AEMNNOT (2)

Word of the Week

A feature wherein TileHead highlights a word that is is especially interesting or unusual (and, incidentally, useful in Scrabble play):

AEMNNOT (2)

(unscramble the letters to form this week's word...)

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This week's word is...

MONTANE (n. pl. -S)

• Definition:
  1. (n.) the belt of vegetation situated in the usually moist, cool slopes just below the tree line of a mountain
  2. (adj.) of or relating to the belt of vegetation just below the tree line of a mountain
  3. (adj.) of, living in, or relating to mountains or mountainous country

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams:NONMEAT (adj., not containing meat)
• Longer extensions: TRA-, INTER-, TRANS-, ULTRA-
• Wraparounds:TRA(MONTANE)S, ULTRA(MONTANE)S
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: ULTRAMONTANISM (n. pl. -S), in addition to the extensions listed above

TileHead says:

Not surprisingly, this word derives from the Latin montanus ("mountain").  MONTANE regions specifically lie below the ALPINE (the highest, treeless regions) and the SUBALPINE (the thinly populated region around the tree line) zones of mountains.   Each zone has distinct flora and fauna varieties.

Females from montane populations reached sexual maturity at a later age and at a larger size than lowland females.
– Kentwood David Wells, Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians (2007)

By extension, TRAMONTANE and TRANSMONTANE can both mean "dwelling or situated beyond or to the far side of the mountains" and INTERMONTANE means "dwelling or situated between mountains." 

The inhabitants of the United States according to the first census numbered somewhat less than four millions, of which, by the most liberal estimate, the entire transmontane region contained not more than two hundred and seventy-five thousand.
– Wilbur Henry Siebert, Legacy of the American Revolution to the British West Indies and Bahamas (1913)

The Rocky Mountains are a series of ranges and intermontane valleys loosely connected along a 2000-kilometer northwest-to-southeast axis across seven states.
– William Lawrence Baker, Fire Ecology in Rocky Mountain Landscapes (2009)

Finally, perhaps the most unusual related word is ULTRAMONTANE, which can mean "dwelling or situated beyond the mountains" but also has several historical meanings related to Catholicism, including "a strong adherent or supporter of papal authority": the connection lies in the fact that the traditional Roman papal location is beyond the Alps, or ultramontane, to most of Europe.  Such a person was an adherent of ULTRAMONTANISM, a topic of debate in certain political and religious circles in the late 19th century.

The success of ultramontanism seemed to Gladstone to mark a major crisis in the progress of 'civic individuality' in Europe, as well as in its effect on Anglican-Roman relations in England and on the Irish situation.
– Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Gladstone 1809-1898 (1997)

"Trying to teach the cavemen to play..."

Quote of the Week:

"I'm trying to teach the cavemen to play Scrabble.... It's uphill work," said Arthur wearily. "The only word they know is grunt and they can't spell it."
– Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980)

CEENOOT

Word of the Week

A feature wherein TileHead highlights a word that is is especially interesting or unusual (and, incidentally, useful in Scrabble play):

CEENOOT

(unscramble the letters to form this week's word...)

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This week's word is...

ECOTONE (n. pl. -S)

• Definition: a transitional area between two or more ecological communities or habitats

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: ECOTONAL (adj.)

TileHead says:

The word ECOTONE was first used by ecologist Frederic E. Clements (1874-1945) circa 1904, who formed it from classical elements: the eco- root used in words such as ECOLOGY (from the Latin oeco-, "household," ultimately from Greek oikos, "house"), plus the Latin tonus ("tension," from the Greek tonos, "stretching").  In recent decades, the word has become more common in both scientific and popular publications, as treatment of environmental issues has increased.

In ecotonal areas where the plains met the mid-latitude belt, such as in southern Siberia, we observe the degree of experimenting that led to the invention of new ways of exploiting the changing environments.
– Clive Finlayson, Neanderthals and Modern Humans (2004)

Therefore, preservation, restoration, or development of these lagoon ecotones, particularly the wetland components, is important for dealing with pollution abatement and/or integrated pest control. Likewise, these ecotones are the major habitats of many vulnerable plant and animal species.
– I. Ethem Gonenc & John P. Wolflin, Coastal Lagoons: Ecosystem Processes and Modeling for Sustainable Use and Development (2005)

Indeed, the eco- prefix (in which the classical oikos meaning of "house" is extended to mean "the place where one lives or dwells" or any "natural environment") has been used in many new words pertaining to the environment.  Other recent Scrabble-acceptable eco- additions to the language include ECOCIDE, ECOFREAK, ECOTAGE, ECOTOUR, ECOTYPE, ECOSYSTEM, ECOSPECIES, ECOFEMINISM, ECOTERRORISM, ECOPHYSIOLOGY, and ECOCATASTROPHE.

"Water shapes its course..."

Quote of the Week:

Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.
– Sun Tzu, Art of War (c. 500 BC)

AHLMOPTY

Word of the Week

A feature wherein TileHead highlights a word that is is especially interesting or unusual (and, incidentally, useful in Scrabble play):

AHLMOPTY

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This week's word is...

POLYMATH (n. pl. -S)

• Definition: a person of great and varied learning; a person acquainted with many fields of study

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S, -Y
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions:-IC, -IES
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

TileHead says:

The Greek poly- ("many") and mathema ("learning") combine to make this erudite word for an erudite person.  The former root is used as a prefix in many English words (POLYGAMY, POLYMER, POLYTECHNIC, etc.), while the latter shows up in familiar words such as MATHEMATICS as well as in a few obscure ones such as CHRESTOMATHY: "a collection of passages from an author or authors, especially one compiled to assist in learning a language" (the first part is from the Greek chrestos, "useful").  This unusual word sometimes shows up in book titles, such as An Arabic Chrestomathy or A Mencken Chrestomathy.

Returning to our featured word, a POLYMATH is "very learned" or "learned in many subjects."  By extension, POLYMATHY (n.) is the domain of a polymath, and something pertaining to one may be said to be POLYMATHIC (adj.). 

A Roman polymath whose interests ranged from zoology to mineralogy, Pliny plotted the course of naturalistic representation from the shadow painting of cave dwellers to the Hellenistic art of his own age.
– Giorgio Vasari and Gaston du C. De Vere (translator), The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects (1896)

[Speaking of Benjamin Franklin:] One of the delights of studying American history in the 18th century is that this remarkable polymath, visionary, down-to-earth jack-of-all-trades pops up everywhere.
– Paul Johnson, A History of the American People (1999)

It would be intriguing to know the intelligence quotients of a large sample of past and present geniuses... Would the IQ of the brilliant student Curie be far higher than the IQ of the dull student Darwin? Would the speculative Einstein have an IQ ahead of Curie's? Would the polymathic Leonardo da Vinci have a low or a high IQ?
– Andrew Robinson, Sudden Genius (2010)

Aspiring polymaths should note that a less-common synonym for a "person of great and varied learning" is POLYHISTOR, in this case combining poly- with histor ("knowing").

They were common folk.  Most could not read, in contrast to Falcon, a polyhistor who spent twenty hours a week pouring over old tomes when the weather was fair.
– Charles Johnson, Middle Passage (2007)

"Useless knowledge"

Quote of the Week:

There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge.
– Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

AFGLNNOO

Word of the Week

A feature wherein TileHead highlights a word that is is especially interesting or unusual (and, incidentally, useful in Scrabble play):

AFGLNNOO

(unscramble the letters to form this week's word...)

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This week's word is...

GONFALON (n. pl. -S)

• Definition: a banner or flag, especially as a standard for a military or ecclesiastical procession

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: GONFANON (n. pl. -S)
• Related Forms: (none)

TileHead says:

In the Middle Ages, a GONFANON was the small flag or banner attached to the head of a knight's lance or spear, or later any such banner serving as a military or ecclesiastical standard.  The word stems from Old Germanic gundfano, "battle banner," and similar forms exist in many languages.  Later French and Italian forms of the word gave English the now-more-common spelling of GONFALON.

The word also appears in a famous baseball poem:

These are the saddest of possible words:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds,
Tinker and Evers and Chance.
Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
Making a Giant hit into a double –
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
– Franklin Pierce Adams, "Baseball's
   Sad Lexicon" (1910)

In the poem, "gonfalon" is used to mean the league championship banner, as in the "National League pennant."  The poem immortalized Chicago Cubs infielders (and eventual Hall of Famers) Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance, who played together for several years, during a time when the Cubs were regularly among baseball's best teams.  (More than just the language has changed since then.)

"Sliding with great effort"

Quote of the Week:

As for saying "Rizzuto slid into second," it just ain't natural. Sounds silly to me. Slud is something more than slid. It means sliding with great effort.
– "Dizzy" Dean (1910-1974), former baseball player
    and announcer, on being questioned about his use
    of "slud" in his broadcasting