Ah! Pigoletto. I would love to hear Miss Piggy in the starring role.

And she would be great in Verdi's Ham -lette!!

So THAT'S what it's called!

Word of the Day: Nephelococcygia (Noun)
Pronunciation: [ne-fê-lê-kak-'si-jee-yê ]

Definition 1: (Literally, "Cloudcuckoosville") Interpreting the shapes of clouds.

Definition 2: La-la land, a dream land cut off from reality.

Usage 2: Nephelococcygia was dreamed up by Aristophanes for his comedy, "The Birds" (414 BC). In this play, two characters turn into birds and immediately begin planning a city (never realized), which they decide to call "Nephelococcygia." Capitalize the word if it refers to the imaginary city. The adjective would be "nephelococcygic," as in "Bertie is suffering nephelococcygic delusions."

Suggested Usage: Here is Geoffrey Smith's test of Nephelococcygia. You are living in Nephelococcygia if you think: (a) "we're here to help you," (b) "the new form will make it much easier for you," (c) "this will only take a minute," or (d) "I have a strategic plan. I know what I'm doing." However, most of those using the word associate it with defining images in cloud banks: "The kids are in the backyard indulging in a bit of nephelococcygia; Forrest is doing essentially the same thing on the living room couch."

Etymology: Greek nephelekokkygia from nephele "cloud" + kokkyx "cuckoo." "Nephele" derives from *nebh- found with the same suffix, -l, in Latin nebula "cloud" and German Nebel "mist, fog." Russian nebo "sky" derives from the same source. Nasalized, this root emerges in Latin nimbus "rain, cloud." "Cuckoo" and Greek "kokkyx" are onomatopoetic (imitative) creations unrelated except through the fact that all cuckoos sing the same song.

—Dr. Language, yourDictionary.com

Joseph Dreaming


o.nei.ric (oh-NEYE-rik), adjective, [Oneiric comes from Greek oneiros, "dream."]

Of, pertaining to, or suggestive of dreams; dreamy.

oneirocritic, n., a person who interprets dreams.
oneirocritical, adj., of or having the power of an oneirocritic.
oneirocritically, adv.
oneiromancy, n., the art claiming to foretell the future by the interpretation of dreams.
Oneiros, proper n., an ancient Greek god of dreams, also Oniros.
-Based on Random House Unabridged Dictionary

"Her large images, which are cloaked in an elegant oneiric mist, transport the viewer to an ideal world where bodies seem to have become weightless ghosts of themselves." -- Simona Vendrame, "Nature and the solitary self, translated by Jacqueline Smith", Temaceleste

"Some -- not all -- of Caravaggio's painting uniquely compels you to grope for words… . They're at once coldly precise, voluptuously real and strangely oneiric. -- Peter Robb, "Candid camera", The Guardian, October 20, 2001

Word Of The Day quiz 2007.05.13

1. An aubade is :

u. an epithet meaning “to Germany with you!”
t. in French a way of saying “farewell.”
s. poetry or music suitable for greeting the morning.

2. A malapropism is:

r. a very bad word.
q. an inappropriate action.
p. an unintentional wrong use of a word for another which sounds similar, with humorous results.

3. To ululate is to:

o. howl.
n. drool.
m. growl

4. To titivate is to:

l. spruce or tidy up oneself or something.
k. stimulate one’s senses.
j. giggle quietly.

5. A neologism is:

i. a newly-made word.
h. a nervous spasm.
g. a member of the Nazi party.

6. Nephelococcygia is a:

f. an injury occurring when one falls on their ‘behind.’
e. mental abnormality characterized by dreaming about chickens.
d. a fictional city.

7. oneiric is an adjective meaning:

c. unpleasant.
b. unified.
a. dreamlike.


The correct answers spell out the letters spolida ; which we could consider to be a neologism waiting for a meaning. (I can't find it {spolida} in French, Spanish, Italian or Portugese; maybe its a word in Swedish, Dannish, Finnish...?)

Word of the Day: Lagniappe (Noun)
Pronunciation: [lahn-'yahp]

Definition: A gratuity given by a merchant to a customer beyond the value of a purchase; a bonus or additional benefit of any sort.

Usage: Today's word entered US English directly from the language of the Acadians (Cajuns) of Louisiana and has spread rapidly eastward. In 'Life on the Mississippi' (1883) Mark Twain writes, "We picked up one excellent word—a word worth travelling to New Orleans to get; a nice limber, expressive, handy word 'lagniappe.'" He was so right. The custom of tipping the customer is wide-spread around the world but it must be new in the English-speaking world, since English had to go elsewhere for a word expressing it.

Suggested Usage: Kids, here a way to really impress your parents with your progress in school, "Guess what, Mom? Linda gave me two of her kittens as a lagniappe for taking one of the puppies!" Adults will find uses for it, too, whenever they need a word for a pleasant, unexpected bonus, "Frieda had thoroughly enjoyed the party and seeing the dog bite her boss' leg was the perfect lagniappe to cap the evening off."

Etymology: Louisiana French Creole, from American Spanish la ñapa "the gift, tip" from la "the," derived from Latin illa, feminine of ille "that," originally "yonder." The same pronoun is also the origin of French "le" and "la" which also mean "the." This word traces its root to *al- which we find in alter "other" at the base of English "altercation," "alter ego," and "alternate." In English it emerged as "else." The noun ñapa is even more interesting. It comes from yapa, which means "gift" in the South American Indian language, Quechua, from the verb yapay "to give more."

—Dr. Language, yourDictionary.com

grav.id (GRAV-id), adjective [ origin: 1590-1600; < Latin grav(is) burdened, loaded + -idus]

pregnant; carrying developing young or eggs.

related words:
gra.vid.i.ty , noun.
grav.id.ness , noun.
grav.id.ly, adverb
gravida, noun: a pregnant woman

Gravid is a word which one could easily assume to be related to 'grave' , as in a grave or serious situation. To say someone is in the hospital in a very gravid condition is not to say they are in a critical condition, but well on the way to giving birth; and, one would hope, not in a critical condition. The word ‘grave’ derives from the ‘Germanic’ languages and not the ‘romance’ languages.

For the moment the Cap'n Toby lies at rest outside the harbor, and the twelve-inch mackerels that Brian and I are cutting up for lobster bait are ripe, their bellies gravid with either blood-red roe or milt the color of sailors' bones. - Richard Adams Carey, Against the Tide

- based on Random House Unabridged and http://reference.dictionary.com

*************************************************************

Gravida (from Wikipedia)
In medicine, gravidity refers to the number of times a woman has been pregnant.
A gravida is a woman.
A nulligravida or gravida 0 is a woman who has never been pregnant.
A primigravida or gravida 1 is a woman who is pregnant for the first time or has been pregnant one time.
A multigravida or more specifically a gravida 2 (also secundigravida), gravida 3, and so on, is a woman who has been pregnant more than one time.
An elderly primigravida is a woman in her first pregnancy, who is at least 35 years old.
The term gravida is generally coupled with para and abortus to indicate more details of the woman's obstetric history.
Gravid is term used in entomology to describe a mated female insect.
Gravid is term used in biology to describe the condition of a female live bearing fish when carrying young internally.

*************************************************************

It awesome to realize how we can take part in the creation of the future. Even those without physical offspring are gravid with ideas, attitudes, actions of caring and so on, all of which help shape the future of life on this planet.

In medicine, we refer to the GPA of a woman

Gravid: How many pregnancies she has had
Para: How many live births
Abortions: How many natural or induced miscarriages

Or, as the EMT's learn, G.... three times, and P.... twice...

/Bevin

D. Allan and Bevin - The EMT quote and D.Allan's response to that quote are both crude, disgusting and in very bad taste!

You obviously have no regard for the feelings of women!

Halfstep Denise

An emergency call in an ambulance for imminent child-birth goes like this...

Time

0730 Dispatch sounds a Loud Beep - "Paramedic 10 for imminent child-birth, 66 Half Moon Street, between Sun Ave and Mars Lane"

The Paramedic 10 crew looks for the quickest route on the map from their current post

0732 Paramedic 10 "Dispatch, 10 responding"

A safe fast drive through the city traffic

0737 Paramedic 10 "Dispatch, 10 on scene"

In 5-10 mins the crew

• introduces themselves to the woman
• gets her trust
• checks for how imminent the birth is
• gets her medical history including GPA
• gets her onto the stretcher
• moves her into the back of the ambulance
• and heads for the hospital

0737 Paramedic 10 "Dispatch, 10 in route for DownTown Medical"

A safe fast drive through the city traffic

0738 Paramedic 10 "DownTown Medical, Paramedic 10"

DownTown Medical "Go ahead Paramedic 10"

Paramedic 10 "We are 3 minutes out with a conscious and alert 25y/o female, chief complaint imminent childbirth, normal pregnancy, full term, Gravid 2, Para 1, contractions 60 seconds apart, lasting 20 seconds, not crowning - will give you vitals as soon as I have them"

DownTown Medical "What are the vital signs?"

Paramedic 10 ignores them, she is busy...

• getting a complete set of vital signs
• establishing an IV
• checking for crowning
• preparing to catch the baby

0741 Paramedic 10 "DownTown Medical, Paramedic 10"

DownTown Medical "Go ahead Paramedic 10"

Paramedic 10 "We are 1 minute out with a conscious and alert 25y/o female, chief complaint imminent childbirth, normal pregnancy, full term, Gravid 2, Para 1, contractions 60 seconds apart, lasting 20 seconds, is crowning, O2 and IV established, Vital Signs are BP 160/90, Pulse 114, Resp 30, contractions started 4 hours ago, water broke then, see you in 1 minute"

0741 Paramedic 10 "Dispatch, Paramedic 10 at DownTown Med - 0.9 miles"

0742 The stretcher is unloaded, and the woman modestly but swiftly wheeled into the ER - no time to get to Labor and Delivery

0743 ER doc to Paramedic 10, as they look at the hand-sized crowning of the baby - "What is the history?"

The ER doc expects a concise answer right now.

In the midst of this, Paramedic 10 needs a solid mnemonic to remember the difference between Gravida and Para.

/Bevin

Thanks for the explanation, Bevin, but I wish the EMT's could come up with a more considerate way of remembering!

Most EMT's probably treat women with respect to their faces, at least I hope they do!

I've had the best EMT'S help me! Never for a pregnancy though!

Halfstep-Denise

yes, thanks, Bevin. I was wondering if the GPA (times Gravid, Para, Abort) that they teach paramedics was expressed in numerical fashion. "Gravid 2, Para 1" is easier understood than numbers alone, I should think.

Apologies to any ladies who thought my question was inconsiderate. It was not my intention in the least; gravidity to me is a wonderful marvelous awesome miraculous beautiful situation and I'm somewhat jealous that I could never experience it myself. (belive it or not)

Treating patients with respect and consideration under the most stressful circumstances is essential, both for the wellbeing of the patient, and the wellbeing of the EMT

Being a jerk is the #1 cause of malpractise suits - and rightfully so - there is no excuse for it

/Bevin

Word of the Day: Widdershins (Withershins) (Adverb)
Pronunciation: ['wid-êr-shinz]

Definition: Moving in a direction opposite the usual; moving counterclockwise or in the contrary direction (of the sun, especially).

Usage: Today's word is basically an adverb but may be used as an adjective without the final [s]. As a predicate adjective, however, the [s] is usually left on. D. H. Lawrence wrote in 'Plumed Serpent' (1926) "She made up her mind, to be alone, and to cut herself off from all the mechanical widdershin contacts. He, too, was widdershins, unwinding the sensations of disintegration and anti-life."

Suggested Usage: Today's word is another wonderword from the land of kilts and bagpipes that we should all fight to keep alive: "Gerard does everything widdershins; he will either turn out a grandiose success or an abrupt failure." Niches for this word abound in everyday conversations: "Remember, the prophets agree that you get nowhere walking widdershins up the escalator."

Etymology: Middle Low German weddersinnes based on wider "back," whence German wider "against" and wieder "again." The English adverb wither "wrong, perverse" is rarely used any more. The "shins" is from earlier "sinnes" and is related to Latin sentire "sense, feel" since both go back to an original root *sent- "go in or choose a direction." We borrowed "sense" from the noun of this verb. The same root also turns up in English send "to cause someone to go in a direction."


—Dr. Language, yourDictionary.com

Today's word is '[size:14pt]grok' from the 'Martian language.' It entered English circa 1961 via the imagination of one of those supernal being living among us whom we refer to as 'writers.'

Click on the attachment to see more: [/size]

Is the the WOTD "Martian" or "grok"? the attachment takes me to grok, where I entered the grokosphere trying to fit in..ah...but alas...my grok-o-meter is broken, and I came out with no further melding..

cool pic of Mars

Sorry about that. The way I worded the introduction is really ambiguous; I can see it now. Instead of the 'word is Martian' I should have written that the word comes from the 'Martian language.' I'll try to fix it for future readers. I'm glad you caught that,Pam.

Yes, it is a cool picture. That purple glow might be an aurora above the North Pole.

Word of the Day: Brontophobia (Noun)

Pronunciation: [bran-tê-'fo-bi-ê]
Definition: The fear of thunder or thunderstorms.

Usage: Very rare despite the fact that the phenomenon is rather common, especially among children. A person fearing thunder is a brontophobe because they are brontophobic.

Suggested Usage: Perhaps we should ignore this word because it is so rarely needed, "Percy, I'm not sure brontology is the right field for a brontophobe like yourself. Why don't you try nuclear physics?" But, no, add it to your vocabulary for moments like this: "You know, Mavis, there is nothing like a brontophobic girl to pass a stormy night with."

Etymology: From Greek bronté "thunder" + phobía "fear." The brontosaur, or "thunder lizard," now bears its original name, apatosaur or "untrue lizard," lost for years but recently rediscovered. "Bronto-" rarely emerges in English: brontology is the study of thunderstorms and a brontometer is a device for rating them. "Phobia" and "phobe" are widely used: "claustrophobia" and "agoraphobia" are antonyms, and lexiphobia "the fear of words," is one of the most common afflictions treated by Dr. Language at yourDictionary.com.

—Dr. Language, yourDictionary.com

Does this mean that Emily Brontë(author of Wuthering Heights) was a stormy gal?

Yes- stormy weather set up the tone for that story, didn't it?

The Sermon on the Mount, -by the Danish painter Carl H. Bloch (1834-1890), Copenhagen

Our Word-of-the-Day includes a 'touching' and 'edifying' sermon by Mark Twain. :)

preach (preech) , verb (trans. and Intrans.)

1. to proclaim the gospel.
2. to deliver a sermon.
3. to advocate religious or moral beliefs in speech or writing.
4. to give (unwanted) advice.

Origin: 1175-1225; from Middle English prechen < Late Latin praedicare to preach, to proclaim, equivalent to prae- pre- ) + dicare to show.]
-Based on The Random House Unabridged Dictionary.


The point of preaching is to inform or convince the hearer of a certain world-view or belief. For this reason, many nonreligious persons shun preachers and accuse them of forcing beliefs on people. Preaching also serves as reminders and encouragements to people who already subscribe to the preacher's beliefs. - Wikipedia

The first preacher:

At the head of the long line of preachers who have testified amongst men stands Noah; he is the first man to whom this title is expressly given by the Spirit of God (2 Peter 2: 5). The word "preacher" means "herald." Sometimes it is the privilege of God's servants to proclaim blessed things to men. On the other hand God's preachers are sometimes charged with a heavy burden. Jonah in Nineveh and Noah amongst the antediluvians, are examples of this. http://www.stempublishing.com/authors/fereday/BEGINNGS.html

Notable preachers:

Jesus of Nazareth: The most famous sermon ever preached is probably the “Sermon on the Mount”, delivered around 30 A.D. from a mount on the north end of the Sea of Galilee near Capernaum and recorded in Matthew’s Gospel 5:1-7: 29. Another version can be found in the “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke’s Gospel 6:17-49.

Preacher: the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes according to the King James version. Who was he? Some say the preacher was King Solomon.



Preachers noted for secular achievements:

John Bunyan (1628-1688) Baptist, author of Pilgrim’s Progress.
John Danforth: (b. 1936) Episcopalian, republican Senator from Missouri
John Donne (1572-163?) Anglican, poet.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) Unitarian, poet.
James Garfield (1831-1882) Disciples of Christ, U. S. President.
Fred (Mister) Rogers (1928-2003) Presbyterian, children’s TV host on PBS.
Della Reese (b.1931) Non-denominational, actress, singer.
Clifton Davis (b. 1945) Seventh-day Adventist, actor.
George Foreman (b. 1949) boxer.
Reggie White (1961-2004) Baptist/Messianic (Torah-observant), football player.
John Williams, lay preacher in the Uniting Church in Australia, scientist.
-most of this list is from Wikipedia

[size:11pt]Chicago Daily Tribune, June 6, 1902

Mark Twain's First Sermon.


Hannibal, Mo., June 2.--Mark Twain, America's foremost humorist, preached the first sermon in his life at the Fifth Street Baptist Church on Sunday morning. The occasion was a most impressive one. The veteran writer, with his long white hair hanging in curly locks, was to preach to the people of the city where he had spent his boyhood days. The theme of his sermon was "The Gospel of Good Cheer." The remarks were listened to with intense interest. Mark Twain spoke as follows:
I thank the Rev. Dr. Gill for the privilege which he has offered by permitting me to say a few words. I will not take the pulpit, for I should be embarrassed with unsanctified tongue if I did. It might be well for me to stand there on a week day, but on Sunday I think the place for layman is in the pew, so with your permission I shall remain here at my seat and tell you what I have to say. Here any one can talk without reproach. Even here in this humble capacity I am doing what you are always doing--preaching. The art of preaching is to influence you. From the pulpit and from the mouths of all of you the preaching goes on all the time. Our words and acts are not for ourselves but for others. They are like the tidal waves of the seas that encircle the earth. They are heard about us when they are uttered. We are preaching all the time, even if we do not know it. We forget that we carry influence. We ought to remember it, however, and make it a constant reminder. We had better see that our conduct is of a favorable nature.
"My mother lies buried out in the beautiful city of the dead on the hill south of the city overlooking the waters of the mighty Mississippi. At this age of mine she cheers me. She was a support to me during her life. Her preaching did not perish when she passed away, but goes on and on with me. Although there are many long silent in the grave, they have not ceased so to preach. They did not stop when their mouths were closed in death. See that your preaching, when alive, be of the character that, when you are dead, others may reap the secondary effort of what you did. Let it be good, not bad. Preaching, when dead, is not lost. Washington died over 100 years ago, but he still preaches. His character, service, and words still live. Every day nations striving for liberty fully appreciate what he did. Words sometimes perish, but conduct is lasting."

The sermon is from: http://www.twainquotes.com/Preaching.html

[size:11pt]It was the most earnest ambition I ever had....Not that I ever really wanted to be a preacher, but because it never occurred to me that a preacher could be damned. It looked like a safe job.
- Mark Twain, a Biography

...it is not a new thing for a thoroughly good and well-meaning preacher's soft heart to run away with his soft head.
- "Temperance and Women's Rights"

Preachers are always pleasant company when they are off duty.
- Letter to San Francisco Alta California, written April 30, 1867; published June 10, 1867

I have always preached...If the humor came of its own accord and uninvited, I have allowed it a place in my sermon, but I was not writing the sermon for the sake of humor. I should have written the sermon just the same whether any humor applied for admission or not.
- Mark Twain in Eruption

Now I don't know how you regard the ministry, but I would rather be a shining light in that department than the greatest lawyer that ever trod the earth. What is the pride of saving the widow's property or the homicide's trivial life, to snatching an immortal soul in mercy from the jaws of hell? Bah! the one is the feeble glitter of the firefly, & the other the regal glory of the sun.
- Letter to Orion Clemens, 10/19-20/1865
These quotations from Mark Twain are at: http://www.twainquotes.com/Preacher.html

***********************************************************


Children are God's Apostles, sent forth, day by day, to preach of love, and hope, and peace.
-James Russell Lowell

Humor must not professedly teach and it must not professedly preach, but it must do both if it would live forever. -Mark Twain

Only the sinner has a right to preach. -Christopher Morley

You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips. -Oliver Goldsmith

If I had only one sermon to preach it would be a sermon against pride. -Gilbert K. Chesterton

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. -St. Francis of Assisi

It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching. -St. Francis of Assisi

These seven quotations are from: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/preach.html[/size][/size]

in.e.luc.ta.ble (in-&#301;-LUHK-tuh-buh), adjective.

incapable of being evaded; inescapable: an ineluctable destiny.

related forms:
in.e.luc.ta.bil.i.ty, noun
in.e.luc.ta.bly, adverb

synonyms: inevitable, unavoidable


Ineluctable is from Latin ineluctabilis, from in-, "not" + eluctari"to struggle out of, to get free from,"
from ex-, e-, "out of" + luctari, "to struggle;"
its origin is from 1615-25.

[size:11pt] “… ineluctable as gravity.” – Marilynne Robinson, The Death of Adam

“Linnaeus’ classification scheme became popular not because it captured some ineluctable truth about nature.
….the system divided species based more on intuition than science…”
“Cultivating a New Tree” , Los Angeles Times, Sept. 25,1999[/size]
-based on Random House Unabridged Dictionary and www.Dictionary.com

I

sap.id (sayp-id), adjective

[ from Latin sapidus tasty]


1. a. perceptible to one’s sense of taste; having flavor.
b. having a very pleasant taste; savory
2. agreeable to the mind; to one’s liking]

related words:
sa.pid.i.ty (say-pid-i-tee), noun
sap.id.ness (sayp-id-nes), noun

synonyms: flavorful, flavorous, flavorsome, flavourful.

II

sa.por (sayp-per, say-por), noun

[Middle English, from Latin sapere, to taste]


a quality perceptible to the sense of taste; flavor.

related words:
sa.po.rous, (say-per-ehs), adjective
sa.po.rif.ic, (say-peh-rif-ic), adjective

It is surprising (to me) to find that the word sapiens as in homo-sapiens is related to sapor, according to the etymology given for it in The American Heritage Dictionary: [ < Latin sapiens, present participle of sapere, to taste, be wise.] I’m not sure what tasting has to do with being wise, but there it is. Is there some nuance here flavoring today’s word? Perhaps it has to do with equating the making of wise judgments with the tasting of a food or drink with a mindful, appreciative or discerning tongue? I leave it to the Latin scholars!

sapor, it sounds so close to Spanish 'sabor' and English 'savor', doesn't it? We use savor both as a noun and as a verb. In Spanish sabor is a masc. noun meaning flavor, taste, savor; and I think in Spanish the sound of 'v' and 'b' are much the same, sounding mostly like the English 'b', however. The 'p' in our 'sapor' is of the same quality as a 'b' in as much as they are both 'plosives' (a nice word itself!)

English dictionaries show that 'savor', 'sapor', 'sapid', 'sapiens'... all share the same root: the Latin word sapere.

It makes me think of the verse, "O, taste and see that the Lord is good." Would it be just as well to say, "Nourish yourself with the Lord and savor his taste."

We need to be careful how we use the adj. 'sapid.' If at a potluck one was to say, "Oh, what a sapid dish!"... one would most surely be misunderstood! :) :) :) We better just say 'tasty.'

Word of the Day: Flabellate (Adjective)

Pronunciation: ['flæ-bê-lêt]
Definition: Fan-shaped

Usage: Which had you rather be, "flabby" or "flabellate?" The good news is that they are not mutually exclusive. The bad news is that you wouldn't want to be either. Flabellation is the act of fanning, based on the verb, "flabellate" ['flæ-bê-leyt]. Don't confuse the word with "flabby" and double the [b]; remember: two [l]s, not [b]s. "Flabbergast?" It probably comes from flap "slap" + "aghast" but no one really knows.

Suggested Usage: Opportunities to use today's word in connection with flowers and vegetation abound: "During the hurricane a lovely palm with flabellate leaves fell on Mercedes' Mercedes and parted it down the middle." Don't forget that today's word has a family, too, "I found it difficult to convey my ideas amidst the flabellation of everyone else's lips."

Etymology: From Latin flabellum "fan," via the usual routes. ('Flabellum' also refers to any fan-shaped anatomical form.) The Latin word is based on PIE root *bhle- "blow," which descended to English as "blow," "bladder" (probably from the Scots' proclivities in musical instruments), and "blaze." French blasé, which we now use in a remarkably different sense, originally meant "chronically hung over" and was probably borrowed from Middle Dutch blasen "to blow up." "Flabby?" This is a corruption of "flappy" from "flap," which originally meant "slap."

—Dr. Language, yourDictionary.com

What an interesting word!

pol.y.math (PAHL-ee-math), noun:

A person of great or varied learning; one acquainted with various subjects of study.

related forms:
pol.y.math.ic (pahl-ee-MATH-ic) , adjective.
po.lym.a.thy (puh-LEM-eh-thee), noun.

Polymath is from Greek polymathes πολυμαθής, "having learned much," from poly-, "much" + manthanein, "to learn,” (and interestingly, using an aorist verb-tense which in Classical Greek language was used to express action without limitation.) The Indo-European root, mendh to learn, is also found in the word mathematics. Another term, 'Renaissance man', is typified by the great polymath, Leonardo da Vinci.


"Off I fly, careering far
In chase of Pollys.
prettier far
than any of their namesakes are,
the Polymaths and Polyhistors,
Polyglots and all their sisters."

- from a poem by Thomas Moore (1779-1852), Irish poet, singer, songwriter.

A polyhistor is someone of great learning with a general knowledge of many fields. Practically a synonym to polymath., [Polyhistor is from Latin polyhistōr, from Greek poluistōr, very learned : polu-, poly- + histōr, learned.]

A polyglot is what we call someone who speaks many languages. From Greek πολύγλωττος (literally, many-tongued) < πολύς (polus), many + γλῶττα (glōtta), tongue; compare to French polyglotte.


“A century after Aristotle, in 240 B.C., a brilliant polymath, Eratosthenes, is appointed chief librarian of the Museum at Alexandria--the most cosmopolitan city and center of learning in the Mediterranean world.”
-- Alan Gurney, Below the Convergence

“Alan Kay, for instance, one of the wizards of PARC and now an Apple fellow, is a polymath accomplished in math, biology, music, developmental psychology, philosophy, and several other disciplines.”
-- Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman, Organizing Genius

“Like her literary heroine, George Eliot, Kingsolver is an old-fashioned polymath, curious about all branches of human learning.”
-- Sarah Kerr, "The Novel As Indictment", New York Times, October 11, 1998


Some polymaths:

Aristotle
Archimedes
Hildegard of Bingen
Leonardo da Vinci
Benjamin Franklin
Goethe
Blasé Pascal
Mary Somerville
William F. Buckley, Jr.


- sources:
- The Random House Unabridged Dictionary
- http://dictionary.reference.com
- http://wikipedia.org
- http://wiktionary.org
- http://thefreedictionary.com

I think we have some polymaths here, although the word sounds like they should be smart in many types of arithmetic...

It is somewhat counter-intuitive that the Greek root, manthanein, means "to learn" and not something like "to count." I haven't found where the suffix -atics comes from; if I were to "glark" it (not being much at "grokking") I'd say it reminds me of "antics." :) Thus mathem-atics is, (esp. to us baffled by it), mathem-antics... learning-tricks - antics of learning! Makes sense to me, but probably wrong.

Today's WOTD comes from the Bible! I think I may be a bit of a Jehu myself!

Word of the Day: Jehu (Noun)

Pronunciation: [jee-hyu]
Definition: Someone who drives very fast and recklessly; someone who loves driving.

Usage: Not to be confused with "yahoo," the race of bestial people in 'Gulliver's Travels' or the popular search engine on the Web. Today's word has no relatives in English (though it may be used as a verb).

Suggested Usage: Jehus may also be drivers or chauffeurs, but the term is used most often in reference to dare-devil driving off the track: "Clarence, don't drive like a jehu; this is a funeral procession, after all." Since this term is relatively rare in the US, the metaphorical possibilities have hardly been explored: "Some jehu out there on the information highway hacked my website last night." We hope you never meet a jehu on life's highway.

Etymology: A communization of the proper name "Jehu" from 2 Kings 9:20 "The lookout reported, 'He has reached them, but he isn't coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu, son of Nimshi—he drives like a madman.'" Jehu drove a one horsepower chariot—so we can no longer blame a horsepower-crazed Detroit for freeway driving. We may then say that Jehu, son of Nimshi, is the eponym of today's word and, since it is now a common noun, we may write it with a small letter, even though most dictionaries still capitalize it.

—Dr. Language, yourDictionary.com

Sleep-walkers are not very common, but almost all of us have been sleep-talkers at some time in our lives. The first we call somnambulists, the second are somniloquists. When talking to myself I'm making a solioquy, but when talking in my sleep I am making a ..........



som.nil.o.quy (sahm-NIL-uh-qwee) noun, plural som.nil.o.quies

The act or habit of talking in one’s sleep.
[somni- (from Latin somus sleep) + Latin loqui, to speak]

related forms:
som.nil.o.quist noun
som.nil.o.quism noun

Somniloquy or sleep-talking refers to talking aloud in one's sleep. It can be quite loud, ranging from simple sounds to long speeches, and can occur many times during sleep. Listeners may or may not be able to understand what the person is saying.
Sleep-talking is very common and is reported in fifty percent of young children, with most of them outgrowing it by puberty, although it may persist into adulthood (about five percent of adults are reported to talk in their sleep). It appears to run in families. –wikipedia.org

http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/sleeptalk.html

Word of the Day: Lurry (Noun)

Pronunciation: ['lê-ri]
Definition: (1) Something repeated monotonically, by rote, a boilerplate speech; (2) a hubbub, babble, jumble of voices; (3) a confused throng, a jumble.

Usage: The plural of today's word is "lurries." It cannot be used as a verb and seems to have no relatives at all of the adjectival or adverbial persuasion.

Suggested Usage: An election year is the season of lurries but this year we are hearing the Democratic and Republican lurries much earlier than usual. Come to think of it, an election year produces occasions for all the senses of this word: "The candidate's lurry was barely audible above the lurry of the lurry gathered for the festivities." Of course, a sentence like this would never survive the editor's eye; better use one at a time, "Lois Riske, candidate for the state senate, canted a lurry of all the points in her party's platform rather than read a carefully reasoned speech."

Etymology: Today's word in its first meaning was shortened from liripoop or liripipe, the long tail hanging from academic hoods or, earlier, a lesson to be learned (by rote). The English word came from Medieval Latin liripipium of uncertain origin. The second sense of today's word may well be related to Welsh llwry "precipitant, forward" from llwr "direction," though the semantic case is difficult to make.

—Dr. Language, yourDictionary.com

Quite a lot of discussion goes on here on C/A about fatidic matters, so perhaps we will find today's word and its synonyms useful. Why not try using it as much as possible today? It is an easy word and you may have the fun of causing your auditors to ask "What?" It is worth it to see the puzzled look on an adults face. :)


fa.tid.ic (fuh-TID-ik, fey-), also fa.tid.i.cal, adjective
Of, relating to, or characterized by prophecy; prophetic.

fa.tid.i.cal.ly, adverb

[Fatidic comes from Latin fatidicus, from fati- (from fatum, "fate") + -dicus (from dicere, "to say").

“Throughout his very considerable body of work, there is an obsession with time, with dates, with temporal coincidences, with the fatidic power of numbers over our birth and death.”
-- James Kirkup, "Obituary: Ernst Junger", Independent, February 18, 1998

“With a fatidic clarity that comes only occasionally and only to the young, she understood that . . . this too was a sign, an omen.”
-- Kathleen Cambor, In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden

-Dictionary.com

fatidic synonyms: all adjectives
augural, divinatory, fatidical, mantic, oracular, prophetic, sibylline, vatic, vatical, vaticinal, visionary.

Augural is used to describe the method of foretelling the future by reading signs (would you try it with chicken intestine or tea leaves?) or omens: “When the student studies daily it augurs well for passing final exams.” Mantic is not a synonym for manic, but comes from Greek mantikos for soothsayer or seer. Vatic is from the Latin vates which of all things has a Celtic origin; it is not related to Vatican (1555) which is from Latin mons Vaticanus, the Roman hill on which the Papal palace stands, but instead it is an Etruscan loan-word, not related to vates "sooth-sayer."

Here is the answer for all you poets who have strived to find a rhyme for "David" (although King David was not pavid):

Word of the Day: Pavid (Adjective)

Pronunciation: ['pæv-id]
Definition: Easily frightened, fearful, pusillanimous, timorous.

Usage: Today's is a lovelier and more exotic substitute for "fearful," "scared," and "afraid" when these commonplace adjectives begin to weigh on your conversations. It doesn't take as long to say as "pusillanimous" and isn't easily confused with "timid," as is "timorous." We thought you might like to give it a whirl. The adverb is "pavidly" and the noun, "pavidity

Suggested Usage: Think of today's word as a bit of spice for your speech: "Olive Pitts is such a pavid lamb, she will never ask for a raise." You can use the tired old terms mentioned above, but this word 'kicks up' the flavor of the verbal cuisine you serve your chatmates: "I'm not sure that a watchdog with such a pavid demeanor is worth $800." Dispel the pavid pallor of your speech with this touch of lexical sparkle today.

Etymology: The etymology of today's word doesn't run very deep. It is a thinly veiled copy of Latin pavidus "fearful" from pavere "to quake with fear." The root here is the same found in putare "to cleanse, think over, reflect," found in "compute," "repute," "dispute," and others. Other relatives have long since dissipated.

—Dr. Language, yourDictionary.com

we went to the park. we had fun.





pen.du.late (PEN-du-late, PEN-jeh-late) verb used without an object :

1. To swing as a pendulum.
-Webster’s Dictionary, 1913 edition

2. But pendulate has its more "secular" significance as a synonym to "oscillate," "vacillate," "fluctuate," or "undulate." It can describe the mind as it wavers from one position to the next or the will as it is first inclined in one direction and then the next. Because the visual image is of the pendulum in a clock that regularly swings from side to side, it can helpfully characterize our inability to make up our mind. –from http://www.drbilllong.com/Words/Pend.html

One rarely hears this ‘swinging’ word used as a verb but it can be a nice addition to one’s vocabulary. “How are things going, buddy?” “Oh, really pendulating, Jim. Just like clock work!” My granddaughter loves to “pendulate” at the park. "I am pendulating between two extremes, Dr. Freud!"

related words:

pen.du.lar adj. swinging back and forth
pen.dule, noun: a pendulum
pen.du.lous, (PEN.dyeh.lehs) adj.
1. Hanging loosely; suspended so as to swing or sway.
2. Wavering; undecided.
[From Latin pendulus, from pend re, to hang; see (s)pen- in Indo-European roots.]

pen.du.lous.ly adv.
pen.du.lous.ness n.
pen.du.los.i.ty, noun ; the state or quality of being pendulous
pen.du.la.tion, noun

Word of the Day: Peccable (Adjective)

Pronunciation: ['pek-ê-bêl]
Definition: Sinful, capable of sin, wrong-doing, or error—imperfect.

Usage: Orphan negatives are the negatives of words fallen out of use, such as "hapless," "inane," "insipid," "immaculate," "impromptu," "nonchalant." An unlucky person is hapless but a lucky person is doesn't have much hap. You're very clean if you’re immaculate but not maculate if you’re very dirty and, if you don't care, you’re indifferent, but if you do, it shouldn't make you all that different. However, if you’re not impeccable, "sinless and incapable of sin," you will be peccable for "impeccable" is a false orphan negative. The stem, "peccable," still lurks around the edge of language, still a part of language though not of speech, our use of language.

Suggested Usage: Today's word is a specialized term for one sense of "imperfect," "Miss Deeds led a peccable but overall agreeable life." Do allow for the double takes of those listening to you when you use it, though: "Weems may be too peccable to keep the company books."

Etymology: Today's word comes from Latin Latin peccabilis "sinful" from peccare "to stumble, sin." "Peccare" comes from a Proto-Indo-European construction *ped-ko, based on the root *ped-, which became Latin pes, pedis "foot," found in English "pedal," "pedestrian," and "impede" from Latin impedire "to hobble." In Russian the root emerged as pod "under," in Sanskrit as padam "footstep" and pat "foot, and in Greek as pous, pod- "foot," which we find in the eight-footed "octopus," the flat-footed "platypus," not to mention the three-footed "tripod." As we would expect, in English the [p] becomes [f] and the [d], [t], giving us "foot" and, with a lock of hair, "fetlock."

—Dr. Language, yourDictionary.com

There is a noun that goes with the word above, I just forget it at the moment

Peccability is probably the noun you are looking for, Gail. It means being capable of sinning. The other two words here below don't seem to be completly synonomous with your word - peccancy n. and peccant, adj. should be used when the sinning acutally happens.


Pec`ca`bil´i`ty

n. 1. The state or quality of being peccable; liability to sin.
The common peccability of mankind.
- Dr. H. More.
-from www.thefreedictionary.com


Pec´can`cy
n. 1. The quality or state of being peccant.
2. A sin; an offense.

pec·cant(pknt) adj.
1. Sinful; guilty.
2. Violating a rule or an accepted practice; erring.

Another nice word that belongs in this family reunion today is a Spanish relative: pecadillo, a "little sin".
[diminutive of pecado, sin, and Italian peccadiglio, diminutive of peccato, sin, both from Latin pecctum, from neuter of pecctus, past participle of peccre, to sin; see ped- in Indo-European roots.]