A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Wed Jul 1 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--grift X-Bonus: A good listener helps us overhear ourselves. -Yahia Lababidi, author (b. 1973) This week's theme: Slang grift (grift) noun 1. A swindle or a confidence game. 2. Money obtained by fraud. verb tr., intr. To swindle someone; to obtain something by swindling. [Of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of graft, the origin of which remains unknown as well.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "The real genius of the ever-evolving 419 scam is its ability to change with the times. Like Madonna or antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus, the money-advancing grift continuously reinvents itself to better infiltrate society's weaknesses." Helen A.S. Popkin; Don't Get Taken by This Adorable Scam; MSNBC; Nov 7, 2007. -------- Date: Thu Jul 2 00:01:08 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jive X-Bonus: Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing. It's one of the most enjoyable moments in life, period. -Nicholas Sparks, author (b. 1965) This week's theme: Slang jive (jyv) verb tr., intr. 1. To deceive, to flatter, to taunt, to talk nonsense. 2. To go together, to fit in. adjective Insincere or deceptive. noun 1. Jazz or swing music and related dance. 2. Insincere, pretentious, or exaggerated talk. [Origin unknown.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "The edict by state and city officials that we Durham residents should let water run out of faucets for three or four minutes before drinking it or using it to cook with may indeed be the solution to the lead threat that has been discovered in the city's water supply. But what if they are jiving us? Surely I'm not the only cynic." Barry Saunders; Money Flows With Water Woes; The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina); Sep 2, 2006. "Designwise, the focus remains on the house-garden connection -- the need for garden rooms and plants to jive with architecture and interiors." Turning over a new leaf; Los Angeles Times; May 21, 2000. -------- Date: Fri Jul 3 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dibs X-Bonus: No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be. -Isaac Asimov, scientist and writer (1920-1992) This week's theme: Slang dibs (dibz) noun The right or claim on something. [From shortening of dibstones, a children's game played with pebbles.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Carly: I've got dibs on 'Don't Cry for Me, Argentina'. Syesha: No way, girl. That's my song." Donald Munro; What A Tangled 'Idol' We Weave; Fresno Bee (California); Apr 20, 2008. "Department officers were given first dibs for the job." Michael Tucker; Town Approves Hengel; Belgrade News (Montana); Jun 19, 2009. -------- Date: Mon Jul 6 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--defenestrate X-Bonus: Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary. -Reinhold Niebuhr, theologian (1892-1971) I've been alerted to an event that will take place later this week, something that happens once every millennium. Shortly after noon on July 8, comes the moment that can be called 12:34:56 7/8/9. To mark this momentous event, this week we'll feature words that have three consecutive letters in order, something that doesn't happen very often either (there are hundreds of everyday words, but we are talking here about unusual and interesting words). It's not exactly true that this sequence of time/date happens only once. If you follow the day/month/year convention, you can observe the same sequence next month, on August 7. And even though it appears to be a rare occurrence, such interesting patterns aren't that unusual. Consider these from the past: 01:23:45 6/7/89 12:34.56 7/8/90 01:02:03 04/05/06 In a couple of years we'll have 11:11:11 11/11/11. What other unusual patterns can you think of that are in the near future? defenestrate (dee-FEN-uh-strayt) verb tr. To throw someone or something out of a window. [From Latin de- (out of) + fenestra (window).] Notes: There have been many defenestrations over the course of history, but the most famous, and the one that inspired the word defenestration, was the Defenestration of Prague on May 23, 1618. Two imperial regents and their secretary were thrown out of a window of the Prague Castle in a fight over religion. The men landed on a dung heap and survived. The Defenestration of Prague was a prelude to the Thirty Years' War. You can check out the defenestration of various articles of furniture in this unique San Francisco sculpture http://www.defenestration.org/ -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "When someone in a Joe Lansdale novel is defenestrated, you feel like shaking the glass shards out of your lap." Jeff Salamon; The Further Adventures of Hap and Leonard; The Austin American-Statesman (Texas); Jul 4, 2009 . -------- Date: Tue Jul 7 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--limnology X-Bonus: Faith is a cop-out. If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits. -Dan Barker, former preacher, musician (b. 1949) This week's theme: Words with three letters in alphabetic sequence limnology (lim-NOL-uh-jee) noun The study of bodies of fresh water, such as lakes and ponds. [From Greek limne (lake) + -logy (study).] Limnophilous, the word to describe an organism living in lakes, pools, etc., has four consecutive letters from the alphabet. -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Retired professor and head of the department of limnology, Dr VJ Druve, pointed out that the state is abundant in water resources with high potential for inland fish production." PJ Joychen; Udaipur Fisheries College Crying For Attention; The Times of India (New Delhi); Jun 16, 2008. -------- Date: Wed Jul 8 00:01:08 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--panoply X-Bonus: Solitude has but one disadvantage; it is apt to give one too high an opinion of one's self. In the world we are sure to be often reminded of every known or supposed defect we may have. -Lord Byron, poet (1788-1824) This week's theme: Words with three letters in alphabetic sequence panoply (PAN-uh-plee) noun 1. A wide-ranging array of resources. 2. A full suit of armor. 3. A protective covering. 4. A ceremonial attire or paraphernalia. [From Greek panoplia (a complete suit of armor), from pan (all) + hopla (arms, armor), plural of hoplon (weapon).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Ask one of those corporate bosses in receipt of a fat bonus why they need an incentive to do their job to the best of their ability when workers ranging from surgeons to school caretakers do not, and they are usually at a loss for a coherent explanation. The panoply of bonuses and awards has simply become the norm." Julia Finch; Bonus Scam Admitted At Last; The Guardian (London, UK); Jun 9, 2009. -------- Date: Thu Jul 9 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--somnolent X-Bonus: Absence in love is like water upon fire; a little quickens, but much extinguishes it. -Hannah More, writer (1745-1833) This week's theme: Words with three letters in alphabetic sequence somnolent (SOM-nuh-lent) adjective 1. Sleepy; drowsy. 2. Sleep-inducing. [From Latin somnus (sleep). Ultimately from the Indo-European root swep- (to sleep) that is also the source of insomnia, hypnosis, soporific (inducing sleep), and somnambulate (to walk in sleep).] Somnopathy, a variant of somnipathy, the word for a sleep disorder, has four consecutive letters from the alphabet. -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "It is encouraging to see such curiosity from the traditionally somnolent panel." The House Eyes the Swamp; The New York Times; Jul 2, 2009. -------- Date: Fri Jul 10 00:01:08 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Sturm und Drang X-Bonus: In my youth I thought of writing a satire on mankind; but now in my age I think I should write an apology for them. -Horace Walpole, novelist and essayist (1717-1797) This week's theme: Words with three letters in alphabetic sequence Sturm und Drang (SHTOORM oont DRANG) noun Turmoil; upheaval. [From German Sturm und Drang (translated as: storm and stress, literally: storm and urge/yearning), title of the 1776 play about the American Revolution, by dramatist Friedrich Maximilian von Klinger (1752-1831). It was also the name of an 18th century German literary movement characterized by greater expression of emotional unrest.] The name of the Durmstrang Institute, one of the wizarding schools in the Harry Potter series, is a spoonerism of Sturm und Drang. -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "After the sturm und drang of Revolutionary Road, director Sam Mendes opted for a looser, lighter story." Colin Covert; Pregnant Pause With 'Away We Go'; Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota); Jun 12, 2009. -------- Date: Mon Jul 13 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--yardang X-Bonus: Every man feels instinctively that all the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action. -James Russell Lowell, poet, editor, and diplomat (1819-1891) Last month, with my wife and daughter, I visited the famous sand dunes on the Oregon Coast, a few hours south of Seattle. The Oregon Coast on the Pacific Ocean has miles of pristine beaches, parts of which are dotted with sand dunes hundreds of feet high. ( http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw/recreation/tripplanning/oregondunes ) How are they formed? Over the years, boulders tumbling in the water turn into fine sand, and wind sculpts this sand into ever-changing dunes. Standing in that vast expanse of pure sand felt like being in a desert. Handling those grains of sand, I wondered if I were touching people who lived thousands of years ago. After rolling on a sand dune one brings home much sand, unintentionally. It's in the hair, ears, pockets, and elsewhere. And I brought something else -- today's word, which I discovered while learning about the wind as a sculptor. In this week's AWAD we'll see words to describe sculptures formed by nature. yardang (YAHR-dahng) noun An elongated ridge formed by wind erosion, often resembling the keel of an upside down ship. [From Turkic yar (steep bank).] A picture from the Yardan National Geological Park, China: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/yardang_large.jpg [Photo: Michael Chung http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelchung/] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "There are about 50 yardangs on Edwards [Air Force Base], with the largest about 15 feet high and 150 feet long. Base biologist Mark Hagan described them as looking like upside-down ship hulls." Jim Skeen; Unearthly Qualities Fossil Sand Dunes Provide Clues to Mars: Los Angeles Daily News; Dec 26, 2000. -------- Date: Tue Jul 14 00:01:06 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pingo X-Bonus: Who breaks the thread, the one who pulls, the one who holds on? -James Richardson, poet, professor (b. 1950) This week's theme: Words from geology pingo (PING-go) noun A mound or hill of soil-covered ice in permafrost, pushed up by the pressure of water seeping in. [From Inuit pinguq/pingu (small hill).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) A pingo near Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pingo_large.jpg [Photo: Emma Pike] "Out on the Arctic coastal plain below the northern foot of the Brooks, the land is dotted with pingoes a foot or two tall." Craig Medred; River Dance on the Hulahula; Anchorage Daily News (Alaska); Jul 31, 2005. -------- Date: Wed Jul 15 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--scree X-Bonus: In the youth of a state arms do flourish; in the middle age of a state, learning; and then both of them together for a time; in the declining age of a state, mechanical arts and merchandise. -Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626) This week's theme: Words from geology scree (skree) noun Rock debris at the base or the side of a mountain. [From Old Norse skritha (landslide).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "The trail is well-defined, although there were a few spots where we had to scrabble up rocks and slide down scree." Charlie Anderson; New Zealand's A Knock-out; Calgary Herald (Canada); Jun 6, 2009. -------- Date: Thu Jul 16 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--inselberg X-Bonus: Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right. -Martin Luther King, Jr. This week's theme: Words from geology inselberg (IN-suhl-burg, -zuhl-) noun An isolated mountain or hill rising abruptly from its surrounding. [From German Insel (island) + Berg (mountain), ultimately from the Indo-European root bhergh- (high) which is also the source of iceberg, belfry, borough, burg, burglar, bourgeois, fortify, and force.] In the US it's known as a monadnock https://wordsmith.org/words/monadnock.html -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) An inselberg in Nivali, Mozambique: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/inselberg_large.jpg [Photo: Stig Nygaard: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stignygaard/] "Perhaps the most terrifying storm I have ever been through was on Malawi's Nyika Plateau, a huge inselberg that rises out of almost nowhere." Craig Dodds; Forecasts Say Batten Down the Hatches; Cape Times (Cape Town, South Africa); May 15, 2009. -------- Date: Fri Jul 17 00:01:08 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--karst X-Bonus: Eminent posts make great men greater, and little men less. -Jean de la Bruyere, essayist and moralist (1645-1696) This week's theme: Words from geology karst (karst) noun An area of irregular limestone in which erosion has produced fissures, sinks, etc. [From German, after the Karst, a limestone plateau in Slovenia, near the Italian city of Trieste.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) Karst landscape near Minerve, Hérault, France: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/karst_large.jpg [Photo: Hugo Soria] "Traveling east into the wooded hills and finally to the elevated, rolling plain above the bluffs, the tour group enters the realm of karst, the ultimate geologic destination of this tour and primary scientific focus of the day's adventure." Joseph G. Maty; Magical Geological Tour is a Trip; St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri); May 12, 1997. -------- Date: Mon Jul 20 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--equanimity X-Bonus: A child's education should begin at least one hundred years before he is born. -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., poet, novelist, essayist, and physician (1809-1894) Why do you learn new words? For some, it's the joy of discovering new and unusual specimens in the language and the stories behind them. For others, it's to improve their vocabulary, whether for college or work. Sometimes readers write to say, "I'll never have a chance to use these words!" You will. As you can see from the usage examples taken from newspapers, magazines, and books -- words in AWAD are not from a museum. They're words that are in current use, though not very often. Still, we take the point. What some are looking for are more practical words: words they can use in an office memo or in a term paper; words they are more likely to come across in a trade report or college exam. This week we'll offer you five such practical words. Go ahead, employ them, put them into practice. equanimity (ee-kwuh-NIM-i-tee, ek-wuh-) noun Evenness of temper in all circumstances. [From Latin aequanimitas, from aequus (equal, even) + animus (mind, spirit).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Even as a young netball star, Tharjini had no inflated opinion about herself nor did she ever take offence at the numerous teasing remarks or stares that her height drew. She met both celebrity status and silly remarks with equanimity." Thulasi Muttulingam; A Player With Many Highs in Her Life; The Sunday Times (Colombo, Sri Lanka); Jul 12, 2009. -------- Date: Tue Jul 21 00:01:06 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--assiduous X-Bonus: Every sin is an attempt to fly from emptiness. -Simone Weil, philosopher, mystic, activist (1909-1943) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words assiduous (uh-SIJ-oo-uhs) adjective Constant; persistent; industrious. [From Latin assiduus, from assidere (to attend to, to sit down to), from ad- (toward) + sedere (to sit). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sed- (to sit) that is also the source of sit, chair, saddle, assess, sediment, soot, cathedral, and tetrahedron.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "The reason for his presence there [a Donald Duck statue in a temple garden] remains a mystery despite the author's most assiduous inquiries." Jeff Kingston; Chiang Mai: Thailand's beguiling Rose of the North; The Japan Times (Tokyo); Jun 28, 2009. -------- Date: Wed Jul 22 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--disinter X-Bonus: I believe I found the missing link between animal and civilized man. It is us. -Konrad Lorenz, ethologist, Nobel laureate (1903-1989) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words disinter (dis-in-TUHR) verb tr. 1. To remove from a grave. 2. To bring to light. [From Latin dis- (away, apart) + interrare (to bury), from in- (in) + terra (earth). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ters- (to dry) that is also the source of territory, terrace, turmeric, toast, and terra firma https://wordsmith.org/words/terra_firma.html . A synonym of today's word is exhume, from Latin ex- (out) + humus (earth), which is from the Indo-European root dhghem- (earth) that also gave us human, homicide, homage, chameleon, chamomile, and Persian zamindar (landholder).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "From underneath all this falsity, he needs to disinter what's true." Tessa Hadley; Windows on the World; The Guardian (London, UK); Jul 10, 2009. -------- Date: Thu Jul 23 00:01:10 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--minatory X-Bonus: The best armor is to keep out of gunshot. -Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words minatory (MIN-uh-tor-ee, MYN-) adjective Threatening or menacing. [From Latin minari (to threaten), from minae (threats). Ultimately from the Indo-European root men- (project) that is also the source of menace, mountain, eminent, promenade, demean, amenable, and mouth.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "France has seldom assumed a minatory posture towards India, being much less inclined than other major countries to hector, or push and prod in an attempt to influence policy." The Statesman (New Delhi, India); Jan 31, 2008. -------- Date: Fri Jul 24 00:01:08 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--expatiate X-Bonus: We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves. -Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (1902-1983) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words expatiate (ek-SPAY-shee-ayt) verb intr. 1. To speak or write at length. 2. To move about freely. [From Latin exspatiatus, past participle of exspatiari (to wander or digress), from ex- (out) + spatiari (to walk about), from spatium (space).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "I spent part of the day of the debate watching a parade of talking heads expatiate endlessly on how dire was the need for Obama to go macho." Joe Klein; Hit Her Again! Time (New York); Oct 31, 2007. -------- Date: Mon Jul 27 00:01:08 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--stenotopic X-Bonus: An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth. -Bonnie Friedman, author (b. 1958) Is there a word to describe .....? I'm often asked this question. Readers need a word for a particular idea, action, belief, or occurrence, and often it turns out the language doesn't have a ready-made word for it. But that's no cause for despair. If there's no word available, chances are you can find components to build your own: affixes (prefixes and suffixes), other existing words, and combining forms. What are combining forms? You can think of them as the Legos of language. As the name indicates, a combining form is a linguistic atom that occurs only in combination with some other form which could be a word, another combining form, or an affix (unlike a combining form, an affix can't attach to another affix). This week we'll feature five words that use the combining forms steno- (small), ment- (mind), eury- (wide), exo- (outside), caco- (bad). stenotopic (sten-uh-TOP-ik) adjective Able to adapt only to a small range of environmental conditions. [From Greek steno- (narrow, small) + topos (place). Opposite is eurytopic.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Like any gathering of aged immigrants, this was one helluva stenotopic congregation." Haim Chertok; Beating Blindness, and Bureaucracy, in Beersheba; The Jerusalem Post (Israel); Feb 9, 1996. -------- Date: Tue Jul 28 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--menticide X-Bonus: The doubts of an honest man contain more moral truth than the profession of faith of people under a worldly yoke. -Ximenes Doudan, journalist (1800-1872) This week's theme: Words made using combining forms menticide (MEN-tuh-syd) noun The systematic undermining of a person's beliefs, attitudes, and values. [From Latin ment- (mind) + -cide (killing).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Our compliance with the dictates of Donor Agencies and environmentalists not to use DDT amounts to suicide or at least menticide of our people." Dr. Matthias Offoboche; Tackling Malaria the DDT Way; This Day (Lagos, Nigeria); Nov 29, 2005. -------- Date: Wed Jul 29 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--eurybathic X-Bonus: The man's desire is for the woman but the woman's desire is rarely other than for the desire of the man. -Samuel Taylor Coleridge, poet (1772-1834) This week's theme: Words made using combining forms eurybathic (yoor-uh-BATH-ik) adjective Capable of living in a wide range of depths in water. [From Greek eury- (wide) + bathos (depth). The opposite is stenobathic.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Eurybathic species are abundant over most of the depth range down to 600-700 m." Guido di Prisco and Eva Pisano; Fishes of Antarctica; Springer; 1998. -------- Date: Thu Jul 30 00:01:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--exogenous X-Bonus: The stateliest building man can raise is the ivy's food at last. -Charles Dickens, novelist (1812-1870) This week's theme: Words made using combining forms exogenous (ek-SOJ-uh-nuhs) adjective Originating from outside. [From Greek exo- (outside) + -gen (relating to producing). Opposite is endogenous.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "The key to understanding this crisis -- the worst since the 1930s -- is to see that it was generated within the financial system itself. What we are witnessing is not the result of some exogenous shock that knocked things off balance." George Soros; A New Motor For the World Economy; The Bangkok Post (Thailand); Oct 18, 2008. -------- Date: Fri Jul 31 00:31:07 EDT 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cacography X-Bonus: A woman whom we truly love is a religion. -Emile de Girardin, journalist and politician (1802-1881) This week's theme: Words made using combining forms cacography (kuh-KOG-ruh-fee) noun 1. Bad handwriting. 2. Incorrect spelling. [From caco- (bad), from Greek kakos (bad) + -graphy (writing). Caco is ultimately from the Indo-European root kakka-/kaka- (to defecate) which also gave us poppycock, cacophony, and cucking stool http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucking_stool . Opposites of today's word are calligraphy (beautiful handwriting) and orthography (correct spelling). A related word is cacology https://wordsmith.org/words/cacology.html ] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Before I could think of quitting, my boss enlightened me on the virtues of my handwriting, which was sheer cacography: 'Your writing is in direct competition with the Harappan script that still had the hope of being deciphered in the distant future.'" Vikram Kumar; Positions Very Vacant; The Hindustan Times (New Delhi, India); Apr 15, 2008. "They [Nerds Inc.] have taken advantage of cacography in a novel way. ... They registered more than 90 of the most probable misspellings of popular Web addresses afforded by the QWERTY keyboard, for processing by typo.net." Thomas W. Holcomb Jr.; Nerds Inc. Turns Typos Into On-Line Advertising; The New York Times; Jun 2, 1997.