married people from each other. -Edith Wharton, novelist (24 Jan 1862-1937) This week's theme: Eponyms thespian (THES-pee-uhn) noun: An actor. adjective: Relating to drama. [After Thespis (c. 6th century BCE), Greek poet, who is considered the father of Greek tragedy. Earliest documented use: 1675.] NOTES: It's believed that Thespis became the first actor when he jumped on a wooden cart and recited lines from his poetry as if he was the character saying those lines, instead of a poet reading a poem. Then he went around from town to town with his costumes and props. Well, that makes him the first touring actor as well. His name literally means inspired by the gods. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/thespian "Thespis' Wagon", a relief in Florence, Italy https://wordsmith.org/words/images/thespian_large.jpg Photo: I, Sailko / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thespis#/media/File:Formella_15,_il_carro_di_Tespi_(Theatrica),_nino_pisano,_1334-1336.JPG Sculptor: Nino Pisano (1334-1336) "Ms Streep, a masterful thespian with chameleonic powers." Two Faces of a Star; The Economist (London, UK); Dec 4, 2021. -------- Date: Thu Jan 25 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--epicure X-Bonus: Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind. -William Somerset Maugham, writer (25 Jan 1874-1965) This week's theme: Eponyms epicure (EP-i-kyoor) noun 1. A person with refined taste, especially in food or wine. 2. A person devoted to sensual pleasure. [After the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BCE), who advocated simple pleasures and a calm mind (ataraxia https://wordsmith.org/words/ataraxia.html ). With time, his teachings were distorted as focusing on sensual pleasures. Earliest documented use: 1450.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/epicure https://wordsmith.org/words/images/epicure_large.jpg A statue of Epicurus (detail) Sculptor unknown. Reconstruction by K. Fittschen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurus#/media/File:Epikur_Statue.jpg "On a recent Sunday at Angel Indian, a new, mostly Punjabi restaurant in Jackson Heights, where the bill of fare happens to be meat-free, an epicure I had brought along for lunch declared that he didn't much care for vegetarian Indian food. An hour and a half-dozen dishes later, I watched him jump up from the table to chase down a pair of women who had studied the menu taped to the front door before walking away, so he could urge them to return." Hannah Goldfield; Angel Indian; The New Yorker; Dec 9, 2019. -------- Date: Fri Jan 26 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Momus X-Bonus: Catch-and-release, that's like running down pedestrians in your car and then, when they get up and limp away, saying -- Off you go! That's fine. I just wanted to see if I could hit you. -Ellen DeGeneres, comedian, television host, and actress (b. 26 Jan 1958) This week's theme: Eponyms Momus (MOH-muhs) noun A carping critic. [From Latin Momus, from Greek Momos, the god of censure and ridicule in Greek mythology. He was expelled from Mount Olympus for mocking other gods. In Greek, the word momos literally means blame or ridicule. Earliest documented use: 1563.] "Momus Criticizes the Gods' Creations" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/momus_large.jpg Art: Maarten van Heemskerck, 1561 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momus#/media/File:1561_v._Heemskerck_Momus_tadelt_die_Werke_der_Goetter.JPG See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Momus "Haigh's music is optimistic and light-hearted. ... But Mozart is much more of a Momus, delighting in pointed, intentional mockery." Benjamin Katz; HAIGH: 6 Harpsichord Concertos; American Record Guide (Washington, DC); Jul/Aug 2013. -------- Date: Mon Jan 29 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--heightism X-Bonus: It is my belief that the writer, the free-lance author, should be and must be a critic of the society in which he lives. It is easy enough, and always profitable, to rail away at national enemies beyond the sea, at foreign powers beyond our borders who question the prevailing order. But the moral duty of the free writer is to begin his work at home; to be a critic of his own community, his own country, his own culture. If the writer is unwilling to fill this part, then the writer should abandon pretense and find another line of work: become a shoe repairman, a brain surgeon, a janitor, a cowboy, a nuclear physicist, a bus driver. -Edward Abbey, naturalist and author (29 Jan 1927-1989) The English language is one big happy family that has something for everyone. It has a word for someone who is newly rich (parvenu https://wordsmith.org/words/parvenu.html ) and one for someone who is newly poor (nouveau pauvre https://wordsmith.org/words/nouveau_pauvre.html ). It has a word for someone who loves dogs (cynophilist https://wordsmith.org/words/cynophilist.html ) and a word for someone who hates or fears dogs (cynophobic https://wordsmith.org/words/cynophobia.html ). And in between these words, there are words for almost everything under the sun (and beyond). This week we'll visit a few terms that make one say, "I didn't know there was a word for that!" heightism (HY-tiz-uhm) noun Discrimination based on height, especially the unfair treatment of people who are short. [Coined by sociologist Saul Feldman, from height, from Old English hehthu (height), from heah (high). Earliest documented use: 1971.] "S&M: Short and Male" 2008, a documentary about obstacles faced by short men https://wordsmith.org/words/images/heightism_large.jpg Poster: Instinct Films NOTES: Each extra inch in height translates to an extra $800 in annual earning. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/the-financial-perks-of-being-tall/393518/ https://web.archive.org/web/20231218142037/https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/the-financial-perks-of-being-tall/393518/ In the US presidential elections since 1900, 21 out of 31 winners were taller than their opponents. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heights_of_presidents_and_presidential_candidates_of_the_United_States What has been your experience as a short person in life? Did you feel discriminated against? Has it given you any advantage? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/heightism.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org "I'm pleased to report I haven't ordered my elevator shoes yet. The woman I love transcended her heightism. She's put away her heels, and clips articles about the latest trend in relationships: 'Short Men and Tall Women: The Last Taboo.'" Joel Yanovsky; What Women Don't Know About Men; Chatelaine (Toronto, Canada); May 1997. -------- Date: Tue Jan 30 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--theophoric X-Bonus: Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough. -Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd US President (30 Jan 1882-1945) This week's theme: There's a word for it theophoric (thee-uh/oh-FOR-ik) adjective Having or derived from the name of a god. [From Greek theo- (god) + -phoric (bearing). Earliest documented use: 1891.] NOTES: It's obvious that any name beginning with theo has god as its origin, such as Theodore (literally, god's gift). But theo is hiding in places where it's not as obvious. Consider Tiffany, which is another form of theophany (appearance of a god), also known as epiphany. Names of gods of various religions appear in the names of people: Abdullah, from Arabic, literally, servant of god Christopher, from Greek, literally, Christ-bearer Jonathan, from Hebrew, literally, Yahweh has given Mohandas (Gandhi's first name), from Hindi, literally, servant of Krishna https://wordsmith.org/words/images/theophoric_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Elijah is a small man, hardly five feet tall. His theophoric name means 'Yahweh is my God.'" Rabbi Migosh; Elizah Comes to Dinner; The Jewish Quarterly; Summer 1996. https://wordsmith.org/words/heightism.html -------- Date: Wed Jan 31 00:01:03 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ekphrasis X-Bonus: To bear up under loss, to fight the bitterness of defeat and the weakness of grief, to be victor over anger, to smile when tears are close, to resist evil men and base instincts, to hate hate and to love love, to go on when it would seem good to die, to seek ever after the glory and the dream, to look up with unquenchable faith in something evermore about to be, that is what any man can do, and so be great. -Zane Grey, author (31 Jan 1872-1939) This week's theme: There's a word for it ekphrasis (EK-fruh-sis) noun A description of or commentary on a work of visual art. [From Latin ecphrasis, from Greek ekphrasis (description), from ek (ex-, out) + phrazein (to explain). Earliest documented use: 1632.] NOTES: The earliest known Greek example of ekphrasis is from the "Iliad" in which Homer describes the shield of Achilles https://wordsmith.org/words/achillize.html in great detail. It was the shield that Achilles used in his fight with Hector https://wordsmith.org/words/hector.html . See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ekphrasis Shield of Achilles as described in Book 18 of the "Iliad" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ekphrasis_large.jpg Art: Angelo Monticelli (1778-1837) Photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield_of_Achilles#/media/File:Angelo_monticelli_shield-of-achilles.jpg "But to Louise the picture is an abstraction. She describes it in a befuddled ekphrasis, like an art student looking at an obscure slide, bringing none of its ideological weight to the task." Vinson Cunningham; Pro Choice; The New Yorker; Jan 30, 2023.