A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Wed Nov 1 00:01:04 EDT 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mediocracy X-Bonus: A man said to the universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me a sense of obligation." -Stephen Crane, writer (1 Nov 1871-1900) This week's theme: Blend words mediocracy (mee-dee-OK-ruh-see) noun Rule by the mediocre. [A blend of mediocre + -ocracy (rule). Earliest documented use: 1845.] "Why are gifted individuals always forced out by the mediocracy?" Christopher Fowler; The Victoria Vanishes; Bantam; 2008. -------- Date: Thu Nov 2 00:01:03 EDT 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chillax X-Bonus: We have probed the earth, excavated it, burned it, ripped things from it, buried things in it, chopped down its forests, leveled its hills, muddied its waters, and dirtied its air. That does not fit my definition of a good tenant. If we were here on a month-to-month basis, we would have been evicted long ago. -Rose Bird, Chief Justice of California Supreme Court (2 Nov 1936-1999) This week's theme: Blend words chillax (chi-LAKS) verb intr. To calm down and relax. [A blend of chill + relax. Earliest documented use: 1999.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/chillax_large.jpg Photo: Shawn Honnick https://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnblog/8288582689/ "Chillax, sit back, just take it slow make every effort to unwind let the calming breeze just blow away those worries from your mind." J.R. Winchester; The Word According Two; Lulu; 2016. -------- Date: Fri Nov 3 00:01:04 EDT 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--slacktivism X-Bonus: This is the devilish thing about foreign affairs: they are foreign and will not always conform to our whim. -James Reston, journalist (3 Nov 1909-1995) This week's theme: Blend words slacktivism (SLAK-tuh-viz-uhm) noun Activism that requires minimal effort. [A blend of slack + activism. Earliest documented use: 1995.] NOTES: Some examples of slacktivism are forwarding messages, clicking Like buttons, etc. Slacktivism by itself is not bad, but it can prevent people from taking any further action if they feel that by filling out an online petition they have done their part. The term clicktivism is also used. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/slacktivism_large.jpg Image: Unicef "Slacktivism may satisfy an urge without motivating us to do anything real. Think of the desire to take political action as a kind of psychological itch that needs scratching. Of course, there is more than one way to scratch that itch. We can march in protest, make a donation to a nonprofit organization, write a blog, sign a petition, or click thumbs up on a YouTube post, among many other efforts. All of these deeds will scratch that itch, but some are more constructive than others." David Feldman; Safety Pins For Slackers; Psychology Today (New York); Jul/Aug 2017. -------- Date: Mon Nov 6 00:01:04 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pernoctate X-Bonus: I don't think that combat has ever been written about truthfully; it has always been described in terms of bravery and cowardice. I won't even accept these words as terms of human reference any more. And anyway, hell, they don't even apply to what, in actual fact, modern warfare has become. -James Jones, novelist (6 Nov 1921-1977) With a vocabulary of some half-million words, the English language is said to have a word for almost everything around. While that is nearly true, what is not so well-known is that it has words for many of the unusual actions as well. And for those that it doesn't, it is only too happy to borrow from other languages (for example, kibitz https://wordsmith.org/words/kibitz.html). This week's theme presents some unusual words, words for things you most likely don't do every day. pernoctate (puhr-NAHK-tayt) verb intr. 1. To stay up all night. 2. To pass the night somewhere. [From Latin pernoctare (to spend the night), from per- (through) + nox (night). Earliest documented use: 1623.] "Wow, your parents let you stay up all night!" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pernoctate_large.jpg Cartoon: Hagen/Jantoo "Lady Ampersand had seen to it that a bedroom, bathroom, and sitting-room were in permanent readiness for him should he be minded to pernoctate at Treskinnick." Michael Innes; The Ampersand Papers; Mead Dodd; 1979. -------- Date: Tue Nov 7 00:01:04 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--desacralize X-Bonus: Here lives a free man. Nobody serves him. -Albert Camus, writer, philosopher, Nobel laureate (7 Nov 1913-1960) This week's theme: Unusual verbs desacralize (dee-SAY-kruh-lyz, -SAK-ruh-) verb tr. To deprive of hallowed status. [From Latin de- (away from) + sacer (sacred). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sak- (to sanctify), which also gave us saint, consecrate, sacred, execrable https://wordsmith.org/words/execrable.html , execrate https://wordsmith.org/words/execrate.html , sacerdotal https://wordsmith.org/words/sacerdotal.html , and sacrilegious https://wordsmith.org/words/sacrilegious.html . Earliest documented use: 1911.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/desacralize "Nixon fell, forever desacralizing high office." Joshua Ferris; Let Us Now Praise Infamous Men; The New York Times Magazine; Sep 15, 2013. -------- Date: Wed Nov 8 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nuncupate X-Bonus: Your voice dries up if you don't use it. -Patti Page, singer (8 Nov 1927-2013) This week's theme: Unusual verbs nuncupate (NUHN-kyuh-payt) verb tr. 1. To solemnly pronounce. 2. To declare a will orally. [From Latin nuncupare (to declare or dedicate), from nomen (name) + capere (to seize). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kap- (to grasp), which is also the root of captive, capsule, capable, capture, cable, chassis, occupy, deceive, caitiff https://wordsmith.org/words/caitiff.html , captious https://wordsmith.org/words/captious.html , emancipate https://wordsmith.org/words/emancipate.html , percipient https://wordsmith.org/words/percipient.html , and sashay https://wordsmith.org/words/percipient.html . Earliest documented use: 1550.] "'If you manage to get into print ahead of me ... my friends here,' he nuncupated, 'will come visit you and perform a little surgery on your hands absolutely free and with my compliments.'" Jeani Rector, ed.; What Fears Become; Imajin Books; 2011. -------- Date: Thu Nov 9 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--reeve X-Bonus: For all our conceits about being the center of the universe, we live in a routine planet of a humdrum star stuck away in an obscure corner ... on an unexceptional galaxy which is one of about 100 billion galaxies. ... That is the fundamental fact of the universe we inhabit, and it is very good for us to understand that. -Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (9 Nov 1934-1996) This week's theme: Unusual verbs reeve (reev) verb tr.: To pass (a rope or the like) through. [Of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1600.] noun: A local official. [From Old English gerefa (high official). Earliest documented use: before 12th century.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/reeve "Lines of a second pulley are reeved through blocks high on the foremast." Peter Matthiessen; Far Tortuga; Vintage Books; 1975. "When a reeve said such words, in that tone of voice, a man had to obey." Kate Elliott; Spirit Gate; Tor; 2006. -------- Date: Fri Nov 10 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--senesce X-Bonus: Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except the best. -Henry van Dyke, poet (10 Nov 1852-1933) This week's theme: Unusual verbs senesce (suh-NES) verb intr. To grow old or decay. [From Latin senescere (to grow old), from senex (old). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sen- (old), which is also the ancestor of senior, senate, senile, Spanish señor, sir, sire, and surly (which is an alteration of sirly, as in sir-ly). Earliest documented use: 1656.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/senesce "Everywhere I scrutinize, the deep structural connections are unraveling, senescing, peeling away." Neil Clarke; Galactic Empires; Night Shade Books; 2017. -------- Date: Mon Nov 13 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--grimgribber X-Bonus: There is no foreign land; it is the traveller only that is foreign. -Robert Louis Stevenson, novelist, essayist, and poet (13 Nov 1850-1894) Luggage? Check. Passport? Check. Travel guide? Check! Looks like you're ready for the trip. But we can leave all this behind, because we are traveling to the land of imagination. The land where places such as El Dorado https://wordsmith.org/words/el_dorado.html and Xanadu https://wordsmith.org/words/xanadu.html exist. We'll visit places that started out in fiction, and live on in the English language. This week we'll see five fictional toponyms (from Greek topos: place), words derived after names of fictional places. grimgribber (GRIM-gri-buhr) noun Jargon of a trade. [From Grimgribber, an imaginary estate, discussed in the play "Conscious Lovers" (1722) by Richard Steele (1672-1729). Earliest documented use: 1722.] Cover of the first edition of the play: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/grimgribber_large.jpg Image: Brick Row Book Shop https://www.brickrow.com/pages/books/20408/richard-steele/the-conscious-lovers-a-comedy-as-it-is-acted-at-the-theatre-royal-in-drury-lane "Cracking speech, William: it was a fine specimen of grimgribber." Philip Howard; The Lost Words; Robson Press; 2012. -------- Date: Tue Nov 14 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ecotopia X-Bonus: Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love. -Claude Monet, painter (14 Nov 1840-1926) Toponyms from fiction ecotopia (EE-ko-to-pee-uh, EK-o-) noun An ecologically ideal place. [From "Ecotopia" (1975), the title of a novel by Ernest Callenbach. In the book, the word is used to describe the Pacific coast of the US. A blend of eco- + utopia, which itself is the title of Thomas More's 1516 book. Earliest documented use: 1975.] Cover of the first edition of the novel https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ecotopia_large.jpg "The development plan calls for a veritable ecotopia ... The neighborhood would tap wind, solar, and perhaps tidal power." John Coté and Rachel Gordon; Deal on Transfer of Treasure Island; San Francisco Chronicle; Aug 18, 2010. -------- Date: Wed Nov 15 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ruritanian X-Bonus: Poetry is the art of creating imaginary gardens with real toads. -Marianne Moore, poet (15 Nov 1887-1972) Toponyms from fiction Ruritanian (roor-i-TAY-nee-uhn) adjective Relating to an imaginary place characterized by romance, adventure, and intrigue. [After Ruritania, a fictional Central European kingdom, in the novel "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1894) by Anthony Hope. Earliest documented use: 1894.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Ruritanian "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1952 film) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ruritanian_large.jpg Image: MGM "When the writer J.G. Ballard turned down an offer of a CBE in 2003, he did so not only because he found it 'ludicrous' that there should still be such a thing as an 'Order of the British Empire' but also because the whole honours system was 'a Ruritanian charade that helps to prop up our top-heavy monarchy'." Alexander Chancellor; Long Life; The Spectator (London, UK); Jun 30, 2012. -------- Date: Thu Nov 16 00:01:04 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--edenic X-Bonus: It has always seemed to me that the test of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised. -Chinua Achebe, writer and professor (16 Nov 1930-2013) Toponyms from fiction Edenic (ee-DEN-ik) adjective Like a paradise: filled with happiness, beauty, innocence, etc. [After Eden, the garden where the biblical characters Adam and Eve lived. From Hebrew eden (delight). Earliest documented use: 1850.] The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man (1617) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/edenic_large.jpg Art: Jan Brueghel the Elder and Pieter Paul Rubens "Though mariners had always avoided the uninhabited 'Isle of Devils', the shipwrecked colonists found it Edenic, teeming with natural resources and a temperate climate." Gail Westerfield; Bermuda and the Birth of a Nation; The Royal Gazette (Bermuda); May 30, 2008. -------- Date: Fri Nov 17 00:01:04 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--stepford X-Bonus: Through others, we become ourselves. -Lev Vygotsky, psychologist (17 Nov 1896-1934) Toponyms from fiction Stepford (STEP-furd) adjective Robotic, compliant, submissive; lacking in individuality. [After the fictional suburb of Stepford, Connecticut, in Ira Levin's 1972 novel, "The Stepford Wives", later made into movies (in 1975 and 2004). In the story, men of this seemingly ideal town have replaced their wives with attractive robotic dolls devoid of emotion or thought. Earliest documented use: 1972.] First edition cover https://wordsmith.org/words/images/stepford.jpg "And it shouldn't be rigid, mechanical or, as Richard Branson has called it, 'Stepford customer service'. Empowering staff gives them the confidence to be authentic and unscripted, which is what guests, from millennials up, crave for today: a true, honest and genuine exchange." David Eisen; Successful Customer Service Is Not One Size Fits All; Hotel Management (Newton, Massachusetts); Mar 2017. -------- Date: Mon Nov 20 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--parboil X-Bonus: If you want a symbolic gesture, don't burn the flag, wash it. -Norman Thomas, socialist and social reformer (20 Nov 1884-1968) We are born, we grow, and we die. Something similar happens with words. Someone gestates an idea in the womb of his mind and then delivers it in the form of a word. This begetting of a word is known as coining https://wordsmith.org/words/mimsy.html . With time a word grows up. It changes its values. It appears in a new hairstyle or gets a new religion. OK, maybe not that, but it changes its spelling, meaning, or pronunciation. Sometimes all three. This is difficult for many people to accept. They are used to looking at a word in a certain way and do not appreciate when it appears in a new garb https://wordsmith.org/words/decimate.html . Words can die too. We call such words obsolete. This week we will focus on words that have changed over time. parboil (PAHR-boil) verb tr. To boil partially; to cook partly by boiling. [From Anglo-Norman parboillir/perboillir (to cook partially by boiling, to cook thoroughly by boiling), from Latin perbullire (to boil thoroughly), from per- (thoroughly) + bullire (to boil). From misinterpretation of par- with part, the meaning of the word changed from "to boil thoroughly" to "to boil partially". Earliest documented use: 1381.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/parboil Parboiling peaches https://wordsmith.org/words/images/parboil_large.jpg Photo: Benny Mazur https://www.flickr.com/photos/44545509@N00/928549206 "'Leave the grilling for later. Please?' 'Yes, of course -- perhaps I should parboil my questions?'" Andrez Bergen; Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa?; Perfect Edge; 2013. -------- Date: Tue Nov 21 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--notorious X-Bonus: If God created us in his own image, we have more than reciprocated. -Voltaire, philosopher (21 Nov 1694-1778) This week's theme: Words that have changed notorious (no-TOR-ee-uhs) adjective Known widely and unfavorably. [From Latin notorius (well-known), from notus (known). Earliest documented use: 1495.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/notorious "Reducing the city's notorious smog and traffic jams is regarded by central officials as a task of national importance." A Bolshevik in Beijing; The Economist (London, UK); Jul 15, 2017. -------- Date: Wed Nov 22 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vedette X-Bonus: Oh, would that my mind could let fall its dead ideas, as the tree does its withered leaves! -Andre Gide, author, Nobel laureate (22 Nov 1869-1951) This week's theme: Words that have changed vedette or vidette (vuh-DET, vi-) noun 1. A leading stage or film star. 2. A mounted sentry or a scouting boat posted in an advanced position to observe the movements of an enemy. [From French vedette (star, as in a film star; speedboat), from Italian vedetta (influenced by vedere: to see), from veletta. Ultimately from the Indo-European root weg- (to be strong or lively), which also gave us vigor, velocity, vegetable, vegete https://wordsmith.org/words/vegete.html , velitation https://wordsmith.org/words/velitation.html . Earliest documented use: sense 1: 1963, sense 2: 1690.] "Hazel finally got us headed out toward Beverly Hills, while I talked to her 'in depth' a lot about her career. From what I gathered: not so grande a vedette. She'd been in so many movies, too many, from such an early age on, bit parts, nothing roles, couldn't remember them all." Brock Brower; The Late Great Creature; Popular Library; 1971. -------- Date: Thu Nov 23 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--acerate X-Bonus: Poetry is a sort of homecoming. -Paul Celan, poet and translator (23 Nov 1920-1970) This week's theme: Words that have changed acerate (AS-uh-rayt) adjective Needlelike. [From Latin acerosus (full of chaff), erroneously interpreted as derived from acus (needle) or acer (sharp), ultimately from the Indo-European root ak- (sharp), which is also the source of acrid, vinegar, acid, acute, edge, hammer, heaven, eager, oxygen, mediocre, acerbate https://wordsmith.org/words/acerbate.html , acidic https://wordsmith.org/words/acidic.html , acidulous https://wordsmith.org/words/acidulous.html , acuity https://wordsmith.org/words/acuity.html , and paragon https://wordsmith.org/words/paragon.html . Earliest documented use: 1833.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/acerate "At once the air was hideous with the acerate harmony of a singing commercial." Sam Merwin Jr.; Judas Ram; Galaxy Science Fiction; Dec 1950. -------- Date: Fri Nov 24 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--egregious X-Bonus: Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink-wrap people's brains and then as ceremonial shrouds to bury the dead. -Arundhati Roy, writer and activist (b. 24 Nov 1961) This week's theme: Words that have changed egregious (i-GREE-juhs, -jee-uhs) adjective Remarkable in a bad way; flagrant. [From Latin egregius (outstanding), from ex- (out of) + greg-, stem of grex (flock). Earlier something egregious was one that stood out because it was remarkably good. Over the centuries the word took a 180-degree turn and today it refers to something grossly offensive. Earliest documented use: 1550.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/egregious "The most egregious example of this sort of scapegoating came last week, when Italy's Giovanni Trapattoni blamed Ecuadorean ref Byron Moreno for the Azzuri's inglorious defeat by South Korea." Aparisim Ghosh; Lay Off the Refs: The Men in Black Shouldn't Take Heat from a Bunch of Sore Losers; Time International; Jul 1, 2002. -------- Date: Mon Nov 27 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--faience X-Bonus: When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. -Jimi Hendrix, musician, singer, and songwriter (27 Nov 1942-1970) It's time to get real. A couple of weeks ago we visited five fictional places https://wordsmith.org/words/grimgribber.html, and now it's time to get back to reality. This week we'll feature five toponyms (words derived from names of places). We start in Italy, make our way to Greece, the UK, and Mali, then end up back in Italy. faience (fay-AHNS, fy-) noun Glazed earthenware, especially decorated tin-glazed pottery. [From French faïence (earthenware), from Faïence, the French name for Faenza, a city in northern Italy known for its glazed earthenware industry. Earliest documented use: 1714.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/faience Faenza, Italy https://wordsmith.org/words/images/faience_map.png Map: Wikimedia https://wordsmith.org/words/images/faience_large.jpg Photo: Mother Sweden https://www.flickr.com/photos/156162689@N03/37242172865/ "'Don't wave it around in that theatrical fashion,' Emerson said coolly. 'It is faience, and will break if you drop it.'" Elizabeth Peters; Deeds of the Disturber; Atheneum; 1988. -------- Date: Tue Nov 28 00:01:04 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--laconic X-Bonus: Normal is the average of deviance. -Rita Mae Brown, writer (b. 28 Nov 1944) This week's theme: Toponyms laconic (luh-KON-ik) adjective Sparing with words: concise or terse. [From Latin Laconicus, from Greek Lakonikos, from Lakon, Laconian, a resident of Laconia, an ancient country in southern Greece (capital: Sparta). From the reputation of the Laconians for terseness. Earliest documented use: 1601.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/laconic Notes: Two other toponyms are coined after the names of towns in Laconia: helot helot https://wordsmith.org/words/helot.html and spartan https://wordsmith.org/words/spartan.html, which is coined after Sparta, the capital of Laconia. Laconia, Greece: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/laconia_map.png Map: Wikimedia "Edwina, Williams's mother, was ... as loquacious as her husband was laconic." Making Tenn Out of Tom; The Economist (London, UK); Oct 10, 2014. -------- Date: Wed Nov 29 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--newgate X-Bonus: If I can do no more, let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth's sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won. -Louisa May Alcott, writer and reformist (29 Nov 1832-1888) This week's theme: Toponyms newgate (NOO/NYOO-gayt) verb tr.: To imprison. noun: A prison or a prison-like place or situation. [After Newgate, an infamous prison in London, in use since the 13th century, rebuilt many times, and torn down in 1902. The prison is so-named because originally it was located on the site of Newgate (a gate in the Roman London Wall). Earliest documented use: 1592.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Newgate "Newgate: London's Prototype of Hell" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/newgate.jpg Author: Stephen Halliday https://amazon.com/dp/075093896X/ws00-20 NOTES: Some notable guests of the Newgate prison and their crimes: o William Penn, the founder of the state of Pennsylvania, for criticism of religion. While in prison, given paper to write a retraction, he instead wrote his treatise "No Cross, No Crown" o Daniel Defoe, the author of "Robinson Crusoe" https://wordsmith.org/words/robinson_crusoe.html, for his satirical pamphlet about religion "The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters" o John Walter, the founder of "The Times", for libel on the Duke of York The prison also had people come in for minor crimes, such as murder. For example, Ben Jonson, playwright and poet, got in for killing a man in a duel, but was released after reciting a Bible verse. Newgate was a private prison, so inmates had to pay for everything: room, board, getting shackled *and* getting unshackled, and so on. Often, they were double-billed, but that may have been due to computer errors. Software was not as reliable in the 13th century. Because running prisons for profit is such a humane thing to do, we have private prisons, even in the 21st century. Check out this report of an undercover investigation at a private prison. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/06/cca-private-prisons-corrections-corporation-inmates-investigation-bauer/ "One fair contunding of that whelp .. would be reward enough for being Newgated by the Speaker." Alan S. Bell (ed.); Lord Cockburn: Selected Letters; Birlinn; 2005. * contund: to bruise by beating -------- Date: Thu Nov 30 00:01:03 EST 2017 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--timbuktu X-Bonus: Although the connections are not always obvious, personal change is inseparable from social and political change. -Harriet Lerner, psychologist (b. 30 Nov 1944) This week's theme: Toponyms Timbuktu (tim-buk-TOO) noun A remote place. [After a town in central Mali in West Africa. Earliest documented use: 1863.] An astronomy and mathematics manuscript from Timbuktu: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/timbuktu_manuscript_large.jpg Timbuktu, Mali: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/timbuktu_map_large.png Images: Wikimedia See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Timbuktu "Her first thought was that her car had been stolen, but her gaze found the NO PARKING -- TOW ZONE sign that she must have missed last night, maybe because she was exhausted or cranky that she had to park in Timbuktu." Lisa Scottoline; Accused; St. Martin's Press; 2013.