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Post by Felix on Apr 22, 2007 11:31:20 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for April 22, 2007 is:
opusculum • \oh-PUS-kyuh-lum\ • noun : a minor work (as of literature) Marvell's Example Sentence:After the death of Ernest Hemingway, his heirs spent the next twenty years quarrying his opuscula for books and stories to publish. Did you know?"Opusculum" -- which is often used in its plural form "opuscula" -- comes from Latin, where it serves as the diminutive form of the noun "opus," meaning "work." In English, "opus" can refer to any literary or artistic work, though it often specifically refers to a musical piece. Logically, then, "opusculum" refers to a short or minor work. ("Opusculum" isn't restricted to music, though. In fact, it is most often used for literary works.) The Latin plural of "opus" is "opera," which gave us (via Italian) the word we know for a musical production consisting primarily of vocal pieces performed with orchestral accompaniment. We can also thank "opus" for our verb "operate." Lesser Words
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Post by Felix on Apr 23, 2007 7:44:32 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for April 23, 2007 is: fulcrum • \FULL-krum\ • noun 1 a : prop; specifically : the support about which a lever turns *b : one that supplies capability for action 2 : a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support Example Sentence:Advocates for gun control are making the shootings at Virginia Tech a new fulcrum for empowering their campaign against unrestricted access to firearms. Did you know?"Fulcrum," a word that means "bedpost" in Latin, derives from the verb "fulcire," which means "to prop." When the word first appeared in English in the middle of the 17th century, "fulcrum" referred to the point on which a lever or similar device (such as the oar of a boat) is supported. It did not take long for the word to develop a figurative sense, referring to something used as a spur or justification to support a certain action. In zoology, "fulcrum" can also refer to a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support, such as the joint supporting a bird's wing. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Empowering Words
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Post by Felix on Apr 24, 2007 9:32:28 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for April 24, 2007 is: mythomania • \mith-uh-MAY-nee-uh\ • noun : an excessive or abnormal propensity for lying and exaggerating Marvell's Example Sentence: One example of mythomania is known in mental health circles as munchausen syndrome, a compulsion to describe mostly physical symptoms of nonexistent illness. Did you know? We wouldn't lie to you about the history of "mythomania." It comes from two ancient roots, the Greek "mythos" (meaning "myth") and the Late Latin "mania" (meaning "insanity marked by uncontrolled emotion or excitement"). One myth about "mythomania" is that it's a very old word; actually, the earliest known uses of the term date only from the beginning of the 20th century. It was predated by a related word, "mythomaniac," which appeared around the middle of the 19th century. "Mythomaniac" initially referred to someone who was obsessed with or passionate about myths but was eventually used for individuals affected with or exhibiting mythomania. Wordy Fictions
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Post by Felix on Apr 25, 2007 7:21:54 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for April 25, 2007 is: perfunctory • \per-FUNK-tuh-ree\ • adjective *1 : characterized by routine or superficiality : mechanical 2 : lacking in interest or enthusiasm Marvell's Example Sentence: For the 2008 campaigns, voters in safely "red" or safely "blue" states can expect only perfunctory visits and attention from their candidates, while the "swing" state voters will be blitzed from the primaries through the general election. Did you know? "Perfunctory" is a word whose origins are found entirely in Latin. First appearing in English in the late 16th century, it derives via the Late Latin "perfunctorius," meaning "done in a careless or superficial manner," from the Latin "perfungi," meaning "to accomplish" or "to get through with." That verb is formed by combining the prefix "per-," meaning "through," with the verb "fungi," meaning "to perform." "Fungi" can be found in the roots of such words as "function," "defunct," and "fungible." "Perfunctory" can describe something that is carried out with little effort or care, as in "He did a perfunctory job raking the leaves," but when used to describe a person it usually means "lacking enthusiasm." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Inattentive Words
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Post by Felix on Apr 26, 2007 6:47:24 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for April 26, 2007 is: wowser • \WOW-zer\ • noun, chiefly Australian : an obtrusively puritanical person Marvell's Example Sentence:Every year, school boards across the country have to deal with wowsers who object on moral grounds to various books and materials dealing with real-life subjects. Did you know? “Wowser” is a delightful word with an interesting background, though its ultimate origin is unknown. The word first appeared in print in 1899, in the Australian journal Truth, and was instantly popular in Australia. It spread to New Zealand, where it remains in use, and then eventually arrived in England, possibly brought by the Australian troops who served there during World War I. The American writer and editor H. L. Mencken liked “wowser” and attempted to introduce it in the United States. He used the word frequently in American Mercury, the literary magazine he edited. Despite Mencken’s efforts the term never truly caught on in American English, though it is used occasionally. Blue-Nosed Words
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Post by Felix on Apr 27, 2007 10:09:43 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for April 27, 2007 is: underwhelm • \un-der-WELM\ • verb : to fail to impress or stimulate Marvell's Example Sentence: Already, the 2008 candidates, declared or undeclared, for the Presidential nominations from their parties have underwhelmed me. Did you know? "Overwhelm" and its rare synonym "whelm" have both been around since the 14th century, but "underwhelm" first appeared in print in 1949. Both "overwhelm" and "whelm" are derived from the Middle English "whelmen," which is perhaps an alteration of "whelmen" ("to turn over" or "to cover up"). "Underwhelm" is fashioned after "overwhelm" and probably originated as a playful alteration intended as a mildly humorous way of describing something unimpressive. More than one person claims the distinction of having invented "underwhelm"; several sources attribute it to the playwright George S. Kaufman, but sports columnist Red Smith is quoted as believing he coined the word himself, and still other sources cite other potential creators. Chances are that the word was in fact coined by more than one inventive writer. Insipid Words
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Post by Felix on Apr 28, 2007 7:16:18 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for April 28, 2007 is: scrimshander • \SKRIM-shan-der\ • noun : a person who creates scrimshaw Marvell's Example Sentence: I first encountered scenes of a scrimshander in Herman Melville's Moby Dick, along with staggering amounts of other information about whaling in the 19th century. Did you know? Scrimshaw is a distinctly North American folk art, but no one knows just where it started or how it got its name. Native peoples of Alaska and Canada have carved ivory for centuries, but when "scrimshaw" is used in modern English, it is most often associated with 18th- and 19th-century whalers of the ilk Herman Melville described as "examining ... divers specimens of skrimshander" in Moby Dick (1851). As you can see from Melville's example, "scrimshander" was originally a synonym of "scrimshaw" (back then, the artists were most likely called "scrimshoners"). "Scrimshaw" and "scrimshander" may have originated with the surname of a sailor who was particularly skilled at the art, but if such an individual did exist, he is unknown today. Finely Wrought Words
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Post by Felix on Apr 29, 2007 7:04:26 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for April 29, 2007 is: internecine • \in-ter-NESS-een\ • adjective 1 : marked by slaughter : deadly; especially : mutually destructive *2 : of, relating to, or involving conflict within a group Marvell's Example Sentence: Each day political battlelines are drawn on internet message boards, often bitter and internecine because the same posters square off over each issue. Did you know? "Internecine" comes from the Latin "internecinus" ("fought to the death" or "destructive"), which traces to the verb "necare" ("to kill") and the prefix "inter-." ("Inter-" usually means "between" or "mutual" in Latin, but it can also indicate the completion of an action.) "Internecine" meant "deadly" when it appeared in English in 1663, but when Samuel Johnson entered it in his dictionary almost a century later, he was apparently misled by "inter-" and defined the word as "endeavouring mutual destruction." Johnson's definition was carried into later dictionaries, and before long his sense was the dominant meaning of the word. "Internecine" developed the association with internal group conflict in the 20th century, and that's the most common sense today. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Uncivil Words
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Post by Felix on Apr 30, 2007 7:42:36 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for April 30, 2007 is: usance • \YOO-zuns\ • noun 1 : firmly established and generally accepted practice or procedure : usage 2 : use, employment *3 : interest 4 : the time allowed by custom for payment of a bill of exchange in foreign commerce Marvell's Example Sentence: The ballooning size of the national debt means that the usance on that figure absorbs a larger and larger portion of the total government budget. Did you know? "Usance" was borrowed from Latin in the 14th century as a word meaning "habit" or "custom." In the late 16th century, its worth was compounded when it became a word for both the lending of money at interest and the interest charged. Both meanings were known to Shakespeare when he was writing The Merchant of Venice (1596). "He lends out money gratis, and brings down [t]he rate of usance here with us in Venice," says the usurer Shylock of the protagonist Antonio. And, later in the play, Shylock tells how Antonio has "rated . . . about [his] moneys and [his] usances." Unexplainably, the currency of these uses plummeted shortly after appearing in the play, only to be revived in the 19th century. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Words for Vigorish
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Post by Felix on May 1, 2007 6:11:13 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 01, 2007 is: euphemism • \YOO-fuh-miz-um\ • noun : the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant; also : the expression so substituted Marvell's Example Sentence: I have enjoyed the multiple euphemisms for dying, checking the obit page each day, so I have semi-seriously thought of forming a company, say, "Obits 'R Us", to supply creative options for those who hate the word "die" in all its forms---my motto would be "Nobody should have to just DIE." (Should anybody find the idea of obits interesting, google 'Marilyn Johnson,' the veritable queen of obits.) Did you know? "Euphemism" derives from the Greek word "euphemos," which means "auspicious" or "sounding good." The first part of "euphēmos" is the Greek prefix "eu-," meaning "well." The second part is "phēmē," a Greek word for "speech" that is itself a derivative of the verb "phanai," meaning "to speak." Among the numerous linguistic cousins of "euphemism" on the "eu-" side of the family are "eulogy," "euphoria," and "euthanasia"; on the "phanai" side, its kin include "prophet" and "aphasia" ("loss of the power to understand words") Circumlocutory Words
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Post by Felix on May 2, 2007 6:53:09 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 02, 2007 is: brackish • \BRACK-ish\ • adjective *1 : somewhat salty 2 a : not appealing to the taste b : repulsive Marvell's Example Sentence: Bodies of water with no outlet to rivers can become brackish from the absorbed minerals in the soil, as have the Dead Sea in Israel, and The Great Salt Lake in Utah. Did you know? When the word "brackish" first appeared in English in the 1500s, it simply meant "salty," as did its Dutch ancestor "brak." Then, as now, brackish water could simply be a mixture of saltwater and freshwater. Since that time, however, "brackish" has developed the additional meanings of "unpalatable" or "distasteful" -- presumably because of the undrinkable quality of saltwater. "The brackish water that we drink / Creeps with a loathsome slime, / And the bitter bread they weigh in scales / Is full of chalk and lime." As this use from Oscar Wilde's "Ballad of Reading Gaol" illustrates, brackish water can also include things other than salt that make it unpleasant to drink. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Dessicating Words
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Post by Felix on May 3, 2007 12:41:26 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 03, 2007 is: camarilla • \kam-uh-RILL-uh\ • noun : a group of unofficial often secret and scheming advisers; also : cabal Marvell's Example Sentence: A small cluster of malcontented posters in exile on another message board love to accuse the Chattanooga Message Forum of government by camarilla. Did you know? "Camarilla" is borrowed from Spanish and is the diminutive of "camára," which traces to the Late Latin "camera" and means "room"; a "camarilla," then, is literally a "small room." Political cliques and plotters are likely to meet in small rooms (generally with the door closed) as they hatch their schemes, and, by 1834, "camarilla" was being used in English for such closed-door groups of scheming advisers. The word is relatively rare in formal English prose, but it still finds occasional use in news stories. Some other descendants of the Latin "camera" include "camera," "comrade," "camaraderie," and "bicameral." Scheming Words
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Post by Felix on May 4, 2007 10:09:12 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 04, 2007 is: pratfall • \PRAT-fawl\ • noun 1 : a fall on the buttocks *2 : a humiliating mishap or blunder Marvell's Example Sentence: Pets, particularly cats, can easily lead pet owners into pratfalls they would not otherwise ever suffer. Did you know? The human posterior has been given a number of designations over the centuries, some not acceptable in polite company. "Prat," a slang term with only slightly indecorous overtones, has been used in reference to the backside since the 16th century. It wasn't until the 1930s, however, that falling on one's prat gave rise to the term "pratfall." The word first cropped up in the lingo of comedy theater, where a pratfall is often part of a slapstick routine. It wasn't long before we gave the word its extended sense of "blunder." Now, with "prat" rarely used as a synonym of "derriere" anymore, "pratfall" is as apt to suggest getting a pie in the face as landing bang on one's behind. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Words of Comeuppance
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Post by Felix on May 5, 2007 15:35:31 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 05, 2007 is: valedictory • \val-uh-DIK-tuh-ree\ • adjective : of or relating to a valediction : expressing or containing a farewell Marvell's Example Sentence: One of the less-remembered events of any graduation attended is the valedictory address, unless given by one's child. Did you know? Valedictory addresses delivered by earnest young valedictorians at high school and college graduations are as much a sign of spring in the United States as baseball games and cookouts. Though we don't know where the first valedictory address was given, we do know that the word was an institution at some colleges in the U.S. by the mid-1700s. English speakers and writers have also used "valedictory" in non-academic settings since the mid-1600s. Since a valedictory speech is given at the end of an academic career, it is perfectly in keeping with the meaning of its Latin ancestor, "valedicere," which means "to say farewell." Unregarded Words
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Post by Felix on May 6, 2007 10:54:14 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 06, 2007 is: sprachgefuhl • \SHPRAHKH-guh-fuel\ • noun : an intuitive sense of what is linguistically appropriate Marvell's Example Sentence: Unfamiliar with German vocabulary, the earnest young message board poster asked with unintended irony if ' sprachgefuhl' described one who believed completely in Pastafarianism. Did you know? "Sprachgefuhl" was borrowed into English from German at the end of the 19th century and combines two German nouns, "Sprache," meaning "language, speech," and "Gefühl," meaning "feeling." We're quite certain that the quality of sprachgefuhl is common among our readers, but the word itself is rare, making only occasional appearances in our language. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. A Divination of Words
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Post by Felix on May 7, 2007 5:44:14 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 07, 2007 is: sumptuous • \SUMP-shuh-wus\ • adjective : extremely costly, rich, luxurious, or magnificent Marvell's Example Sentence: The Sunday New York Times real estate advertising allows people of modest means a look inside the most sumptuous group of houses and apartments in the country.
Did you know? The word "sumptuous" can be used to describe both lush surroundings and rich desserts, and it has an equally rich history. The word, which appeared in English in the 15th century, derives via Middle English from the Latin noun "sumptus," meaning "expense." "Sumptus" is related to the Latin verb "sumere," which means "take" or "spend" and from which we get a treasure trove of useful verbs: "consume" ("to use up or spend"), "subsume" ("to include or place in something larger"), "resume" ("to take up again"), and "assume" ("to take upon oneself"). Another "sumere" descendant is our adjective "sumptuary," which means "relating to one's extravagant expenditures." Opulent Words
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Post by Felix on May 8, 2007 6:52:45 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 08, 2007 is: purloin • \per-LOYN\ • verb : to appropriate wrongfully and often by a breach of trust Marvell's Example Sentence: If you purloin my wallet, you do me no lasting harm, but if the theft is of my reputation, you are a naughty person indeed. Did you know? "Purloin," "pilfer," and "filch" may just seem like fancy words for "steal," but each has a slightly different connotation. "Pilfer" implies stealing repeatedly in small amounts, as in this sentence: "It was months before her boss realized she was pilfering office supplies." "Filch" adds a suggestion of snatching quickly and surreptitiously (e.g., "He filched an apple from the tray"). "Purloin" stresses removing or carrying off something for one's own use or purposes ("She purloined the manuscript and tried to pass it off as her own work"). Light-fingered Words
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Post by Felix on May 9, 2007 7:11:12 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 09, 2007 is: prehensile • \pre-HEN-sil\ • adjective *1 : adapted for seizing or grasping especially by wrapping around 2 : gifted with mental grasp or moral or aesthetic perception Marvell's Example Sentence: Genetic breakthroughs I'd rather not see: a gene spice conferring prehensile attributes to the penis-the Horror, the Horror. Did you know? You may be familiar with "prehensile" from the animal world: monkeys have prehensile tails, elephants have prehensile trunks, giraffes have prehensile tongues, etc. But can you comprehend where this word comes from? Can you apprehend its derivation? The Latin verb "prehendere," meaning "to seize or grasp," is the ancestor of a number of English terms, including "comprehend," "apprehend," and "prehensile." "Prehensile" came into English in the 1780s via French "préhensile," from Latin "prehensus," the past participle of "prehendere." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Grasping Words
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Post by Felix on May 10, 2007 7:27:20 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 10, 2007 is: atrabilious • \at-ruh-BIL-yus\ • adjective 1 : given to or marked by melancholy : gloomy *2 : ill-natured, peevish Marvell's Example Sentence: The appearance on message boards of posters babbling like an exceedingly shallow brook brings out atrabilious reactions from many other posters. Did you know? "Atrabilious" is a somewhat rare word with a history that parallels that of the more common "melancholy." Representing one of the four bodily humors, from which it was once believed that human emotions originated, "atrabilious" derives from the Latin "atra bilis," literally meaning "black bile." The word "melancholy" derives from the Greek "melan-" and "chole," which also translates as "black bile." In its original sense, "atrabilious" meant "melancholy," but now it is more frequently used to describe someone with an irritable or unfriendly temperament. A word with a meaning similar to that of "atrabilious" is "splenetic," which is named after the organ in the body (the spleen) once thought to secrete black bile. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Words of Unpleasant Humours
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Post by Felix on May 12, 2007 7:33:14 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 11, 2007 is: roustabout • \ROWSS-tuh-bowt\ • noun 1 a : deckhand b : longshoreman 2 : an unskilled or semiskilled laborer especially in an oil field or refinery *3 : a circus worker who erects and dismantles tents, cares for the grounds, and handles animals and equipment Marvell's Example Sentence: In the spring of my third year of college, a traveling carnival advertised for roustabouts to work on erecting and later dismantling the show, a thing I wanted to do-not for the money, but to gain proximity to the strippers who were the main draw for college boys-but I was too late, all positions were already filled by similarly eager students. Did you know? Circus roustabouts are most commonly associated with circus animals, of course, but they also have a connection with game birds, at least in terms of etymology. "Roustabout" comes from "roust," which is an alteration of "rouse," a verb from Middle English that originally meant "to shake the feathers" (as in the way a bird might ruffle its feathers or shake its plumage when it is settling down or grooming itself). "Rouse," which today is a synonym of "awaken," also formerly meant "to cause to break from cover," a sense that may have influenced the modern meaning of "roust": "to drive (as from bed) roughly or unceremoniously." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Carnival Words
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Post by Felix on May 12, 2007 7:49:08 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 12, 2007 is: delve • \DELV\ • verb 1 : to dig or labor with or as if with a spade *2 : to make a careful or detailed search for information Marvell's Example Sentence: Conducting searches the old-fashioned, library index way allows a more leisurely delve into data banks than Google, but is slower. Did you know? We must dig deep into the English language's past to find the origins of "delve." The verb originated in 9th century Old English as "delfan" and is related to the Old High German word "telban," meaning "dig." For some 400 years, there was only delving -- no digging -- because "dig" didn't exist until the 13th century. Is the phrase "dig and delve" (as in the line "eleven, twelve, dig and delve," from the nursery rhyme that begins "one, two, buckle my shoe") redundant? Not necessarily. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in some local uses as recently as the late 19th century, "dig" was the term for working with a mattock (a tool similar to an adze or a pick), while "delve" was reserved for using a spade. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Mining for Words
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Post by Felix on May 13, 2007 8:42:34 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 13, 2007 is: infix • \IN-fiks\ • noun : a derivational or inflectional affix appearing in the body of a word Marvell's Example Sentence: The word morphing topic on the CMF relies in part on infixes that change familiar words into wholly new words with pleasing twists. Did you know? Like prefixes and suffixes, infixes are part of the general class of affixes ("sounds or letters attached to or inserted within a word to produce a derivative word or an inflectional form"). Infixes are relatively rare in English, but you can find them in the plural forms of some words. For example, "cupful," "spoonful," and "passerby" can be pluralized as "cupsful," "spoonsful," and "passersby," using "s" as an infix. Another example is the insertion of an (often offensive) intensifier into a word, as in "fan-freakin'-tastic." Such whole-word insertions are sometimes called "infixes," though this phenomenon is more traditionally known as "tmesis."* Embedded Words*"tmesis," what an in-f***ing-credible word!
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Post by Felix on May 14, 2007 7:32:02 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 14, 2007 is: inkhorn • \INK-horn\ • adjective : ostentatiously learned : pedantic Marvell's Example Sentence: Academic fashions have ebbed and risen in this country, but the tendency toward inkhorn teaching has always been out of tune with the directness and plain-speaking of these United States. Did you know? Picture an ancient scribe, pen in hand, a small ink bottle made from an animal's horn strapped to his belt, ready to record the great events of history. In 14th-century England, such ink bottles were dubbed (not surprisingly) "inkhorns." During the Renaissance, learned writers often borrowed words from Latin and Greek, eschewing vulgar English alternatives. But in the 16th century, some scholars argued for the use of native terms over Latinate forms, and a lively intellectual debate over the merits of each began. Those who favored English branded what they considered ostentatious Latinisms "inkhorn terms" after the bottles carried by scholars, and since then we have used "inkhorn" as an adjective for pretentious language. Scholastic Verbal Gingerbread
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Post by Felix on May 15, 2007 4:36:04 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 15, 2007 is: rendition • \ren-DISH-un\ • noun 1 : surrender 2 : translation *3 : performance, interpretation Marvell's Example Sentence: From time to time some singer and musician, such as Jose Feliciano or Jimi Hendrix, offers his or her own rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, not always to the approbation of the public. Did you know? "Rendition" entered English in the early 17th century and can be traced to the Middle French word "reddition" and ultimately to the Latin verb "reddere," meaning "to return." The English verb "render" is another descendant of "reddere," so perhaps it is no surprise that "rendition" fundamentally means "the act or result of rendering." English speakers also once adopted "reddition" itself (meaning either "restitution, surrender" or "elucidation"), but that word has mostly dropped out of use. Incidentally, if you've guessed that "surrender" is also from the same word family, you may be right; "surrender" derives in part from the Anglo-French "rendre," which likely influenced the alteration of "reddition" to "rendition." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Translated Words
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Post by Felix on May 16, 2007 7:53:37 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 16, 2007 is: corybantic • \kor-ee-BAN-tik\ • adjective : like or in the spirit of a Corybant; especially : wild, frenzied Marvell's Example Sentence: Remembering a venerable science fiction/fantasy con, some veterans credited former events with corybantic revels, enjoyed by vanished legions of inspired celebrants, now faded away. Did you know? The big name in goddesses in Phrygia (Asia Minor) in the fifth century B.C. was Cybele (also called Cybebe or Agdistis), the "Great Mother of the Gods." According to Oriental and Greco-Roman mythology, she was the mother of it all: gods, humans, animals . . . even nature itself. The Corybants were Cybele's attendants and priests, and they worshipped her with an unrestrained frenzy of wildly emotional processions, rites, and dances. "Corybantic," the adjective based on the name of Cybele's attendants, can be used to describe anything characterized by a similarly unrestrained abandon. Revelling in Words
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Post by Felix on May 17, 2007 7:04:53 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 17, 2007 is: fulminate • \FULL-muh-nayt\ • verb : to send forth censures or invectives Marvell's Example Sentence: For some posters, the lure of fulminating anonymously on the internet leads to appalling excesses of taste and even to criminal threats. Did you know? Lightning strikes more than once in the history of "fulminate." That word comes from the Latin "fulminare," meaning "to strike," a verb usually used to refer to lightning strikes -- not surprising since it sprang from "fulmen," Latin for "lightning." When "fulminate" was adopted into English in the 15th century, it lost much of its ancestral thunder and was used largely as a technical term for the issuing of formal denunciations by ecclesiastical authorities. But its original lightning spark remains in its suggestion of tirades so vigorous that, as one 18th-century bishop put it, they seem to be delivered "with the air of one who [has] divine Vengeance at his disposal." Erupting Words
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Felix
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Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
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Post by Felix on May 18, 2007 7:40:57 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 18, 2007 is: jackanapes • \JAK-uh-nayps\ • noun 1 : monkey, ape 2 a : an impudent or conceited fellow *b : a saucy or mischievous child Marvell's Example Sentence: With the advent of shock jocks, being a jackanapes became a positive entry in a radio resumé. Did you know? William de la Pole, the Duke of Suffolk, was a well-regarded soldier and commander during the Hundred Years' War. It was during his dukedom (1448-1450), however, that England lost its possessions in northern France, and his popularity consequently suffered. The coat of arms for de la Pole's family sported an image of a collar and chain that, at the time, was commonly used for leashing pet monkeys, then known as "jackanapes" (a word whose precise origin is uncertain). By association, people gave the Duke the nickname "Jack Napis," and soon "jackanapes" took on a life of its own as a word for an impudent person and, later, a misbehaving child. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Unruly Words
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Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
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Post by Felix on May 19, 2007 7:57:04 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 19, 2007 is: henotheism • \HEN-uh-thee-iz-um\ • noun : the worship of one god without denying the existence of other gods Marvell's Example Sentence: Relgious toleration would be a fact if, instead of insisting on "one way," their way, the competing religions would practice henotheism, recognizing the possibilty that each religion might be the correct way. Did you know? "Henotheism" comes to us from the German word "Henotheismus," which in turn is derived from Greek "hen-" ("one") and "theos" ("god"). Someone who engages in henotheism worships one god but does not deny that there are others. Max Müller, a respected 19th-century scholar, is credited with promoting the word "henotheism" as a counterpart to "polytheism" ("belief in or worship of more than one god") and "monotheism" ("the doctrine or belief that there is but one God"). Müller also used the related word "kathenotheism," from Greek "kath' hena" ("one at a time"), for the worship of several gods successively. Pluralistic Words
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Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
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Post by Felix on May 20, 2007 8:25:21 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 20, 2007 is: somnolent • \SAHM-nuh-lunt\ • adjective 1 : of a kind likely to induce sleep *2 a : inclined to or heavy with sleep : drowsy b : sleepy Marvell's Example Sentence: With age, I become more somnolent in the daytime, needing my afternoon nap, even while I become more wakeful around two a.m. Did you know? "Somnolent" first appeared in late 15th century in the redundant phrase "somnolent sleep." It came into English by way of Anglo-French from the Latin word "somnolentus," which itself comes from "somnus," meaning "sleep." Another offspring of "somnus" is "somnambulism," a synonym of "sleepwalking." "Insomnia" is also a member of this sleepy word family, though it might be considered the black sheep, since it means, of course, "the inability to sleep." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Torpid Words
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Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
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Post by Felix on May 21, 2007 6:15:22 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for May 21, 2007 is: prothalamion • \proh-thuh-LAY-mee-un\ • noun : a song in celebration of a marriage Marvell's Example Sentence: The stately prothalamion is an endangered form of literary output In an age when marriages are as short as the attention span for reading. Did you know? In 1595, the newly-wed Edmund Spenser wrote a poem to his young bride. He gave this poem the title Epithalamion, borrowing a Greek word for a song or poem in honor of a bride and bridegroom. "Epithalamion," which eventually became established as an English word, can be traced to Greek words that mean "upon the bridal chamber." A year later, Spencer was inspired to write another nuptial poem -- this time in celebration of the marriages of the Earl of Worcester's two daughters. But since the ceremonies had not yet taken place, he did not want to call it an epithalamion. After some reflection, Spencer decided to separate "epi-" from "thalamion" and wed the latter with "pro-" ("before"), inventing a word that would become established in the language with the meaning "a song in celebration of a marriage." Nuptial Odes
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