Word of the Day

[Katya]

comity - courtesy and considerate behavior toward others

[Portia]

I came across gongshow in my brother's companion's letter home today ... then I realized that he's Canadian, like Sister Zed, and that I'd first encountered it in one of her missionary letters! It means an event marred by confusion or ineptitude, and originates in hockey culture.

[Digit]

Burnesha: Albanian sworn virgin, a woman who vows to wear men's clothing and act like a man, and of course be celibate for the rest of her life so that she, er, he, can be the patriarch of the family. CNN found some currently-living burneshas for a photo story about them.

[Katya]

piste - a ski run of compacted snow

[Yarjka]

Gongoozler
a person who enjoys watching activity on the canals in the United Kingdom

[Katya]

glare ice - ice that has a smooth slippery glassy surface

[bobtheenchantedone]

Admittedly I often ignore this thread, but "glare ice" is probably the first word/phrase from here that I've needed in my life.

[Katya]

Admittedly I often ignore this thread, but "glare ice" is probably the first word/phrase from here that I've needed in my life.

Yay, vocabulary!

[Katya]

hamartia - a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine

[SmurfBlueSnuggie]

hamartia - a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine

Are you reading The Fault in Our Stars?

[thatonemom]

I came across gongshow in my brother's companion's letter home today ... then I realized that he's Canadian, like Sister Zed, and that I'd first encountered it in one of her missionary letters! It means an event marred by confusion or ineptitude, and originates in hockey culture.

I just heard that word today and felt all cultured because I knew what it meant!

[Katya]

hamartia - a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine

Are you reading The Fault in Our Stars?

No, I think I got that from an article in The New Yorker.

[Katya]

compère - a person who introduces the performers or contestants in a variety show; host

[Katya]

I have never before today made the connection that cherub is the singular form of cherubim (possibly because I typically pronounce the former with a /tʃ/ and the latter with a /k/).

[Dragon Lady]

I have never before today made the connection that cherub is the singular form of cherubim (possibly because I typically pronounce the former with a /tʃ/ and the latter with a /k/).

Pet peeve: when people say the Hebrew plural -im as im instead of eem. (Sorry, I don't remember my phonetics.) For example. Eloheim. It is Elo-heem. Not Elo-him. I'm trying hard to get over it so I'm not annoyed All The Time in the temple.

[Katya]

I have never before today made the connection that cherub is the singular form of cherubim (possibly because I typically pronounce the former with a /tʃ/ and the latter with a /k/).

Pet peeve: when people say the Hebrew plural -im as im instead of eem. (Sorry, I don't remember my phonetics.) For example. Eloheim. It is Elo-heem. Not Elo-him. I'm trying hard to get over it so I'm not annoyed All The Time in the temple.

Oh, sound change, you rascal!

[Dragon Lady]

I think it bugs me more at the temple because, certainly they have Hebrew language experts on staff... right?

Random Hebrew pronunciation creation trivia to make up for it. In Hebrew, Eve is pronounced Hah-vah. With a breathy H. So it's kind of like you're breathing in and then out. So when Adam names her Eve because she's the mother of all living, he's pretty much naming her breath. Or life. Hebrew is full of stuff like this. THIS IS WHY IT'S SO AWESOME!

[Yarjka]

Pet peeve: when people say the Hebrew plural -im as im instead of eem. (Sorry, I don't remember my phonetics.) For example. Eloheim. It is Elo-heem. Not Elo-him. I'm trying hard to get over it so I'm not annoyed All The Time in the temple.

Do you say "Ureem and Thummeem" as well?

[Dragon Lady]

Pet peeve: when people say the Hebrew plural -im as im instead of eem. (Sorry, I don't remember my phonetics.) For example. Eloheim. It is Elo-heem. Not Elo-him. I'm trying hard to get over it so I'm not annoyed All The Time in the temple.

Do you say "Ureem and Thummeem" as well?

[blink] No.

Ummm.... time to justify?

I'm not convinced they're originally Hebrew? Because... they're not in the Old Testament.

New pet peeve: when I do my own pet peeves without realizing it.

To be fair and consistent, I generally let Book of Mormon and Church History terms slide so far as pronunciation goes. Largely because they are so far removed from Biblical Hebrew as to not necessarily be connected and be held to the same language rules.

Revised pet peeve: when people say the Hebrew plural -im as im instead of eem when the word can be found written in biblical Hebrew letters and thus should be pronounced as a Hebrew world should.

Ok, fine. Real pet peeve: Eloheim is not pronounced "Elo-him". It's pronounced "Elo-heem." Really... that probably covers it.

[Yarjka]

I'm not convinced they're originally Hebrew? Because... they're not in the Old Testament.

Ex. 28:30; Lev. 8:8; Num. 27:21; Deut. 33:8; 1 Sam. 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:65

But Wikipedia says ""Thummim" is pronounced /tumim/ in Modern Hebrew", so I guess these things don't matter all that much. My mind was blown when I learned that in the early days of the church "Deseret" was pronounced with the accent on the first syllable (at least according to the Deseret alphabet). Pronunciations change, and that's okay.

I was genuinely curious about your pronunciation of Urim and Thummim, though, since I'd never heard anyone use the long 'ee' sound for it (them).