A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Oct 1 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--plunderbund X-Bonus: A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It is a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. -Jimmy Carter, 39th US President, Nobel laureate (b. 1 Oct 1924) A long time ago, when people lived in caves and watched "I Love Lucy" on bulky black & white televisions, they used paper dictionaries. Dictionaries were limited by how much papyrus you had. You could squeeze only so many words into it. New words in meant old words out. Today you can fit all the world's words, in all the world's languages, into a phone in your pocket and still have room to carry a club and a flint or two. That gives us an opportunity to bring out words that had to be kept hidden deep in caverns because they couldn't fit into a small collegiate dictionary. This week's we'll see five words that might make you say: I didn't know there was a word for it. plunderbund (PLUN-duhr-buhnd) noun A group of political, business, and financial interests engaged in exploiting the public. [From plunder (pillage), from German plündern (to loot) + bund, from German Bund (association). Earliest documented use: 1902.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/plunderbund_large.jpg Image: Sean Davis https://www.flickr.com/photos/seandavis/10595382254 "A surveying suit from a Wal-Mart-type plunderbund visits the hardware store and takes a bullet in the foot for his trouble." Jessica Winter; You Can't Spell Slapshot without S-A-P; The Village Voice (New York); Oct 5, 1999. -------- Date: Tue Oct 2 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--orexigenic X-Bonus: Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle. -Mahatma Gandhi (2 Oct 1869-1948) This week's theme: There's a word for it orexigenic (uh-rek-suh-JEN-ik) adjective Stimulating the appetite. [From Greek orexis (longing) + -genic (producing). Earliest documented use: 1907.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/orexigenic_large.jpg Image: Silke Klimesch https://www.flickr.com/photos/94635768@N04/35951190453/ "To oversimplify, ghrelin is an orexigenic hormone that stimulates appetite and promotes weight gain." Christopher Labos; Weight Loss; Montreal Gazette (Canada); Feb 23, 2018. -------- Date: Wed Oct 3 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--palilogy X-Bonus: Once a country is habituated to liars, it takes generations to bring the truth back. -Gore Vidal, writer (3 Oct 1925-2012) This week's theme: There's a word for it palilogy (puh-LIL-uh-jee) noun A repetition of words, especially for emphasis. [From Greek palin (again) + -logy (words). Related words are palinode https://wordsmith.org/words/palinode.html and palindrome https://wordsmith.org/words/palindrome.html . Earliest documented use: 1721.] "The living, the living ... I cry a palilogy of parchment!" Neil Baker; G Day: Please God, Get Me off the Hook; Author House; 2010. -------- Date: Thu Oct 4 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--quincentenary X-Bonus: The unrestricted competition so commonly advocated does not leave us the survival of the fittest. The unscrupulous succeed best in accumulating wealth. -Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th US president (4 Oct 1822-1893) This week's theme: There's a word for it quincentenary (kwin-sen-TEN-uh-ree) noun: A 500th anniversary. adjective: Of or relating to a 500th anniversary. [From Latin quinque (five) + English centenary (100 years). Earliest documented use: 1877.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/quincentenary College of Arms quincentenary medal, 1984 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/quincentenary_large.jpg Image: Lawrence Chard https://www.flickr.com/photos/lawrence_chard/11239000604/ "This month's quincentenary is of a tragic event that caused untold suffering and still today leaves a legacy of poverty, racism, inequality, and elite wealth across four continents." David Keys; Details of Horrific First Voyages in Transatlantic Slave Trade Revealed; The Independent (London, UK); Aug 18, 2018. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/transatlantic-slave-trade-voyages-ships-log-details-africa-america-atlantic-ocean-deaths-disease-a8494546.html -------- Date: Fri Oct 5 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--arachnophobia X-Bonus: Even a purely moral act that has no hope of any immediate and visible political effect can gradually and indirectly, over time, gain in political significance. -Vaclav Havel, writer, Czech Republic president (5 Oct 1936-2011) This week's theme: There's a word for it arachnophobia (uh-rak-nuh-FO-bee-uh) noun An irrational fear of spiders. [From Greek arakhne (spider) + -phobias (fear). Earliest documented use: 1925.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/arachnophobia https://wordsmith.org/words/images/arachnophobia_large.jpg Image: Kit https://www.flickr.com/photos/practicalowl/4012099494/ "A California university entomology graduate student grew up in Missouri and as a child was often rightfully warned about the dangers of brown recluse spiders. However, she also developed severe arachnophobia to the point where she couldn't even look at a picture of a spider." Richard S. Vetter; The Brown Recluse Spider; Comstock; 2015. -------- Date: Mon Oct 8 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--anecdata X-Bonus: When Alexander the Great visited Diogenes and asked whether he could do anything for the famed teacher, Diogenes replied: "Only stand out of my light." Perhaps some day we shall know how to heighten creativity. Until then, one of the best things we can do for creative men and women is to stand out of their light. -John W. Gardner, author and educator (8 Oct 1912-2002) One of the most succinct ways to describe a book or film is using two other well-known stories. For example, The Lion King is Hamlet meets Bambi. (See more here https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/JustForFun/XMeetsY ) Similarly, a fine way to coin a word is to blend two existing words. That's what we are going to do this week: take two words, bring them really close to each other, let them fuse into each other, and see what new word is born from this experiment. What blend words have you come up with? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/anecdata.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location. Before you send it to us, google your new baby: chances are someone has already given birth to it. anecdata (an-ik-DAY-tuh) noun Anecdotal information gleaned from casual observation. Example: My uncle has been smoking for 20 years and hasn't been diagnosed with cancer yet; that shows that cigarettes are safe. [A blend of anecdotal + data. From Greek anekdota (things unpublished), from an- (not) + ekdidonai (to publish), originally applied by the Greek historian Procopius to his unpublished memoirs of the Emperor Justinian and his consort Theodora. Earliest documented use: 1980s. A related term is cherry-picking https://wordsmith.org/words/cherry-pick.html . Also see anecdotage https://wordsmith.org/words/anecdotage.html .] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/anecdata_large.png Image: Stephanne Taylor http://www.eightcrayonscience.com/blog/2014/04/04/today-things-left-field-health-outcomes-austrian-vegetarians/ "Metcalf notes the same general pattern, though he gives no anecdata to support his contention." Kory Stamper; Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries; Pantheon; 2017. -------- Date: Tue Oct 9 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--workfare X-Bonus: Imagine there's no countries, / It isn't hard to do. / Nothing to kill or die for, / And no religion, too. / Imagine all the people / Living life in peace. -John Lennon, musician (9 Oct 1940-1980) This week's theme: Blend words workfare (WUHRK-fer) noun A social welfare program in which those receiving aid are required to perform work. [A blend of work + welfare. Earliest documented use: 1968.] "After winning power in 2010, Mr. Orban implemented a vast workfare program in which menial tasks have been given to hundreds of thousands of jobseekers." Patrick Kingsley & Benjamin Novak; Leader in Hungary Sees Economic Miracle. Is It a Mirage?; The New York Times; Apr 5, 2018. -------- Date: Wed Oct 10 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--backronym X-Bonus: When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set. -Lin Yutang, writer and translator (10 Oct 1895-1976) This week's theme: Blend words backronym (BAK-ro-nim) noun A word re-interpreted as an acronym. [A blend of back + acronym. Earliest documented use: 1983.] NOTES: In a backronym, an expansion is invented to treat an existing word as an acronym. For example, some believe that the word NEWS is an acronym for North, East, West, and South. In reality, the word is coined from "new" as in: What's new? When naming something, sometimes a suitable name is chosen and then an acronym is retrofitted on top of it: USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism). The clunkiness of the expansion is a quick giveaway. How about forming a backronym for ACRONYM itself: A Contrived Result Of Nomenclature Yielding Mechanism? Often, backronyms serve a useful purpose as mnemonics. For example, see Apgar Score: https://wordsmith.org/words/apgar_score.html "The name of Maryland's bill, by the way, was the PRIME Act, named of course for Amazon's Prime membership program. But the nomenclature of the obsequious backronym was somehow more embarrassing: Promoting ext-Raordinary Innovation in Maryland's Economy." Andray Domise; The Law of Amazon's Jungle; Maclean's (Toronto, Canada); Jul 20, 2018. -------- Date: Thu Oct 11 00:01:02 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lunk X-Bonus: Will people ever be wise enough to refuse to follow bad leaders or to take away the freedom of other people? -Eleanor Roosevelt, diplomat, author, and lecturer (11 Oct 1884-1962) This week's theme: Blend words lunk (lungk) noun A dull or slow-witted person. [Short for lunkhead, from lunk (a blend of lump + hunk) + head. Earliest documented use: 1867.] "Bob ... being a lunk, he stumbles into a trap." Hitler's Hit Parade; The New Yorker; Jan 10, 2005. -------- Date: Fri Oct 12 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--herstory X-Bonus: Life is just a short walk from the cradle to the grave and it sure behooves us to be kind to one another along the way. -Alice Childress, playwright, author, and actor (12 Oct 1916-1994) This week's theme: Blend words herstory (HUHR-stuh-ree) noun History as seen from a woman's point of view, one that doesn't obscure women's role. [A blend of her and history, from Latin histor (learned), ultimately from the Indo-European root weid- (to see), which is also the source of guide, wise, vision, advice, idea, story, and polyhistor https://wordsmith.org/words/polyhistor.html . Earliest documented use: 1970.] Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/herstory.jpg Image: Amazon https://amazon.com/o/asin/1534436642/ws00-20 "It's high time that the historical playing field is levelled to introduce a balance between history and herstory." Lise Hand; Our Understanding of History Is Out of Date; The Times (London, UK); Jul 14, 2018. -------- Date: Mon Oct 15 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cornpone X-Bonus: In the mountains of truth you will never climb in vain: either you will get up higher today or you will exercise your strength so as to be able to get up higher tomorrow. -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher (15 Oct 1844-1900) What language is spoken in America? English, you say, and you're right, but only partially. It's also the home of hundreds of Native American languages, many of which are endangered. The juggernaut of English flattens other languages along the way, though it picks up words from them as it rolls past. Some of the words from these Native American languages have now become a part of the English language. This week we'll see five such words, from Algonquin, Choctaw, Eastern Abenaki, Massachusett, and Ojibwa languages. cornpone (KORN-pohn) adjective: Rustic; folksy; countrified. noun: Unleavened corn bread, baked or fried. [From English corn + Virginia Algonquian apones (bread). The s in apones was dropped to make the word singular. Some other originally singular words that again became singular in English are cherry (from French cerise) and pea (from Latin pisa). Earliest documented use: 1860.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/cornpone https://wordsmith.org/words/images/cornpone_large.jpg Photo: Alan Levine https://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/5457009995/ "None of those college students [of the band Crooked Still] had mountain blood or cornpone accents, and not a single one could build or operate a still, but it hardly mattered." Bernard Zuel; College Kids Can't Get Enough of Big Twang Theory; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Mar 25, 2011. "Jerry Richardson's apology was perhaps less than heartfelt. 'If our African-American guests were mistreated, was it because of racism?' he wondered aloud. 'I can't tell you. It's impossible to know what's in a person's heart.' That's so dang cornpone." Michael Powell; A Fine, Yes. But the NFL Can't Even Muster a Mean Word; The New York Times; Jun 29, 2018. -------- Date: Tue Oct 16 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bayou X-Bonus: A lexicographer's business is solely to collect, arrange, and define the words that usage presents to his hands. He has no right to proscribe words; he is to present them as they are. -Noah Webster, lexicographer (16 Oct 1758-1843) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Native American languages bayou (BY-yoo, -oh) noun A sluggish marshy area of water, typically an overflow or tributary to a lake or river. [Via Louisiana French from Choctaw bayuk (small stream). Earliest documented use: 1766.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bayou https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bayou_large.jpg Photo: JamesDeMers https://pixabay.com/en/bayou-swamp-marsh-wetland-439881/ "The network of navigable bayous and cypress swamps veining the area just outside New Orleans was hospitable territory for escaped slaves." Home-Grown and Spirit-Raised; The Economist (London, UK); Dec 22, 2012. -------- Date: Wed Oct 17 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sagamore X-Bonus: Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets. -Arthur Miller, playwright and essayist (17 Oct 1915-2005) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Native American languages sagamore (SAG-uh-mohr) noun A chief or a leader. [From Eastern Abenaki sakama. Earliest documented use: 1613. A related word is sachem https://wordsmith.org/words/sachem.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/sagamore "He lowered his gaze and dared not to engage again the face of the sagamore." P. Gifford Longley; Captive; Tate Publishing; 2010. -------- Date: Thu Oct 18 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mugwump X-Bonus: The past is to be respected and acknowledged, but not to be worshipped. It is our future in which we will find our greatness. -Pierre Trudeau, 15th Prime Minister of Canada (18 Oct 1919-2000) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Native American languages mugwump (MUG-wump) noun An independent, especially in politics. [From Massachusett mugquomp (leader, great man). Massachusett is a language in the Algonquian language family. Earliest documented use: 1828.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/mugwump NOTES: The word mugwump was used in 1884 to describe a Republican who refused to support their presidential candidate James Blaine due to his reputation for corruption. These Republicans instead supported the Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland ensuring his victory. The word is sometimes explained as denoting a person who sits on the fence, with his mug (face) on one side and wump (rump) on the other. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/mugwump_large.jpg Image: Picclick https://picclick.co.uk/The-Great-American-Mugwump-HUMOR-POSTCARD-1956-PETLEY-282212122669.html "This week's Newspoll confirms rising numbers of mugwumps in Australia. They're darting off in different directions, away from Australia's once influential and long-governing centre-right political party." Janet Albrechtsen; Vacancy Sign Hangs on the Home of Centre-Right; The Australian (Canberra); May 17, 2017. -------- Date: Fri Oct 19 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--totem X-Bonus: The same people who can deny others everything are famous for refusing themselves nothing. -Leigh Hunt, poet and essayist (19 Oct 1784-1859) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Native American languages totem (TOH-tuhm) noun A person, object, group, etc. that serves as an emblem or symbol. [From Ojibwe/Ojibwa language of the Algonquian language family in North America. Earliest documented use: 1609.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/totem https://wordsmith.org/words/images/totem_large.jpg Photo: John Rudolph https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnrudolph/2327845797/ "The Beats, so long a totem of countercultural cool, now seem anomalous, even old-school." Peter Murphy; The Beats That My Heart Skipped; Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland); Jul 1, 2017. -------- Date: Mon Oct 22 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--prosopopeia X-Bonus: All one's life as a young woman one is on show, a focus of attention, people notice you. You set yourself up to be noticed and admired. And then, not expecting it, you become middle-aged and anonymous. No one notices you. You achieve a wonderful freedom. It's a positive thing. You can move about unnoticed and invisible. -Doris Lessing, novelist, poet, playwright, Nobel laureate (22 Oct 1919-2013) Eyes are sensory organs. They sense what's going on in the world around us, but they also tell others how we feel. Eyes are verbs that conjugate the emotions. By the start of middle school I had to squint to read what was on the blackboard. My parents took me to an ophthalmologist who diagnosed me with shortsightedness. When I returned to school, I soon became very familiar with the epithet "four-eyes". These two extra "eyes" were precious -- if I had to choose, I'd protect them before protecting any other possession. Having a pair of glasses makes you acutely aware of the importance of the sense of vision and a fellow feeling for those who lack it. When I was in high school I learned that some organization was signing people up to pledge to donate their eyes after death. I signed up. I had most people in my extended family sign up too, though one thought it was blasphemous. After graduate school, when I got a well-paying job, I had laser surgery done to correct my vision. I do not need glasses any more, though I don't know if I can claim to be farsighted or a visionary now. While applying for a driver's license, I checked the box on the application form to pledge all organs. What is blasphemous is letting our organs rot or burn after our death rather than letting them help someone live or live better. Why not become an organ donor? https://www.organdonor.gov/ We have featured words derived from hands https://wordsmith.org/words/manumit.html and other body parts in the past https://wordsmith.org/words/caltrop.html https://wordsmith.org/words/cordate.html https://wordsmith.org/words/precipitous.html . This week we'll focus on words that have their origins in the eye. prosopopeia or prosopopoeia (pruh-so-puh-PEE-uh) noun 1. A figure of speech in which an imaginary or absent person is represented as speaking or acting. 2. A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or something abstract is represented as possessing human form: personification. [From Latin prosopopoeia, from Greek prosopopoiia (personification), from prosopon (face, mask), from pros- (facing) + ops (eye) + poiein (to make). Earliest documented use: 1550.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/prosopopoeia https://wordsmith.org/words/images/prosopopeia_large.jpg Photo: Dzung Viet Le https://www.flickr.com/photos/48814374@N00/4573707877/ "One of the key terms in de Man's critical vocabulary was prosopopeia, the voice that addresses us in a literary work from beyond the grave." James Atlas; The Case of Paul de Man; The New York Times; Aug 28, 1988. -------- Date: Tue Oct 23 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ullage X-Bonus: Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand. -Emily Kimbrough, author and broadcaster (23 Oct 1899-1989) This week's theme: Words related to the eye ullage (UL-ij) noun The amount of liquid by which a container falls short of being full. [From Old French ouillage/eullage, from ouiller/eullier (to fill a cask), from ouil (eye, hole), from Latin oculus (eye). Earliest documented use: 1444.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ullage https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ullage_large.jpg Photo: Arnaud Clerget / Wikimedia Commons "Too much ullage can be a sign of evaporation, and that's not good." Mark Shanahan; A Finely Honed Palate; Boston Globe; Oct 17, 2015. -------- Date: Wed Oct 24 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--trompe l'oeil X-Bonus: You have to hold your audience in writing to the very end -- much more than in talking, when people have to be polite and listen to you. -Brenda Ueland, writer (24 Oct 1891-1985) This week's theme: Words related to the eye trompe l'oeil (tromp loi) noun 1. A style of painting in which objects are rendered in extremely realistic detail, giving an illusion of reality. 2. A painting, mural, etc., made in this style. [From French, literally "fools the eye", from tromper (to deceive) + le (the) + oeil (eye). Earliest documented use: 1889.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/trompe%20l'oeil The reverse of a framed painting (it's not a photograph of the reverse of a framed painting) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/trompe_loeil_large.jpg Art: Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts, 1670 "The suite had ... an elegant chandelier hung from a trompe l'oeil ceiling of blue sky with puffy clouds." William Friedkin; In Search of Marcel Proust; The New York Times Magazine; May 21, 2017. -------- Date: Thu Oct 25 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ocellus X-Bonus: Those who compare the age in which their lot has fallen with a golden age which exists only in imagination, may talk of degeneracy and decay; but no man who is correctly informed as to the past, will be disposed to take a morose or desponding view of the present. -Thomas Babington Macaulay, author and statesman (25 Oct 1800-1859) This week's theme: Words related to the eye ocellus (o-SEL-uhs) noun, plural ocelli 1. A small simple eye common to invertebrates. 2. An eyelike colored spot on an animal (as on peacock feathers, butterfly wings, fish, etc.) or on a leaf of a plant. [From Latin ocellus (little eye), diminutive of oculus (eye). Earliest documented use: 1819.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ocellus https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ocellus_large.jpg Image: Susan Ford Collins https://www.flickr.com/photos/jungle_mama/6588539947/ "Each octagonal ocellus in the turtle's shell grew like a tiny flower." G.W. Hawkes; Semaphore; MacMurray & Beck; 1998. -------- Date: Fri Oct 26 00:01:02 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--red-eye X-Bonus: There is one tradition in America I am proud to inherit. It is our first freedom and the truest expression of our Americanism: the ability to dissent without fear. It is our right to utter the words, "I disagree." We must feel at liberty to speak those words to our neighbors, our clergy, our educators, our news media, our lawmakers and, above all, to the one among us we elect President. -Natalie Merchant, musician and poet (b. 26 Oct 1963) This week's theme: Words related to the eye red-eye (RED-eye) noun 1. The phenomenon of a person's eyes appearing red in a photograph taken with a flash. 2. A late-night flight or overnight flight. [An airplane flight that takes place in the night is called a red-eye because it deprives travelers of a full-night's sleep and as a result may cause bloodshot eyes. Earliest documented use, for 1: 1966, for 2: 1964.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/red-eye A red-eye flight (wood duck) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/red-eye_large.jpg Photo: Mick Thompson https://www.flickr.com/photos/mickthompson/8593953720/ "As she sat down beside him, she heard a quiet snore. He must have taken the red-eye. Poor guy. She'd let him sleep." Janice Maynard; Billionaire's Borrowed Baby; Harlequin; 2011. -------- Date: Mon Oct 29 00:01:04 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--eucatastrophe X-Bonus: Certainly none of the advances made in civilization has been due to counterrevolutionaries and advocates of the status quo. -Bill Mauldin, editorial cartoonist (29 Oct 1921-2003) If you have ever wondered why there's not a single word for the concept of a happy ending, the opposite of catastrophe, well, your wish is granted. In fact, you may not know that your wish was granted about 75 years ago. You can thank J.R.R. Tolkien for it. But you don't have to be the author of a trilogy to add to a language. Language is a do-it-yourself thing. If you speak it, it's yours. So go ahead, fix it. Fill in any gaps, any potholes, you find. Coin a word; share it with a friend; share it with the world. This week we'll share five words that might make you say: I didn't know there was a word for it! eucatastrophe (yoo-kuh-TAS-truh-fee) noun A happy ending, especially one in which, instead of an impending disaster, a sudden turn leads to a favorable resolution of the story. [Coined by J.R.R. Tolkien in a letter in 1944, from Greek eu- (good) + catastrophe, from kata- (down) + strophe (turning). Earliest documented use 1944.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/eucatastrophe_large.jpg Photo: Sriganesh Lokanathan https://www.flickr.com/photos/sriganeshl/2205173375/ "The contrived eucatastrophe of Dennis's play seemingly resonated with and satisfied the audiences." Alison Forsyth; Greek Tragedy and the British Theatre, 1660-1914; Theatre Journal (Baltimore, Maryland); Oct 2007. -------- Date: Tue Oct 30 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ochlophobia X-Bonus: May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof (White House). -John Adams, 2nd US President, and the first one to live in the White House (30 Oct 1735-1826) This week's theme: There's a word for it ochlophobia (ahk-luh-FOH-bee-uh) noun A fear or dislike of crowds. [From Greek ochlos (mob) + -phobia (fear). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wegh- (to go or to transport in a vehicle), which also gave us ochlocracy https://wordsmith.org/words/ochlocracy.html , away, weigh, Norwegian, wag, wagon, devious, vex pervious https://wordsmith.org/words/pervious.html , walleyed https://wordsmith.org/words/walleyed.html , and earwig https://wordsmith.org/words/earwig.html . Earliest documented use: 1885.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ochlophobia_large.jpg Image: http://animal-jam-clans.wikia.com/wiki/File:Funny-crowd-need-to-pee-pics.jpg "With just a week before Christmas, the malls are pretty much a no-go zone for anyone with even the mildest form of ochlophobia." Ian Katz; Hate Crowds? Shop Online; South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale); Dec 19, 2005. -------- Date: Wed Oct 31 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--peristeronic X-Bonus: Time engraves our faces with all the tears we have not shed. -Natalie Clifford Barney, poet, playwright, and novelist (31 Oct 1876-1972) This week's theme: There's a word for it peristeronic (puh-ris-tuh-RON-ik) adjective Relating to pigeons. [From Ancient Greek peristera (dove, pigeon). Earliest documented use: 1868. Some other peristeronic words are columbarium https://wordsmith.org/words/columbarium.html and columbine https://wordsmith.org/words/columbine.html .] A peristeronic bathroom line: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/peristeronic.jpg Photo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulwe7K4y2h0 "But I do like the look of a dovecote. After all, these peristeronic palaces do grace the gardens of some of our finest stately homes." Alan Titchmarsh; Tales from Titchmarsh; Hodder & Stoughton; 2011.