Word of the Day

[Violet]

pyhrric - (of a victory) won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor

I thought that was pyrrhic? Is there an alternate spelling?

[Tally M.]

pyhrric - (of a victory) won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor

I thought that was pyrrhic? Is there an alternate spelling?

It's my bad... I misspelled it, it is pyrrhic.

[Katya]

dotage - the period of life in which a person is old and weak

New challenge: Use write a sentence using the word you've just posted and the word posted just before it. "Becoming the CEO of a Fortune 500 company proved to be a pyrrhic victory for Ed because his busy work schedule estranged him from his children, none of whom would visit him in his dotage."

[Digit]

Togaed: Wearing or covered by a toga.

"Togaed is an anagram of dotage!" said the world's oldest freshman, well into his dotage and togaed at the kegger.

[Katya]

Togaed: Wearing or covered by a toga.

"Togaed is an anagram of dotage!" said the world's oldest freshman, well into his dotage and togaed at the kegger.

I strongly suspect that you already knew the meaning of "togaed," but you made me laugh so I'll let it pass.

[Portia]

(To answer my own Board question: yes, Anthony and Gloria Patch's victory in The Beautiful and the Damned is most certainly pyrrhic. For the Fitzgerald nuts, I highly recommend the essay and letter collection The Crack-Up. I cried.)

[Katya]

bight - a large (and often only slightly receding) bay. It is distinguished from a sound by being shallower.

During pledge week, the coast guard was kept busy by fishing togaed (and inebriated) students out of the bight.

[Yarjka]

Pounce: a fine powder, most often made from powdered cuttlefish bone, that was used both to dry ink and to sprinkle on a rough writing surface to make it smooth enough for writing

I cannot write a description of the bight outside of my window, as I have run out of pounce.

[Digit]

Skeuomorph: a derivative object that retains ornamental design cues from structures that were necessary in the original.

To prepare your virtual document for editing using the skeuomorph document editor, pour the virtual pounce on it in your terminal window.

[Katya]

To prepare your virtual document for editing using the skeuomorph document editor, pour the virtual pounce on it in your terminal window.

These are cracking me up.

[Katya]

noisome - having an extremely offensive smell

This word stood out to me because it looks like it should mean "noisy," but I was pretty sure I'd looked it up before and found that it had an entirely different meaning (which I couldn't remember). This time around, I got curious as to why two words with such different meanings ended up looking the same (and whether or not they had the same etymology).

Noise comes from the Anglo-Norman noice and ultimately from the Latin nausea.

Noisome comes from the word noy, which is related to the word annoy, which may come from the Latin inodio, meaning "hatred" (and related to the word odious). Incidentally, the French (and now English) word ennui comes from the same root as annoy.

The outhouses at the living history museum used skeumorphic design to immerse the patrons in the historical experience, but the designers balked at the idea of recreating an authentically noisome environment.

[Yarjka]

noisome - having an extremely offensive smell

Interestingly, in Russian, while most people say they "чувствовать" (feel) a smell, there are many who say they "слышать" (hear) a smell.

[Digit]

I just heard the etymology of the word disaster, which I never thought of before. It's Greek for bad star.

[Tally M.]

mulct - to extract money from (someone) by fine or taxation, or deprive someone of (money or possessions) by fraudulent means

The noisome building caused the city council to mulct the owner of $100 a month.

[Whistler]

demiurge - one that is an autonomous creative force or decisive power adj. - demiurgic

In a demiurgic passion, Sharon destroyed her Sims' workplaces, mulcting them of their livelihoods.

[Katya]

I just heard the etymology of the word disaster, which I never thought of before. It's Greek for bad star.

That is one of my favorite etymologies.

[Katya]

mulct - to extract money from (someone) by fine or taxation, or deprive someone of (money or possessions) by fraudulent means

The noisome building caused the city council to mulct the owner of $100 a month.

I kid you not, I ran into this word in the wild the very day you posted this! (And I was so pleased with myself for knowing what it meant, thanks to you.)

[Katya]

inchoate - just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary

The demiurge had succeeded in creating life, but it was still at an inchoate stage.

[Katya]

noisome - having an extremely offensive smell

Interestingly, in Russian, while most people say they "чувствовать" (feel) a smell, there are many who say they "слышать" (hear) a smell.

Huh. How . . . odd.

[Whistler]

hypnopompic - the state of coming out of sleep (vs. hypnogogic, falling asleep)

Having answered the phone in a hypnopompic blur, his reply was inchoate.

consigliere - an advisor, especially to a crime boss.

Their suspect had been hours without sleep and started to micronap, only answering the consigliere's questions in nonsense, hypnopompic speech.