A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Oct 3 00:11:04 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hebephrenia X-Bonus: Don't be afraid to take a big step. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps. -David Lloyd George, British prime minister (1863-1945) There are two times in life when we are most likely to be at a loss for words: when we're happiest and when we're saddest. For other occasions, we can usually think of a word. With such a large stock of words in its coffers, the English language is at the ready to supply just the right word. Stock up your verbal reserve with this week's words, words that may make you say, "I didn't know there was a word for it!" hebephrenia (hee-buh-FREE-nee-uh) noun A form of insanity occurring at puberty, also known as disorganized schizophrenia. [From Greek hebe (youth) + phren (mind). Earliest documented use: 1883.] "Lisa Carver's prose is that of a freewheeling dunce high school junior who's given to frequent attacks of hebephrenia mixed with suffocating narcissism." Sally Eckhoff; Zine But Not Heard; The Village Voice (New York); Sep 3, 1996. -------- Date: Tue Oct 4 01:14:08 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--retrodiction X-Bonus: Fear is the tax that conscience pays to guilt. -George Sewell, physician and writer (1690-1736) This week's theme: There is a word for it retrodiction (ret-roh-DIK-shuhn) noun Using present information to make an assertion about the past; an instance of such an assertion. [From Latin retro- (back) + dicere (to say). Ultimately from the Indo-European root deik- (to show, to pronounce solemnly), which is also the source of judge, verdict, vendetta, revenge, indicate, dictate, and paradigm. Earliest documented use: 1895.] "Dan Gardner, for all his concern about prediction, has no qualms about retrodiction, even of the distant, unknowable past." Kathryn Schulz; What Lies Ahead?; The New York Times; Mar 27, 2011. "Turning to comets, F. Richard Stephenson matches modern retrodiction against Babylonian and Chinese records to conclude that we have been sighting Halley's comet on each of its returns since 240 BCE." Michael S. Mahoney; Standing on the Shoulders of Giants; Science (Washington, DC); May 17, 1991. -------- Date: Wed Oct 5 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--onomasticon X-Bonus: If they give you ruled paper, write the other way. -Juan Ramon Jimenez, poet, Nobel Prize in literature (1881-1958) This week's theme: There is a word for it onomasticon (on-uh-MAS-ti-kon) noun A dictionary of names, especially personal names or place names. [From Greek onomastikos (of names), from onoma (name). Earliest documented use: 1710.] Oxford Dictionary of First Names http://amazon.com/o/asin/0198610602/ws00-20 "Even the ancient onomasticon was of no help to her. While she was able to find all sorts of names for mythological and religious figures who aided and abetted the human world, there was no name to be found for what he did." Manya Steinkoler; The Body Retriever; Literature & Psychology; Jan 2002. -------- Date: Thu Oct 6 00:01:07 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--anosognosia X-Bonus: We're here to put a dent in the universe. -Steve Jobs, entrepreneur and inventor (1955-2011) This week's theme: There is a word for it anosognosia (uh-no-sog-NOH-zee-uh) noun Unawareness of one's disease, disability, or a defect. [From Greek a- (without) + nosos (disease) + gnosis (knowledge). Earliest documented use: 1915. Also see agnosia https://wordsmith.org/words/agnosia.html] Read these fascinating stories of anosognosia: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/the-anosognosics-dilemma-somethings-wrong-but-youll-never-know-what-it-is-part-4/ "When I weigh up how much we have achieved in 50 years in spite of our collective anosognosia, the thought of what we could have achieved, had we displayed an ounce of sanity, is enough to drive me nuts." Munir Attaullah; Games People Play; Daily Times (Lahore, Pakistan); Aug 18, 2004. -------- Date: Fri Oct 7 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--keening X-Bonus: So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being. -Franz Kafka, novelist (1883-1924) This week's theme: There is a word for it keening (KEE-ning) noun A wailing lament for the dead. [From Irish caoineadh (lament). Earliest documented use: 1876.] Keening for Cú Chulainn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyMFP6yzfk "Of all the closures of independent stores that have left hundreds of British high streets a book-free wilderness, none has given rise to more celebrity keening than the imminent demise of The Travel Bookshop." Boyd Tonkin; Crimes Behind Closed Doors; The Independent (London, UK); Sep 9, 2011. -------- Date: Mon Oct 10 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--disingenuous X-Bonus: Zen is not a particular state but the normal state: silent, peaceful, unagitated. In Zazen neither intention, analysis, specific effort nor imagination take place. It's enough just to be without hypocrisy, dogmatism, arrogance -- embracing all opposites. -Taisen Deshimaru, Zen teacher (1914-1982) My hunch is -- I haven't counted -- there are more negative words in the English language than positive ones. Nothing wrong with that, though. We use language to describe the world, and we often talk about things that are unusual, out of the ordinary. It's somewhat similar to newspapers. Some say that they mention only bad news, but that's the job of newspapers: to report what is not the norm. This week's words are all negative. These words will be especially handy to describe your opponent if you are thinking about contesting an election. disingenuous (dis-in-JEN-yoo-uhs) adjective Not being candid or sincere. [From Latin dis- (apart, away) + ingenuus (honest, native, freeborn), from in- (in) + gignere (to beget). Earliest documented use: 1655.] "Christine Blower said it was disingenuous to say schools' budgets were being protected when posts were already under threat." Hannah Richardson; Frontline Schools' Staff Facing Job Losses; BBC News (London, UK); Oct 8, 2010. -------- Date: Tue Oct 11 00:01:04 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--picaresque X-Bonus: Misunderstandings and neglect occasion more mischief in the world than even malice and wickedness. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, poet, dramatist, novelist, and philosopher (1749-1832) This week's theme: Negative words picaresque (pik-uh-RESK) adjective 1. Of or relating to humorous or satiric fiction describing, in a series of episodes, the adventures of a roguish hero. 2. Of or relating to rogues or scoundrels. [Via French, from Spanish pícaro (rogue). Picaresque fiction was popularized in Spain. Earliest documented use: 1827.] "The Russian film Silent Souls was a picaresque tale about a newly widowed man and his friend taking the body of his dead wife on a road trip of thousands of miles to say goodbye to her according to the rituals of the ancient Merja culture." Geoffrey Macnab; Cinema Weathers the Storm in Venice; The Independent (London, UK); Sep 10, 2010. -------- Date: Wed Oct 12 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--venal X-Bonus: Now I can look at you in peace; I don't eat you any more. -Franz Kafka, novelist (1883-1924) [while admiring fish in an aquarium] This week's theme: Negative words venal (VEEN-l) adjective 1. Capable of being bought: open to bribery. 2. Of or related to bribery. [From Latin venalis (that which is for sale), from venum (sale). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wes- (to buy) that is also the source of vend, bazaar, vilify, and monopsony https://wordsmith.org/words/monopsony.html . Earliest documented use: 1827.] "Named in honour of one of the most notoriously venal and corrupt banking groups of all time, the motor yacht Medici was the perfect status toy." David Chaplin; How the Medici Sunk Bridgecorp; The New Zealand Herald (Auckland, New Zealand); Sep 15, 2010. -------- Date: Thu Oct 13 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--miasma X-Bonus: If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner. -Nelson Mandela, activist, South African president, Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1918) This week's theme: Negative words miasma (my-AZ-muh, mee-) noun, plural miasmas, miasmata (my-AZ-muh-tuh, mee-) 1. Noxious emissions: smoke, vapors, etc., especially those from decaying organic matter. 2. An oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere. [From Greek miasma (pollution, defilement), from miainein (to pollute). Earliest documented use: 1665.] Notes: Earlier it was believed that many diseases were caused by bad air from decomposing organic matter, as in a swamp. Malaria, for example, is named from Italian mala aria (bad air). The germ theory of disease has put the bad air theory to rest. "A miasma of smoke from wildfires cloaked the sweltering Russian capital." Jim Heintz; Fires Lay Ghostly Shroud of Smoke on Moscow; Associated Press (New York); Aug 6, 2010. "The region is still wobbling in the miasma of corruption." Bobi Odiko; Region Still Wobbling in Corruption; East African Business Week (Tanzania); Aug 4, 2010. -------- Date: Fri Oct 14 00:01:04 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vituperation X-Bonus: Before we set our hearts too much on anything, let us examine how happy are those who already possess it. -Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld, moralist (1613-1680) This week's theme: Negative words vituperation (vy-too-puh-RAY-shuhn, -tyoo-, vi-) noun Bitter and abusive language; condemnation. [From Latin vituperare (to blame), from vitium (fault) + parare (to make or prepare). Earliest documented use: 1481.] "The judge I knew best was my grandfather. His unflappable nature helped him handle all the vituperation that comes to highly placed judges through the mails." Amelia Newcomb; Judges: Not All Black Robes And Gavels; Christian Science Monitor (Boston, Massachusetts); Feb 7, 2002. -------- Date: Mon Oct 17 00:01:04 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--euthanize X-Bonus: A problem well stated is a problem half solved. -Charles F. Kettering, inventor and engineer (1876-1958) Swindle, donate, and brainwash. Can there be anything common among those three actions? What unites these verb forms is that all of them are coined by a process known as back-formation. It's a reverse process in which words are formed by subtraction of an affix. That means the previously mentioned verbs were derived from the nouns swindler, donation, and brainwashing, respectively (unlike the usual way: nouns forming from verbs, such as lover from the verb love). Back-formations are often the result of erroneous usage. In Middle English, the original word for pea was pease. It was mistakenly considered a plural and thus people started using the supposedly singular form pea. Since then, instead of the usual pease soup, we have been slurping pea soup. This week let's look at five more back-formations. euthanize (YOO-thuh-nyz) verb tr. To end life for humane reasons, such as to avoid pain from an incurable condition. [Back-formation from euthanasia (mercy killing), from Greek eu- (good) + thanatos (death). Earliest documented use: 1931. A related word is thanatophobia (an abnormal fear of death) https://wordsmith.org/words/thanatophobia.html .] "A terminally sick humpback whale that became stranded on a beach in Western Australia two weeks ago was euthanized Thursday with an explosive charge." Stranded, Sick Whale Euthanized With Explosives; Associated Press (New York); Sep 3, 2010. -------- Date: Tue Oct 18 00:01:07 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--admix X-Bonus: Pedantry and mastery are opposite attitudes toward rules. To apply a rule to the letter, rigidly, unquestioningly, in cases where it fits and in cases where it does not fit, is pedantry ... To apply a rule with natural ease, with judgment, noticing the cases where it fits, and without ever letting the words of the rule obscure the purpose of the action or the opportunities of the situation, is mastery. -George Polya, mathematician (1887-1985) This week's theme: Back-formations admix (ad-MIKS) verb tr. To mix or blend. [Back-formation from admixt (mixed), from Latin admiscere (to mix into), from ad- (toward) + miscere (to mix). Ultimately from the Indo-European root meik- (to mix) that is also the source of mix, miscellaneous, meddle, medley, melee, promiscuous, and mustang. Earliest documented use: 1533.] "Ollanta Humala has assembled a rainbow cabinet consisting of leftwing radicals and former military men, admixed with orthodox economists." John Paul Rathbone; Mood of Cautious Optimism Takes Hold; The Financial Times (London, UK); Sep 20, 2011. -------- Date: Wed Oct 19 00:01:07 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--darkle X-Bonus: To read is to translate, for no two persons' experiences are the same. A bad reader is like a bad translator: he interprets literally when he ought to paraphrase and paraphrases when he ought to interpret literally. -W.H. Auden, poet (1907-1973) This week's theme: Back-formations darkle (DAHR-kuhl) verb tr., intr. To make or become dark, indistinct, or gloomy. [Back-formation from darkling (in the dark), from Middle English derkeling. Earliest documented use: 1819.] "The silhouettes of builders and road-construction equipment darkled against the sky." Dovletmurad Orazkuliev; New Roads in Country; Neitralnii Turkmenistan; Jul 6, 2010. -------- Date: Thu Oct 20 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--intuit X-Bonus: A cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. -Oscar Wilde, writer (1854-1900) This week's theme: Back-formations intuit (in-TOO-it, -tyoo-) verb intr. To know or sense immediately without the use of reasoning. [Back-formation from intuition, from Latin intueri (to gaze at, contemplate), from tueri (to watch). Earliest documented use: 1776.] "Graham Swift is most perceptive about undercurrents of feeling, motive, what is not said but intuited between people." Tim Upperton; Terror Seeps Through Journey Back in Time; Waikato Times (New Zealand); Aug 13, 2011. -------- Date: Fri Oct 21 00:01:04 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--quisle X-Bonus: One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other. -Jane Austen, novelist (1775-1817) This week's theme: Back-formations quisle (KWIZ-uhl) verb intr. To betray, especially by collaborating with an enemy. [Back-formation from quisling (traitor), after Norwegian army officer Vidkun Quisling, who collaborated with the German occupying forces during World War II. Earliest documented use: 1940.] "The AK and subordinate units made ... 5700 attempts on officers of different police formations, soldiers, and volksdeutschs (Polish citizens of German origin that volunteered to quisle with Germans)." Polish Contribution to the Allied Victory in Second World War; Business Recorder (Karachi, Pakistan); Jun 11, 2005. -------- Date: Mon Oct 24 00:01:03 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fool's errand X-Bonus: I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy. -J.D. Salinger, writer (1919-2010) My iPad, their Toyota, her house... In a typical day we talk a lot about possessions: having things. The word possess is from Latin possidere, from potis (having the power) + sedere (to sit). So when you possess something, say a patch of earth, you have the power to sit upon it, literally speaking. The English language has many terms about who has what. Enjoy this week's words that answer "Whose what?" but it's important to remember that the best things in life are not possessed, they are free. We don't say my ocean, his stars, or their sun. fool's errand (foolz ER-uhnd) noun An absurd or futile undertaking. [From English fool, from Latin follis (windbag, fool) + errand, from Old English aerende (message, mission). Earliest documented use: 1705.] "Richard Sloan adds that even attempting to find a scientific basis for a link between prayer and healing is a fool's errand." Tyrone M. Reyes; The Power of Prayer; The Philippine Star (Manila); Mar 30, 2010. -------- Date: Tue Oct 25 00:01:04 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gentlemen's agreement X-Bonus: It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) This week's theme: Whose what? gentlemen's agreement (JEN-tl-manz uh-GREE-muhnt) noun An agreement that's based on honor and not legally binding. [From the idea that a gentleman (a civilized man of good standing) will honor an agreement he has entered. Earliest documented use: 1886.] "Since the Iran-Iraq war, the two countries have had a gentlemen's agreement to maintain similar quotas within OPEC." Carola Hoyos; Seismic Shock As Demand Shifts East; The Financial Times (London, UK); Mar 29, 2010. -------- Date: Wed Oct 26 00:01:04 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dogsbody X-Bonus: Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct. -Thomas Jefferson, third US president, architect and author (1743-1826) This week's theme: Whose what? dogsbody (DOGZ-bod-ee) noun A menial worker; drudge. [In the British navy, dogsbody was the term sailors used for the unpalatable food given to them, boiled peas (officially known as pease pudding) and biscuits soaked in water. With time the term began to be applied to low-ranked sailors and eventually to anyone who is forced to do menial jobs that no one else wants to do. Why a dog? Probably from the general poor reputation of a dog, as evident in terms such as a dog's life and a dog's chance. Earliest documented use: 1818.] "The US has been accused of treating Britain not as a partner but as a dogsbody." Nick Amies; Obama Visits Britain; Deutsche Welle (Bonn, Germany); May 24, 2011. -------- Date: Thu Oct 27 00:01:04 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--beginner's luck X-Bonus: The secret of good writing is to say an old thing in a new way or a new thing in an old way. -Richard Harding Davis, journalist and author (1864-1916) This week's theme: Whose what? beginner's luck (bi-GIN-uhrs luk) noun The initial good fortune supposedly enjoyed by a novice in a game or another activity. [The counterintuitive phenomenon of a novice having success in an activity has been called beginner's luck. It may simply be confirmation bias: one remembers hits, but ignores misses. Earliest documented use: 1897.] "Rookie paddlers will then see if they can dial into beginner's luck, and win a race while they're at it." Patrick Witwicki; Rainbow Warriors Challenge Paddlers; Muskeg News (Canada); May 25, 2011. -------- Date: Fri Oct 28 00:01:04 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--driver's seat X-Bonus: A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs -- jolted by every pebble in the road. -Henry Ward Beecher, preacher and writer (1813-1887) This week's theme: Whose what? driver's seat (DRY-vuhrz seet) noun A position of power, control, or dominance. [From the allusion to one driving a vehicle. Earliest documented use: 1923.] "Other Democrats say the president must come up with an aggressive strategy to put himself back in the driver's seat." Sheryl Stolberg and Helene Cooper; An Electoral Upheaval, but Few Signs of Change; The New York Times; Nov 17, 2010. -------- Date: Mon Oct 31 00:01:04 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chintzy X-Bonus: It was my shame, and now it is my boast, That I have loved you rather more than most. -Hilaire Belloc, writer and poet (1870-1953) "Clothes make the man," wrote Mark Twain, but they make our language as well. Clothing is one of the three necessities in life and it's not surprising that words about cloth and fabrics are woven into our language. There are numerous idioms: We advise children not to engage in woolgathering; even adults like to have their security blankets, though emperors often don't have clothes. The word silken can be used to describe food and voice and touch; from woolly-headed to cottonpickin', the list of the idiomatic use of fabric words is a long one. This week we'll look at five terms that make use of fabrics metaphorically. chintzy (CHINT-see) adjective 1. Decorated with chintz. 2. Cheap; gaudy; inferior. 3. Stingy. [From chintz, a printed cotton fabric imported from India, from Hindi chheent (spattering, stain). Earliest documented use: 1851.] A chintz print: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/chintzy_large.jpg Photo: Renee http://www.flickr.com/photos/playingwithpsp/4526253856/ "Mohammed Al Fayed may have turned the once chintzy department store into a successful luxury brand." Jan Moir; Sphinxes. A Diana Shrine. Piles of Tat; Daily Mail (London, UK); May 15, 2010. "I wasn't going to spend a nickel on anything else, so it treated me like any chintzy customer." Frank Gray; For $14.95, Get a Knife, Hard Time; The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana); Aug 19, 2010.