Word of the day strikes back

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Richard Frost
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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Fri Aug 06 2021 8:47am

FRIDAY, AUGUST 06, 2021 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

apopemptic

[ ap-uh-pemp-tik ]
adjective

pertaining to leave-taking or departing; valedictory.

THE ORIGIN OF APOPEMPTIC
The English apopemptic is a straightforward borrowing of the Greek adjective apopemptikós, “pertaining to dismissal, valedictory,” a derivative of the adverb and preposition apό- “off, away” and the verb pémpein “to send,” a verb with no clear etymology. The Greek noun pompḗ, a derivative of pémpein, means “escort, procession, parade, magnificence,” adopted into Latin as pompa (with the same meanings), used in Christian Latin to refer to the ostentations of the devil, especially in baptismal formulas, e.g., “Do you reject the devil and all his pomps?” Apopemptic entered English in the mid-18th century.

HOW IS APOPEMPTIC USED?
As Opal Codd said sweetly my last day, her apopemptic word for me was “agathism.” Once again, I could do no more but ask her to translate. “My dear,” she said, “apopemptic! Pertaining to farewell, of course.” “Of course. But ‘agathism’? A belief in Agatha Christie?” GILLIAN ROBERTS, ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS, 2007

For you the gods of song forgo their quarrel; / Panther and Wolf forget their former anger; / For you this ancient ceremony of greeting / Becomes a solemn apopemptic hymn. A. D. HOPE, "SOLEDADES OF THE SUN AND MOON," POEMS, 1960

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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Sat Aug 07 2021 8:53am

Word of the Day : August 7, 2021 - https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day

pink

verb PINK
Definition

1 a : to perforate in an ornamental pattern

b : to cut a saw-toothed edge on

2 a : pierce, stab

b : to wound by irony, criticism, or ridicule

Did You Know?
The verb pink referring to perforation and piercing is from a Middle English word meaning "to thrust." It dates to the early 16th century whereas the noun referring to the color pink and its related adjective date to the 17th and 18th centuries, respectively.

Examples
"I've pinked myself many times on colorful map pins and been nicked by damaged wire spiral bindings." — Tim Alton, The Indianapolis Business Journal, 23 Aug. 2012

"They pinked the edges of embossed wallpaper squares and punched holes in the squares for rings that hold cover and pages intact." — Mary Alice Powell, The Toledo (Ohio) Blade, 8 Feb. 2020

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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Sun Aug 08 2021 9:17am

SUNDAY, AUGUST 08, 2021 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

chuffle

[ chuhf-uhl ]
verb (used without object)

(of the larger species of cats) to make a low snuffling sound analogous to the purring of smaller cat species, often as a greeting.

THE ORIGIN OF CHUFFLE
Chuffle, “to make a low snuffling sound analogous to the purring of smaller cat species,” is likely of imitative origin, rendering in letters a close approximation of the sound in question. A comparable sound that steam engines emit is the source of the similar verbs chuff, chug, and even choo-choo. The ending, –le, is likely the frequentative suffix also found in verbs such as sparkle and twinkle, indicating repetitive action or motion.

HOW IS CHUFFLE USED?
Tigers make a sound called a chuffle. These guys can’t purr like house cats. They’re roaring cats, they roar. So they chuffle; it’s like blowing air through their nose. That means they’re happy. It’s an affectionate sound. PETER LAUFER, FORBIDDEN CREATURES, 2010

“Indira’s our most playful and friendly animal at the retreat,” Ms. Wilson, Zambi’s operations manager, said. “She’s everybody’s favourite; she’s the first one to run up and chuffle at you – that’s her friendly sound.” KIM ARLINGTON, "EYE OF THE TIGER: SYDNEY VETERINARY SPECIALISTS WORK TO SAVE INDIRA'S SIGHT," SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, JULY 13, 2016

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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Sarah » Sun Aug 08 2021 11:52am

Word of the day from Susie Dent today:
Hurkle-durkling: 19th-century Scots for lounging in bed long after it’s time to get up.
https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1 ... 02979?s=20
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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Mon Aug 09 2021 8:59am

MONDAY, AUGUST 09, 2021 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

hegira

[ hi-jahy-ruh, hej-er-uh ]
noun

any flight or journey to a more desirable or congenial place.

THE ORIGIN OF HEGIRA
Hegira, “a flight to a more desirable or safer place,” comes from Medieval Latin hegira, a Latinization of Arabic hijrah “emigration, flight, departure,” a derivative of the verb hajara “he departed.” Hijrah specifically refers to the flight of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution in July c.e. 622. The Arabic form hijrah (more fully al hijrat) for Muslims marks the beginning of the Muslim Era. Hegira entered English in the late 16th century; the spelling hijra in the late 19th.

HOW IS HEGIRA USED?
After The San Francisco News assigned [John] Steinbeck to write a series about the pathetic living conditions of the Dust Bowl refugees in California’s San Joaquin Valley, he actively began The Grapes of Wrath, his touching 1939 novel about the hegira of these Oklahoma sharecroppers. BRENDA WINEAPPLE, "JOHN STEINBECK, BARD OF THE AMERICAN WORKER," NEW YORK TIMES, OCTOBER 6, 2020

[T. S.] Eliot’s hegira from starchy student to the Nobel laureate who packed out baseball stadiums on an American tour remains one of the most compelling and strange of modern poetic careers. DAVID WHEATLEY, "THE POEMS OF T.S. ELIOT: THE ANNOTATED TEXT REVIEW–A MONUMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT," THE GUARDIAN, NOVEMBER 13, 2015

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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Tue Aug 10 2021 8:49am

TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

saudade

[ soh-dah-duh ]
noun

a deep emotional state of melancholic longing for a person or thing that is absent.


THE ORIGIN OF SAUDADE
Portuguese saudade ultimately derives from Latin sōlitāt-, the stem of sōlitās “loneliness, solitude.” (Latin –l– between vowels is lost in Portuguese; Latin –t– between vowels becomes –d– in Portuguese and Spanish.) The original Old Portuguese form soidade was altered to saudade under the influence of the verb saudar “to salute, greet” (from Latin salūtāre “to keep safe, pay one’s respects”). Saudade entered English in the 20th century.

HOW IS SAUDADE USED?
“Saudade is a bittersweet feeling of longing for a loved person or a place that is gone,” I finally said, as melancholic memories of my beloved ones forcefully surfaced in my mind. “Some people translate it as the love that remains. It is painful, yet you yearn for it because you only feel saudade when you deeply love.” BEATRIZ VASCONCELLOS, "FROM HYGGE TO SAUDADE: THE POWER OF UNTRANSLATABLE WORDS," WBUR, JANUARY 3, 2021

Many vibes don’t have specific names, but some do. Saudade, the Portuguese word for a bittersweet longing, could count as a vibe. KYLE CHAYKA, "TIKTOK AND THE VIBES REVIVAL," THE NEW YORKER, APRIL 26, 2021

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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Sarah » Tue Aug 10 2021 9:59am

Word of the day from Susie Dent today:
Word of the day is ‘malverse’ (17th century): to act corruptly in a position of trust.
https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1 ... 50709?s=20
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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Wed Aug 11 2021 9:30am

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

skerrick

[ sker-ik ]
noun

a small piece or quantity; a bit.

THE ORIGIN OF SKERRICK
Skerrick, “a small piece or quantity; a bit,” used in the negative, as in “Not a skerrick of work got done,” is a slang term used nowadays mostly in Australia and New Zealand. Skerrick originated in Great Britain in the early 1820s as a slang term for halfpenny. As with most slang terms, the origin of skerrick is obscure: it may be a variant of scuddick, which also dates from the early 1820s, means the same thing as skerrick, and has an equally obscure etymology.

HOW IS SKERRICK USED?
Stuck awkwardly amongst straggly olive trees on the high side of the road winding up from the village to the crest above the sea, the house had not a skerrick of charm. ROBERT DESSAIX, CORFU: A NOVEL, 2001

With the Prime Minister last week announcing a four-phase reopening scheme to bring Australia back to normality, a skerrick of hope has blossomed in many hearts. Finally, there is a path forward. BRENDAN LEEDS, "THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR IS FACING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS," SMART COMPANY, JULY 8, 2021

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Re: Word of the day

Post by macliam » Wed Aug 11 2021 1:48pm

Richard Frost wrote:
Tue Aug 10 2021 8:49am
TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

saudade

[ soh-dah-duh ]
noun

V
V
V
I've never heard this word used in the singular (in European Portuguese), only as the plural form "Saudades". The meaning remains more or less correct, an untranslatable melancholic longing akin to homesickness, but I always took it to mean that the were many "memories" being considered, not just one.

It comes from a country where emigration has been part of life for decades, if not centuries. I recall my FiL once saying to SWMBO as we left after a visit "You go, but you leave more saudades behind you...." (Tu vais, mas tu deixas mais saudades atrás de ti.....) The Portuguese music "Fado" (fate) is full of "Saudades", as the name might suggest!!!

As for the pronunciation - o quê?!! I've never heard anything approximatiog "soh-dad-duh", which misprorounces the dipthong "au", fails to show any stressed syllable and suggests that the Portuguese actually pronounce the final vowels in words (they don't, but Brazilians do - to excess).

In European Portuguese it is pronounced "Sow-DAD" (or "SOW-dadj" in the plural), where SOW is pronounced like the animal. I think Brazilian would be closer to "Sow-DAD-jee" (or plural "Sow-DAD-jeez"), but there are far more regional accents in Brazil and I'm far from expert.
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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Thu Aug 12 2021 9:44am

THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

flump

[ fluhmp ]
verb (used with or without object)

to plump down suddenly or heavily; flop.

THE ORIGIN OF FLUMP
Flump, a verb and noun meaning “to drop or fall suddenly or heavily; the act or sound of flumping,” is a colloquialism dating back to the first half of the 19th century. As with many colloquial and slang terms, its etymology is obscure: some authorities suggest a blend of flop and plump, which have similar meanings; others suggest a purely imitative origin, as with dump and slump.

HOW IS FLUMP USED?
I like headstands a lot more than the huff-puff exercises Baba Devanand does with his legs crossed in the lotus position. But right now, if I stay upside down any longer, I’ll break my neck, so I flump to the bed that smells of coriander powder and raw onions and Ma and bricks and cement and Papa. DEEPA ANAPPARA, DJINN PATROL ON THE PURPLE LINE, 2020

Horsey Gap is usually a gloriously empty stretch of sand dunes on the crumbling Norfolk coast. At this time of year, however, it is bustling with rowdy grey seals, flumping across the sand and arcing their banana bodies protectively around new pups. PATRICK BARKHAM, "MIND NORFOLK’S HORSEY GAP AND ITS SEAL-RELATED COTTAGE INDUSTRY," THE GUARDIAN, JANUARY 8, 2015

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