anamnesis \an-am-NEE-sis\, noun:
1. The recollection or remembrance of the past.
2. Platonism. Recollection of the Ideas, which the soul had known in a previous existence, especially by means of reasoning.
3. The medical history of a patient.
4. Immunology. A prompt immune response to a previously encountered antigen, characterized by more rapid onset and greater effectiveness of antibody and T cell reaction than during the first encounter, as after a booster shot in a previously immunized person.
5. (Often initial capital letter) a prayer in a Eucharistic service, recalling the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ.
When I was writing a novel about a fourteen-year-old girl, I must remember what I was like at fourteen, but this anamnesis is not a looking back, from my present chronological age, at Madeleine, aged fourteen.
-- Madeleine L'Engle, The Irrational Season
The narrator of Dostoevsky's Dream of a Ridiculous Man visits in his sleep, in a state of anamnesis perhaps, a humanity living in the Golden Age before the loss of innocence and happiness.
-- Czesław Miłosz, To Begin Where I Am: Selected Essays
Anamnesis is derived from the Greek roots ana (meaning “re”) and mimnḗskein (meaning “to call to mind”).
2011年12月31日 星期六
2011年12月30日 星期五
2011_12_30 lave \leyv\, verb: 洗澡 To wash; bathe. To wash; bathe.
lave \leyv\, verb:
1. To wash; bathe.
2. (Of a river, sea, etc.) to flow along, against, or past; wash.
3. Obsolete. To ladle; pour or dip with a ladle.
4. Archaic. To bathe.
noun:
1. The remainder; the rest.
adjective:
1. (Of ears) large and drooping.
One must have a freshness of mind, a cleanliness of body. One must lave oneself in sparkling springs—
-- Vikram Seth, A Suitable Boy
And sit on the hearthstone so I may lave your alabaster skin with my own hands.
-- Güneli Gün, On The Road to Baghdad
Lave may come from an Old English word gelafian meaning “to wash by pouring” or from the Latin word lavare meaning “to wash.”
1. To wash; bathe.
2. (Of a river, sea, etc.) to flow along, against, or past; wash.
3. Obsolete. To ladle; pour or dip with a ladle.
4. Archaic. To bathe.
noun:
1. The remainder; the rest.
adjective:
1. (Of ears) large and drooping.
One must have a freshness of mind, a cleanliness of body. One must lave oneself in sparkling springs—
-- Vikram Seth, A Suitable Boy
And sit on the hearthstone so I may lave your alabaster skin with my own hands.
-- Güneli Gün, On The Road to Baghdad
Lave may come from an Old English word gelafian meaning “to wash by pouring” or from the Latin word lavare meaning “to wash.”
2011年12月29日 星期四
2011_12_29 interpolation noun:插補 \in-tur-puh-LEY-shuhn\, The act or process of introducing something additional or extraneous between other parts.
interpolation \in-tur-puh-LEY-shuhn\, noun:
1. The act or process of introducing something additional or extraneous between other parts.
2. Something interpolated, as a passage introduced into a text.
3. Mathematics. A. The process of determining the value of a function between two points at which it has prescribed values. B. A similar process using more than two points at which the function has prescribed values. C. The process of approximating a given function by using its values at a discrete set of points.
When men interpolate, it is because they believe their interpolation seriously needed.
-- Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason
"I am inclined to think," he added after a moment, once he had their attention again, "that if some pages were interpolated it was either done around the time of the original edition, or now, in our time.
-- Arturo Pérez-Reverte, The Dumas Club
Interpolation is derived from the Latin word interpolātus, meaning “to refurbish or touch up.”
1. The act or process of introducing something additional or extraneous between other parts.
2. Something interpolated, as a passage introduced into a text.
3. Mathematics. A. The process of determining the value of a function between two points at which it has prescribed values. B. A similar process using more than two points at which the function has prescribed values. C. The process of approximating a given function by using its values at a discrete set of points.
When men interpolate, it is because they believe their interpolation seriously needed.
-- Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason
"I am inclined to think," he added after a moment, once he had their attention again, "that if some pages were interpolated it was either done around the time of the original edition, or now, in our time.
-- Arturo Pérez-Reverte, The Dumas Club
Interpolation is derived from the Latin word interpolātus, meaning “to refurbish or touch up.”
2011年12月28日 星期三
2011_12_28 fusty \FUHS-tee\, adjective:發霉\ FUHS- T卹\，形容詞：
fusty \FUHS-tee\, adjective:
1. Having a stale smell; moldy; musty.
2. Old-fashioned or out-of-date, as architecture, furnishings, or the like.
3. Stubbornly conservative or old-fashioned; fogyish.
He could even smell the old woman in the buggy beside him, smell the fusty camphor-reeking shawl and even the airless black cotton umbrella in which (he would not discover until they had reached the house) she had concealed a hatchet and a flashlight.
-- William Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom!
I won't stop accusing you of being fusty if you don't stop acting that way. For God's sake, what is wrong with seeing what a rock concert is like? I'd like to find out.
-- Lionel Shriver, The Female of the Species
Fusty comes from the Old French word fust, meaning a “wine cask.” As wine casks are stuffy and smelly, the adjective is a logical association.
發霉\ FUHS- T卹\，形容詞：
1。有一個陳舊的氣味;發霉;霉味。
2。老式或出最新的，如建築，家具，或類似。
3。頑固保守的或舊的的老式fogyish。
他甚至可以聞在他身邊的馬車的老太太，聞到發霉樟腦 reeking披肩，甚至密不透風的黑色棉傘（他不會發現，直到他們達到的房子）她隱瞞了一把斧頭和一個手電筒。
- 福克納，押沙龍，押沙龍！
我不會停止指責你正在發霉，如果你不停止署理這樣。上帝的份上，什麼是錯了，看到一場搖滾音樂會嗎？我想找出。
- 梅西施萊佛，該物種的女性
發霉來自古法語單詞富斯特，意思是“葡萄酒的木桶。”葡萄酒的木桶悶和臭，形容詞是一個邏輯的關聯。
1. Having a stale smell; moldy; musty.
2. Old-fashioned or out-of-date, as architecture, furnishings, or the like.
3. Stubbornly conservative or old-fashioned; fogyish.
He could even smell the old woman in the buggy beside him, smell the fusty camphor-reeking shawl and even the airless black cotton umbrella in which (he would not discover until they had reached the house) she had concealed a hatchet and a flashlight.
-- William Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom!
I won't stop accusing you of being fusty if you don't stop acting that way. For God's sake, what is wrong with seeing what a rock concert is like? I'd like to find out.
-- Lionel Shriver, The Female of the Species
Fusty comes from the Old French word fust, meaning a “wine cask.” As wine casks are stuffy and smelly, the adjective is a logical association.
發霉\ FUHS- T卹\，形容詞：
1。有一個陳舊的氣味;發霉;霉味。
2。老式或出最新的，如建築，家具，或類似。
3。頑固保守的或舊的的老式fogyish。
他甚至可以聞在他身邊的馬車的老太太，聞到發霉樟腦 reeking披肩，甚至密不透風的黑色棉傘（他不會發現，直到他們達到的房子）她隱瞞了一把斧頭和一個手電筒。
- 福克納，押沙龍，押沙龍！
我不會停止指責你正在發霉，如果你不停止署理這樣。上帝的份上，什麼是錯了，看到一場搖滾音樂會嗎？我想找出。
- 梅西施萊佛，該物種的女性
發霉來自古法語單詞富斯特，意思是“葡萄酒的木桶。”葡萄酒的木桶悶和臭，形容詞是一個邏輯的關聯。
2011年12月27日 星期二
2011_12_27 adventive 外來的 \ad-VEN-tiv\, adjective: Not native and usually not yet well established, as exotic plants or animals.
adventive \ad-VEN-tiv\, adjective: 外來的
1. Not native and usually not yet well established, as exotic plants or animals.
noun:
1. A not native and usually not yet well established plant or animal.
I'm sure it's hard to be adventive, temporarily naturalized, that is.
-- Gish Jen, World and Town
Carrion beetles usually avoid competition with blowflies by visiting the carcasses at a later, dried stage of decomposition. Next come the omnivores, such as wasps and ants, and finally there are the adventive insects, like spiders.
-- David Shobin, The Provider
Adventive, like adventure, is derived from the Latin word adventus meaning “an advance.” The suffix -ive denotes a noun that comes from an adjective, like detective or active.
1. Not native and usually not yet well established, as exotic plants or animals.
noun:
1. A not native and usually not yet well established plant or animal.
I'm sure it's hard to be adventive, temporarily naturalized, that is.
-- Gish Jen, World and Town
Carrion beetles usually avoid competition with blowflies by visiting the carcasses at a later, dried stage of decomposition. Next come the omnivores, such as wasps and ants, and finally there are the adventive insects, like spiders.
-- David Shobin, The Provider
Adventive, like adventure, is derived from the Latin word adventus meaning “an advance.” The suffix -ive denotes a noun that comes from an adjective, like detective or active.
2011年12月26日 星期一
2011_12_26 solatium 撫慰金 \soh-LEY-shee-uhm\, noun: Something given in compensation for inconvenience, loss or injury.
solatium \soh-LEY-shee-uhm\, noun:撫慰金
1. Something given in compensation for inconvenience, loss or injury.
2. Law. Damages awarded to a plaintiff as compensation for personal suffering or grief arising from an injury.
Perhaps something could be done. And the following week it was. Arthur found himself awarded a solatium of £7, which had accumulated in some overlooked fund, and which the authorities graciously felt could be applied to his purpose.
-- Julian Barnes, Arthur & George
It is essential to emphasize that I was in no way “fired” that afternoon; rather, for the record, I merely committed my signature to a number of documents resigning tenure, accepting a none too liberal severance solatium, agreeing to vacate my offices within the week.
-- Tim O'Brien, Tomcat in Love
Solatium is a variation on the Medieval Latin word sōlācium, which shares the root with the word solace.
1. Something given in compensation for inconvenience, loss or injury.
2. Law. Damages awarded to a plaintiff as compensation for personal suffering or grief arising from an injury.
Perhaps something could be done. And the following week it was. Arthur found himself awarded a solatium of £7, which had accumulated in some overlooked fund, and which the authorities graciously felt could be applied to his purpose.
-- Julian Barnes, Arthur & George
It is essential to emphasize that I was in no way “fired” that afternoon; rather, for the record, I merely committed my signature to a number of documents resigning tenure, accepting a none too liberal severance solatium, agreeing to vacate my offices within the week.
-- Tim O'Brien, Tomcat in Love
Solatium is a variation on the Medieval Latin word sōlācium, which shares the root with the word solace.
2011年12月25日 星期日
2011_12_25 hiemal 寒冷的 \HAHY-uh-muhl\, adjective: Of or pertaining to winter; wintry.
hiemal \HAHY-uh-muhl\, adjective: 寒冷的
Of or pertaining to winter; wintry.
Since snow and frost lasted from October well into April, no wonder the mean of my school memories is definitely hiemal.
-- Vladimir Nabokov, Speak, Memory
We took hours to make camp and hours to break camp, and in between tottered like children across the immensity of that bleak and hiemal playground.
-- Beryl Bainbridge, The Birthday Boys
Hiemal is derived from the Sanskrit word hima meaning “cold, frost, snow.”
SmileBox
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsmilebox.com%2Fplay%2F4d6a67344e7a4d7a4e54673d0d0a%26blogview%3Dtrue%26campaign%3Dblog_playback_link&h=_AQHZz3LxAQHh7wMoIWl5tSFE2yrGj9bECpJMK1QRxefssg
Of or pertaining to winter; wintry.
Since snow and frost lasted from October well into April, no wonder the mean of my school memories is definitely hiemal.
-- Vladimir Nabokov, Speak, Memory
We took hours to make camp and hours to break camp, and in between tottered like children across the immensity of that bleak and hiemal playground.
-- Beryl Bainbridge, The Birthday Boys
Hiemal is derived from the Sanskrit word hima meaning “cold, frost, snow.”
SmileBox
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsmilebox.com%2Fplay%2F4d6a67344e7a4d7a4e54673d0d0a%26blogview%3Dtrue%26campaign%3Dblog_playback_link&h=_AQHZz3LxAQHh7wMoIWl5tSFE2yrGj9bECpJMK1QRxefssg
2011年12月24日 星期六
2011_12_24 canticle \KAN-ti-kuhl\, noun: 頌歌 A song, poem, or hymn especially of praise.
canticle \KAN-ti-kuhl\, noun: 頌歌
1. A song, poem, or hymn especially of praise.
2. One of the nonmetrical hymns or chants, chiefly from the Bible, used in church services.
And, yes, finally, I understood the love in this canticle not just as love between man and woman as they unite, but between the Creator and His people, our Israel.
-- Donna Jo Napoli, Song of the Magdalene
Of course, anyone who writes canticles must know the life of the saint to perfection, to the least trivial detail.
-- Anton Chekhov, The Bishop and Other Stories
Canticle comes from the Latin word canticum meaning “song.” (That is also the root of “canto.”) The suffix -ule implies a diminutive version, like the word capsule.
1. A song, poem, or hymn especially of praise.
2. One of the nonmetrical hymns or chants, chiefly from the Bible, used in church services.
And, yes, finally, I understood the love in this canticle not just as love between man and woman as they unite, but between the Creator and His people, our Israel.
-- Donna Jo Napoli, Song of the Magdalene
Of course, anyone who writes canticles must know the life of the saint to perfection, to the least trivial detail.
-- Anton Chekhov, The Bishop and Other Stories
Canticle comes from the Latin word canticum meaning “song.” (That is also the root of “canto.”) The suffix -ule implies a diminutive version, like the word capsule.
2011年12月23日 星期五
2011_12_23 swaddle \SWOD-l\, verb:襁褓 To wrap (anything) round with bandages.
swaddle \SWOD-l\, verb:
1. To bind an infant with long, narrow strips of cloth to prevent free movement.
2. To wrap (anything) round with bandages.
noun:
1. A long, narrow strip of cloth used for swaddling or bandaging.
A child is our natural company; it is a delight to us to make a fright of it, to fondle it, to swaddle it, to dress and undress it, to cuddle it, to sing it lullabies, to cradle it, to get it up, to put it to bed, and to nourish it...
-- Honoré de Balzac, Droll Stories
But that was a little later—just now Narlikar and Bose were tending to Ahmed Sinai's toe; midwives had been instructed to wash and swaddle the newborn pair; and now Miss Mary Pereira made her contribution.
-- Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children
Swaddle is related to the Old English word swath meaning “a bandage or wrap.”
1. To bind an infant with long, narrow strips of cloth to prevent free movement.
2. To wrap (anything) round with bandages.
noun:
1. A long, narrow strip of cloth used for swaddling or bandaging.
A child is our natural company; it is a delight to us to make a fright of it, to fondle it, to swaddle it, to dress and undress it, to cuddle it, to sing it lullabies, to cradle it, to get it up, to put it to bed, and to nourish it...
-- Honoré de Balzac, Droll Stories
But that was a little later—just now Narlikar and Bose were tending to Ahmed Sinai's toe; midwives had been instructed to wash and swaddle the newborn pair; and now Miss Mary Pereira made her contribution.
-- Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children
Swaddle is related to the Old English word swath meaning “a bandage or wrap.”
2011年12月22日 星期四
2011_12_22 calvous \KAL-vuhs\, adjective: bald.
calvous \KAL-vuhs\, adjective:
Lacking all or most of the hair on the head; bald.
The wit's voluminous neckerchief unraveled and slipped to the mold, and the spangled silver wig fell from the telltale calvous head.
-- D. M. Cornish, Lamplighter
Admittedly most old, bloated, calvous Germans could double for me, and even if he hadn't been doppelganger material, with the beard I had started growing and the two black eyes, you'd need x-rays to spot the difference.
-- Tibor Fischer, The Thought Gang
Calvous is derived from the Latin word calvus which meant simply “bald.”
2011年12月21日 星期三
2011_12_21 Cravat
The cravat is a neckband, the forerunner of the modern tailored necktie and bow tie, originating from 17th-century Croatia.[
2011_12_21 brogue \brohg\, noun: A fraud; trick; prank.
brogue \brohg\, noun:
1. Any strong regional accent.
2. An Irish accent in the pronunciation of English.
3. A durable, comfortable, low-heeled shoe, often having decorative perforations and a wing tip.
4. A coarse, usually untanned leather shoe once worn in Ireland and Scotland.
5. Brogan.
6. A fraud; trick; prank.
“Nothing like hair of the dog that bit ya, as long as it's green hair,” he said in that brogue that was getting old.
-- Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer
His brogue grew less heavy, his speech more formal, tailoring it to his audience.
-- James Rollins, The Doomsday Key
Brogue originally referred to a type of shoe worn by rural Irish and Scottish highlanders. The word came to be associated with the accent of these people by the early 1700s.
1. Any strong regional accent.
2. An Irish accent in the pronunciation of English.
3. A durable, comfortable, low-heeled shoe, often having decorative perforations and a wing tip.
4. A coarse, usually untanned leather shoe once worn in Ireland and Scotland.
5. Brogan.
6. A fraud; trick; prank.
“Nothing like hair of the dog that bit ya, as long as it's green hair,” he said in that brogue that was getting old.
-- Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer
His brogue grew less heavy, his speech more formal, tailoring it to his audience.
-- James Rollins, The Doomsday Key
Brogue originally referred to a type of shoe worn by rural Irish and Scottish highlanders. The word came to be associated with the accent of these people by the early 1700s.
2011年12月20日 星期二
2011_12_20 lucent \LOO-suhnt\, adjective: Translucent; clear.
lucent \LOO-suhnt\, adjective:
1. Shining.
2. Translucent; clear.
The film of evening light made the red earth lucent, so that its dimensions were deepened, so that a stone, a post, a building had greater depth and more solidity than in the daytime light...
-- John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
His lucent top-hat, his dark frock-coat, indeed, every detail, from the pearl pin in the black satin cravat to the lavender spats over the varnished shoes, spoke of the meticulous care in dress for which he was famous.
-- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 1
Lucent comes from the Latin word lucentum meaning “to shine.”
1. Shining.
2. Translucent; clear.
The film of evening light made the red earth lucent, so that its dimensions were deepened, so that a stone, a post, a building had greater depth and more solidity than in the daytime light...
-- John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
His lucent top-hat, his dark frock-coat, indeed, every detail, from the pearl pin in the black satin cravat to the lavender spats over the varnished shoes, spoke of the meticulous care in dress for which he was famous.
-- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 1
Lucent comes from the Latin word lucentum meaning “to shine.”
2011年12月19日 星期一
2011_12_19 ectype \EK-tahyp\, noun: A reproduction; copy.
ectype \EK-tahyp\, noun:
A reproduction; copy.
Were it not for the existence of the prototype, the ectype would not exist. And the characters of the ectype are determined entirely by those of the prototype, being again simply their reflections.
-- Robert W. Jenson, The Knowledge of Things Hoped For
The development of ectype from prototype occurs as a concatenation, so that each dimension arises out of the previous one without wholly seperating itself.
-- Martin Wallen, City of Health, Fields of Disease
As opposed to prototype, ectype originally meant “wrought in relief” in Greek. Its roots are ec, a variant of “ex,” and týpos, a “figure on a wall.”
A reproduction; copy.
Were it not for the existence of the prototype, the ectype would not exist. And the characters of the ectype are determined entirely by those of the prototype, being again simply their reflections.
-- Robert W. Jenson, The Knowledge of Things Hoped For
The development of ectype from prototype occurs as a concatenation, so that each dimension arises out of the previous one without wholly seperating itself.
-- Martin Wallen, City of Health, Fields of Disease
As opposed to prototype, ectype originally meant “wrought in relief” in Greek. Its roots are ec, a variant of “ex,” and týpos, a “figure on a wall.”
2011年12月18日 星期日
2011_12_18 gangrel \GANG-gruhl\, noun: A lanky, loose-jointed person.
gangrel \GANG-gruhl\, noun:
1. A lanky, loose-jointed person.
2. A wandering beggar; vagabond; vagrant.
Patrick had a likeness to his father, but was still just a gangrel of a boy with long arms and a slouching posture.
-- David Farland, Worlds of the Golden Queen
I longed to tell you so when you threw me over at the meeting for that pretentious pedant, that long-backed Leslie, whom I remember as a gangrel gawky with his sleeves half-way up his arms.
-- Elizabeth Lynn Linton, The Rebel of the Family
Gangrel dates back to Middle English and is related to the word gangling. The suffix -rel has a very precise use: to denote nouns that are seen as trivial or worthless, as in mongrel or wastrel.
1. A lanky, loose-jointed person.
2. A wandering beggar; vagabond; vagrant.
Patrick had a likeness to his father, but was still just a gangrel of a boy with long arms and a slouching posture.
-- David Farland, Worlds of the Golden Queen
I longed to tell you so when you threw me over at the meeting for that pretentious pedant, that long-backed Leslie, whom I remember as a gangrel gawky with his sleeves half-way up his arms.
-- Elizabeth Lynn Linton, The Rebel of the Family
Gangrel dates back to Middle English and is related to the word gangling. The suffix -rel has a very precise use: to denote nouns that are seen as trivial or worthless, as in mongrel or wastrel.
2011年12月17日 星期六
2011_12_17 procellous \proh-SEL-uhs\, adjective: Stormy, as the sea.
procellous \proh-SEL-uhs\, adjective:
Stormy, as the sea.
Amongst other effects he had a surpassing notion for the storm. Kean has seen a mechanical exhibition in Spring Gardens (the remains of Loutherburg's “Eidophusicon”) in which very striking procellous effects has been produced, and which he fancied very available to his purpose.
-- George Raymond, Memoirs of Robert William Elliston: Comedian
The plan traced on our chart will lead us through oceans procellous and perilous straits, amid regions where the atmosphere is cheerless and the sun's rays are pale, and the spring blossoms no sooner unfold their petals than they droop and languish.
-- C.C.C.P. Silva, M.D., The Western Medical Reporter, Vol. 10
Procellous is derived from the Latin word procella meaning “storm” and the suffix -ous which implies a general sense, like in the word operose.
Stormy, as the sea.
Amongst other effects he had a surpassing notion for the storm. Kean has seen a mechanical exhibition in Spring Gardens (the remains of Loutherburg's “Eidophusicon”) in which very striking procellous effects has been produced, and which he fancied very available to his purpose.
-- George Raymond, Memoirs of Robert William Elliston: Comedian
The plan traced on our chart will lead us through oceans procellous and perilous straits, amid regions where the atmosphere is cheerless and the sun's rays are pale, and the spring blossoms no sooner unfold their petals than they droop and languish.
-- C.C.C.P. Silva, M.D., The Western Medical Reporter, Vol. 10
Procellous is derived from the Latin word procella meaning “storm” and the suffix -ous which implies a general sense, like in the word operose.
2011年12月16日 星期五
2011_12_16 abrade \uh-BREYD\, verb: To scrape off.
abrade \uh-BREYD\, verb:
1. To scrape off.
2. To wear off or down by scraping or rubbing.
The cuff digs into Landsman's wrist, sharp enough to abrade the flesh.
-- Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen's Union
He was shorter than Lloyd but heavier in the chest, a wiry-limbed man with bristling dark hair and a quick harsh laugh and a way of crinkling his face so you knew he would say something to abrade your skin like sandpaper.
-- Joyce Carol Oates, High Lonesome
Related to abrasion, abrade is from the Latin roots ab meaning “away from” and rādere meaning “to scrape.”
1. To scrape off.
2. To wear off or down by scraping or rubbing.
The cuff digs into Landsman's wrist, sharp enough to abrade the flesh.
-- Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen's Union
He was shorter than Lloyd but heavier in the chest, a wiry-limbed man with bristling dark hair and a quick harsh laugh and a way of crinkling his face so you knew he would say something to abrade your skin like sandpaper.
-- Joyce Carol Oates, High Lonesome
Related to abrasion, abrade is from the Latin roots ab meaning “away from” and rādere meaning “to scrape.”
2011年12月15日 星期四
2011_12_15 veriest \VER-ee-ist\, adjective: Utmost; most complete.
veriest \VER-ee-ist\, adjective:
1. Utmost; most complete.
2. Superlative of very.
Abagail had held her tongue when Molly said that—Molly and Jim and the others were young and didn't understand anything but the veriest good and the veriest bad.
-- Stephen King, The Stand
Though in the course of his continual voyagings Ahab must often before have noticed a similar sight, yet, to any monomaniac man, the veriest trifles capriciously carry meanings.
-- Herman Melville, Moby-Dick: Or the Whale
Veriest is obviously related to the word very, which derives from the Old French word verai meaning “true, real or genuine.” The suffix -est makes a word a superlative, like fastest.
2011年12月14日 星期三
2011_12_14 cleave \kleev\, verb: 劈開To split or divide by or as if by a cutting blow
cleave \kleev\, verb: 劈開
1. To adhere closely; stick; cling.
2. To remain faithful.
3. To split or divide by or as if by a cutting blow, especially along a natural line of division, as the grain of wood.
4. To make by or as if by cutting.
5. To penetrate or pass through (air, water, etc.).
6. To cut off; sever.
7. To part or split, especially along a natural line of division.
8. To penetrate or advance by or as if by cutting.
It bothers him as much as it bothers you, but he is a man of faith and the Bible says that a man should leave his mother and father and cleave unto his wife.
-- H.O. Fischer, For This Land
I will confide in thee. But if you betray my confidence, a father's curse shall cleave to you.
-- Sir Walter Scott, Peveril of the Peak
Cleave is actually related to two separate but similar Old English words. Cleofan meant “to split,” while clifian meant “to adhere.” Today the same word carries both meanings.
1. To adhere closely; stick; cling.
2. To remain faithful.
3. To split or divide by or as if by a cutting blow, especially along a natural line of division, as the grain of wood.
4. To make by or as if by cutting.
5. To penetrate or pass through (air, water, etc.).
6. To cut off; sever.
7. To part or split, especially along a natural line of division.
8. To penetrate or advance by or as if by cutting.
It bothers him as much as it bothers you, but he is a man of faith and the Bible says that a man should leave his mother and father and cleave unto his wife.
-- H.O. Fischer, For This Land
I will confide in thee. But if you betray my confidence, a father's curse shall cleave to you.
-- Sir Walter Scott, Peveril of the Peak
Cleave is actually related to two separate but similar Old English words. Cleofan meant “to split,” while clifian meant “to adhere.” Today the same word carries both meanings.
2011年12月13日 星期二
2011_12_13 cortege \kawr-TEZH\, noun: 隨從 A line or train of attendants; retinue.
cortege \kawr-TEZH\, noun: 隨從
1. A procession, especially a ceremonial one.
2. A line or train of attendants; retinue.
From her parlor window, Susan Kidwell saw the white cortege glide past, and watched until it had rounded the corner and the unpaved street's easily airborne dust had landed again.
-- Truman Capote, In Cold Blood
As the cortege neared the downtown section more cars joined it. The hearse was followed by six Packard touring cars with tops back, driven by liveried chauffeurs and filled with flowers.
-- William Faulkner, Sanctuary
Cortege is related to the Old French word curt meaning “an enclosed yard.” By the 1600s, it referred to “a train of attendants.”
1. A procession, especially a ceremonial one.
2. A line or train of attendants; retinue.
From her parlor window, Susan Kidwell saw the white cortege glide past, and watched until it had rounded the corner and the unpaved street's easily airborne dust had landed again.
-- Truman Capote, In Cold Blood
As the cortege neared the downtown section more cars joined it. The hearse was followed by six Packard touring cars with tops back, driven by liveried chauffeurs and filled with flowers.
-- William Faulkner, Sanctuary
Cortege is related to the Old French word curt meaning “an enclosed yard.” By the 1600s, it referred to “a train of attendants.”
2011年12月12日 星期一
2011_12_12 felonious \fuh-LOH-nee-uhs\, adjective: Wicked; base; villainous.
felonious \fuh-LOH-nee-uhs\, adjective:
1. Wicked; base; villainous.
2. Law. Pertaining to, of the nature of, or involving a felony: as in, felonious homicide; felonious intent.
Now, there was much in your manuscript and the accompanying material which was evidence of indiscreet, and possibly criminal, and in some cases undeniably felonious behavior.
-- Richard S. Prather, The Cheim Manuscript
Felonious malfeasance. Jimmy, you never talked like that when you were a cop. The term is—crooked scams.
-- Jeff Sherratt, Six to Five Against
Felonious dates back to the the 1500s. The word felon is from the Old French meaning “villan” and the suffix -ous which applies a quality to a general sense, as in nervous or glorious.
1. Wicked; base; villainous.
2. Law. Pertaining to, of the nature of, or involving a felony: as in, felonious homicide; felonious intent.
Now, there was much in your manuscript and the accompanying material which was evidence of indiscreet, and possibly criminal, and in some cases undeniably felonious behavior.
-- Richard S. Prather, The Cheim Manuscript
Felonious malfeasance. Jimmy, you never talked like that when you were a cop. The term is—crooked scams.
-- Jeff Sherratt, Six to Five Against
Felonious dates back to the the 1500s. The word felon is from the Old French meaning “villan” and the suffix -ous which applies a quality to a general sense, as in nervous or glorious.
2011年12月11日 星期日
2011_12_12 à la mode \ah luh MOHD\, adjective: In or according to the fashion.
à la mode \ah luh MOHD\, adjective:
1. In or according to the fashion.
2. Cookery. A.(Of pie or other dessert) Served with a portion of ice cream, often as a topping: apple pie à la mode. B.(Of beef) Larded and braised or stewed with vegetables, herbs, etc., and served with a rich brown gravy.
I do not yet know what is the fashion in England, but naturally if you assure me it is not à la mode, I won't have a lover. Can I have a house in town?
-- Georgette Heyer, The Talisman Ring
However that may be, Wilhelm was undeniably à la mode; the greatest ladies in England would beseech and entreat of him to write but one line in their albums...
-- Hamilton Murray, Falkenburg: A Tale of the Rhine
À la mode literally means “of the fashion” in French. (The sense of a scoop of ice cream on top of pie arose in 1903 in America.)
1. In or according to the fashion.
2. Cookery. A.(Of pie or other dessert) Served with a portion of ice cream, often as a topping: apple pie à la mode. B.(Of beef) Larded and braised or stewed with vegetables, herbs, etc., and served with a rich brown gravy.
I do not yet know what is the fashion in England, but naturally if you assure me it is not à la mode, I won't have a lover. Can I have a house in town?
-- Georgette Heyer, The Talisman Ring
However that may be, Wilhelm was undeniably à la mode; the greatest ladies in England would beseech and entreat of him to write but one line in their albums...
-- Hamilton Murray, Falkenburg: A Tale of the Rhine
À la mode literally means “of the fashion” in French. (The sense of a scoop of ice cream on top of pie arose in 1903 in America.)
2011年12月10日 星期六
2011_12_10 adytum \ad-i-tuhm\, noun: The most sacred or reserved part of any place of worship.
adytum \ad-i-tuhm\, noun:
1. A sacred place that the public is forbidden to enter; an inner shrine.
2. The most sacred or reserved part of any place of worship.
The girls stood in old-fashioned awe of the presence of betrothed lovers, and the schoolroom, by tacit consent, was treated as an adytum into which no third person would venture to penetrate.
-- Bertha Thomas, “Cressida,” London Society, Vol. 33, March 1878
And they, Père Silas and Modeste Maria Beck (that these two wrought in concert I could not doubt) opened up the adytum of his heart...
-- Charlotte Brontë, Villette
Adytum is from the Greek roots a- meaning “not” and -dyton meaning “to enter.”
1. A sacred place that the public is forbidden to enter; an inner shrine.
2. The most sacred or reserved part of any place of worship.
The girls stood in old-fashioned awe of the presence of betrothed lovers, and the schoolroom, by tacit consent, was treated as an adytum into which no third person would venture to penetrate.
-- Bertha Thomas, “Cressida,” London Society, Vol. 33, March 1878
And they, Père Silas and Modeste Maria Beck (that these two wrought in concert I could not doubt) opened up the adytum of his heart...
-- Charlotte Brontë, Villette
Adytum is from the Greek roots a- meaning “not” and -dyton meaning “to enter.”
2011年12月9日 星期五
2011_12_09 bough \bou\, noun: A branch of a tree, especially one of the larger or main branches.
bough \bou\, noun:
A branch of a tree, especially one of the larger or main branches.
In the background, behind the pool and beneath the dramatic sidereal display, there is a little tree with a bird perched in its uppermost bough, exactly as there is on the Star card.
-- Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas
He ran up the creeper as easily as though it had been a ladder, walked upright along the broad bough, and brought the pigeon to the ground. He put it limp and warm in Elizabeth's hand.
-- George Orwell, The Orwell Reader: Fiction, Essays, and Reportage
Bough can be traced back to the Sanskrit word bāhu, meaning “shoulder.”
A branch of a tree, especially one of the larger or main branches.
In the background, behind the pool and beneath the dramatic sidereal display, there is a little tree with a bird perched in its uppermost bough, exactly as there is on the Star card.
-- Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas
He ran up the creeper as easily as though it had been a ladder, walked upright along the broad bough, and brought the pigeon to the ground. He put it limp and warm in Elizabeth's hand.
-- George Orwell, The Orwell Reader: Fiction, Essays, and Reportage
Bough can be traced back to the Sanskrit word bāhu, meaning “shoulder.”
2011年12月8日 星期四
2011_12_08 copse \kops\, noun: A thicket of small trees or bushes; a small wood.
copse \kops\, noun:
A thicket of small trees or bushes; a small wood.
The sun was setting behind a thick forest, and in the glow of sunset the birch trees, dotted about in the aspen copse, stood out clearly with their hanging twigs, and their buds swollen almost to bursting.
-- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Despite the December afternoon sunlight, the interior of the copse looked dark and impenetrable. The fact that none of the trees were covered in snow appeared to him to be improbable but welcome.
-- John Berger, Once in Europa
Copse is derived from the Old French word copeiz meaning “a cut-over forest” which originates in the Latin word colpaticum meaning “having been cut.”
A thicket of small trees or bushes; a small wood.
The sun was setting behind a thick forest, and in the glow of sunset the birch trees, dotted about in the aspen copse, stood out clearly with their hanging twigs, and their buds swollen almost to bursting.
-- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Despite the December afternoon sunlight, the interior of the copse looked dark and impenetrable. The fact that none of the trees were covered in snow appeared to him to be improbable but welcome.
-- John Berger, Once in Europa
Copse is derived from the Old French word copeiz meaning “a cut-over forest” which originates in the Latin word colpaticum meaning “having been cut.”
2011年12月7日 星期三
2011_12_07 boscage \BOS-kij\, noun: A mass of trees or shrubs.
boscage \BOS-kij\, noun:
A mass of trees or shrubs.
In places the park and the site itself were edged right up to its rubble and boscage by the rear of buildings...
-- China Miéville, The City & the City
Plunging along a narrow path thick-set on each side with leafy boscage, Paul caught sight of the two retreating figures a few yards only in front of him.
-- John R. Carling, The Shadow of the Czar
Boscage comes from the Middle French word boscage, from the roots bosk meaning “a small wood or thicket” and -age, a suffix that denotes a general noun, like voyage and courage.
A mass of trees or shrubs.
In places the park and the site itself were edged right up to its rubble and boscage by the rear of buildings...
-- China Miéville, The City & the City
Plunging along a narrow path thick-set on each side with leafy boscage, Paul caught sight of the two retreating figures a few yards only in front of him.
-- John R. Carling, The Shadow of the Czar
Boscage comes from the Middle French word boscage, from the roots bosk meaning “a small wood or thicket” and -age, a suffix that denotes a general noun, like voyage and courage.
2011年12月6日 星期二
2011_12_06 weald \weeld\, noun: Wooded or uncultivated country.
weald \weeld\, noun:
1. Wooded or uncultivated country.
2. A region in SE England, in Kent, Surrey, and Essex counties: once a forest area; now an agricultural region.
I am tempted to give one other case, the well-known one of the denudation of the Weald.
-- Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species
And your advertisements must refer to the other, which is Great Willingden or Willingden Abbots, and lies seven miles on the other side of Battle. Quite down in the weald.
-- Jane Austen, Sanditon
Related to the word wild, weald comes from the Old English word weald meaning “forest.”
1. Wooded or uncultivated country.
2. A region in SE England, in Kent, Surrey, and Essex counties: once a forest area; now an agricultural region.
I am tempted to give one other case, the well-known one of the denudation of the Weald.
-- Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species
And your advertisements must refer to the other, which is Great Willingden or Willingden Abbots, and lies seven miles on the other side of Battle. Quite down in the weald.
-- Jane Austen, Sanditon
Related to the word wild, weald comes from the Old English word weald meaning “forest.”
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Dear
Friends,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!From Amy and Tony Kwock
To appreciate the "Jim Reeves - Silent Night" click the link below
2011年12月5日 星期一
2011_12_05 frondescence \fron-DES-uhns\, noun: Leafage; foliage.
frondescence \fron-DES-uhns\, noun:
1. Leafage; foliage.
2. The process or period of putting forth leaves, as a tree, plant, or the like.
What we found were three hundred pristine, mostly level acres with a forty-five-acre pond, completely undeveloped, covered with exquisite wildflowers and frondescence.
-- Paul Newman, In Pursuit of the Common Good
I now become aware of the sound of rumbling water, emanating from somewhere inside the rain forest next to my tropical rest stop. I approach the wet and abundant frondescence of the forest.
-- Richard Wyatt, Fathers of Myth
Frondescence is from the Latin root frondēre meaning “to have leaves.” It is clearly related to frond meaning “leaves.”
1. Leafage; foliage.
2. The process or period of putting forth leaves, as a tree, plant, or the like.
What we found were three hundred pristine, mostly level acres with a forty-five-acre pond, completely undeveloped, covered with exquisite wildflowers and frondescence.
-- Paul Newman, In Pursuit of the Common Good
I now become aware of the sound of rumbling water, emanating from somewhere inside the rain forest next to my tropical rest stop. I approach the wet and abundant frondescence of the forest.
-- Richard Wyatt, Fathers of Myth
Frondescence is from the Latin root frondēre meaning “to have leaves.” It is clearly related to frond meaning “leaves.”
2011年12月4日 星期日
2010_01_08 Board Meeting I
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2011_12_04 collop \KOL-uhp\, noun: A small slice of meat, or piece of anything.
collop \KOL-uhp\, noun:
1. A small slice of meat.
2. A small slice, portion, or piece of anything.
3. A fold or roll of flesh on the body.
He took up a knife and fork, and collop after collop disappeared.
-- Allan Cunningham, Gowden Gibbie
There was cheesecake and spicecake, along with a most extraordinary dish, exactly like collops of bacon only sweet to the taste...
-- Maria McCann, As Meat Loves Salt
Collop is derived from the Middle English word colhoppe meaning “a dish of stewed meat.”
1. A small slice of meat.
2. A small slice, portion, or piece of anything.
3. A fold or roll of flesh on the body.
He took up a knife and fork, and collop after collop disappeared.
-- Allan Cunningham, Gowden Gibbie
There was cheesecake and spicecake, along with a most extraordinary dish, exactly like collops of bacon only sweet to the taste...
-- Maria McCann, As Meat Loves Salt
Collop is derived from the Middle English word colhoppe meaning “a dish of stewed meat.”
2011年12月3日 星期六
2011_12_03 operose \OP-uh-rohs\, adjective: Industrious, as a person.
operose \OP-uh-rohs\, adjective:
1. Done with or involving much labor.
2. Industrious, as a person.
It seems to me a circuitous and operose way of relieving myself to put upon your community the emancipation which I ought to take on myself.
-- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
But what an operose method! What a train of means to secure a little conversation!
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays
Operose is from the Latin word operosus meaning “taking great pains.” It shares a root with the word opus meaning “work.”
1. Done with or involving much labor.
2. Industrious, as a person.
It seems to me a circuitous and operose way of relieving myself to put upon your community the emancipation which I ought to take on myself.
-- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
But what an operose method! What a train of means to secure a little conversation!
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays
Operose is from the Latin word operosus meaning “taking great pains.” It shares a root with the word opus meaning “work.”
2011年12月2日 星期五
2011_12_02 bobbery \BOB-uh-ree\, noun: A disturbance or a brawl.
bobbery \BOB-uh-ree\, noun:
A disturbance or a brawl.
“Allow me, Mr. Ivolgin,” Ippolit suddenly interrupted, irritably, “what's all this bobbery for, if I may ask...”
-- Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot
Kicked up the most delightful bobbery that had ever been witnessed!
-- Anthony Trollope, Is He Popenjoy? A Novel
Bobbery, unexpectedly, is from the Hindu phrase bap re meaning “O father!” It was first recorded in print in 1816 in The Grand Master.
A disturbance or a brawl.
“Allow me, Mr. Ivolgin,” Ippolit suddenly interrupted, irritably, “what's all this bobbery for, if I may ask...”
-- Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot
Kicked up the most delightful bobbery that had ever been witnessed!
-- Anthony Trollope, Is He Popenjoy? A Novel
Bobbery, unexpectedly, is from the Hindu phrase bap re meaning “O father!” It was first recorded in print in 1816 in The Grand Master.
2011年12月1日 星期四
2011_12_01 altruistic \al-troo-IS-tik\, adjective: Unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others.
altruistic \al-troo-IS-tik\, adjective:
1. Unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others.
2. Animal Behavior. Of or pertaining to behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, often its close relatives.
I thought you were an altruistic banker, nothing more, nothing less. A civic-minded altruistic banker.
-- Inman Majors, The Millionaires: A Novel
An altruistic act is an act performed for the welfare of others. It is unselfish, as opposed to an act performed for self, which is selfish.
-- Jack London, The Sea-Wolf
Altruistic was coined in 1830 by philosopher Auguste Comte. It originates in the French word altrui meaning “of or to others” from the Latin word alteri meaning “other.”
1. Unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others.
2. Animal Behavior. Of or pertaining to behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, often its close relatives.
I thought you were an altruistic banker, nothing more, nothing less. A civic-minded altruistic banker.
-- Inman Majors, The Millionaires: A Novel
An altruistic act is an act performed for the welfare of others. It is unselfish, as opposed to an act performed for self, which is selfish.
-- Jack London, The Sea-Wolf
Altruistic was coined in 1830 by philosopher Auguste Comte. It originates in the French word altrui meaning “of or to others” from the Latin word alteri meaning “other.”
2011年11月30日 星期三
2011_11_30 churlish \CHUR-lish\, adjective: Stingy; mean.
churlish \CHUR-lish\, adjective:
1. Boorish or rude.
2. Of a churl; peasantlike.
3. Stingy; mean.
4. Difficult to work or deal with, as soil.
And Ethel, though sometimes sharp and malicious and difficult, wasn't churlish or unpunctual or casual at all.
-- Ruth Rendell, One Across, Two Down
I call it churlish that you would complain of a little time spent in schooling me when the rewards I've earned you come in thick and fast.
-- Karen Miller, A Blight of Mages
Churlish originates in the Old English ceorlisc meaning “peasant, freeman, man without rank.” It had various meanings in early Middle English, including "man of the common people," "a country man," "husbandman," "free peasant." By 1300, it meant "bondman, villain," also "fellow of low birth or rude manners."
2011年11月29日 星期二
2011_11_29 serry \SER-ee\, verb: To crowd closely together.
serry \SER-ee\, verb:
To crowd closely together.
Serry means to crowd and is spelled serry.
-- Mildred Colvin, Missouri Brides
To keep unsettled the questions upon which these united with the Liberation Society, —accustom a powerful contingent to work together with “political Dissenters,”—to serry friends and foes into hostile phalanx, —to accept battle on a week ground where it is only possible to rally half the forces...
-- S. Wellington, The Spectator, Vol. 6
Serry is from the Middle Frenceh serré which was the past participle of serrer meaning “to press tightly together.”
To crowd closely together.
Serry means to crowd and is spelled serry.
-- Mildred Colvin, Missouri Brides
To keep unsettled the questions upon which these united with the Liberation Society, —accustom a powerful contingent to work together with “political Dissenters,”—to serry friends and foes into hostile phalanx, —to accept battle on a week ground where it is only possible to rally half the forces...
-- S. Wellington, The Spectator, Vol. 6
Serry is from the Middle Frenceh serré which was the past participle of serrer meaning “to press tightly together.”
2011年11月28日 星期一
2011_11_28 panegyrize \PAN-i-juh-rahyz\, verb: To eulogize; to deliver or write a panegyric about.
panegyrize \PAN-i-juh-rahyz\, verb:
1. To eulogize; to deliver or write a panegyric about.
2. To indulge in panegyric; bestow praises.
I allowed then as how I had been moved to panegyrize Lieutenant Locke.
-- Louis Bayard, The Pale Blue Eye
Judge Story was a profound admirer of Chief Justice Marshall, and could rarely hear his name mentioned without digressing to panegyrize his learning and intellectual power.
-- William Matthews, Hours with Men and Books
From Greek, panegyrize originally meant “belonging to a public assembly” from pan meaning “all” and egyris, “gathering.”
1. To eulogize; to deliver or write a panegyric about.
2. To indulge in panegyric; bestow praises.
I allowed then as how I had been moved to panegyrize Lieutenant Locke.
-- Louis Bayard, The Pale Blue Eye
Judge Story was a profound admirer of Chief Justice Marshall, and could rarely hear his name mentioned without digressing to panegyrize his learning and intellectual power.
-- William Matthews, Hours with Men and Books
From Greek, panegyrize originally meant “belonging to a public assembly” from pan meaning “all” and egyris, “gathering.”
2011年11月27日 星期日
2011_11_27 stertor \STUR-ter\, noun: A heavy snoring sound.
stertor \STUR-ter\, noun:
A heavy snoring sound.
He was snoring, a wheeze and stertor that animated the papers scattered round him...
-- T.C. Boyle, Riven Rock
The stertor of Meat's breathing came softly, almost soothingly, through the wall.
-- Chad Harbach, The Art of Fielding
Stertor comes from the Latin stret which meant “to snore.”
A heavy snoring sound.
He was snoring, a wheeze and stertor that animated the papers scattered round him...
-- T.C. Boyle, Riven Rock
The stertor of Meat's breathing came softly, almost soothingly, through the wall.
-- Chad Harbach, The Art of Fielding
Stertor comes from the Latin stret which meant “to snore.”
2011年11月26日 星期六
2011_11_26 procrustean \proh-KRUHS-tee-uhn\, adjective: Tending to produce conformity by violent or arbitrary means.
procrustean \proh-KRUHS-tee-uhn\, adjective:
1. Tending to produce conformity by violent or arbitrary means.
2. Pertaining to or suggestive of Procrustes.
Soon they were operating a sort of procrustean ferry where the fares were tailored to accommodate the purses of the travelers. Ultimately all pretense was dropped and the immigrants were robbed outright.
-- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
To force them into the machine would require a Procrustean mutilation of their basic humanity.
-- Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire
Procrustean refers to the Greek myth of Procrustes, who was a robber who tortured his victims. According to mythology, he was killed by Theseus.
1. Tending to produce conformity by violent or arbitrary means.
2. Pertaining to or suggestive of Procrustes.
Soon they were operating a sort of procrustean ferry where the fares were tailored to accommodate the purses of the travelers. Ultimately all pretense was dropped and the immigrants were robbed outright.
-- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
To force them into the machine would require a Procrustean mutilation of their basic humanity.
-- Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire
Procrustean refers to the Greek myth of Procrustes, who was a robber who tortured his victims. According to mythology, he was killed by Theseus.
2011年11月25日 星期五
2011_11_25 dipsomania \dip-suh-MEY-nee-uh\, noun: An irresistible, typically periodic craving for alcoholic drink.
dipsomania \dip-suh-MEY-nee-uh\, noun:
An irresistible, typically periodic craving for alcoholic drink.
During his last years he'd become a regular drinking companion of Roosevelt's younger brother, Elliot, whose life was also ended by dipsomania some years later.
-- Caleb Carr, The Alienist
What exactly has Mr. Waugh in mind, one would like to know, in making the perhaps too charming young man a dipsomania? Is it no more than that, being himself an unsatisfactory Roman Catholic, Sebastian lacked the will to resist drink?
-- Martin Stannard, Evelyn Waugh: The Critical Heritage
Dipsomania literally means crazy thirst from the Greek dips (thirst) and mania (crazy).
An irresistible, typically periodic craving for alcoholic drink.
During his last years he'd become a regular drinking companion of Roosevelt's younger brother, Elliot, whose life was also ended by dipsomania some years later.
-- Caleb Carr, The Alienist
What exactly has Mr. Waugh in mind, one would like to know, in making the perhaps too charming young man a dipsomania? Is it no more than that, being himself an unsatisfactory Roman Catholic, Sebastian lacked the will to resist drink?
-- Martin Stannard, Evelyn Waugh: The Critical Heritage
Dipsomania literally means crazy thirst from the Greek dips (thirst) and mania (crazy).
2011年11月24日 星期四
2011_11_24 appetence \AP-i-tuhns\, noun: Intense desire; strong natural craving; appetite.
appetence \AP-i-tuhns\, noun:
1. Intense desire; strong natural craving; appetite.
2. Instinctive inclination or natural tendency.
3. Material or chemical attraction or affinity.
A sudden step and desire to reach back in time to change the circumstances, to re-write and re-route all those ferocious columns, an appetence to change what had been done and said.
-- Charles D. Ellison, Tantrum
How immense is their thirst for life! A youthful nation in its entirety, a new mankind, inspired with an eager appetence for knowledge and truth.
-- Stefan Zweig and Laurence Mintz, Balzac, Dickens, Dostoevsky: Master Builders of the Spirit
Appetence, from the same root as appetite, comes from the Latin appete meaning “to seek for or long for.”
2011年11月23日 星期三
2011_11_23 crepitate \KREP-i-teyt\, verb: To make a crackling sound; crackle.
crepitate \KREP-i-teyt\, verb:
To make a crackling sound; crackle.
The lampwicks crepitate; their flames are about to go out, long mosquitoes flit in rapid circlings about them.
-- Gustave Flaubert, The Temptation of Saint Anthony
This horrible talk, however, evidently possessed a potent magic for my friend; and his imagination, checked for a while by the influence of his kinsman, began to ferment and crepitate.
-- Henry James, Stories Revived
Crepitate is from the Latin crepitare which meant “to rustle or chatter.”
2011年11月22日 星期二
2011_11_22 poltroon \pol-TROON\, noun: A wretched coward; craven. -- adj. Marked by utter cowardice.
poltroon \pol-TROON\, noun:
1. A wretched coward; craven.
adjective:
1. Marked by utter cowardice.
By heavens, if, under the circumstances of the provocation which you gave him, and his whole family, he would be as mean and cowardly a poltroon as I find you be...”
-- William Carleton, Valentine M'Cultchy, the Irish Agent
“Poltroon, my dear, poltroon!” Moloch put in. “He has no sense of decency, no respect—for me, or for anything. He's a vulgar, coarse fool.”
-- Henry Miller, Moloch
Poltroon originally came from the Latin pullus meaning “young animal.” It came to mean an idler or coward in Old French.
1. A wretched coward; craven.
adjective:
1. Marked by utter cowardice.
By heavens, if, under the circumstances of the provocation which you gave him, and his whole family, he would be as mean and cowardly a poltroon as I find you be...”
-- William Carleton, Valentine M'Cultchy, the Irish Agent
“Poltroon, my dear, poltroon!” Moloch put in. “He has no sense of decency, no respect—for me, or for anything. He's a vulgar, coarse fool.”
-- Henry Miller, Moloch
Poltroon originally came from the Latin pullus meaning “young animal.” It came to mean an idler or coward in Old French.
2011年11月21日 星期一
2011_11_21 salvo \SAL-voh\, noun: An excuse or quibbling evasion.
salvo \SAL-voh\, noun:
1. Something to save a person's reputation or soothe a person's feelings.
2. An excuse or quibbling evasion.
3. A simultaneous or successive discharge of artillery, bombs, etc.
4. A round of fire given as a salute.
5. A round of cheers or applause.
King Edward, however, artfully inserted a salvo, saving the rights of the King of England and of all others which before the date of this treaty belong to him or any of them in the marches or elsewhere.
-- G. A. Henty, In Freedom's Cause
Ignoring sons, he scanned the daughters with salvo upon salvo of loving glances...
-- William T. Vollmann, The Royal Family
Salvo originates in the Latin word salvus meaning “safe.”
1. Something to save a person's reputation or soothe a person's feelings.
2. An excuse or quibbling evasion.
3. A simultaneous or successive discharge of artillery, bombs, etc.
4. A round of fire given as a salute.
5. A round of cheers or applause.
King Edward, however, artfully inserted a salvo, saving the rights of the King of England and of all others which before the date of this treaty belong to him or any of them in the marches or elsewhere.
-- G. A. Henty, In Freedom's Cause
Ignoring sons, he scanned the daughters with salvo upon salvo of loving glances...
-- William T. Vollmann, The Royal Family
Salvo originates in the Latin word salvus meaning “safe.”
2011年11月20日 星期日
2011_11_20 mitigate \MIT-i-geyt\, verb: To become milder; lessen in severity.
mitigate \MIT-i-geyt\, verb:
1. To lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate.
2. To make less severe: to mitigate a punishment.
3. To make (a person, one's state of mind, disposition, etc.) milder or more gentle; mollify; appease.
4. To become milder; lessen in severity.
I owe you a thousand obligations for all the attention you showed me in my late calamitous situation, and ill, very ill, should I repay those obligations, if I did not try as a friend to mitigate these violent transports.
-- Charlotte Turner Smith, Celestina
That does nothing to mitigate your condescending arrogance.
-- William Kittredge, The Willow Field
Mitigate is from the Latin roots mit (soft) and agere (to cause).
1. To lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate.
2. To make less severe: to mitigate a punishment.
3. To make (a person, one's state of mind, disposition, etc.) milder or more gentle; mollify; appease.
4. To become milder; lessen in severity.
I owe you a thousand obligations for all the attention you showed me in my late calamitous situation, and ill, very ill, should I repay those obligations, if I did not try as a friend to mitigate these violent transports.
-- Charlotte Turner Smith, Celestina
That does nothing to mitigate your condescending arrogance.
-- William Kittredge, The Willow Field
Mitigate is from the Latin roots mit (soft) and agere (to cause).
2011年11月19日 星期六
2011_11_19 knavery \NEY-vuh-ree\, noun: dishonest dealing; trickery.
knavery \NEY-vuh-ree\, noun:
1. Unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest dealing; trickery.
2. Action or practice characteristic of a knave
3. A knavish act or practice.
Knavery may serve for a turn, but honesty is best in the long run.
-- Aesop, Aesop's Fables
Yes, I took the brunt of it but not because there was a ballot on it but because I know knavery when I see knavery. Plus underhandedness and mischief.
-- Gordon Lish, Collected Fictions
Originally from the German word knabe meaning “boy or lad,” knavery has been used to imply deceitful intentions since the 1200s.
1. Unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest dealing; trickery.
2. Action or practice characteristic of a knave
3. A knavish act or practice.
Knavery may serve for a turn, but honesty is best in the long run.
-- Aesop, Aesop's Fables
Yes, I took the brunt of it but not because there was a ballot on it but because I know knavery when I see knavery. Plus underhandedness and mischief.
-- Gordon Lish, Collected Fictions
Originally from the German word knabe meaning “boy or lad,” knavery has been used to imply deceitful intentions since the 1200s.
2011年11月18日 星期五
2011_11_18 omnibus \OM-nuh-buhs\, noun: A volume of reprinted works of a single author
omnibus \OM-nuh-buhs\, noun:
1. A volume of reprinted works of a single author or of works related in interest or theme.
2. A bus.
adjective:
1. Pertaining to, including, or dealing with numerous objects or items at once.
He is working on an omnibus volume that will combine old and new material to explain what he's been doing all these years.
-- Benjamin Ivry, “Joseph Mitchell's Secret” New York Magazine, Feb. 9, 1987
An omnibus containing extracts from past works, linked with Koestler's 1980 comments, it has a far more coherent shape than the author appears to think.
-- Bernard Dixon, “Two Cultures At One” New Scientist, Jan. 8, 1981
Omnibus means “for all” in Latin.
1. A volume of reprinted works of a single author or of works related in interest or theme.
2. A bus.
adjective:
1. Pertaining to, including, or dealing with numerous objects or items at once.
He is working on an omnibus volume that will combine old and new material to explain what he's been doing all these years.
-- Benjamin Ivry, “Joseph Mitchell's Secret” New York Magazine, Feb. 9, 1987
An omnibus containing extracts from past works, linked with Koestler's 1980 comments, it has a far more coherent shape than the author appears to think.
-- Bernard Dixon, “Two Cultures At One” New Scientist, Jan. 8, 1981
Omnibus means “for all” in Latin.
2011年11月17日 星期四
2011_11_17 bibliophage \BIB-lee-uh-feyj\, noun: An ardent reader; a bookworm.
bibliophage \BIB-lee-uh-feyj\, noun:
An ardent reader; a bookworm.
You may recall, if you are something of a bibliophage, that the late Sylvia Plath had a story with a similar name.
-- Corey Mesler, We Are a Billion-Year-Old Carbon
The borrower, heedless, reckless bibliophage cares nothing about all this; into the midst of these learned pleasures he leaps like a fox into a hen-roost; he is smitten all at once with an overmastering hunger for reading...”
-- Elliot Stock, The Bookworm
Bibliophage derives from the Latin biblio meaning “books” and phage meaning “a thing that devours.”
2011年11月16日 星期三
201111_16 opuscule \oh-PUHS-kyool\, noun: A small or minor work.
opuscule \oh-PUHS-kyool\, noun:
1. A small or minor work.
2. A literary or musical work of small size.
Little by little, with patience and luck and the progressive sharpening of my predatory eye, I found one or another opuscule of his in my used book stores in Oxford and London.
-- Javier Marías, Dark Back of Time
The guide, a mere opuscule of ten pages, is entitled 'The Great Sepulture of the Cappuccini', and is well worth the hundred lire one pays for it.
-- Jocelyn Brooke, The Dog at Clambercrown
Opuscule is from the Latin roots opus meaning “word” and cule which is a suffix that implies a diminutive version, as in molecule and fascicle.
2011年11月15日 星期二
2011_11_15 apocrypha \uh-POK-ruh-fuh\, noun: Writings, statements, etc., of doubtful authorship or authenticity.
apocrypha \uh-POK-ruh-fuh\, noun:
1. Various religious writings of uncertain origin regarded by some as inspired, but rejected by most authorities.
2. A group of 14 books, not considered canonical, included in the Septuagint and the Vulgate as part of the Old Testament, but usually omitted from Protestant editions of the Bible.
3. Writings, statements, etc., of doubtful authorship or authenticity.
The apocrypha, some of which the peasants would hear in church, were popular because of their often grotesque humor, and although there was frequently a didactic element, it was not usually overbearing.
-- Jack V. Haney, Russian Wondertales
The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries gave birth to numerous chronicles, hagiographies, legends, and apocrypha, in which the proportion of fictional and nonfictional elements varied.
-- Carl Edmund Rollyson, Critical Survey of Long Fiction
Apocrypha comes from the Greek apokryphos meaning “hidden, unknown or spurious.”
1. Various religious writings of uncertain origin regarded by some as inspired, but rejected by most authorities.
2. A group of 14 books, not considered canonical, included in the Septuagint and the Vulgate as part of the Old Testament, but usually omitted from Protestant editions of the Bible.
3. Writings, statements, etc., of doubtful authorship or authenticity.
The apocrypha, some of which the peasants would hear in church, were popular because of their often grotesque humor, and although there was frequently a didactic element, it was not usually overbearing.
-- Jack V. Haney, Russian Wondertales
The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries gave birth to numerous chronicles, hagiographies, legends, and apocrypha, in which the proportion of fictional and nonfictional elements varied.
-- Carl Edmund Rollyson, Critical Survey of Long Fiction
Apocrypha comes from the Greek apokryphos meaning “hidden, unknown or spurious.”
2011年11月14日 星期一
2011_11_14 fascicle \FAS-i-kuhl\, noun: A small bundle, tight cluster, or the like
fascicle \FAS-i-kuhl\, noun:
1. A section of a book or set of books published in installments as separate pamphlets or volumes.
2. A small bundle, tight cluster, or the like.
3. Botany. A close cluster, as of flowers or leaves.
4. Anatomy. A small bundle of nerve or muscle fibers.
Citations of passages within texts collected in the Buddhist and Daoist cannons are by fascicle and page...
-- Robert Fort Company, Strange Writing
In 1981 R. W. Franklin published The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson, a manuscript edition that arranges the poems in fascicle order.
-- Elaine Showalter, Modern America Women Writers
Fascicle originates in the Latin word fascus meaning “a bundle or pack” and the suffix “cle” that implies a smaller version, as in particle.
1. A section of a book or set of books published in installments as separate pamphlets or volumes.
2. A small bundle, tight cluster, or the like.
3. Botany. A close cluster, as of flowers or leaves.
4. Anatomy. A small bundle of nerve or muscle fibers.
Citations of passages within texts collected in the Buddhist and Daoist cannons are by fascicle and page...
-- Robert Fort Company, Strange Writing
In 1981 R. W. Franklin published The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson, a manuscript edition that arranges the poems in fascicle order.
-- Elaine Showalter, Modern America Women Writers
Fascicle originates in the Latin word fascus meaning “a bundle or pack” and the suffix “cle” that implies a smaller version, as in particle.
2011年11月13日 星期日
2011_11_13 lyard \LAHY-erd\, adjective: Streaked or spotted with gray or white.
lyard \LAHY-erd\, adjective:
Streaked or spotted with gray or white.
Referring again to the color of medieval horses, white or grey, which was called “lyard”—were the favourite colors...
-- Walter Clifford Meller, A Knight's Life in Days of Chivalry
The best color for a stallion, is brown bay dappled, dapple gray, bright bay, or white lyard.
-- Gervase Markham, Cavelarice
Lyard is from the Old French liart. However its meaning before that is unknown.
Streaked or spotted with gray or white.
Referring again to the color of medieval horses, white or grey, which was called “lyard”—were the favourite colors...
-- Walter Clifford Meller, A Knight's Life in Days of Chivalry
The best color for a stallion, is brown bay dappled, dapple gray, bright bay, or white lyard.
-- Gervase Markham, Cavelarice
Lyard is from the Old French liart. However its meaning before that is unknown.
2011年11月12日 星期六
2011_11_12 rankle \RANG-kuhl\, verb: To cause keen irritation or bitter resentment in.
Word of the Day for Saturday, November 12, 2011
rankle \RANG-kuhl\, verb:
1. To cause keen irritation or bitter resentment in.
2. To continue to cause keen irritation or bitter resentment within the mind; fester; be painful.
She holds that scornful expression long enough to make sure I notice. I make believe I don't. I try not to let it rankle me.
-- Joseph Heller, Something Happened
The section of it which chiefly rankled in Charteris's mind, and which had continued to rankle ever since, was that in which the use of the word “buffoon” had occurred.
-- P. G. Wodehouse, Tales of St. Austin's
Rankle has a complex history. It derives from the Middle English word rancler meaning “to fester” which is a derivative of draoncle, late Latin for “a sore” which itself comes from the Latin draco meaning “a serpent.”
rankle \RANG-kuhl\, verb:
1. To cause keen irritation or bitter resentment in.
2. To continue to cause keen irritation or bitter resentment within the mind; fester; be painful.
She holds that scornful expression long enough to make sure I notice. I make believe I don't. I try not to let it rankle me.
-- Joseph Heller, Something Happened
The section of it which chiefly rankled in Charteris's mind, and which had continued to rankle ever since, was that in which the use of the word “buffoon” had occurred.
-- P. G. Wodehouse, Tales of St. Austin's
Rankle has a complex history. It derives from the Middle English word rancler meaning “to fester” which is a derivative of draoncle, late Latin for “a sore” which itself comes from the Latin draco meaning “a serpent.”
2011年11月11日 星期五
2011_11_11 zeal \zeel\, noun:Fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor.
zeal \zeel\, noun:
Fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor.
...serve him with zeal, and love him with fidelity.
-- Fanny Burney, Cecilia: Or, Memoirs of an Heiress
This passionate profession, which Newman uttered with the greater zeal that it was the first time he had felt the relief words at once as hard and as careful as hammer-taps could give his spirit, kindled two small sparks in Mrs. Bread's fixed eyes.
-- Henry James, The American
Zeal is derived from the Greek word zelos, the same root as the word zealous.
2011年11月10日 星期四
2011_11_10 pansophy \PAN-suh-fee\, noun: Universal wisdom or knowledge.
pansophy \PAN-suh-fee\, noun:
Universal wisdom or knowledge.
For just at the moment Baconfield had come to perceive the divine formulae that dictate, in darkness, the world's apparent randomness, just when the thumbmarks on his walls comprised an exhilarating pansophy and he stood poised on the verge of omniscience, an uncircumscribable chaos has swept into his life.
-- Rikki Ducornet, The Jade Cabinet
Wade had somehow managed to fuse the lightning-bolt pansophy of our visionary past with a single-minded perspicacity befitting the finest of the experimental methods...
-- Konrad Ventana, A Desperado's Daily Bread
From the Greek, pansophy is comprised of the root words pan meaning “all” and sophy meaning “wisdom.”
2011_11_03 obscurantism \uhb-SKYOORr-uhn-tiz-uhm\,...
2011_11_03 obscurantism \uhb-SKYOORr-uhn-tiz-uhm\,...: obscurantism \uhb-SKYOORr-uhn-tiz-uhm\, noun: 1. Opposition to the increase and spread of knowledge. 2. Deliberate obscurity or evasion of ...
2011年11月9日 星期三
2011_11_09 kef \keyf\, noun: A state of drowsy contentment
kef \keyf\, noun:
1. A state of drowsy contentment
2. Also, keef. a substance, especially a smoking preparation of hemp leaves, used to produce this state.
I need not add that my kef—my noon rest, did not pass without interruption.
-- Karl Friedrich May, Through the Desert
...I tied on my hat and lit it down and held up my umbrella for shade, and fell into kef, being incapable of sustained thought.
-- William Cory, Extracts from the Letters and Journals of William Cory
Kef comes from the Arabic word kaif meaning “well-being or pleasure.”
2011年11月8日 星期二
2011_11_08 plebiscite \PLEB-uh-sahyt\, noun: A direct vote of the qualified voters of a state in regard to some important public question.A direct vote of the qualified voters of a state in regard to some important public question. A direct vote of the qualified voters of a state in regard to some important public question.
plebiscite \PLEB-uh-sahyt\, noun:
1. A direct vote of the qualified voters of a state in regard to some important public question.
2. The vote by which the people of a political unit determine autonomy or affiliation with another country.
2. The vote by which the people of a political unit determine autonomy or affiliation with another country.
How many of these were there? Not enough to put the verdict of the plebiscite in doubt, anyway.
-- Arthur C. Clark, The Last Theorem
It was he who devised the plebiscite and the governmental machinery for making plebiscites yield the desired results — ninety-eight percent of the votes in favor of tyranny, two percent against.
-- Aldous Huxley, Complete Essays
Plebiscite is comprised the Latin roots plebi meaning “common people” and scitum meaning “resolution or decree.”
2011年11月7日 星期一
2011_11)7 canny \KAN-ee\, adjective: Careful; cautious; prudent.
canny \KAN-ee\, adjective:
1. Careful; cautious; prudent.
2. Astute; shrewd; knowing; sagacious.
3. Skilled; expert.
4. Frugal; thrifty.
5. Scot. A. Safe to deal with, invest in, or work at (usually used with a negative). B. Gentle; careful; steady. C. Snug; cozy; comfortable. D. Pleasing; attractive. E. Archaic. Having supernatural or occult powers.
adverb:
1. In a canny manner.
2. Scot. Carefully; cautiously.
But they're not going to catch us that easily. If they're canny, we can be canny too!
-- Hans Fallada, Every Man Dies Alone
Some of the little contrivances, which he thought so canny, left her doubtful.
-- D.H. Lawrence, The Rainbow
Canny is derived from the Middle English word ken meaning “knowledge or understanding.” It is related to the verb kennen meaning “to see, know, or make known.”
1. Careful; cautious; prudent.
2. Astute; shrewd; knowing; sagacious.
3. Skilled; expert.
4. Frugal; thrifty.
5. Scot. A. Safe to deal with, invest in, or work at (usually used with a negative). B. Gentle; careful; steady. C. Snug; cozy; comfortable. D. Pleasing; attractive. E. Archaic. Having supernatural or occult powers.
adverb:
1. In a canny manner.
2. Scot. Carefully; cautiously.
But they're not going to catch us that easily. If they're canny, we can be canny too!
-- Hans Fallada, Every Man Dies Alone
Some of the little contrivances, which he thought so canny, left her doubtful.
-- D.H. Lawrence, The Rainbow
Canny is derived from the Middle English word ken meaning “knowledge or understanding.” It is related to the verb kennen meaning “to see, know, or make known.”
2011年11月6日 星期日
2011_1106 junket \JUHNG-kit\, noun: A pleasure excursion, as a picnic or outing.
junket \JUHNG-kit\, noun:
1. A trip, usually by an official or legislative committee, paid out of public funds and ostensibly to obtain information.
2. A sweet, custardlike food of flavored milk curdled with rennet.
3. A pleasure excursion, as a picnic or outing.
verb:
1. To go on a junket.
2. To entertain; feast; regale.
Yeah, well, there's a lot more of them on the operation, fellows in the control room, women too. They all decided to go to California together on a junket. Whooping it up, you know?
-- Patricia Highsmith, Tales of Natural and Unnatural Catastrophes
Some lobbyists get together and put up money for a few congresspeople to go to a resort for a winter weekend. The catch is the lobbyists get to go along and talk to them. They usually call it a seminar or a symposium, but basically it's a junket.
-- John Lutz, Final Seconds
Junket is rooted in the Latin word juncata which meant “rush basket.” It is likely that the basket was associated with the notion of a picnic basket and came to signify a pleasure trip.
1. A trip, usually by an official or legislative committee, paid out of public funds and ostensibly to obtain information.
2. A sweet, custardlike food of flavored milk curdled with rennet.
3. A pleasure excursion, as a picnic or outing.
verb:
1. To go on a junket.
2. To entertain; feast; regale.
Yeah, well, there's a lot more of them on the operation, fellows in the control room, women too. They all decided to go to California together on a junket. Whooping it up, you know?
-- Patricia Highsmith, Tales of Natural and Unnatural Catastrophes
Some lobbyists get together and put up money for a few congresspeople to go to a resort for a winter weekend. The catch is the lobbyists get to go along and talk to them. They usually call it a seminar or a symposium, but basically it's a junket.
-- John Lutz, Final Seconds
Junket is rooted in the Latin word juncata which meant “rush basket.” It is likely that the basket was associated with the notion of a picnic basket and came to signify a pleasure trip.
2011年11月5日 星期六
2011_11_5 quean \kween\, noun: An overly forward, impudent woman; shrew; hussy.
quean \kween\, noun:
1. An overly forward, impudent woman; shrew; hussy.
2. A prostitute.
3. British Dialect. A girl or young woman, especially a robust one.
I answer thee, thou art a beggar, a quean, and a bawd.
-- Thomas Middleton, Five Plays
Had I had my own will, I would have had her to Bridewell, to flog the wild blood out of her—a cutty quean, to think of wearing the breeches, and not so much as married yet!
-- Sir Walter Scott, Waverley Novels
Quean, predictably, is rooted in the same Old English word that queen comes from, the word cwen which meant woman.
1. An overly forward, impudent woman; shrew; hussy.
2. A prostitute.
3. British Dialect. A girl or young woman, especially a robust one.
I answer thee, thou art a beggar, a quean, and a bawd.
-- Thomas Middleton, Five Plays
Had I had my own will, I would have had her to Bridewell, to flog the wild blood out of her—a cutty quean, to think of wearing the breeches, and not so much as married yet!
-- Sir Walter Scott, Waverley Novels
Quean, predictably, is rooted in the same Old English word that queen comes from, the word cwen which meant woman.
2011年11月4日 星期五
2011_11_04 prehensible \pri-HEN-suh-buhl\, adjective: Able to be seized or grasped.
prehensible \pri-HEN-suh-buhl\, adjective:
Able to be seized or grasped.
Do they not give the obvious signified a kind of difficultly prehensible roundness, cause my reading to slip?
-- Roland Barthes, Image, Music, Text
And I, having only the name Divers as a visible, prehensible asperity for grasping the invisible, shall contort it so as to make it enter mine, mingling the letters of both.
-- Jean Genet, Miracle of the Rose
Prehensible comes from the Latin word prehension meaning “a taking hold.”
Able to be seized or grasped.
Do they not give the obvious signified a kind of difficultly prehensible roundness, cause my reading to slip?
-- Roland Barthes, Image, Music, Text
And I, having only the name Divers as a visible, prehensible asperity for grasping the invisible, shall contort it so as to make it enter mine, mingling the letters of both.
-- Jean Genet, Miracle of the Rose
Prehensible comes from the Latin word prehension meaning “a taking hold.”
2011年11月3日 星期四
2011_11_03 obscurantism \uhb-SKYOORr-uhn-tiz-uhm\, noun: Evasion of clarity.
obscurantism \uhb-SKYOORr-uhn-tiz-uhm\, noun:
1. Opposition to the increase and spread of knowledge.
2. Deliberate obscurity or evasion of clarity.
Of course they're not. That's why there were all those confrontations, all that aggression and obscurantism. Because the forces of darkness are dying, and they are thrown back on such things as a last resort.
-- Paulo Coelho, The Witch of Portobello
In these he had shown himself a stalwart champion of Christian doctrine at its most precise and purest, equally remote from the modern laxity and obscurantism of the past.
-- Albus Camus, The Plague
1. Opposition to the increase and spread of knowledge.
2. Deliberate obscurity or evasion of clarity.
Of course they're not. That's why there were all those confrontations, all that aggression and obscurantism. Because the forces of darkness are dying, and they are thrown back on such things as a last resort.
-- Paulo Coelho, The Witch of Portobello
In these he had shown himself a stalwart champion of Christian doctrine at its most precise and purest, equally remote from the modern laxity and obscurantism of the past.
-- Albus Camus, The Plague
2011年11月2日 星期三
2011_11_02 metempirical \met-em-PIR-i-kuhl\, adjective: Beyond or outside the field of experience.
metempirical \met-em-PIR-i-kuhl\, adjective:
1. Beyond or outside the field of experience.
2. Of or pertaining to metempirics.
...but the quality of her innate wit had deepened, strange “metempirical” (as Van called them) undercurrents seemed to double internally, and thus enrich, the simplest expression of her simplest thoughts.
-- Vladimir Nabokov, Ada, or Ardor, a Family Chronicle
Still however, instead of aspiring to becoming rigorous and metempirical, poetry lives by the heart, the sense and singing.
-- Kahlil Gibran with Andrew Dib Sherfan, The Third Treasury of Kahlil Gibran
Metempircal derives from the Greek words met- meaning “beyond or before” and empirical meaning “experience.”
1. Beyond or outside the field of experience.
2. Of or pertaining to metempirics.
...but the quality of her innate wit had deepened, strange “metempirical” (as Van called them) undercurrents seemed to double internally, and thus enrich, the simplest expression of her simplest thoughts.
-- Vladimir Nabokov, Ada, or Ardor, a Family Chronicle
Still however, instead of aspiring to becoming rigorous and metempirical, poetry lives by the heart, the sense and singing.
-- Kahlil Gibran with Andrew Dib Sherfan, The Third Treasury of Kahlil Gibran
Metempircal derives from the Greek words met- meaning “beyond or before” and empirical meaning “experience.”
2011年11月1日 星期二
2011_11_01 aioli \ahy-OH-lee\, noun: A sauce made of oil and eggs
aioli \ahy-OH-lee\, noun:
A sauce made of oil and eggs, usually flavored with garlic, from the Provence region of France.
He said he was treating. There was roast artichoke topped with a sort of sly aioli. Mutton stuffed with foie gras, double chocolate rum cake. Seven kinds of cheese.
-- David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest
A beef sirloin is good, too, slightly charred on the outside and reddish pink in the middle, nicely peppered, with mustard aioli.
-- Garrison Keillor, Love Me
Aioli comes from the Provençal word for garlic, ai and the Latin word for oil, oli.
A sauce made of oil and eggs, usually flavored with garlic, from the Provence region of France.
He said he was treating. There was roast artichoke topped with a sort of sly aioli. Mutton stuffed with foie gras, double chocolate rum cake. Seven kinds of cheese.
-- David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest
A beef sirloin is good, too, slightly charred on the outside and reddish pink in the middle, nicely peppered, with mustard aioli.
-- Garrison Keillor, Love Me
Aioli comes from the Provençal word for garlic, ai and the Latin word for oil, oli.
2011年10月31日 星期一
2011_10_31 nyctophobia \nik-tuh-FOH-bee-uh\, noun: An abnormal fear of night or darkness.
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.
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.
2011年9月30日 星期五
2011_09_30 votary \VOH-tuh-ree\, noun: A devoted admirer.
votary \VOH-tuh-ree\, noun:
1. One who is devoted, given, or addicted to some particular pursuit, subject, study, or way of life.
2. A devoted admirer.
3. A devout adherent of a religion or cult.
4. A dedicated believer or advocate.
When she held out her hand to receive the glass, she had more the air of a full-grown Bacchante, celebrating the rites of Bacchus, than a votary at the shrine of Hygeia.
-- Pamela Neville-Sington, Fanny Trollope
Perhaps most amazingly, votaries of "diversity" insist on absolute conformity.
-- Tony Snow, "Lifestyle police: Enough already", USA Today, June 10, 1996
It must be remembered that undisguised atrocities on a stupendous scale. . . would be too strong for the stomach of even the most brutalized people, and would tend to bring war into discredit with all but its monomaniac votaries.
-- "The Idea of a League of Nations", The Atlantic, February 1919
Votary comes from Latin votum, "vow," from the past participle of vovere, "to vow, to devote." Related words include vow and vote, originally a vow, hence a prayer or ardent wish, hence an expression of preference, as for a candidate.
1. One who is devoted, given, or addicted to some particular pursuit, subject, study, or way of life.
2. A devoted admirer.
3. A devout adherent of a religion or cult.
4. A dedicated believer or advocate.
When she held out her hand to receive the glass, she had more the air of a full-grown Bacchante, celebrating the rites of Bacchus, than a votary at the shrine of Hygeia.
-- Pamela Neville-Sington, Fanny Trollope
Perhaps most amazingly, votaries of "diversity" insist on absolute conformity.
-- Tony Snow, "Lifestyle police: Enough already", USA Today, June 10, 1996
It must be remembered that undisguised atrocities on a stupendous scale. . . would be too strong for the stomach of even the most brutalized people, and would tend to bring war into discredit with all but its monomaniac votaries.
-- "The Idea of a League of Nations", The Atlantic, February 1919
Votary comes from Latin votum, "vow," from the past participle of vovere, "to vow, to devote." Related words include vow and vote, originally a vow, hence a prayer or ardent wish, hence an expression of preference, as for a candidate.
2011年9月29日 星期四
2011_09_28 lionize \LY-uh-nyz\, transitive verb: To treat or regard as an object of great interest or importance.
lionize \LY-uh-nyz\, transitive verb:
To treat or regard as an object of great interest or importance.
At Penn State he'd been welcomed, nurtured, lionized as a track and field star who narrowly missed making our Olympic team in the decathlon
-- James Brady, Further Lane
But it is a good reason to be wary, and to pay some attention to that man behind the curtain -- or, if anyone tries to sell you one, to be cautious about lionizing "some pig" -- however terrific, radiant, and humble -- in a poke.
-- Marjorie B. Garber, Symptoms of Culture
But the urge to lionize him is an indication that we live in a terrible age for pianists. There is today almost no pianist worth crossing the street for.
-- Jay Nordlinger, "Curtain Calls", National Review, May 31, 1999
Lionize, comes from lion, in the sense of "a person of great interest or importance."
To treat or regard as an object of great interest or importance.
At Penn State he'd been welcomed, nurtured, lionized as a track and field star who narrowly missed making our Olympic team in the decathlon
-- James Brady, Further Lane
But it is a good reason to be wary, and to pay some attention to that man behind the curtain -- or, if anyone tries to sell you one, to be cautious about lionizing "some pig" -- however terrific, radiant, and humble -- in a poke.
-- Marjorie B. Garber, Symptoms of Culture
But the urge to lionize him is an indication that we live in a terrible age for pianists. There is today almost no pianist worth crossing the street for.
-- Jay Nordlinger, "Curtain Calls", National Review, May 31, 1999
Lionize, comes from lion, in the sense of "a person of great interest or importance."
2011_09_29 woolgathering \WOOL-gath-(uh)-ring\, noun Indulgence in idle daydreaming.
woolgathering \WOOL-gath-(uh)-ring\, noun:
Indulgence in idle daydreaming.
Similarly, in the meadow, if you laze too late into the fall, woolgathering, snow could fill your mouth.
-- Edward Hoagland, "Earth's eye", Sierra, May 1999
It would be easy to slip off into woolgathering and miss a deadline.
-- Jeraldine Saunders, Washington Post, March 4, 2004
Plagued by guilt, they took refuge in wine, women, and woolgathering.
-- Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust
The soprano roused Fergus from his woolgathering.
-- Sandra Brown, Where There's Smoke
Woolgathering derives from the literal sense, "gathering fragments of wool."
Read the full entry | See synonyms | Comment on today's word | Suggest tomorrow's word
Indulgence in idle daydreaming.
Similarly, in the meadow, if you laze too late into the fall, woolgathering, snow could fill your mouth.
-- Edward Hoagland, "Earth's eye", Sierra, May 1999
It would be easy to slip off into woolgathering and miss a deadline.
-- Jeraldine Saunders, Washington Post, March 4, 2004
Plagued by guilt, they took refuge in wine, women, and woolgathering.
-- Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust
The soprano roused Fergus from his woolgathering.
-- Sandra Brown, Where There's Smoke
Woolgathering derives from the literal sense, "gathering fragments of wool."
Read the full entry | See synonyms | Comment on today's word | Suggest tomorrow's word
2011年9月27日 星期二
2011_09_27 gadabout \GAD-uh-bout\, noun: who roams about in search of amusement
gadabout \GAD-uh-bout\, noun:
Someone who roams about in search of amusement or social activity.
In his unorthodox and callow way, he frequently upset and annoyed his countrymen, but they continued to vote for him, perhaps taking a vicarious pleasure in being led by such a world-famous gadabout.
-- "Milestones of 2000", Times (London), December 29, 2000
She hugged him fiercely. "Oh, I love you, Jake Grafton, you worthless gadabout fly-boy, you fool that sails away and leaves me."
-- Jack Anderson, Control
Mr. Hart-Davis, as befits a professional literary man, is something of a gadabout.
-- Daphne Merkin, "From Two Most English Men", New York Times, June 23, 1985
Gadabout is formed from the verb gad, "to rove or go about without purpose or restlessly" (from Middle English gadden, "to hurry") + about.
Someone who roams about in search of amusement or social activity.
In his unorthodox and callow way, he frequently upset and annoyed his countrymen, but they continued to vote for him, perhaps taking a vicarious pleasure in being led by such a world-famous gadabout.
-- "Milestones of 2000", Times (London), December 29, 2000
She hugged him fiercely. "Oh, I love you, Jake Grafton, you worthless gadabout fly-boy, you fool that sails away and leaves me."
-- Jack Anderson, Control
Mr. Hart-Davis, as befits a professional literary man, is something of a gadabout.
-- Daphne Merkin, "From Two Most English Men", New York Times, June 23, 1985
Gadabout is formed from the verb gad, "to rove or go about without purpose or restlessly" (from Middle English gadden, "to hurry") + about.
2011年9月26日 星期一
2011_09_26 sapid \SAP-id\, adjective: Agreeable to the mind; to one's liking.
September 26, 2011
sapid \SAP-id\, adjective:
1. Having taste or flavor, especially having a strong pleasant flavor.
2. Agreeable to the mind; to one's liking.
Chemistry can concentrate the sapid and odorous elements of the peach and the bitter almond into a transparent fluid
-- David William Cheever, "Tobacco", The Atlantic, August 1860
I've raved about the elegant and earthy lobster-and-truffle sausage, the sapid sea bass with coarse salt poached in lobster oil, and the indescribably complex and delectable ballottine of lamb stuffed with ground veal, sweet-breads and truffles.
-- James Villas, "Why Taillevent thrives", Town & Country, March 1, 1998
Sapid comes from Latin sapidus, "savory," from sapere, "to taste."
sapid \SAP-id\, adjective:
1. Having taste or flavor, especially having a strong pleasant flavor.
2. Agreeable to the mind; to one's liking.
Chemistry can concentrate the sapid and odorous elements of the peach and the bitter almond into a transparent fluid
-- David William Cheever, "Tobacco", The Atlantic, August 1860
I've raved about the elegant and earthy lobster-and-truffle sausage, the sapid sea bass with coarse salt poached in lobster oil, and the indescribably complex and delectable ballottine of lamb stuffed with ground veal, sweet-breads and truffles.
-- James Villas, "Why Taillevent thrives", Town & Country, March 1, 1998
Sapid comes from Latin sapidus, "savory," from sapere, "to taste."
2011年9月25日 星期日
2011_09_25 tchotchke \CHOCH-kuh\, noun: A trinket; a knickknack.
Word of the Day for Sunday, September 25, 2011
tchotchke \CHOCH-kuh\, noun:
A trinket; a knickknack.
The rare tchotchke aside, our antiquing journeys mainly amounted to wishful foraging, in the spirit of a more roomy and prosperous someday we somehow never really articulated.
-- Jacquelyn Mitchard, The Most Wanted
Of course, you also have arcades, like Funland, and your typical tchotchke vendors, like Ryan's Gems and Junk.
-- Jamie Peck, "Rehoboth Beach", Newsday, May 18, 2001
I'm going nuts with my mother's accumulation of tchotchkes -- it's bad enough she never parted with one she got as a gift -- but why did she have to buy more?
-- "Artifacts of Life", Newsday, December 9, 1996
tchotchke \CHOCH-kuh\, noun:
A trinket; a knickknack.
The rare tchotchke aside, our antiquing journeys mainly amounted to wishful foraging, in the spirit of a more roomy and prosperous someday we somehow never really articulated.
-- Jacquelyn Mitchard, The Most Wanted
Of course, you also have arcades, like Funland, and your typical tchotchke vendors, like Ryan's Gems and Junk.
-- Jamie Peck, "Rehoboth Beach", Newsday, May 18, 2001
I'm going nuts with my mother's accumulation of tchotchkes -- it's bad enough she never parted with one she got as a gift -- but why did she have to buy more?
-- "Artifacts of Life", Newsday, December 9, 1996
2011年9月24日 星期六
2011_09_24 lionize \LY-uh-nyz\, transitive verb: To treat or regard as an object of great interest or importance.
Word of the Day for Saturday, September 24, 2011
lionize \LY-uh-nyz\, transitive verb:
To treat or regard as an object of great interest or importance.
At Penn State he'd been welcomed, nurtured, lionized as a track and field star who narrowly missed making our Olympic team in the decathlon
-- James Brady, Further Lane
But it is a good reason to be wary, and to pay some attention to that man behind the curtain -- or, if anyone tries to sell you one, to be cautious about lionizing "some pig" -- however terrific, radiant, and humble -- in a poke.
-- Marjorie B. Garber, Symptoms of Culture
But the urge to lionize him is an indication that we live in a terrible age for pianists. There is today almost no pianist worth crossing the street for.
-- Jay Nordlinger, "Curtain Calls", National Review, May 31, 1999
Lionize, comes from lion, in the sense of "a person of great interest or importance."
lionize \LY-uh-nyz\, transitive verb:
To treat or regard as an object of great interest or importance.
At Penn State he'd been welcomed, nurtured, lionized as a track and field star who narrowly missed making our Olympic team in the decathlon
-- James Brady, Further Lane
But it is a good reason to be wary, and to pay some attention to that man behind the curtain -- or, if anyone tries to sell you one, to be cautious about lionizing "some pig" -- however terrific, radiant, and humble -- in a poke.
-- Marjorie B. Garber, Symptoms of Culture
But the urge to lionize him is an indication that we live in a terrible age for pianists. There is today almost no pianist worth crossing the street for.
-- Jay Nordlinger, "Curtain Calls", National Review, May 31, 1999
Lionize, comes from lion, in the sense of "a person of great interest or importance."
2011年9月23日 星期五
2011_09_23 copacetic \koh-puh-SET-ik\, adjective: Very satisfactory; fine.
Word of the Day for Friday, September 23, 2011
copacetic \koh-puh-SET-ik\, adjective:
Very satisfactory; fine.
Although all will seem copacetic on the CBS broadcast from Madison Square Garden in New York, there will be a big black cloud hanging over the glitzy proceedings.
-- Patrick MacDonald, "Major labels struggling with huge slump out of tune with listeners", Seattle Times, February 20, 2003
Everything seemed copacetic until a favorite store -- the anchor of the street -- closed suddenly.
-- Heidi Benson, "Yes, We Want No Banana", San Francisco Chronicle, September 30, 2001
Terry Glenn will return to the Patriots on Monday, but don't think that everything is copacetic as far as the oft-troubled receiver is concerned.
-- Michael Felger, "Glenn out to right wrongs; Ready to return to Pats, despite 'bad blood'", Boston Herald, October 3, 2001
copacetic \koh-puh-SET-ik\, adjective:
Very satisfactory; fine.
Although all will seem copacetic on the CBS broadcast from Madison Square Garden in New York, there will be a big black cloud hanging over the glitzy proceedings.
-- Patrick MacDonald, "Major labels struggling with huge slump out of tune with listeners", Seattle Times, February 20, 2003
Everything seemed copacetic until a favorite store -- the anchor of the street -- closed suddenly.
-- Heidi Benson, "Yes, We Want No Banana", San Francisco Chronicle, September 30, 2001
Terry Glenn will return to the Patriots on Monday, but don't think that everything is copacetic as far as the oft-troubled receiver is concerned.
-- Michael Felger, "Glenn out to right wrongs; Ready to return to Pats, despite 'bad blood'", Boston Herald, October 3, 2001
2011年9月22日 星期四
2011_09_22 rapine \RAP-in\, noun: to seize and carry off
Word of the Day for Thursday, September 22, 2011
rapine \RAP-in\, noun:
The act of plundering; the seizing and carrying away of another's property by force.
He who has once begun to live by rapine always finds reasons for taking what is not his.
-- Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (translated by N.H. Thomson)
Extortion and rapine are poor providers.
-- Olaudah Equiano, Unchained Voices: an anthology of Black authors in the English-Speaking World of the 18th Century
The war, proclaimed William Lloyd Garrison, was one "of aggression, of invasion, of conquest, and rapine - marked by ruffianism, perfidy, and every other feature of national depravity."
-- Robert W. Johannsen, "America's Forgotten War (Mexican War, 1846-1848)", The Wilson Quarterly, Spring 1996
Rapine derives from Latin rapina, from rapere, "to seize and carry off, to snatch or hurry away," which also gives us rapid.
rapine \RAP-in\, noun:
The act of plundering; the seizing and carrying away of another's property by force.
He who has once begun to live by rapine always finds reasons for taking what is not his.
-- Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (translated by N.H. Thomson)
Extortion and rapine are poor providers.
-- Olaudah Equiano, Unchained Voices: an anthology of Black authors in the English-Speaking World of the 18th Century
The war, proclaimed William Lloyd Garrison, was one "of aggression, of invasion, of conquest, and rapine - marked by ruffianism, perfidy, and every other feature of national depravity."
-- Robert W. Johannsen, "America's Forgotten War (Mexican War, 1846-1848)", The Wilson Quarterly, Spring 1996
Rapine derives from Latin rapina, from rapere, "to seize and carry off, to snatch or hurry away," which also gives us rapid.
2011年9月21日 星期三
2011_09_21 September 21, 2011 Impossible to refute; incontestable; undeniable;
September 21, 2011
irrefragable \ih-REF-ruh-guh-buhl\, adjective:
Impossible to refute; incontestable; undeniable; as, an irrefragable argument; irrefragable evidence.
I had the most irrefragable evidence of the absolute truth and soundness of the principle upon which my invention was based.
-- Sir Henry Bessemer, Autobiography
On June 4, the Citizen featured an interview with the Joneses' lawyer, R. S. Newcombe, who insisted that at the pending manslaughter trial he would bring "positive, absolute, irrefragable proof from . . . the most eminent scientists in the world" to show that both the Bates and Hunt operations were necessary and that no surgeon could have saved their lives.
-- Regina Morantz-Sanchez, Conduct Unbecoming a Woman
Irrefragable derives from Late Latin irrefragabilis, from Latin in-, "not" + refragari, "to oppose."
irrefragable \ih-REF-ruh-guh-buhl\, adjective:
Impossible to refute; incontestable; undeniable; as, an irrefragable argument; irrefragable evidence.
I had the most irrefragable evidence of the absolute truth and soundness of the principle upon which my invention was based.
-- Sir Henry Bessemer, Autobiography
On June 4, the Citizen featured an interview with the Joneses' lawyer, R. S. Newcombe, who insisted that at the pending manslaughter trial he would bring "positive, absolute, irrefragable proof from . . . the most eminent scientists in the world" to show that both the Bates and Hunt operations were necessary and that no surgeon could have saved their lives.
-- Regina Morantz-Sanchez, Conduct Unbecoming a Woman
Irrefragable derives from Late Latin irrefragabilis, from Latin in-, "not" + refragari, "to oppose."
2011年9月20日 星期二
2011_09_20 acme \ACK-mee\, noun: The highest point of something
September 20, 2011
acme \ACK-mee\, noun:
The highest point of something; the highest level or degree attainable.
In 1990 Iraq's Saddam Hussein aimed to corner the world oil market through military aggression against Kuwait (also aimed at Saudi Arabia); control of oil, a product of land, represented the acme of his ambitions.
-- Richard Rosecrance, The Rise of the Virtual State
So we drove around looking at daffodils and exploring countryside hamlets instead of lakeside tourist traps. These should not be scorned, however, by a browser interested in the curious categories of British humor, one of which achieves a kind of acme in funny postcards on sale in such places. "The weather's here," went one postcard I saw, "I wish you were lovely."
-- Joseph Lelyveld, "The Poet's Landscape", New York Times, August 3, 1986
Acme comes from Greek akme, point, highest point, culmination.
acme \ACK-mee\, noun:
The highest point of something; the highest level or degree attainable.
In 1990 Iraq's Saddam Hussein aimed to corner the world oil market through military aggression against Kuwait (also aimed at Saudi Arabia); control of oil, a product of land, represented the acme of his ambitions.
-- Richard Rosecrance, The Rise of the Virtual State
So we drove around looking at daffodils and exploring countryside hamlets instead of lakeside tourist traps. These should not be scorned, however, by a browser interested in the curious categories of British humor, one of which achieves a kind of acme in funny postcards on sale in such places. "The weather's here," went one postcard I saw, "I wish you were lovely."
-- Joseph Lelyveld, "The Poet's Landscape", New York Times, August 3, 1986
Acme comes from Greek akme, point, highest point, culmination.
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