Conor brought this up, and when I looked into it I was too entranced to leave it as a mere comment. His post was to a great degree…
Archive for the tag 'linguistics'
Apr 30 2008
Wednesday’s Word XLVIII
This entry contains “bad” language, which may not be suitable for all readers. If you are uncomfortable with swearing, please skip this entry.
Apr 23 2008
Wednesday’s Word XLVII
- amenable
- adj. willing to respond to persuasion or suggestions
- amiable
- adj. friendly; kind; sweet; gracious; as, an amiable temper or mood; amiable ideas
- amenity
- n. thing or circumstance that is welcome and makes life a little easier or more pleasant
- n. pleasantness
- amen
- adv. at the end of prayers: so be it
- adv. at…
Apr 02 2008
Wednesday’s Word XLVI
- nightmare
- n. A very bad or scary dream
The definition of “nightmare” needs no further explanation, as it’s a phenomenon I think most of us are familiar with. The inspiration for this particular Wednesday’s Word came from a rather odd source. I happened…
Mar 26 2008
Wednesday’s Word XLV
- cornucopia
- n. a goat’s horn endlessly overflowing with fruit, flowers and grain; or full of whatever its owner wanted
- n.. a hollow horn- or cone-shaped object, filled with edible or useful things
Cornucopia comes from the Latin cornu, and it the direct etymological ancestor…
Mar 05 2008
Wednesday’s Word XLIV
- apocryphal
- adj. of doubtful authenticity.
Apocryphal the adjective is derived from the word Greek apokrypha (ἀπόκρυφα), meaning “that which is hidden”—or, alternatively, through Latin apocryphus. It originally simply indicated writings (usually of a religious or religio-historical nature) which were not part of a canon.…
Feb 27 2008
Wednesday’s Word XLIII
- cacophony
- n. a mix of discordant sounds; dissonance.
There’s nothing inherently new or exciting in the word cacophonous; in fact, many of you have probably heard it before. It has a flair of the exotic, but it’s showed up often enough in the…
Feb 20 2008
Wednesday’s Word XLII
- borborygmus
- n. A rumbling sound made by the movement of gas in the intestines heard from a distance.
If you ever wanted a more intelligent way to say that your stomach is growling, here it is. From the Greek βορβορυγμος, our English equivalent…
Feb 13 2008
Wednesday’s Word XLI
- basilisk
- n. a mythical snake-like creature reputed to be so venomous its gaze was deadly
- n. a type of lizard (genus Basiliscus)
“Ben,” I hear you saying. “Tell me you’re not doing an entry about a basilisk because you read about it in Harry Potter.”
Fear…