Word of the day strikes back

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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Sarah » Thu Sep 16 2021 4:23pm

Word of the day from Susie Dent today:
Word of the day is the German ‘Verschlimmbesserung’: an attempted improvement that only makes matters worse.

If you’re looking for a more pronounceable English equivalent, to ‘arsle’ is to shuffle inevitably backwards.
https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1 ... 85795?s=20
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Word of the day strikes back

Post by Richard Frost » Fri Sep 17 2021 10:09am

Friday September 17th 2021

testudinate

[ te-stood-n-it, -eyt, -styood- ]
adjective

formed like the carapace of a tortoise; arched; vaulted.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF TESTUDINATE?
Testudinate derives from the Latin adjective testūdinātus, of the same meaning, from the noun testūdō “tortoise.” Testūdō, in turn, derives from testa “earthenware vessel; shard of baked clay; shell of a crustacean.” It is possible that testa comes from the Proto-Indo-European root ters- “dry,” which would make testa cognate to the words thirst (from Old English thurst “dryness”), terrain and terrestrial (from Latin terra “(dry) land”), and toast and torrid (from Latin torrēre “to burn”). In Late Latin, testa gained the additional sense of “skull” and developed into the word for “head” in several Romance languages (such as French tête and Italian testa). Testudinate entered English in the early 1700s.

HOW IS TESTUDINATE USED?
[A]t Marzabotto, a working-class Etruscan town in what is now the province of Bologna … the houses are of good size, but not palaces, and seemed stamped out as if from a cookie-cutter, with slight variations .… Each house was almost 800 square meters in size and featured an atrium that was likely testudinate or fully roofed over so that the beams rested directly onto the walls and there were no interior columns.
CLAUDIO BIZZARRI AND DAVID SOREN, "INNOVATIONS AND LEGACY TO ROME," A COMPANION TO THE ETRUSCANS, 2016

At every little clearing through the thorny path great horseflies flew Like aces taking bits and bites of me as I futilely swiped Then low tunnels testudinate respite from those winged furies gave Only to find that those ruelles I tread were rife with walking shells

KEN GREMILLION, THE VELOCITY OF FALLING BODIES, 2007

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Word of the day strikes back

Post by Richard Frost » Sat Sep 18 2021 9:10am

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

yore
[ yawr, yohr ]
noun

time past.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF YORE?
Yore has a long history in the English language, first appearing as geāra in Old English. While its origin is uncertain, a popular theory is that geāra comes from the same source as the phonetically similar word year (Old English gēar). If true, this means that yore and year derive from the Indo-European root yēr- “year,” which is also the origin of Yiddish yor (as in Yahrzeit, the anniversary of a relative’s passing) and Ancient Greek hṓrā “part of a year, time of day,” the source of horoscope. Hṓrā was borrowed into Latin as hōra “hour,” which is the source of the words for “hour,” “now,” “still,” and “again” in many Romance languages.

HOW IS YORE USED?
And the warden explained to me that when the architects designed the facility at Halden Prison, that it was really important to them to have the prison feel as though it was set in nature. And there’s historical precedent for this, even in our own country—asylums and hospitals in days of yore. It was seen to be really critical that people had fresh air and fresh water and a beautiful view.CHRISTINE MONTROSS, AS QUOTED IN “PSYCHIATRIST: AMERICA'S ‘EXTREMELY PUNITIVE’ PRISONS MAKE MENTAL ILLNESS WORSE,” NPR, JULY 16, 2020

Some beer companies are trying to create new, innovative ways to hold their cans together without trapping marine animals in any resulting refuse. Unlike plastic straws, however, viable alternatives aren’t always readily available. When the straw was first commercially produced, it was made of paper, making the move away from plastic simply a return to the straws of yore.SARAH GIBBENS, “ARE PLASTIC SIX-PACK RINGS STILL ENSNARING WILDLIFE?” NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

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Word of the day strikes back

Post by Richard Frost » Sun Sep 19 2021 10:00am

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

freebooter
[ free-boo-ter ]
noun

a person who goes about in search of plunder; pirate; buccaneer.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF FREEBOOTER?
Freebooter may appear to be an English-language compound, but in fact, it’s Anglicized from the Dutch term vrijbuiter, a combination of vrij “free” and buit “booty”—a compound word about treasure that is well suited for a pirate-related term. Buit and its English cognate booty derive from a Germanic source meaning “exchange” or “sharing of the spoils.” Freebooter has one other relative in English, and an unexpected one: filibuster, in the historical sense of “unauthorized military adventurer.” While freebooter is a direct borrowing from Dutch, plus a spelling change, filibuster is a borrowing of Spanish filibustero, one of several words meaning “pirate,” via French from the same Dutch term, vrijbuiter. Freebooter entered English in the late 1500s.

HOW IS FREEBOOTER USED?
[A]lmost as soon as the larger world became aware of Tribeca, in rushed developers and syndicators and builders and realtors … A certain type of family arrived, drawn by that safety and the faux-bohemianism of Downtown, driving out the actual bohemians. … We are cosseted, a warm little precinct, connected to the rest of the city, but for all our interaction with it, it feels as if there are drawbridges that keep out the would-be brigands and freebooters. KARL TARO GREENFELD, TRIBURBIA, 1995

Buccaneers were adventurers who settled in Hispaniola, the island today divided between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. They lived off the meat of wild cattle, which they preserved using an Indigenous smoking method called bouccan. In the mid-17th century they started to engage in piracy, just like the freebooters, a term deriving from the Dutch word vrijbuiter, “a person who freely takes booty.” MARÍA LARA MARTÍNEZ, "AHOY! IT'S THE REAL PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN—AND THE CAROLINAS," NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, JULY 2, 2020

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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Richard Frost » Mon Sep 20 2021 9:16am

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

iridescent

[ ir-i-des-uhnt ]
adjective

displaying a play of lustrous colours like those of the rainbow.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF IRIDESCENT?
Iridescent “displaying a play of lustrous colours like those of the rainbow” is a combination of the Ancient Greek word îris (stem irid-) “rainbow” and the Latin inceptive infix -sc- “the process of becoming.” In Greek mythology, Iris was the goddess of rainbows and sometimes functioned as the messenger of the gods, serving as a link between the heavens and the mortal realm, similar to the rainbow bridge Bifrost in Norse mythology. Îris is often considered to derive from the Proto-Indo-European root wei- “to turn, twist,” which is also found in wire (from Old English) and Latin vītis “vine,” but other linguists have proposed a pre-Greek origin. Iridescent was first recorded in English in the 1790s.

HOW IS IRIDESCENT USED?
A halo of multicoloured mist floats over an ominous storm. At first glance it looks like an angelic mural or even extraterrestrial activity. But this breathtaking photo is neither manipulated nor paranormal. It’s an iridescent cloud, a phenomenon occurring right in our own atmosphere.LARA SOROKANICH, “A RARE LOOK AT AN IRIDESCENT CLOUD,” NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, JULY 18, 2013

The sun had just gone down outside a soundstage 40 miles north of Los Angeles when a shimmering celestial being appeared. With blond tendrils, iridescent lips, and an hourglass figure, she radiated power, wisdom, and kindness—Oprah Winfrey, in a dress covered with lights.REBECCA KEEGAN, "CELESTIAL NAVIGATION," VANITY FAIR, MARCH 2018

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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Sarah » Mon Sep 20 2021 3:45pm

Word of the day from Susie Dent today:
Word of the day is 'niffle-naffling' (19th century): dilly-dallying or generally futzing about as a way of ignoring the important stuff.
https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1 ... 14272?s=20
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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Richard Frost » Tue Sep 21 2021 9:23am

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2021

serotinal

[ si-rot-n-l, ser-uh-tahyn-l ]
adjective

pertaining to or occurring in late summer.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF SEROTINAL?
Serotinal “pertaining to or occurring in late summer” describes the midpoint that neither estival “pertaining or appropriate to summer” nor autumnal “belonging to or suggestive of autumn” can completely cover. The term derives from the Latin adverb sērō “late,” from the adjective sērus “late, slow, tardy.” Sērō and the feminine form of sērus, sēra, later became the sources of the word for “evening” in many Romance languages, such as French soir, Italian sera, and Portuguese serão. Serotinal was first recorded in English in the late 1890s.

HOW IS SEROTINAL USED?
Here in North America, the serotinal season is that marvelous time, in early September, when the monarch butterflies start to migrate, the lakes are still warm enough for swimming, and the resorts are empty. As Helen Hunt Jackson writes in her poem “September,” “By all these lovely tokens / September days are here, / With summer’s best of weather / And autumn’s best of cheer.” CHRISTOPHER DEWDNEY, 18 MILES: THE EPIC DRAMA OF OUR ATMOSPHERE AND ITS WEATHER, 2018

Released this past summer, Beyond Eyes is an utterly gorgeous game that captures the very earliest stages of fall in a way few games even attempt, blending serotinal greens with the slow incursion of rusty reds. It’s still a rather summery-looking game, but depending on where you live in the world it may be a pretty darn accurate representation of your own experiences with fall. JANINE HAWKINS, "10 AUTUMN GAMES FOR YOUR VIRTUAL LEAF PEEPING," PASTE, OCTOBER 5, 2015

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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Richard Frost » Wed Sep 22 2021 9:41am

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

muliebrity

[ myoo-lee-eb-ri-tee ]
noun

womanly nature or qualities.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF MULIEBRITY?
Muliebrity “womanly nature or qualities” derives from Late Latin muliēbritās “womanhood,” from mulier “woman.” Mulier is of uncertain origin, though the most common theory connects the noun to the comparative adjective mollior “softer,” from mollis “soft, calm, gentle,” the source of the English verb mollify “to soften in feeling or temper.” Mulier was one of four primary Latin words that evolved into the terms for “woman,” “lady,” or “wife” in modern Romance languages; while mulier became Portuguese mulher and Spanish mujer, Latin fēmina “woman” became French femme and Spanish hembra, Latin domina “lady, mistress (of a household)” became French dame and Spanish doña, and Latin senior “older” became Portuguese senhora and Spanish señora. Muliebrity was first recorded in English in the late 1500s.

HOW IS MULIEBRITY USED?
She is so much a woman that I forget there are tomorrows. She is a poem, an epic of muliebrity, in those satin slippers and light gowns, and rustling dresses, and with jewels in her ears ….. And when she wears them, I can’t think at all.AUDREY BORENSTEIN, “THE NATURAL HISTORY OF A FRIENDSHIP,” EVANESCENCE, 2010

Unlike, say, Harry Styles or Billy Porter, both of whom have been known to flaunt gender ambivalence in their style choices, Bryan offers something more… suburban: machismo up top and muliebrity from the waist down.EVAN ROSS KATZ, "CAN YOU WALK A MILE IN MARK BRYAN’S LOUBOUTINS?" INTERVIEW, MARCH 2, 2021

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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Richard Frost » Thu Sep 23 2021 9:28am

Thursday, 23rd September 2021

wampum

[ wom-puhm, wawm- ]
noun

cylindrical beads made from shells, pierced and strung, used by North American Indians as a medium of exchange, for ornaments, and for ceremonial and sometimes spiritual purposes.


WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF WAMPUM?
Wampum is a shortened form of wampumpeag, also spelled variously as wampampeak and wampompeage, and was borrowed from the Massachusett language, in which it roughly meant “white strings.” Massachusett was one of the original Indigenous languages of New England, along with Narragansett, Mohegan, Mahican, Maliseet, and Abenaki, among others; of all these, only Abenaki and Maliseet survive today. However, a dialect of Massachusett, Wampanoag (also known as Wôpanâak), is currently undergoing revitalization. These languages belong to the greater Algonquian family, which includes Cree and Ojibwe in Canada, Arapaho and Cheyenne in the Plains, and even Delaware and Powhatan along the East Coast. Wampum entered English in the early 1600s.

HOW IS WAMPUM USED?
Wampum is Indigenous, sacred and symbolic. Made from the purple and white shells of the quahog and whelk, the beads carry the history, culture and name of the Wampanoag people of Massachusetts, whose ancestors met the passengers of the Mayflower in 1620 and ensured their survival. "'WAMPUM: STORIES FROM THE SHELLS OF NATIVE AMERICA' JOINS MAYFLOWER 400 EXHIBITION THIS SUMMER AT THE BOX IN PLYMOUTH, UK", ARTFIXDAILY, APRIL 25, 2021

Cornplanter’s Pipe was gifted by Washington, between 1790 and 1794, most likely in 1792, during one of the Seneca delegation’s meetings in Philadelphia. It was a part of an elaborate exchange of medals, pipes, wampum and other tangible symbols of amity between the Haudenosaunee and the U.S. An integral part of Treaty making and diplomacy, gifts were vital signs of heroic labor to achieve and maintain peaceful relations. SUZAN SHOWN HARJO, "THREE-CENTURY WHODUNNIT: GIFTED, BURNED, STOLEN AND MAILED. CORNPLANTER’S PIPE COMES HOME," INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY, MARCH 31, 2019

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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Richard Frost » Fri Sep 24 2021 10:05am

Word of the Day : September 24, 2021

hobnob

verb HAHB-nahb

What It Means
Hobnob means "to come or be together as friends."

Local business owners hobnobbed at the fundraiser.

The entertainment columnist learns about the latest gossip by hobnobbing with celebrities.

See the entry >

Examples
"Does declaring affection for Tanglewood, the iconic venue in the Berkshires, make me seem like a self-important muckety-muck eager to hobnob with elites from Boston and Manhattan? Well, so be it." — Chris Churchill, The Times-Union (Albany, New York), 25 July 2021

Did You Know?
In William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch warned Viola (who was disguised as a man) that Sir Andrew wanted to duel. "Hob, nob is his word," said Sir Toby, using "hob, nob" to mean something like "hit or miss." Sir Toby's term is probably an alteration of "hab nab," a phrase that meant "to have or not have, however it may turn out." After Shakespeare's day, hob and nob was used in the phrases "to drink hob or nob" and "to drink hobnob," which meant "to drink alternately to each other." Since "drinking hobnob" was generally done among friends, hobnob came to refer to congenial social interaction.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day

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