nyctophobia \nik-tuh-FOH-bee-uh\, noun:
An abnormal fear of night or darkness.
Hardly right for him to do that if you're here by yourself, Miss Laetitia—all alone with your nyctophobia—but if Miss Templeton were here as well, you could all chaperone one another.
-- Barbara Cleverly, A Darker God
For as long as she could remember, Jerry Gates had been terrified of the dark. The cause of this nyctophobia was beyond the reach of recollection: some early trauma at the top of the stairs, perhaps.
-- Christopher Fowler, Seventy-Seven Clocks
Nyctophobia stems from the Greek nyktos- meaning night and phobia meaning fear.
2011年10月31日 星期一
2011年10月30日 星期日
2011_10_30 thanatopsis \than-uh-TOP-sis\, noun: A view or contemplation of death.
thanatopsis \than-uh-TOP-sis\, noun:
1. A view or contemplation of death.
2. A poem (1817) by William Cullen Bryant.
Once upon a time not too long ago I was married to a young woman whose every waking moment was underlain by a preoccupation with thanatopsis.
-- Harlan Ellison, Edgeworks
Yet, having heard Khideo's playful thanatopsis—he meant it to be playful—Ilihi looked at him with strange concern. “You sound as if you long for death, but I know it's not true.” said Ilihi.
-- Orson Scott Card, Earthborn
Thanatopsis was first used in English by poet William Cullen Bryant in his 1817 poem. The word literally comes from the Greek thanato- meaning death and -opsis meaning likeness or idea.
1. A view or contemplation of death.
2. A poem (1817) by William Cullen Bryant.
Once upon a time not too long ago I was married to a young woman whose every waking moment was underlain by a preoccupation with thanatopsis.
-- Harlan Ellison, Edgeworks
Yet, having heard Khideo's playful thanatopsis—he meant it to be playful—Ilihi looked at him with strange concern. “You sound as if you long for death, but I know it's not true.” said Ilihi.
-- Orson Scott Card, Earthborn
Thanatopsis was first used in English by poet William Cullen Bryant in his 1817 poem. The word literally comes from the Greek thanato- meaning death and -opsis meaning likeness or idea.
2011_10_29 sepulchral \suh-PUHL-kruhl\, adjective: funereal or dismal.
sepulchral \suh-PUHL-kruhl\, adjective:
1. Proper to or suggestive of a tomb; funereal or dismal.
2. Of or pertaining to burial.
3. Of, pertaining to, or serving as a tomb.
4. Hollow and deep: sepulchral tones.
I expect you are aware that my brother had an abiding interest in sepulchral art and tomb antiquities, sir.
-- Amanda Quick, Mischief
For, except in one or two doubtful instances, these mountainous sepulchral edifices have not availed to keep so much as the bare name of an individual or a family from oblivion.
-- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun
Sepulchural is derived from the Latin sepulcrum, from sepul- meaning to bury and -crum which was the suffix denoting place, so it literally meant “place to bury.”
1. Proper to or suggestive of a tomb; funereal or dismal.
2. Of or pertaining to burial.
3. Of, pertaining to, or serving as a tomb.
4. Hollow and deep: sepulchral tones.
I expect you are aware that my brother had an abiding interest in sepulchral art and tomb antiquities, sir.
-- Amanda Quick, Mischief
For, except in one or two doubtful instances, these mountainous sepulchral edifices have not availed to keep so much as the bare name of an individual or a family from oblivion.
-- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun
Sepulchural is derived from the Latin sepulcrum, from sepul- meaning to bury and -crum which was the suffix denoting place, so it literally meant “place to bury.”
2011年10月28日 星期五
2011_10_28 berserk \ber-SURK\, adjective: wild; crazed; deranged
berserk \ber-SURK\, adjective:
1. Violently or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged.
noun:
1. Scandinavian legend. An ancient Norse warrior who fought with frenzied rage in battle, possibly induced by eating hallucinogenic mushrooms.
I was shaking like a washing machine gone berserk.
-- Francisco Goldman, The Long Night of White Chickens
She had had lots of power, in her own way, but she had no more motherly instinct than a berserk rhino.
-- Gregory Maguire, Son of a Witch
The English usage of berserk lies in an Old Norse story introduced by Sir Walter Scott in 1822. It is from the Old Norse word berserkr (n.) meaning a raging warrior of superhuman strength. Linguistically, it probably from stems from ber- meaning bear and serkr meaning shirt, thus literally "a warrior clothed in bearskin."
1. Violently or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged.
noun:
1. Scandinavian legend. An ancient Norse warrior who fought with frenzied rage in battle, possibly induced by eating hallucinogenic mushrooms.
I was shaking like a washing machine gone berserk.
-- Francisco Goldman, The Long Night of White Chickens
She had had lots of power, in her own way, but she had no more motherly instinct than a berserk rhino.
-- Gregory Maguire, Son of a Witch
The English usage of berserk lies in an Old Norse story introduced by Sir Walter Scott in 1822. It is from the Old Norse word berserkr (n.) meaning a raging warrior of superhuman strength. Linguistically, it probably from stems from ber- meaning bear and serkr meaning shirt, thus literally "a warrior clothed in bearskin."
2011年10月27日 星期四
2011_10_27 perdition \per-DISH-uhn\, noun: Hell.
perdition \per-DISH-uhn\, noun:
1. A state of final spiritual ruin; loss of the soul; damnation.
2. The future state of the wicked.
3. Hell.
4. Utter destruction or ruin.
5. Obsolete. Loss.
So my suspicions are confirmed, then, and you have determined to hand over your son to eternal perdition.
-- Henry Kingsley, Ravenshoe, Volume 1
I will rescue you from perdition in spite of yourself; Penance and mortification shall expiate your offense, and Severity force you back to the paths of holiness.
-- Matthew Lewis, The Monk
Perdition stems from the Latin perditiōn- meaning destruction. It was the equivalent of perdit, the past participle of perdere meaning to do in, ruin or lose.
1. A state of final spiritual ruin; loss of the soul; damnation.
2. The future state of the wicked.
3. Hell.
4. Utter destruction or ruin.
5. Obsolete. Loss.
So my suspicions are confirmed, then, and you have determined to hand over your son to eternal perdition.
-- Henry Kingsley, Ravenshoe, Volume 1
I will rescue you from perdition in spite of yourself; Penance and mortification shall expiate your offense, and Severity force you back to the paths of holiness.
-- Matthew Lewis, The Monk
Perdition stems from the Latin perditiōn- meaning destruction. It was the equivalent of perdit, the past participle of perdere meaning to do in, ruin or lose.
2011年10月26日 星期三
2011_10_26 animadvert \an-uh-mad-VURT\, verb:To comment unfavorably or critically.
animadvert \an-uh-mad-VURT\, verb:
1. To comment unfavorably or critically.
2. Obsolete. To take cognizance or notice of.
I have a proposition which I am desirous of making to Mr. Gilmore, as a magistrate acting in this part of the county. Of course, it is not for me to animadvert upon what the magistrates may do at the bench tomrorrow.
-- Anthony Trollope, The Vicar of Bullhamptom
It is not our business to animadvert upon these lines; we are not critics, but historians.
-- Andrew Lang, The Blue Fairy Book
Animadvert comes from the Latin animadvertere meaning to heed or censure.
1. To comment unfavorably or critically.
2. Obsolete. To take cognizance or notice of.
I have a proposition which I am desirous of making to Mr. Gilmore, as a magistrate acting in this part of the county. Of course, it is not for me to animadvert upon what the magistrates may do at the bench tomrorrow.
-- Anthony Trollope, The Vicar of Bullhamptom
It is not our business to animadvert upon these lines; we are not critics, but historians.
-- Andrew Lang, The Blue Fairy Book
Animadvert comes from the Latin animadvertere meaning to heed or censure.
2011年10月25日 星期二
2011_10_25 To hypnotize; fascinate; To hypnotize
Word of the Day for Tuesday, October 25, 2011
mesmerize \MEZ-muh-rahyz\, verb:
1. To spellbind; fascinate.
2. To hypnotize.
3. To compel by fascination.
What a joy it was to mesmerize his audience, delight them, sell them the medicine, trick them.
-- Jeffery Deaver, The Vanished Man
“This gentleman," said Fraisier, darting at Schmucke one of those poisonous glances wherewith he was wont to mesmerize his victims, just as a spider mesmerizes a fly...
-- Honoré de Balzac, The Human Comedy
Mesmerize is an eponym from Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), an Austrian physician who developed a theory of animal magnetism and a mysterious body fluid which allows one person to hypnotize another.
mesmerize \MEZ-muh-rahyz\, verb:
1. To spellbind; fascinate.
2. To hypnotize.
3. To compel by fascination.
What a joy it was to mesmerize his audience, delight them, sell them the medicine, trick them.
-- Jeffery Deaver, The Vanished Man
“This gentleman," said Fraisier, darting at Schmucke one of those poisonous glances wherewith he was wont to mesmerize his victims, just as a spider mesmerizes a fly...
-- Honoré de Balzac, The Human Comedy
Mesmerize is an eponym from Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), an Austrian physician who developed a theory of animal magnetism and a mysterious body fluid which allows one person to hypnotize another.
2011年10月24日 星期一
2011_10_24 anoesis \an-oh-EE-sis\, noun: A state of mind consisting of pure sensation
Word of the Day for Monday, October 24, 2011
anoesis \an-oh-EE-sis\, noun:A state of mind consisting of pure sensation or emotion without cognitive content.
Normally, on my long-distance walks, anoesis descends within a few miles: the mental tape loop of infuriating resentments, or inane pop lyrics, or nonce phrases gives way to the greeny-beige noise of the outdoors.
-- Will Self, Psychogeography
Wiggy felt sudden release from all tension: exalted, drawn up in a freedom like dance. Then he was staring in stillness, for a moment in anoesis.Anoesis is derived from the Greek word noesis meaning reason or intellect and the prefix a- meaning not. Thus it means, no reason.
-- Richard Henderson, Chasing Charlie
2011年10月23日 星期日
2011_10_23 ferly \FER-lee\, noun: 1. Something unusual, strange, or causing wonder or terror.
ferly \FER-lee\, noun:
1. Something unusual, strange, or causing wonder or terror.
2. Astonishment; wonder.
adjective:
1. Unexpected; strange; unusual.
I had had half a thought, at the outset, of telling him about the ferly, my glimpse of the palace. But I couldn't bring myself to it.
-- Clive Staples Lewis and Fritz Eichenberg, Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold
Lord, ye'll have all the folk staring as if we were some ferly.Ferly is derived from Old English fǣrlīc meaning fǣr (fear) and -līc (-ly). It was related to the Germangefährlich meaning dangerous.
-- Margaret Oliphant, Kirsteen
2011年10月22日 星期六
2011_10_22 anomie \AN-uh-mee\, noun: A sense of loneliness and anxiety
anomie \AN-uh-mee\, noun:
A sense of loneliness and anxiety; a state or condition characterized by a breakdown or absence of social norms and values, as in the case of uprooted people.
That Texas was a fluid situation which attracted people who were prone to anomie, and that in their continuing disorganization they killed themsevles.
-- James W. Michener, Texas
In particular, in his search to live up to his father's example, Oskar has to overcome the depressing sense of anomie that results from living in a big city.Anomie comes directly from the Greek anomia meaning lawlessness, from a (without) and nomia (law)
-- Kristiaan Versluys, Out of the Blue
2011年10月21日 星期五
2011_10_21 loll \lol\, verb: To hang loosely; droop; dangle.
loll \lol\, verb:
1. To recline or lean in a relaxed, lazy, or indolent manner; lounge.
2. To hang loosely; droop; dangle.
3. To allow to hang, droop, or dangle.
noun:
1. The act of lolling.
2. A person or thing that lolls.
Smoking-room chairs exist to be lolled in. In a well-made modern armchair you cannot do anything but loll. Now, lolling is neither dignified nor respectful.
-- Aldous Huxley, Complete Essays
Then he begins to loll—for a person who can consent to loaf his useless life away in ignominious indolence has not the energy to sit up straight.
-- Mark Twain, Sketches New and Old
Loll is derived from the Middle English lollen, lullen which compares to the Middle Dutch lollen meaning to doze, sit over the fire.
1. To recline or lean in a relaxed, lazy, or indolent manner; lounge.
2. To hang loosely; droop; dangle.
3. To allow to hang, droop, or dangle.
noun:
1. The act of lolling.
2. A person or thing that lolls.
Smoking-room chairs exist to be lolled in. In a well-made modern armchair you cannot do anything but loll. Now, lolling is neither dignified nor respectful.
-- Aldous Huxley, Complete Essays
Then he begins to loll—for a person who can consent to loaf his useless life away in ignominious indolence has not the energy to sit up straight.
-- Mark Twain, Sketches New and Old
Loll is derived from the Middle English lollen, lullen which compares to the Middle Dutch lollen meaning to doze, sit over the fire.
2011年10月20日 星期四
2011_10_20 tawdry \TAW-dree\, adjective:
tawdry \TAW-dree\, adjective:
1. Gaudy, showy and cheap.
2. Low or mean; base: tawdry motives.
noun:
1. Cheap, gaudy apparel.
It was all worn off now: cheap as Coney Island, tawdry, tarnished as the last year's trappings of a circus, bedraggled, shabby as a harlot's painted face at noon.
-- Thomas Wolfe, Of Time and The River
She knew it was a tawdry, a squalid freedom, tawdry as the pink geraniums and squalid as the awful and inevitable bridge and poker parties.Tawdry was originally short for (Sain)t Audrey lace, which was a kind of neck lace bought at St. Audrey's Fair in Ely, England named after St. Audrey, Northumbrian queen and patron saint of Ely, who, according to tradition, died of a throat tumor which she considered just punishment of her youthful liking for neck laces
-- D.H. Lawrence, The First Lady Chatterly
2011年10月19日 星期三
2011_10_19 harrowing \HAR-oh-ing\, adjective: disturbing
harrowing \HAR-oh-ing\, adjective:
Extremely disturbing or distressing; grievous.
It was his duty to read the applications from destitutes, reject the undeserving, visit the others to see how deserving or desperate they were, and then, if circumstances warranted it, to write harrowing accountings of their plight, harrowing enough to encourage contributions for the fund.
-- V.S. Naipaul, House of Mister Biswas
After a few minutes of harrowing silence, she said in a smothered voice, “Papa returns tomorrow.”
-- Benjamin Disraeli, Novels and Tales: Henrietta Temple
Harrowing is from the Middle English harwen meaning to harass or annoy. It was also commonly used in the church to mean “descend into hell.”
2011年10月18日 星期二
2011_10_18 moot \moot\, adjective: debate; doubtful
moot \moot\, adjective:
1. Open to discussion or debate; doubtful.
2. Of little or no practical value or meaning; purely academic.
3. Chiefly Law Not actual; theoretical; hypothetical.
2. Of little or no practical value or meaning; purely academic.
3. Chiefly Law Not actual; theoretical; hypothetical.
verb:
1. To present or introduce (any point, subject, project, etc.) for discussion.
2. To reduce or remove the practical significance of; make purely theoretical or academic.
3. Archaic To argue (a case), especially in a mock court.
1. To present or introduce (any point, subject, project, etc.) for discussion.
2. To reduce or remove the practical significance of; make purely theoretical or academic.
3. Archaic To argue (a case), especially in a mock court.
noun:
1. An assembly of the people in early England exercising political, administrative, and judicial powers.
2. An argument or discussion, especially of a hypothetical legal case.
3. Obsolete A debate, argument, or discussion.
1. An assembly of the people in early England exercising political, administrative, and judicial powers.
2. An argument or discussion, especially of a hypothetical legal case.
3. Obsolete A debate, argument, or discussion.
“What do you mean, 'moot'?” “I mean moot. It's taken care of. The documents are notarized. I'm recouping my lawyer's fees and that's the end of it.”
-- Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections
As for Maddy, my only point would be that a suitable age for dating becomes moot if nobody's asking.
-- Marion K. Douglas, Dance Hall Road
Moot is derived from the Old English gemot "meeting.” The adj. senses of "debatable" and "not worth considering" arose from moot case, earlier simply moot (n.) "discussion of a hypothetical law case" (1530s), in law student jargon, in reference to students gathering to test their skills in mock cases.
2011年10月17日 星期一
2011_10_16 dorsal \DAWR-suhl\, adjective: Situated on the back, posterior
dorsal \DAWR-suhl\, adjective:
1. Situated on the back
2. In Anatomy situated on or toward the upper side of the body, equivalent to the back, or posterior, in humans.
3. In Botany pertaining to the surface away from the axis, as of a leaf; abaxial.
4. In Phonetics articulated with the dorsum of the tongue.
noun:
1. In Phonetics a dorsal speech sound.
2. In Anatomy a dorsal structure.
The arm was lying, fully extended, with the dorsal side uppermost.
-- R. Austin Freeman, The Eye of Osiris
Dorsal fins broke the surface, carving the cobalt water clean and silver.
-- Zoë Archer, Scoundrel
Dorsal comes from the Latin dorsum meaning "back."
1. Situated on the back
2. In Anatomy situated on or toward the upper side of the body, equivalent to the back, or posterior, in humans.
3. In Botany pertaining to the surface away from the axis, as of a leaf; abaxial.
4. In Phonetics articulated with the dorsum of the tongue.
noun:
1. In Phonetics a dorsal speech sound.
2. In Anatomy a dorsal structure.
The arm was lying, fully extended, with the dorsal side uppermost.
-- R. Austin Freeman, The Eye of Osiris
Dorsal fins broke the surface, carving the cobalt water clean and silver.
-- Zoë Archer, Scoundrel
Dorsal comes from the Latin dorsum meaning "back."
2011年10月16日 星期日
2011_10_16 lummox \LUHM-uhks\, noun: A clumsy, stupid person.
lummox \LUHM-uhks\, noun:
A clumsy, stupid person.
Spence regarded the lummox. He was a good-size boy, give him that - six one, six one and a half maybe - with limp blond hair...
-- Howard Frank Mosher, Waiting for Teddy Williams
Today I told myself that in actual fact anyone who takes an innocuous and random delight in his life is an absolute lummox.
-- Robert Walser, Selected Stories
Lummox is of uncertain origin. It is perhaps from "dumb ox" or influenced by "lumbering."
A clumsy, stupid person.
Spence regarded the lummox. He was a good-size boy, give him that - six one, six one and a half maybe - with limp blond hair...
-- Howard Frank Mosher, Waiting for Teddy Williams
Today I told myself that in actual fact anyone who takes an innocuous and random delight in his life is an absolute lummox.
-- Robert Walser, Selected Stories
Lummox is of uncertain origin. It is perhaps from "dumb ox" or influenced by "lumbering."
2011年10月15日 星期六
2011_10_15 askance \uh-SKANS\, adverb: With suspicion, mistrust, or disapproval.
askance \uh-SKANS\, adverb:
1. With suspicion, mistrust, or disapproval.
2. With a side glance; sidewise; obliquely.
People had been looking askance at him for as long as he could remember, and he thought it was time to put a stop to that.
-- Richard Russo, The Risk Pool
Grasping this essential of life in a big city he sees the place not as a confronted whole, but continually askance.
-- V.S. Pritchett, The Complete Essays
The origin of askance has not been verifiably determined. It is possibly a variant of the Old Norse word askew meaning "to one side."
1. With suspicion, mistrust, or disapproval.
2. With a side glance; sidewise; obliquely.
People had been looking askance at him for as long as he could remember, and he thought it was time to put a stop to that.
-- Richard Russo, The Risk Pool
Grasping this essential of life in a big city he sees the place not as a confronted whole, but continually askance.
-- V.S. Pritchett, The Complete Essays
The origin of askance has not been verifiably determined. It is possibly a variant of the Old Norse word askew meaning "to one side."
2011年10月14日 星期五
2011_10_14 cosmogony \koz-MOG-uh-nee\, noun: The theory of universe origin
cosmogony \koz-MOG-uh-nee\, noun:
A theory or story of the origin and development of the universe.
In the shortest (but probably not the earliest) form of the cosmogony, the beginning of all things is found in the watery abyss.
-- Charles Dudley Warner, A Library of the World's Best Literature, Vol. 1
He narrowed it down to a matter of cosmogony. The grandfather had some curious views about the constitution of the universe.
-- Henry Miller, Moloch: Or, This Gentile World
Cosmogony stems from the Greek kosmogonia meaning "creation of the world," from kosmos "world, universe" and -gonia "a begetting."
A theory or story of the origin and development of the universe.
In the shortest (but probably not the earliest) form of the cosmogony, the beginning of all things is found in the watery abyss.
-- Charles Dudley Warner, A Library of the World's Best Literature, Vol. 1
He narrowed it down to a matter of cosmogony. The grandfather had some curious views about the constitution of the universe.
-- Henry Miller, Moloch: Or, This Gentile World
Cosmogony stems from the Greek kosmogonia meaning "creation of the world," from kosmos "world, universe" and -gonia "a begetting."
2011年10月13日 星期四
2011_10_13 flaxen \FLAK-suhn\, adjective: Of the pale yellowish color of dressed flax or linen.
flaxen \FLAK-suhn\, adjective:
1. Of the pale yellowish color of dressed flax or linen.
2. Resembling flax.
3. Pertaining to flax.
4. Made of flax.
The man with the flaxen beard rushed across to tell him and then hurried out by the archway.
-- H.G. Wells, When the Sleeper Wakes
From it there descended two men - one flaxen haired and tall, and the other dark haired and of slighter build.
-- Nikolai Gogol, Dead Souls
Flaxen, related to flax, is probably from Proto-Germanic base fleh-, meaning "to weave, plait."
1. Of the pale yellowish color of dressed flax or linen.
2. Resembling flax.
3. Pertaining to flax.
4. Made of flax.
The man with the flaxen beard rushed across to tell him and then hurried out by the archway.
-- H.G. Wells, When the Sleeper Wakes
From it there descended two men - one flaxen haired and tall, and the other dark haired and of slighter build.
-- Nikolai Gogol, Dead Souls
Flaxen, related to flax, is probably from Proto-Germanic base fleh-, meaning "to weave, plait."
2011年10月12日 星期三
2011_10_12 etiology \ee-tee-OL-uh-jee\, noun, the study of the causes of diseases
etiology \ee-tee-OL-uh-jee\, noun:
1. In Pathology the study of the causes of diseases.
2. Any study of causes, causation, or causality, as in philosophy, biology, or physics.
The etiology of desire is often a muddled search; we insert meaning into the accidental brush of a hand, or in the fleeting sidelong glance of our coveted.
-- Micah Nathan, Gods of Aberdeen
For present purposes, this work is significant for one reason alone: it is typical of the interpretative battle that raged throughout the nineteenth century which sought to provide an etiology of evil.
-- Joris-Karl Huysmans, The Damned
Etiology is from the Greek aitiología, determining the cause of something, equivalent to aití cause and logia study.
1. In Pathology the study of the causes of diseases.
2. Any study of causes, causation, or causality, as in philosophy, biology, or physics.
The etiology of desire is often a muddled search; we insert meaning into the accidental brush of a hand, or in the fleeting sidelong glance of our coveted.
-- Micah Nathan, Gods of Aberdeen
For present purposes, this work is significant for one reason alone: it is typical of the interpretative battle that raged throughout the nineteenth century which sought to provide an etiology of evil.
-- Joris-Karl Huysmans, The Damned
Etiology is from the Greek aitiología, determining the cause of something, equivalent to aití cause and logia study.
2011年10月11日 星期二
2011_10_11 jaundiced \JAWN-dist\, adjective: exhibiting prejudice
jaundiced \JAWN-dist\, adjective:
1. Affected with or exhibiting prejudice, as from envy or resentment.
2. Affected with or colored by or as if by jaundice; yellowed.
noun:
1. In Pathology yellow discoloration of the skin, whites of the eyes, etc., due to an increase of bile pigments in the blood, often symptomatic of certain diseases, as hepatitis.
2. Grasserie
3. A state of feeling in which views are prejudiced or judgment is distorted, as by envy or resentment.
verb:
1. To distort or prejudice, as by envy or resentment.
I had been chewing a bitter cud of remembrance, so bitter that it engendered the gall which, in the end, jaundiced my vision of things that were past and things as they then existed.
-- Mary E. Waller, The Windmill on the Dune
And yet with jaundiced eye I gaze upon all the beauty and wonder about me, and with jaundiced brain consider the pitiful figure I cut in this world that endured so long without me and that will again endure without me.
-- Jack London, John Barleycorn
Jaundiced comes from the Old French jaunisse meaning "yellowness" from jaune "yellow."
1. Affected with or exhibiting prejudice, as from envy or resentment.
2. Affected with or colored by or as if by jaundice; yellowed.
noun:
1. In Pathology yellow discoloration of the skin, whites of the eyes, etc., due to an increase of bile pigments in the blood, often symptomatic of certain diseases, as hepatitis.
2. Grasserie
3. A state of feeling in which views are prejudiced or judgment is distorted, as by envy or resentment.
verb:
1. To distort or prejudice, as by envy or resentment.
I had been chewing a bitter cud of remembrance, so bitter that it engendered the gall which, in the end, jaundiced my vision of things that were past and things as they then existed.
-- Mary E. Waller, The Windmill on the Dune
And yet with jaundiced eye I gaze upon all the beauty and wonder about me, and with jaundiced brain consider the pitiful figure I cut in this world that endured so long without me and that will again endure without me.
-- Jack London, John Barleycorn
Jaundiced comes from the Old French jaunisse meaning "yellowness" from jaune "yellow."
2011年10月10日 星期一
2011_10_10 titubant \TICH-oo-buhnt\, noun: A disturbance of body equilibrium
titubant \TICH-oo-buhnt\, noun:
A disturbance of body equilibrium in standing or walking, resulting in an uncertain gait and trembling.
Byron did something of the kind in Don Juan; and the world at large is still quivering and titubant under the shock of his appeal.
-- W. E. Henley, "The Secret of Wordsworth," The Pall Mall Magazine, Volume 30, 1903
Sir Oran's mode of progression being very vacillating, indirect, and titubant; enough so, at least, to show that he had not completely danced off the effects of the Madeira.
-- Thomas Love Peacock, Melincourt, Volume 1
Titubant derives from the Latin titubātiōn- meaning a staggering, equivalent to titubāt, past participle of titubāre to stagger + -iōn-.
A disturbance of body equilibrium in standing or walking, resulting in an uncertain gait and trembling.
Byron did something of the kind in Don Juan; and the world at large is still quivering and titubant under the shock of his appeal.
-- W. E. Henley, "The Secret of Wordsworth," The Pall Mall Magazine, Volume 30, 1903
Sir Oran's mode of progression being very vacillating, indirect, and titubant; enough so, at least, to show that he had not completely danced off the effects of the Madeira.
-- Thomas Love Peacock, Melincourt, Volume 1
Titubant derives from the Latin titubātiōn- meaning a staggering, equivalent to titubāt, past participle of titubāre to stagger + -iōn-.
2011年10月9日 星期日
2011_10_09 milquetoast \MILK-tohst\, noun: A very timid person
milquetoast \MILK-tohst\, noun:
A very timid, unassertive, spineless person, especially one who is easily dominated or intimidated.
He played the quintessential meek, scrawny, milquetoast character.
-- Iris Johansen, Fatal Tide
It was hard to believe that a milquetoast coward like myself could be involved in such a clandestine and dangerous operation.
-- Walter Mosley, Fear of the Dark
Milquetoast is after Caspar Milquetoast, a character in The Timid Soul, a comic strip by H. T. Webster (1885-1952), American cartoonist.
A very timid, unassertive, spineless person, especially one who is easily dominated or intimidated.
He played the quintessential meek, scrawny, milquetoast character.
-- Iris Johansen, Fatal Tide
It was hard to believe that a milquetoast coward like myself could be involved in such a clandestine and dangerous operation.
-- Walter Mosley, Fear of the Dark
Milquetoast is after Caspar Milquetoast, a character in The Timid Soul, a comic strip by H. T. Webster (1885-1952), American cartoonist.
2011年10月8日 星期六
2011_10_08 pica \PAHY-kuh\, noun: An abnormal appetite
pica \PAHY-kuh\, noun:
1. An abnormal appetite or craving for substances that are not fit to eat.
2. A 12-point type of a size between small pica and English.
3. A brown-speckled European lark, Alauda arvensis, famed for its melodious song.
4. A 12-point type, widely used for typewriters, having 10 characters to the inch.
I wonder if it could be...if it could be pica, ice pica? I wonder whether his ice chewing could be a manifestation of a subconscious drive to chew ice due to...what?
-- Daniel Jenner, Decisions of Love
There is a pica or false appetite in many intelligences; they take to odd fancies in place of wholesome truth, as girls gnaw at chalk and charcoal.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Medical Essays
Pica is from the Middle Latin meaning "magpie," probably translating Greek kissa, "magpie, jay," also "false appetite."
Read the full entry | See synonyms | Comment on today's word | Suggest tomorrow's word
1. An abnormal appetite or craving for substances that are not fit to eat.
2. A 12-point type of a size between small pica and English.
3. A brown-speckled European lark, Alauda arvensis, famed for its melodious song.
4. A 12-point type, widely used for typewriters, having 10 characters to the inch.
I wonder if it could be...if it could be pica, ice pica? I wonder whether his ice chewing could be a manifestation of a subconscious drive to chew ice due to...what?
-- Daniel Jenner, Decisions of Love
There is a pica or false appetite in many intelligences; they take to odd fancies in place of wholesome truth, as girls gnaw at chalk and charcoal.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Medical Essays
Pica is from the Middle Latin meaning "magpie," probably translating Greek kissa, "magpie, jay," also "false appetite."
Read the full entry | See synonyms | Comment on today's word | Suggest tomorrow's word
2011年10月7日 星期五
2011_10_07 vesuvian \vuh-SOO-vee-uhn\, adjective: Volcanic;
vesuvian \vuh-SOO-vee-uhn\, adjective:
1. Volcanic; of, pertaining to, or resembling Mount Vesuvius.
noun:
1. A type of match formerly used for lighting cigars; fusee.
He shaved in cold water and was beginning to dress when the hot-water spout made a vesuvian racket and began to ejaculate rusty and scalding water.
-- John Cheever, The Stories of John Cheever
Who could have dreamed that such tragic depths lay behind that serene face, and that her orderly precision was like the grass and flowers upon volcanic soil with vesuvian fires slumbering below?
-- William Hale White, The Autobiography of Mark Rutherford
Vesuvian derives from the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD that destroyed the town of Pompeii.
1. Volcanic; of, pertaining to, or resembling Mount Vesuvius.
noun:
1. A type of match formerly used for lighting cigars; fusee.
He shaved in cold water and was beginning to dress when the hot-water spout made a vesuvian racket and began to ejaculate rusty and scalding water.
-- John Cheever, The Stories of John Cheever
Who could have dreamed that such tragic depths lay behind that serene face, and that her orderly precision was like the grass and flowers upon volcanic soil with vesuvian fires slumbering below?
-- William Hale White, The Autobiography of Mark Rutherford
Vesuvian derives from the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD that destroyed the town of Pompeii.
2011年10月6日 星期四
druthers \DRUHTH-erz\, noun: One's own way, choice, or preference.
druthers \DRUHTH-erz\, noun:
One's own way, choice, or preference.
"You mean if I had my druthers? Why, if I had my druthers I'd druther eat speckledly gravy," Dove assured him.
-- Nelson Algren, A Walk on the Wild Side
"Like I say, I think George would go right on living in the house if he had his druthers," Judy Diment said.
-- Stephen King, Everything's Eventual
Druthers comes from a jocular American English formation of the phrase "I'd ruther" meaning "I'd rather."
One's own way, choice, or preference.
"You mean if I had my druthers? Why, if I had my druthers I'd druther eat speckledly gravy," Dove assured him.
-- Nelson Algren, A Walk on the Wild Side
"Like I say, I think George would go right on living in the house if he had his druthers," Judy Diment said.
-- Stephen King, Everything's Eventual
Druthers comes from a jocular American English formation of the phrase "I'd ruther" meaning "I'd rather."
2011年10月5日 星期三
bandersnatch \BAN-der-snach\, noun: A person of uncouth
bandersnatch \BAN-der-snach\, noun:
1. An imaginary wild animal of fierce disposition.
2. A person of uncouth or unconventional habits, attitudes, etc., especially one considered a menace, nuisance, or the like.
No one ever influenced Tolkien—you might as well try to influence a bandersnatch.
-- Lin Carter, Imaginary Worlds
But while he was seeking with thimbles and care, a bandersnatch swiftly drew nigh and grabbed at the Banker, who shrieked in despair, for he knew it was useless to fly.
-- Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
Bandersnatch was invented by Lewis Carroll in 1871 in his book Through the Looking Glass.
1. An imaginary wild animal of fierce disposition.
2. A person of uncouth or unconventional habits, attitudes, etc., especially one considered a menace, nuisance, or the like.
No one ever influenced Tolkien—you might as well try to influence a bandersnatch.
-- Lin Carter, Imaginary Worlds
But while he was seeking with thimbles and care, a bandersnatch swiftly drew nigh and grabbed at the Banker, who shrieked in despair, for he knew it was useless to fly.
-- Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
Bandersnatch was invented by Lewis Carroll in 1871 in his book Through the Looking Glass.
2011年10月4日 星期二
endemic \en-DEM-ik\, adjective: native; indigenous.
endemic \en-DEM-ik\, adjective:
1. Belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place.
2. Natural to or characteristic of a specific people or place; native; indigenous.
noun:
1. An endemic disease.
To avoid the transmission of the parasitic infection malaria, donors who have travelled to endemic areas are deferred.
-- André Picard, The Gift of Death
The interior of this particular police car smells like cigarettes, leather, sweat, and another odor I can't identify that seems endemic to police cars.
-- Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife
Endemic is from Greek endemos "native," from en- "in" and demos "people, district."
1. Belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place.
2. Natural to or characteristic of a specific people or place; native; indigenous.
noun:
1. An endemic disease.
To avoid the transmission of the parasitic infection malaria, donors who have travelled to endemic areas are deferred.
-- André Picard, The Gift of Death
The interior of this particular police car smells like cigarettes, leather, sweat, and another odor I can't identify that seems endemic to police cars.
-- Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife
Endemic is from Greek endemos "native," from en- "in" and demos "people, district."
2011年10月3日 星期一
2011_10_03 billow \BIL-oh\, verb: To make rise, surge, swell.
billow \BIL-oh\, verb:
1. To rise or roll in or like a great wave; surge.
2. To swell out, puff up, etc., as by the action of wind.
3. To make rise, surge, swell.
noun:
1. A great wave or surge of the sea.
2. Any surging mass.
The cottonwool clouds billow out like puffs of smoke, and the raindrops are quite forceful.
-- Chi-mun Sŏ, The Rainy Spell and other Korean Stories
When Brien reached the common room and allowed her skirts to billow normally again, she was horrified to find that they filled almost a quarter of the modest room.
-- Betina Krahn, Not Quite Married
Billow is from Old Norse bylgja meaning "a wave" or "to swell." It has the same origin as the word belly.
1. To rise or roll in or like a great wave; surge.
2. To swell out, puff up, etc., as by the action of wind.
3. To make rise, surge, swell.
noun:
1. A great wave or surge of the sea.
2. Any surging mass.
The cottonwool clouds billow out like puffs of smoke, and the raindrops are quite forceful.
-- Chi-mun Sŏ, The Rainy Spell and other Korean Stories
When Brien reached the common room and allowed her skirts to billow normally again, she was horrified to find that they filled almost a quarter of the modest room.
-- Betina Krahn, Not Quite Married
Billow is from Old Norse bylgja meaning "a wave" or "to swell." It has the same origin as the word belly.
2011年10月2日 星期日
2011_10_02 mendacity \men-DAS-i-tee\, noun: A tendency to lie; untruthfulness.
mendacity \men-DAS-i-tee\, noun:
1. A tendency to lie; untruthfulness.
2. An instance of lying; falsehood.
This was my introduction to a lifetime of mendacity. I too must learn to say these gorgeous untruths.
-- Christopher Buckley, Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir
If divorce had presented itself as the dastardly antithesis of all this, it could easily have been cast onto the other pan of the scales, along with betrayal, illness, thieving, assault and mendacity.
-- Ian McEwan, Atonement
Mendacity is derived from Latin mendax "lying, deceitful," which is related to menda "fault, defect, carelessness in writing."
1. A tendency to lie; untruthfulness.
2. An instance of lying; falsehood.
This was my introduction to a lifetime of mendacity. I too must learn to say these gorgeous untruths.
-- Christopher Buckley, Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir
If divorce had presented itself as the dastardly antithesis of all this, it could easily have been cast onto the other pan of the scales, along with betrayal, illness, thieving, assault and mendacity.
-- Ian McEwan, Atonement
Mendacity is derived from Latin mendax "lying, deceitful," which is related to menda "fault, defect, carelessness in writing."
2011年10月1日 星期六
2011_10_01 weltschmerz \VELT-shmerts\, noun: Sentimental pessimism;
weltschmerz \VELT-shmerts\, noun:
Sentimental pessimism; sorrow that one feels and accepts as one's necessary portion in life.
Cohen confused his mood with his chronic weltschmerz. He spoke at great length on the vicissitudes of a sensitive spirit, his dissatisfaction, the inadequacy of this sphere as far as he was concerned.
-- Daniel Fuchs, Summer in Williamsburg
Their eyes had met, and an inexpressibly sweet sense of eternal tragedy had passed between them, between their generations—a legacy of weltschmerz as old as humanity.
-- Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano
Weltschmerz comes from German welt, "world" and schmerz, "pain." The term was coined by Jean Paul Richter in 1810.
Sentimental pessimism; sorrow that one feels and accepts as one's necessary portion in life.
Cohen confused his mood with his chronic weltschmerz. He spoke at great length on the vicissitudes of a sensitive spirit, his dissatisfaction, the inadequacy of this sphere as far as he was concerned.
-- Daniel Fuchs, Summer in Williamsburg
Their eyes had met, and an inexpressibly sweet sense of eternal tragedy had passed between them, between their generations—a legacy of weltschmerz as old as humanity.
-- Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano
Weltschmerz comes from German welt, "world" and schmerz, "pain." The term was coined by Jean Paul Richter in 1810.
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