Word of the Day
- Laser Jock
- Tech Admin
- Posts: 630
- Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2007 4:07 pm
Re: Word of the Day
dybbuk - in Jewish mythology, a malicious or malevolent possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person.
(In this case, used jokingly to explain why the author found themself suddenly agreeing with views they always hated when they were younger. Clearly possession is the answer. )
(In this case, used jokingly to explain why the author found themself suddenly agreeing with views they always hated when they were younger. Clearly possession is the answer. )
Re: Word of the Day
Ha, sorry, wasn't meaning to sound braggish, I was just excited that I actually knew a word. My vocabulary is lacking. But I actually knew dybbuk, too, thanks to A Serious Man, which is my favorite Coen brothers movie.Katya wrote:Oh yeah, you would. Cool.krebscout wrote:Hey, that's a word I knew!
Re: Word of the Day
Great movie! All should watch, now.krebscout wrote:But I actually knew dybbuk, too, thanks to A Serious Man, which is my favorite Coen brothers movie.
Re: Word of the Day
Oh no, I didn't think you sounded braggish at all. I genuinely think that the vocabulary and jargon of different professions is interesting, and it's certainly a concept that would be more important in your profession than in mine.krebscout wrote:Ha, sorry, wasn't meaning to sound braggish, I was just excited that I actually knew a word. My vocabulary is lacking.Katya wrote:Oh yeah, you would. Cool.krebscout wrote:Hey, that's a word I knew!
Re: Word of the Day
paresthesia or paraesthesia
PRONUNCIATION:
(par-uhs-THEE-zhuh, -zhee-)
MEANING:
noun: A sensation of pricking, tingling, burning, etc. on the skin.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek para- (at, beyond) + aisthesis (sensation or perception). Ultimately from the Indo-European root au- (to perceive) that also gave us audio, audience, audit, auditorium, anesthesia, aesthetic, anesthetic, esthesia, synesthesia, and obey. Earliest documented use: 1848.
USAGE:
"Cronk muttered to himself, wiggling his right foot in an effort to relieve the paresthesia."
Bruce Banta; A Dead Man's Chest; Xlibris; 2011.
PRONUNCIATION:
(par-uhs-THEE-zhuh, -zhee-)
MEANING:
noun: A sensation of pricking, tingling, burning, etc. on the skin.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek para- (at, beyond) + aisthesis (sensation or perception). Ultimately from the Indo-European root au- (to perceive) that also gave us audio, audience, audit, auditorium, anesthesia, aesthetic, anesthetic, esthesia, synesthesia, and obey. Earliest documented use: 1848.
USAGE:
"Cronk muttered to himself, wiggling his right foot in an effort to relieve the paresthesia."
Bruce Banta; A Dead Man's Chest; Xlibris; 2011.
Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Re: Word of the Day
Lazarus taxon: something that disappears from the fossil record for 1+ periods before coming back. Related are "Lazarus species," which are organisms found alive after they were classified as extinct.
"If you don't put enough commas in, you won't know where to breathe and will die of asphyxiation"
--Jasper Fforde
--Jasper Fforde
Re: Word of the Day
camoufleur - a person serving in a camouflage unit during WWI or WWII
source - 99% invisible podcast about dazzle camouflage.
source - 99% invisible podcast about dazzle camouflage.
Re: Word of the Day
devolution (n) - the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level (i.e., giving a subnational region more authority or autonomy)
source - an article about Mebyon Kernow, a political party in Cornwall that favors devolution for that region
source - an article about Mebyon Kernow, a political party in Cornwall that favors devolution for that region
- Laser Jock
- Tech Admin
- Posts: 630
- Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2007 4:07 pm
Re: Word of the Day
antiscorbutic - having the effect of preventing or curing scurvy
source - an old medical book ("manual of practical hygiene") from the 1880s, which went through a long explanation of how they really weren't sure what it was, exactly, that prevented scurvy, but lemon juice and vinegar seemed to work (if you didn't have fresh fruits and vegetables). I thought it was pretty funny. (Also, they kept saying they thought it was citric acid, because of the whole lemon juice connection...nope!) This same book also still thought that malaria was caused by swamp gas. (Just found the book in Google Books; they've scanned the whole thing, so if anyone wants to get a good laugh out of super outdated medical science, check it out here. The part on scurvy starts at the bottom of the page and goes for several more pages. The part on malaria is here.)
Also, I had no idea that ascorbic acid was etymologically related to scurvy, but "antiscorbutic" made it kinda obvious (a = without, scorbic = scurvy-ish).
source - an old medical book ("manual of practical hygiene") from the 1880s, which went through a long explanation of how they really weren't sure what it was, exactly, that prevented scurvy, but lemon juice and vinegar seemed to work (if you didn't have fresh fruits and vegetables). I thought it was pretty funny. (Also, they kept saying they thought it was citric acid, because of the whole lemon juice connection...nope!) This same book also still thought that malaria was caused by swamp gas. (Just found the book in Google Books; they've scanned the whole thing, so if anyone wants to get a good laugh out of super outdated medical science, check it out here. The part on scurvy starts at the bottom of the page and goes for several more pages. The part on malaria is here.)
Also, I had no idea that ascorbic acid was etymologically related to scurvy, but "antiscorbutic" made it kinda obvious (a = without, scorbic = scurvy-ish).
Re: Word of the Day
This etymology makes my day.Laser Jock wrote:Also, I had no idea that ascorbic acid was etymologically related to scurvy, but "antiscorbutic" made it kinda obvious (a = without, scorbic = scurvy-ish).
Re: Word of the Day
demob (v) - demobilize, retire from military service
etymology: presumably a clipping of "demobilize"
etymology: presumably a clipping of "demobilize"
- The Happy Medium
- Posts: 118
- Joined: Wed Oct 05, 2011 1:33 am
- Location: Provo
Re: Word of the Day
Are any of you subscribed to the OED word of the day? I signed up a few months ago and I love it. You can sign up here.
Re: Word of the Day
abreaction - reliving an experience in order to purge it of its emotional excesses; a type of catharsis
source - a theater review that used the term "abreactive"
source - a theater review that used the term "abreactive"
Re: Word of the Day
I remember we were talking about eponyms in here at one point, so here's one:
Ramification. Apparently it is afer Petrus Ramus, the sixteenth-century French rhetorician.
Ramification. Apparently it is afer Petrus Ramus, the sixteenth-century French rhetorician.
Deus ab veritas
Re: Word of the Day
I just realized the other day that "cuss" was originally a dialectical variant of "curse."
Re: Word of the Day
inculcate (v) - "to implant by repeated statement or admonition; teach persistently and earnestly"
source - my strange Book of Mormon professor who has used this more times than he should
source - my strange Book of Mormon professor who has used this more times than he should
Re: Word of the Day
piggle -verb. "to fiddle or toy with. to niggle or worry about."
OED online word of the day
OH! "Piggle" means to niggle. Thanks for clearing that up for me. #sarcasmhashtag
OED online word of the day
OH! "Piggle" means to niggle. Thanks for clearing that up for me. #sarcasmhashtag
Re: Word of the Day
How did I never make that connection?Emiliana wrote:I just realized the other day that "cuss" was originally a dialectical variant of "curse."
Re: Word of the Day
I felt the same way.Katya wrote:How did I never make that connection?Emiliana wrote:I just realized the other day that "cuss" was originally a dialectical variant of "curse."
Re: Word of the Day
natatorium (n) - A swimming pool, esp. one that is indoors.