A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Tue Dec 1 00:01:17 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--amour-propre X-Bonus: Man can be the most affectionate and altruistic of creatures, yet he's potentially more vicious than any other. He is the only one who can be persuaded to hate millions of his own kind whom he has never seen and to kill as many as he can lay his hands on in the name of his tribe or his God. -Benjamin Spock, pediatrician and author (1903-1998) This week's theme: French terms amour-propre or amour propre (ah-moor PRO-pruh) noun Self-esteem; self-respect. [From French amour-propre (self-esteem), from amour (love) + propre (own).] "Diaghilev was always happy to trample on the feelings of his colleagues if he thought that the outcome merited it and at different times we see Fokine, Benois, Bakst, and Nijinsky all desolated by jealousy and injured amour-propre." Luke Jennings; A Tyrannical Genius; The Observer (London, UK); Oct 25, 2009. -------- Date: Wed Dec 2 00:01:17 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--esprit de corps X-Bonus: Commandment Number One for any truly civilized society is this: Let people be different. -David Grayson [pen name of Ray Stannard Baker], journalist, author (1870-1946) This week's theme: French terms esprit de corps (eh-SPREE duh COR) noun A spirit of solidarity; a sense of pride, devotion, and honor among the members of a group. [From French esprit (spirit), de (of), corps (body, group).] "Using cooking to promote an esprit de corps and employee bonding had its beginnings on the West Coast." Jonnie Bassaro; Corporate Employees Bond Through Cooking; News-Times (Danbury, Connecticut); Sep 17, 2007. -------- Date: Thu Dec 3 00:01:18 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chef-d'oeuvre X-Bonus: Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910) This week's theme: French terms chef-d'oeuvre (shay-DOO-vruh) noun A masterpiece. [From French chef-d'oeuvre (masterpiece), from chef (chief) + oeuvre (work).] "Not every item is a chef d'oeuvre: The Surrealists loved to create collages from trivial snapshots." Jorg von Uthmann; Kinky Dolls, Glass Tears Adorn Surrealist Photo Show; Bloomberg; Oct 29, 2009. -------- Date: Fri Dec 4 00:01:19 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--savoir-faire X-Bonus: Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt. -H.L. Mencken, writer, editor, and critic (1880-1956) This week's theme: French terms savoir-faire (SAV-wahr-fayr) noun The ability to say or do the right thing in any situation; tact. [From French savoir-faire (know-how), from savoir (to know) + faire (to do).] "In a cascade of thanks, C.S. Richardson bows gracefully to all those elegant Londoners, full of savoir faire." Peter Wells; The A to Z of Life; New Zealand Herald (Auckland); Jul 7, 2008. -------- Date: Mon Dec 7 00:01:14 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--rhopalic X-Bonus: The sorrow which has no vent in tears may make other organs weep. -Henry Maudsley, psychiatrist (1835-1918) "How do you find words?" Readers sometimes ask me. I like to say that words come to me. "Pick me!" "Pick me!" They raise their hands, eager to go out, be widely known in the language, and find a place on people's tongues. From time to time I scour dictionaries for words, to seek out more obscure ones. When I stumble upon an interesting word, I feel as excited as a paleontologist might feel on finding a fossil, or a geologist on discovering a new form of rock. Shiny words, grimy words, words long and short, words with an unusual arrangement of letters, words to describe something unusual, and more. For this week, I've collected words about words. CONTEST: Write a rhopalic newspaper headline (can be of increasing or decreasing word lengths) for a real or imaginary event. Best entry will receive a copy of the board game WildWords, courtesy http://wildwords.us and a runner-up will receive an "I'd Rather Be Grammatically Correct" T-shirt courtesy Uppityshirts http://uppityshirts.com/ Email your entries to (contest at wordsmith.org) no later than Friday. One entry per person. Please include your location. And while you are writing, send us any comments or suggestions you might have. rhopalic (ro-PAL-ik) adjective Having each successive word longer by a letter or syllable. [From Latin rhopalicus, from Greek rhopalos (club, tapered cudgel).] NOTES: A rhopalic verse or sentence is one that balloons -- where each word is a letter or a syllable longer. The word is also used as a noun. Here's a terrific example of a rhopalic by Dmitri Borgmann: "I do not know where family doctors acquired illegibly perplexing handwriting; nevertheless, extraordinary pharmaceutical intellectuality, counterbalancing indecipherability, transcendentalises intercommunications' incomprehensibleness." "Soapy fired off a rhopalic sentence, that is, one in which each word is one letter longer than the word that precedes it: 'I am the only dummy player, perhaps, planning maneuvers calculated brilliantly, nevertheless outstandingly pachydermatous, notwithstanding unconstitutional unprofessionalism.'" Alan Truscott; Talking About Behavior; The New York Times; Oct 26, 1986. -------- Date: Tue Dec 8 00:01:27 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--periphrastic X-Bonus: I am not a lover of lawns. Rather would I see daisies in their thousands, ground ivy, hawkweed, and even the hated plantain with tall stems, and dandelions with splendid flowers and fairy down, than the too-well-tended lawn. -William Henry Hudson, author and naturalist (1841-1922) This week's theme: Words about words periphrastic (per-uh-FRAS-tik) adjective, also used as a noun 1. Using a roundabout form of expression; wordy. 2. Formed by the use of two or more words instead of inflection. Examples: "daughter of John" (compared with "John's daughter) "It did happen" (compared with "It happened") "more stupid" (compared with "stupider") "Do you have" (compared with "Have you") [Via Latin, from Greek periphrastikos, from periphrazein (to explain around), from peri- (around) + phrazein (to speak, say).] "There is something frustratingly schematic about the characters ... periphrastic leader writer set against a reporter who speaks mostly in grunts and sighs." Charles Spencer; Alphabetical Order, Hampstead Theatre; The Daily Telegraph (London, UK); Apr 22, 2009. [leader = editorial] "Some people are annoyed by the errors they find in others' choice of grammar or selection of vocabulary. To these guardians of language, there are few more egregious slip-ups (slips-up?) than ... to utilize an inflectional, rather than a periphrastic." Ammon Shea; Error-Proof; The New York Times; Sep 28, 2009. -------- Date: Wed Dec 9 00:01:25 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--epanorthosis X-Bonus: He felt justified to kill birds for a museum where they would be preserved forever, as some feel justified to eat fish, chicken, or other meat that is digested in hours. Which is more justified? And even if necessary, how do you justify? Those who are familiar with ancient folklore, or are up above the rest of us a moral notch or two, kill "respectfully" by offering prayers or apologies, in the hope that animals will "offer themselves" up to be voluntarily killed. However, it is a sad fact that no animal cares if those who might eat them invent reasons to justify their acts (to make themselves feel good). -Bernd Heinrich, biology professor and author (b. 1940) This week's theme: Words about words epanorthosis (ep-uh-nor-THO-sis) noun The immediate rephrasing of something said in order to correct it or to make it stronger. Usually indicated by: no, nay, rather, I mean, etc. Example: I've warned you a thousand, no, a million times. [From Greek epanorthosis (correction, revision), from epi- (upon) + ana- (again) + orthosis (making straight), from ortho (straight).] More examples: God bless the King, -- I mean the faith's defender! God bless -- no harm in blessing -- the Pretender! (John Byrom) No, let the monarch's bags and others hold The flattering, mighty, nay, al-mighty gold. (John Wolcot) "But rather, simply the two most beautiful words in the language (let's face it, epanorthosis is my million-dollar baby)." Michael Brodsky; We Can Report Them; Thunder's Mouth Press; 1999. -------- Date: Thu Dec 10 00:01:17 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--monepic X-Bonus: Great thoughts reduced to practice become great acts. -William Hazlitt, essayist (1778-1830) This week's theme: Words about words monepic (mun-NEP-ik) adjective Composed of a single word or single-word sentences. [From Greek mono- (one) + epos (speech, word).] "His speech is monepic. These words consist of substantives, such as mamma, nurse, milk, and so forth." James Sully; Popular Science; Nov 1894. -------- Date: Fri Dec 11 00:01:16 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ploce X-Bonus: We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey. -Kenji Miyazawa, poet and story writer (1896-1933) This week's theme: Words about words ploce (PLO-see) noun The repetition of a word or phrase for rhetorical emphasis or for extended meaning. Examples: "Why wilt thou sleep the sleep of death?" (William Blake) "Make war upon themselves - brother to brother / Blood to blood, self against self." (Shakespeare) [From Latin ploce, from Greek ploke (plaiting), from plekein (to plait).] "Theme and irony both seem to echo through the following lines, in which ploce and pronouns play off one another. Duncan speaks to Lady Macbeth about love and thanks her for the 'trouble' of hosting his visit: The love that follows us sometimes is our trouble Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you How you shall bid God 'ild us for your pains, And thank us for your trouble." Paul Pellikka; Echoes of Sound and Sense in Macbeth; Style; Spring 1997. -------- Date: Mon Dec 14 00:15:05 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--anomie X-Bonus: The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible. -Vladimir Nabokov, novelist (1899-1977) This week we'll feature a potpourri of words. We opened a dictionary, shook it gently, and five words fell out. They came in all shapes, sizes, and senses. They're short and long. They're flighty and grouchy. Call 'em what you will, a medley of words, a farrago, or a gallimaufry. They're disparate, they're diverse. They're varied and variegated, unclassified and unsorted. And they're all ready for use. anomie or anomy (AN-uh-mee) noun Social instability and alienation caused by the erosion of norms and values. [From French anomie, from Greek anomia (lawlessness), from anomos (lawless), from a- (without) + nomos (law). Ultimately from the Indo-European root nem- (to assign or take) that's also the source for words such as number, numb, nomad, metronome, astronomy, and nemesis.] "That didn't mean the music was emotionless, but that the emotions were bleak: isolation, urban anomie, feeling cold and hollow inside, paranoia." Simon Reynolds; One Nation Under A Moog; The Guardian (London, UK); Oct 10, 2009. -------- Date: Tue Dec 15 00:15:05 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--simulacrum X-Bonus: Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones. -Marcus Aurelius, philosopher, writer, Roman emperor (121-180) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words simulacrum (sim-yuh-LAY-krum) noun 1. An image or representation. 2. A vague resemblance to something. [From Latin simulare (to simulate), from similis (like). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sem- (one) that is also the source of simultaneous, assemble, simple, Sanskrit sandhi (union), Russian samovar (a metal urn, literally, self-boiler), and Greek hamadryad (a wood nymph, who lives in a tree and dies when it dies).] "The game [Webkinz] also offers an outlet to exercise a simulacrum of control over aspects of their lives, an opportunity often not available in the day-to-day world." Akin Ajayi; Every Kid Wants A Petting Zoo at Home; Jerusalem Post (Israel); Dec 3, 2009. "Edward [the vampire] is stuck forever in the simulacrum of a devastatingly attractive 17-year-old boy." Olivia Laing; The Mormon Queen of the Damned; New Zealand Herald (Auckland); Nov 21, 2009. -------- Date: Wed Dec 16 00:11:15 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--avoirdupois X-Bonus: The vanquished know war. They see through the empty jingoism of those who use the abstract words of glory, honor, and patriotism to mask the cries of the wounded, the senseless killing, war profiteering, and chest-pounding grief. -Chris Hedges, journalist, author, and war correspondent (b. 1956) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words avoirdupois (av-ur-duh-POIZ, -PWA) noun Heaviness or weight of a person. [From Middle English avoir de pois (goods sold by weight), from Old French aveir de peis (goods of weight), originally referred to things sold in bulk.] "Both McKay and Welles are tall and carry a fair amount of avoirdupois." Sam Allis; Getting Orson Welles Just Right; Boston Globe; Dec 6, 2009. -------- Date: Thu Dec 17 00:11:13 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--arrogate X-Bonus: Many demolitions are actually renovations. -Jalaluddin Rumi, poet and mystic (1207-1273) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words arrogate (AIR-uh-gayt) verb tr. 1. To claim as a right for oneself presumptuously. 2. To claim on behalf of another: to attribute or assign. [From Latin arrogatus (appropriated), past participle of arrogare, from rogare (to ask). Ultimately from the Indo-European reg- (to move in a straight line, to lead or rule) that is also the source of arrogant, regent, regime, direct, rectangle, erect, rectum, alert, source, surge, supererogatory https://wordsmith.org/words/supererogatory.html , abrogate, https://wordsmith.org/words/abrogate.html and prorogue https://wordsmith.org/words/prorogue.html .] "Youth fills you with optimistic thoughts, bursts with energy, and brims with confidence. It is the stage where you feel that your calling in life is to change the existing order for betterment arrogating the role of the social arbiter." Philip Fernando; Understanding the JVP; Daily News (Colombo, Sri Lanka); Dec 8, 2009. -------- Date: Fri Dec 18 00:11:16 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pother X-Bonus: I am always sorry when any language is lost, because languages are the pedigrees of nations. -Samuel Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words pother (POTH-uhr) noun 1. A commotion or fuss. 2. Mental turmoil. 3. A smothering cloud of dust or smoke. verb tr. To confuse or worry someone. verb intr. To worry or fuss. [Of unknown origin.] "Very little will change whether that appointee is Caroline Kennedy or someone else. So why all the pother?" Ed Quillen; Expanded Non-story Season; Denver Post; Dec 28, 2008. -------- Date: Mon Dec 21 00:01:16 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--agoraphobia X-Bonus: You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke. -Arthur Plotnik, editor and author (b. 1937) Fear and Desire. That sounds like the name of some 19th century novel. Instead, it is the theme for this week's words in AWAD. It seems that in English there's a word for every imaginable phobia and mania -- let's face up to some of these during the next few days. agoraphobia (ag-uhr-uh-FO-bee-uh) noun A fear of being in public places, open spaces, or in crowds. [From Greek agora (marketplace). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ger- (to gather) that is also the source of egregious https://wordsmith.org/words/egregious.html , gregarious https://wordsmith.org/words/gregarious.html , disgregate https://wordsmith.org/words/disgregate.html , aggregate, congregation, and segregate.] "Concerns a polar bear would suffer agoraphobia after moving from a city zoo to four acres in the Highlands were unfounded." Agoraphobic Bear Fears 'Allayed'; BBC News (London, UK); Oct 30, 2009. -------- Date: Tue Dec 22 00:11:12 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dipsomania X-Bonus: And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence. -Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (1872-1970) This week's theme: Fear and desire dipsomania (dip-suh-MAY-nee-uh) noun An insatiable, periodic craving for alcohol. [From Greek dipsa (thirst) + -mania (excessive enthusiasm or craze).] "As the emperor Jahangir began his decline in the old familiar grip of dipsomania (both his brothers had died early of drink), his wife Nur Jahan took complete charge as his proxy." Sunil Sethi; Jahangir's Josephine; Outlook (New Delhi, India); Nov 27, 2000. -------- Date: Wed Dec 23 00:55:06 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--astraphobia X-Bonus: Any advertisement in public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It belongs to you. It's yours to take, re-arrange, and re-use. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head. -Banksy, street artist (b. 1974) This week's theme: Fear and desire astraphobia (as-truh-FO-bee-uh) noun An abnormal fear of lightning and thunder. [From Greek astrape (lightning). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ster- (star) that is also the source of star, asterisk, asteroid, astrology, disaster, stellar, constellation, Persian sitareh (star), and the names Stella and Esther.] Also known as astrapophobia and brontophobia (from Greek bronte-, thunder, which also gave us brontosaurus). "In the USA, it is estimated around 10 per cent of people suffer from astraphobia to some degree." Don White; Weatherwatch; The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia); Dec 11, 2001. -------- Date: Thu Dec 24 00:01:27 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--onomatomania X-Bonus: Not far from the invention of fire must rank the invention of doubt. -Thomas Henry Huxley, biologist (1825-1895) This week's theme: Fear and desire onomatomania (on-uh-mat-uh-MAY-nee-uh) noun An obsession with particular words or names and desire to recall or repeat them. [Via Latin, from Greek onoma (name) + -mania (excessive enthusiasm or craze).] "Every time Ammon Shea came across an interesting word, he jotted it down, desperate to avoid onomatomania." Nicole Martin; The Last Word; The Daily Telegraph (London, UK); Oct 4, 2008. -------- Date: Fri Dec 25 00:01:20 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--acrophobia X-Bonus: It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe. -Thomas Paine, philosopher and writer (1737-1809) This week's theme: Fear and desire acrophobia (ak-ruh-FOH-bee-uh) noun An abnormal fear of heights. [From Greek acro- (height, tip) + -phobia (fear). Some related words are acronym (a word formed with the tips of other words), acrobat (one who walks on tiptoes), and acropolis (a city built on high ground).] "Dr Anthe George suggests that Mark would not even have been able to stand on the balcony of his own accord because of his acute acrophobia. 'Mark was truly afraid of heights. I do not mean he was afraid of standing on the edge of a cliff -- he was afraid of any height." Kevin Rawlinson; My Son Was Killed; The Independent (London, UK); Dec 9, 2009. -------- Date: Mon Dec 28 00:01:27 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--beldam X-Bonus: The real index of civilization is when people are kinder than they need to be. -Louis de Bernieres, novelist (b. 1954) The new year is just around the corner. It brings new hopes, new ideas, new events. In a language, there's no new year -- it's always on the move. There's a constant churning in the waters of a language, words evolving, changing meanings, becoming obsolete, new words being born, gaining acceptance, and so on. This week we'll feature five words that today mean something quite different from their previous meanings. beldam (BEL-duhm, -DAM) noun An old woman; a hag. [From Middle English beldam (grandmother), from Old French bel (fine) + dame (lady). In Middle English, the prefix bel was used to indicate relationships, such as belsire or belfader (grandfather, ancestor). In Modern French belle is still used to indicate in-law relationships. A belle-mère is a mother-in-law or a stepmother, for example.] "Carr mixes her story with such amusing oddballs as Carthage's mother, a vinegary and vain beldam." 'Bog' Weighed Down by Mundane Events; Minneapolis Star-Tribune; Mar 16, 2009. -------- Date: Tue Dec 29 00:01:25 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--prude X-Bonus: When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one. -Leonard Matlovich, a gay Vietnam Veteran (1943-1988) This week's theme: Words that have changed with time prude (prood) noun A person who is overly concerned with propriety or decorum. [From Old French prudefemme (wise or good woman), feminine of prud'homme (wise man). The word prude once had positive connotations, but nowadays it is used only in a negative sense.] "I'm not a prude, by any means, but with all her talent, Mariah Carey doesn't need to use her bodacious bod to garner attention." Candace Hammond; TV News is Front and Center; Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Massachusetts); Nov 6, 2009. -------- Date: Wed Dec 30 00:01:21 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--quantum X-Bonus: A civilized society is one which tolerates eccentricity to the point of doubtful sanity. -Robert Frost, poet (1874-1963) This week's theme: Words that have changed with time quantum (KWON-tuhm) noun, plural quanta 1. A quantity or amount. 2. A portion. 3. A large amount. 4. The smallest amount of something that can exist independently. adjective Sudden; major. [From Latin, neuter of quantus (how much or how great). In physics, a quantum jump or quantum leap is usually a small change, while in popular usage the term is used to mean a significant change.] "A quantum jump in the volume of traffic has made major snarls on the capital's periphery a routine affair for commuters." Dipak Kumar Dash; New Roadmap; The Times of India (New Delhi); Nov 7, 2009. -------- Date: Thu Dec 31 00:01:21 EST 2009 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sycophant X-Bonus: Good men must not obey the laws too well. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) This week's theme: Words that have changed with time sycophant (SIK-uh-fuhnt, SY-kuh-, -fant) noun A servile self-seeking person who flatters in an attempt to win favor. [From Latin sycophanta (informer, slanderer), from Greek sykophantes (informer, slanderer), from sykon (fig) + phainein (to show). How did a sycophant turn from one who shows a fig, to an informer, to a flatterer? There are two explanations though both are unconfirmed. The first theory is that the word referred to someone who informed against the theft or illegal export of figs in ancient Athens; other is that it referred to one who makes a fig sign http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_gesture#Fig_sign . When the word arrived in the English language its meaning changed from an informer to a flatterer.] "There are few models around the world of coup plotters who have succeeded as civilian administrators. This is in part because dictators invariably begin to believe the sycophants who gather around them." The Savior Fantasy; The Washington Post; Oct 20, 1999.