Word of the day strikes back

[Richard Frost]

Wednesday, 3rd November 2021

sesquipedalian
adjective

ses·​qui·​pe·​da·​lian | \ ˌse-skwə-pə-ˈdāl-yən \

Definition of sesquipedalian
1: having many syllables : LONG
sesquipedalian terms

2: given to or characterized by the use of long words
a sesquipedalian television commentator

Did you know?
Horace, the Roman poet known for his satire, was merely being gently ironic when he cautioned young poets against using "sesquipedalia verba"-"words a foot and a half long"-in his book Ars poetica, a collection of maxims about writing. But in the 17th century, English literary critics decided the word sesquipedalian could be very useful for lambasting writers using unnecessarily long words. Robert Southey used it to make two jibes at once when he wrote "the verses of [16th-century English poet] Stephen Hawes are as full of barbarous sesquipedalian Latinisms, as the prose of [the 18th-century periodical] the Rambler." The Latin prefix sesqui- is used in modern English to mean "one and a half times," as in "sesquicentennial" (a 150th anniversary).

First Known Use of sesquipedalian
1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for sesquipedalian
Latin sesquipedalis, literally, a foot and a half long, from sesqui- + ped-, pes foot — more at FOOT

[Sarah]

Word of the day from Susie Dent today:

Word of the day is ‘malversation’ (16th century): the corrupt administration of power.

https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1 ... 49131?s=20

[Richard Frost]

Word of the Day : November 4, 2021

ad-lib

verb AD-LIB

What It Means
Ad-lib means "to improvise" or "to deliver spontaneously."

// The actor forgot his lines, so he ad-libbed.

Examples
"Heinicke ad-libbed a 30-yard touchdown pass to J.D. McKissic…, rallying the Washington Football Team to a 34-30 victory...." — ESPN, 3 Oct. 2021

Did You Know?
Ad-lib is a shortening of Latin ad libitum, which means "in accordance with one's wishes." In the past, ad libitum was used to refer to any activity where the performer was free to do whatever they liked for as long as desired, whether the activity be drawing, working math problems, talking, playing music, or acting.

[Richard Frost]

Friday, 5th November 2021

homophone

[ˈhɒməfəʊn, ˈhəʊməfəʊn]

NOUN
homophone (noun) · homophones (plural noun)
each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling, for example new and knew.Compare with homograph, homonym.
each of a set of symbols denoting the same sound or group of sounds.

Essential Meaning of homophone

: a word that is pronounced like another word but is different in meaning, origin, or spelling
"To," "too," and "two" are homophones.

Full Definition of homophone

1grammar : one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling (such as the words to, too, and two)
2: a character or group of characters pronounced the same as another character or group

Recent Examples on the Web

And speech is so full of homophones that comprehension always depends on context.
— Wade Roush, Scientific American, 1 May 2020

Because Mandarin has so many homophones, typing became an inefficient exercise in word selection.
— Mara Hvistendahl, Wired, 18 May 2020

[Richard Frost]

Saturday, November 6, 2021

propitiate

verb proh-PISH-ee-ayt

What It Means
Propitiate means "to gain or regain the favour or goodwill of someone"—in other words, "to make someone pleased or less angry."

// Fans of the team wondered how to propitiate the football gods after yet another heart breaking defeat.

Examples
"Borlaug was in Mexico for a small side project that involved … a fungus that is wheat's oldest and worst predator (the Romans made sacrifices to propitiate the god of stem rust)." — Charles C. Mann, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2018

Did You Know?
Propitiate tends to suggest averting the anger or malevolence of a superior being. You might "appease" your hunger, but to speak more colourfully, you could "propitiate the gods of hunger." The word is related to propitious, an adjective meaning "likely to have or produce good results" or "being a good omen."

https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day

[Richard Frost]

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 07, 2021

angakok

[ ang-guh-kok ]
noun

a shaman in Inuit society.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF ANGAKOK?
Angakok “a shaman in Inuit society” is a borrowing, by way of a Germanic source such as Danish or German, from Greenlandic Inuit angeqok. Because Inuit, a continuum of dialects spoken from Alaska through Greenland, uses multiple writing systems, the transliteration of angeqok has numerous alternative spellings, such as angakok, angakkoq, and angekkok. Inuit belongs to the Eskimo–Aleut language family, which includes languages spoken throughout the North American part of the Arctic Circle. While Inuit is the most extensively spoken, there are two other major branches of the Eskimo–Aleut family: Aleut dialects are spoken in the Aleutian archipelago off the coast of Alaska, and the Yupik languages are spoken in southwestern Alaska and the easternmost coast of Siberia. Angakok was first recorded in English in the 1760s.

HOW IS ANGAKOK USED?
The powerful sea goddess [Sedna] could also punish people for breaking taboos by causing them to become sick or injured. It was the duty of the Inuit angakok (shaman) to visit Sedna through soul travel to determine what wrong had been done. The angakok would have to placate Sedna by combing and braiding her dishevelled hair, or by overpowering her to force her to release animals for the hunt.
WILLIAM C. WONDERS, CANADA’S CHANGING NORTH, 1971

Often, illnesses or difficulties resulted from a taboo being broken. The angakok would hold a ceremony in which his familiar spirits would assist him to travel outside of his body to far-off places where he would learn the cause of the problem and how to rectify the situation. Once he returned to his body, the angakok would question the individual or other persons in the household. The general belief was that the angakok knew who was at fault, so those he questioned were obliged to answer him truthfully.
DAWN E. BASTIAN AND JUDY K. MITCHELL, HANDBOOK OF NATIVE AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY, 2004

[Richard Frost]

Monday, November 08, 2021

columbarium

[ kol-uhm-bair-ee-uhm ]
noun

a sepulchral vault or other structure with recesses in the walls to receive the ashes of the dead.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF COLUMBARIUM?
Columbarium “a sepulchral vault with recesses in the walls for cremation urns” is a direct borrowing from Latin, in which the term means “a nesting box for pigeons” or, more simply, “a place for doves,” from columba “pigeon, dove” and the suffix -ārium, which denotes a location where something is stored or regularly found. A columbarium was originally an oversized birdhouse containing small alcoves in which pigeons could build their nests. From there, while the name and general shape was kept, a columbarium became a place in which the alcoves could house cremation urns. While columba itself is of uncertain origin, it is the source of given names such as Callum and Malcolm (by way of Celtic languages); surnames such as Coleman, Colombo, and Colón; and geographic names such as Colombia and Columbia—both the Canadian province and the American district. Columbarium was first recorded in English in the 1840s.

HOW IS COLUMBARIUM USED?
The remains of the dead are sent to be cremated and placed in multi story depositories, called columbaria, that look very much like the government apartment blocks where many of them had lived before their interludes underground .… In Hong Kong, where the waiting time for a niche in a columbarium can be five years or more, the government has been trying, with limited success, to persuade people to scatter ashes at sea. SETH MYDANS, “MOVING THE DEAD TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE LIVING,” THE NEW YORK TIMES, DECEMBER 14, 2009

Out in Odd Fellows’ Cemetery stands the largest, the best, the most original, and most beautiful columbarium in the whole world …. Mr. Cahill had seen the Old World columbaria, and they had not struck him as very agreeable places to be in …. The dead may be dead, but why should the living constantly be painfully reminded of it? Mr. Cahill proposed a cheerful columbarium! It was a startling move, but it struck the New World, Western fancy. "A CHEERFUL COLUMBARIUM; SAN FRANCISCO CLAIMS TO HAVE THE LARGEST AND BEST IN THE WORLD," SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER, OCTOBER 15, 1899

https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-th ... 021-11-01/

[Richard Frost]

Tuesday, NOVEMBER 09, 2021

serein

[ suh-ran ]
noun

fine rain falling after sunset from a sky in which no clouds are visible.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF SEREIN?
Serein “fine rain falling after sunset from a cloudless sky” is a borrowing from French, from Middle French serain “evening, nightfall.” If you listened to our recent Word of the Day podcast about serotinal “occurring in late summer,” the ultimate origin of serein should look familiar: the term derives from Latin sērum “a late hour,” from the adjective sērus “late.” A common misconception is that serein is related to serene “peaceful, clear, unclouded,” but while the words are similar in appearance and definition, they are likely unconnected. Serene instead derives from Latin serēnus “cheerful, tranquil; (of weather) clear, unclouded,” and a derivative noun, serēnum, means “fine weather.” Serein was first recorded in English in the late 1860s.

HOW IS SEREIN USED?
They walked in silence through the twilight. There were no clouds in the sky, but a serein drizzled down, making the cobbles slick and giving the warmth emanating from the buildings around them a clammy feel. The rain meant the streets were emptier than they might have been, but Harper still felt exposed. S. F. BURGESS, WILL, 2014

Serein, the cloudless night rain, is gently flecking the glass. The ballpoint prints his words, upright and stylish. The light dies away as he writes. SEÁN VIRGO,

https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

[macliam]

Tuesday, NOVEMBER 09, 2021

supercilious

[ su·per·cil·i·ous ]
adjective

showing an arrogant disregard, in a manner or person.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF SUPERCILIOUS?
supercilious derives from "supercilium," Latin for eyebrow. Arrogant and disdainful types tend to raise an eyebrow at anything they consider beneath them. "Supercilious" has been used to describe the censoriously overbearing since the late 1600s, but there was a time in the 1700s when it was also used as a synonym of another "supercilium" descendent, "superciliary" ("of, relating to, or adjoining the eyebrow").

HOW IS SUPERCILIOUS USED?
The Tory government dismissed the complaints of the opposition with a supercilious display of deiversion, false apology and arrogant disregard for those who disagree

"Through incompetence and supercilious neglect, Johnson has alienated so many of his MPs that even an 80-seat majority is no cushion against Commons defeat." ( Guardian, 10 Nov 2021)

SYNONYMS:
arrogant, cavalier, conceited, condescending, contemptuous, disdainful, haughty, patronizing, pompous, snobbish, superior

RELATED TERMS: Popinjay: a vain or conceited person, especially one who dresses or behaves extravagantly.

HOW IS POPINJAY USED?
Isn’t Jacob Rees Smug a ridiculous popinjay?

[Richard Frost]

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021
crapulous

[ krap-yuh-luhs ]
adjective

given to or characterized by gross excess in drinking or eating.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF CRAPULOUS?
Crapulous “characterized by gross excess in drinking or eating” derives from Late Latin crāpulōsus “inclined to drunkenness,” from Latin crāpula “drunkenness,” either derived from or related to Ancient Greek kraipálē “drunkenness, hangover.” A common misconception is that crapulous is connected to a certain word for “excrement,” but the resemblance between these two words is a happy coincidence. While crapulous has a clear history, the more colourful term crap is in fact of uncertain origin—perhaps from Middle Dutch krappe “something cut off or separated,” perhaps via Old French from a Frankish cognate of English scrape, perhaps from Medieval Latin crappa “chaff,” or perhaps related to English crop. Crapulous was first recorded in English in the 1530s.

HOW IS CRAPULOUS USED?
Much wine was drunk and all pretences of table manners were soon discarded. Leon and [Vivian] planted their elbows on the table and slurped the chicken from the bones with noisy, lustful abandon …. refilling one another’s wineglasses with increasing frequency throughout the meal, uncorking one bottle of wine after another, often uncorking another bottle even before the previous had been depleted of its contents .… Both of them ate and drank to bubbling crapulous excess. BENJAMIN HALE, THE EVOLUTION OF BRUNO LITTLEMORE, 2011

Fettes was an old drunken Scotchman, a man of education obviously, and a man of some property, since he lived in idleness. He had come to Debenham years ago, while still young, and by a mere continuance of living had grown to be an adopted townsman …. His place in the parlour at the George, his absence from church, his old, crapulous, disreputable vices, were all things of course in Debenham. ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, “THE BODY-SNATCHER,” TALES AND FANTASIES, 1905

https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/