Word of the day

Discussion about miscellaneous topics not covered by other forums
Richard Frost
Posts: 13232
Joined: Tue Jun 29 2010 8:14pm
Location: The Isle of Dreams
Has thanked: 2874 times
Been thanked: 6862 times

Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Tue Jul 14 2020 10:09am

TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

déjà vu

[ dey-zhah voo, vyoo; French dey-zha vy ]
noun

the illusion of having previously experienced something actually being encountered for the first time.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF DÉJÀ VU?
The late, great social philosopher Lawrence “Yogi” Berra is credited with saying “It’s déjà vu all over again,” referring to Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris constantly hitting back-to-back home runs for the Yankees in the early ’60s. This “Yogi-ism” aside, déjà vu, literally “already seen,” is the illusion of having previously experienced something actually being encountered for the first time, a term used in psychology. The phrase is French; it was first used and perhaps coined by Emile Boirac (1851–1917), a French philosopher and parapsychologist. Déjà “already” comes from Old French des ja “from now on”; des comes from Vulgar Latin dex or de ex, a combination of Latin prepositions dē “of, from” and ex “out, out of.” Ja “now, already,” comes from the Latin adverb jam with the same meaning. Vu comes from Vulgar Latin vidūtus or vedūtus, equivalent to Latin vīsus, past participle of vidēre “to see.” Déjà vu entered English in the early 20th century.

HOW IS DÉJÀ VU USED?
Trapped in a time loop: That’s how one man felt because of his recurring episodes of deja vu. - BAHAR GHOLIPOUR, "A STRANGE CASE OF DEJA VU, AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN." WASHINGTON POST, JANUARY 5, 2015

A person experiencing déjà vu is no more likely to accurately predict what they’re going to see around the next corner than someone who is blindly guessing. - MICHELLE STARR, "SCIENTISTS HAVE RECREATED DÉJÀ VU IN THE LAB, AND IT'S LESS SPOOKY THAN YOU'D THINK," SCIENCEALERT, MARCH 6, 2018
Thanked by: blythburgh, Kelantan

Richard Frost
Posts: 13232
Joined: Tue Jun 29 2010 8:14pm
Location: The Isle of Dreams
Has thanked: 2874 times
Been thanked: 6862 times

Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Wed Jul 15 2020 11:20am

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

sojourn

[ soh-jurn ]
noun

a temporary stay: during his sojourn in Paris.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF SOJOURN?
The noun sojourn means “a temporary stay.” The verb sojourn, “to stay for a time, reside temporarily,” has several dozen Middle English spellings: sojournen, sojourni, suggorn, suggeourn, etc. The Middle English forms derive from equally exuberant Old French forms, for example, sejorner, sojorner, sojourneir, sojurner, and Anglo-French forms, for example, sojurner, sujurner. The French forms derive from an unrecorded Vulgar Latin verb subdiurnāre “to stay for a time,” a compound of the preposition and prefix sub, sub-, here meaning “a little, for a while” and the Latin verb diurnāre “to live for a long time,” a derivative of the Latin adjective diurnus “belonging to the daytime, occurring every day.” Sojourn entered English in the 13th century.

HOW IS SOJOURN USED?
Nevertheless, in this mansion of gloom I now proposed to myself a sojourn of some weeks. -EDGAR ALLAN POE, "THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER," BURTON'S GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, 1839

He begins to conjecture how much he has gained and lost during his long sojourn in the American republic. - JAMES BALDWIN, "ENCOUNTER ON THE SEINE: BLACK MEETS BROWN," NOTES OF A NATIVE SON, 1955
Thanked by: blythburgh, Kelantan

Richard Frost
Posts: 13232
Joined: Tue Jun 29 2010 8:14pm
Location: The Isle of Dreams
Has thanked: 2874 times
Been thanked: 6862 times

Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Thu Jul 16 2020 10:03am

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

adamantine

[ ad-uh-man-teen, -tin, -tahyn ]
adjective

utterly unyielding or firm in attitude or opinion.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF ADAMANTINE?
Adamantine “unyielding in attitude or opinion; too hard to cut, break, or pierce; like a diamond (in luster)” comes from Middle English adama(u)ntin, from the Middle French adjective adamantin (feminine adamantine), from Latin adamantinus “pertaining to diamondlike adamant or steel; resembling diamonds (saxa adamantina), from Greek adamántinos, an adjective derived from the noun adámas (stem adamant-) “steel (the hardest metal); diamond.” The traditional etymology for adámas is the corresponding adjective meaning “unbreakable,” somehow a derivative of damân “to tame, subdue,” with the privative prefix a-; more likely adámas is a loanword from Semitic. Adamantine entered English in the first half of the 13th century.

HOW IS ADAMANTINE USED?
Her dedication to the pursuit of equality for the masses was adamantine, however. - "BRIEFLY NOTED: 'GODDESS OF ANARCHY,'" THE NEW YORKER, FEBRUARY 5, 2018

And the moment of commitment came with the special force that was central to his character: an adamantine, unshakable conviction that what he was doing was unequivocally right … - BEN MACINTYRE, THE SPY AND THE TRAITOR, 2018
Thanked by: blythburgh, Kelantan

BeautifulSunshine
Posts: 26721
Joined: Tue Sep 14 2010 8:23pm
Location: [The Finest City in the World: London]
Has thanked: 192 times
Been thanked: 3686 times
Contact:

Re: Word of the day

Post by BeautifulSunshine » Thu Jul 16 2020 10:37am

My wife says the worst type of man is adamantine. And that's why she loves me as I'm cool, calm and relaxed. Only firm when it really matters.
[imutual Cashback Investment Club]

Richard Frost
Posts: 13232
Joined: Tue Jun 29 2010 8:14pm
Location: The Isle of Dreams
Has thanked: 2874 times
Been thanked: 6862 times

Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Fri Jul 17 2020 10:15am

FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2020 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

rebus

[ ree-buhs ]
noun

a representation of a word or phrase by pictures, symbols, etc., that suggest that word or phrase or its syllables: Two gates and a head is a rebus for Gateshead.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF REBUS?
A rebus is a representation of a word or phrase by pictures or symbols suggesting that word or phrase or its syllables. Rebuses were formerly very popular with children in the Sunday funnies. The origin of rebus is disputed, but the most likely source is Latin rēbus “by things,” the ablative plural of the grievously overworked noun rēs “thing, matter, circumstance, affair, property, wealth, etc.” Rēbus is short for nōn verbīs sed rēbus “not by words but by things.” Some French authorities claim that rebus comes from the Latin phrase dē rēbus quae geruntur “concerning the affairs that are going on,” alluding to the satirical pieces composed and performed by the clerks of Picardy (northwest France) in the annual carnival, but this usage is later than attestations of rebus in the sense “puzzle.” Rebus entered English in the early 17th century.

HOW IS REBUS USED?
All I wanted to do was wish my fiancée happy birthday using emojis. But I couldn’t replicate the rebus of the classic Sandra Boynton greeting card: Hippo, Birdie, Two Ewes. - DAMON DARLIN, "AMERICA NEEDS ITS OWN EMOJIS," NEW YORK TIMES, MARCH 7, 2015

It [Seattle] created a new logo: a rebus that featured an eyeball, the “@” symbol, and the letter “L” (pronounced “See-at-L”), above the slogan, “Seattle: soak it up!” - PAUL HIEBERT, "WHAT'S THE POINT OF CITY LOGOS?" THE NEW YORKER, FEBRUARY 7, 2014
Thanked by: blythburgh, Kelantan

Richard Frost
Posts: 13232
Joined: Tue Jun 29 2010 8:14pm
Location: The Isle of Dreams
Has thanked: 2874 times
Been thanked: 6862 times

Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Sat Jul 18 2020 10:27am

SATURDAY, JULY 18, 2020 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

catalyst

[ kat-l-ist ]
noun

a person or thing that precipitates an event or change: His imprisonment by the government served as the catalyst that helped transform social unrest into revolution.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF CATALYST?
Catalyst was originally (at the beginning of the 20th century) a technical term used in chemistry, meaning “a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected.” By the early 1940s, the English poet and critic Sir Herbert Read extended the sense to a poet as a person who precipitates an event or change: “The catalyst [the poet] is unchanged, unabsorbed; its activity therefore not acknowledged.” Catalyst is irregularly formed from the Greek noun katálysis “dissolution, tearing down (especially of governments), a derivative of the verb katalýein “to pull down, destroy, dissolve (a political system), and the (originally Greek) agent suffix –ist. Katalýein is a compound of the Greek preposition and prefix katá, kata– “down, against, back” (usually spelled cata– in English) and the simple verb lýein “to loose, untie, release, solve, resolve.”

HOW IS CATALYST USED?
What happened in Ferguson is often described as a catalyst—the beginning of a social justice movement that would sweep the nation. - TIMOTHY WILLIAMS AND JOHN ELIGON, "THE LIVES OF FERGUSON ACTIVIST, FIVE YEARS LATER," NEW YORK TIMES, AUGUST 9, 2019

On the heels of the Free-Soil convention in Buffalo, three hundred women and men held a women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. Margaret Fuller was still in Italy, but it was her work that had served as a catalyst. - JILL LEPORE, THESE TRUTHS: A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, 2018
Thanked by: blythburgh, Kelantan

Richard Frost
Posts: 13232
Joined: Tue Jun 29 2010 8:14pm
Location: The Isle of Dreams
Has thanked: 2874 times
Been thanked: 6862 times

Re: Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Sun Jul 19 2020 10:01am

SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2020 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

fain

[ feyn ]
adverb

gladly; willingly: He fain would accept.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF FAIN?
The word fain is very old, indeed: It first appears in English as an adjective about 888 in King Alfred the Great’s translation of Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy (Dē Cōnsōlātiōne Philosophiae, ca. 532). Fain comes from Old English fægen, fægn “glad, joyful, rejoicing.” Fægen is cognate with Old Norse feginn, Old Saxon fagan, fagin, Old High German fagin, all meaning “happy, glad,” and related to the Old English verb geféon, gefeohan, gefeagan “to be glad, rejoice,” from the Germanic verb stem fagin-, fagan– “to enjoy,” derived from the root fag-. From the same root fag– is derived the adjective stem fagra-, as in Gothic fagrs “fit for, beautiful,” Old Icelandic fagr “fine, fair, beautiful,” and Old English fæger “beautiful, joyous, pleasant,” English fair.

HOW IS FAIN USED?
It is rather sad to think that their revels now are ended, that the happy woods (where I would fain be, wandering in pensive mood) where they held high holiday will soon be a silent grove. -PATRICK LEIGH FERMOR, "PATRICK LEIGH FERMOR TO ENRICA (RICKI) HUSTON, AUGUST 11, 1961," PATRICK LEIGH FERMROR: A LIFE IN LETTERS, 2016

What a poor soul it is that has not some secret chamber, sacred to itself; where one can file away the things others have no right to know, as well as things that one himself would fain forget! - CHARLES WADELL CHESTNUTT, HOUSE BEHIND THE CEDARS, 1900
Thanked by: blythburgh, Kelantan

BeautifulSunshine
Posts: 26721
Joined: Tue Sep 14 2010 8:23pm
Location: [The Finest City in the World: London]
Has thanked: 192 times
Been thanked: 3686 times
Contact:

Re: Word of the day

Post by BeautifulSunshine » Sun Jul 19 2020 6:43pm

i fain would accept dinner for two with her, at my personal expense.
[imutual Cashback Investment Club]

Richard Frost
Posts: 13232
Joined: Tue Jun 29 2010 8:14pm
Location: The Isle of Dreams
Has thanked: 2874 times
Been thanked: 6862 times

Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Mon Jul 20 2020 10:12am

MONDAY, JULY 20, 2020 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

singularity

[ sing-gyuh-lar-i-tee ]
noun

a hypothesized future era or event when exponential improvements in computer intelligence and advances in technology will result in an acute change in human society and evolution.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF SINGULARITY?
Singularity comes from Middle English singularite, singulerite “solitude, solitary living; personal gain or advantage; individual or particular things; singleness of purpose,” from Old French singulerte, singulariteit “singular character or quality; peculiarity” or from Late Latin singulāritās (inflectional stem singulāritāt-) “a being alone or by oneself,” a derivative of the adjective singulāris “alone, alone of its kind, one by one, singular.” The computer or technological sense, “a hypothesized future in which exponential improvements in computer intelligence and technological advances result in an acute change in human society and evolution,” is closely associated with the computer scientist and science fiction author Vernor Vinge, who popularized this sense in his writings, most notably in his 1986 novel Marooned in Realtime, and later in an article titled “Technological Singularity” published in Whole Earth Review in 1993. Singularity entered English in the 14th century.

HOW IS SINGULARITY USED?
A lot of smart people are thinking about the singularity, when the machines grow advanced enough to make humanity obsolete. -MATT SIMON, "THE WIRED GUIDE TO ROBOTS," WIRED, APRIL 16, 2020

But fulfilling the wishes of a revered biological legacy will occupy only a trivial portion of the intellectual power that the Singularity will bring. -RAY KURZWEIL, THE SINGULARITY IS NEAR: WHEN HUMANS TRANSCEND BIOLOGY, 2005
oo00oo

This definition meant nothing to me and the following makes much more sense.

singularity - https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=U523DF ... ingularity

[sɪŋɡjʊˈlarɪti]
NOUN
singularity (noun) · singularities (plural noun)
the state, fact, quality, or condition of being singular.
"he believed in the singularity of all cultures"

synonyms:
uniqueness · distinctiveness · difference · individuality · particularity
a peculiarity or odd trait.

"it is a singularity of the book that it contains such a wealth of illustrations"

synonyms:
idiosyncrasy · quirk · trait · foible · peculiarity · oddity · eccentricity · abnormality

physics mathematics
a point at which a function takes an infinite value, especially in space–time when matter is infinitely dense, such as at the centre of a black hole.

(the singularity)
a hypothetical moment in time when artificial intelligence and other technologies have become so advanced that humanity undergoes a dramatic and irreversible change.
"maybe the singularity just happened, and we didn't notice"

Origin
Middle English: from Old French singularite, from late Latin singularitas, from singularis ‘alone (of its kind)’ (see singular).
Thanked by: blythburgh, Kelantan

Richard Frost
Posts: 13232
Joined: Tue Jun 29 2010 8:14pm
Location: The Isle of Dreams
Has thanked: 2874 times
Been thanked: 6862 times

Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Tue Jul 21 2020 9:49am

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

mirabilia

[ mee-rah-bil-i-ah; English mir-uh-bil-ee-uh ]
plural noun

Latin.

marvels; miracles.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF MIRABILIA?
In English, mirabilia is a plural noun meaning “miracles, wonders.” Mirabilia comes straight from Latin mīrābilia, a noun use of the neuter plural of the adjective mīrābilis “wonderful, marvelous, remarkable, singular.” In the Vulgate (the Latin version of the Bible, prepared chiefly by Saint Jerome at the end of the 4th century a.d.,) the adjective mīrābilis means “glorious, miraculous;” the noun use, mīrābile in the singular, mīrābilia in the plural, means “wondrous deed, miracle.” The corresponding form in Vulgar Latin, mīribilia (noun), regularly becomes merveille in Old French, merveille in Middle English, and marvel in English. Mirabilia entered English in the first half of the 19th century.

HOW IS MIRABILIA USED?
Reading this compendium is like exploring a cabinet of curiosities, each section home to uncanny and startling mirabilia. - KANISHK THAROOR, "APHRODISIACS? SEARCH THIS MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC ENCYCLOPEDIA," NEW YORK TIMES, OCTOBER 7, 2016

in Rome you caused mirabilia to appear that the Romans themselves had never dreamed of, starting with the gabble of that Hugo of Jabala … - UMBERTO ECO, BAUDOLINO, TRANSLATED BY WILLIAM WEAVER, 2002
Thanked by: blythburgh, Kelantan

Locked

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests