One forgets words as one forgets names. One's vocabulary needs constant fertilizing or it will die.
~ Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966)
Sunday, March 25, 2012
"One's vocabulary needs constant fertilizing..."
Quote of the Week:
Friday, March 23, 2012
PHILTRUM
TileHead’s Word of the Day for 23 March 2012
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PHILTRUM (n. pl. PHILTRA)
Definition(s):
Useful information for game players:
Epilogue:
Shapely lips have long been associated with love and romance, and that is probably why the Greek philtron (“love potion”) came to be used to describe the groove in the upper lip. The same root is behind the verb PHILTER (or PHILTRE), meaning “to put under the spell of a love potion.”
Recapping this week’s featured words:
DIASTEMA, GLABELLA, THENAR, and PHILTRUM
Also given a nod:
DIASTEM, EQUIPOLLENT, GLABRATE, GLABROUS, GLABELLAR, GLABRESCENT, PHENAL, PHILTER, PHILTRE, and POLLEX
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PHILTRUM (n. pl. PHILTRA)
Definition(s):
- (n.) the indentation between the upper lip and the nose
- (n.) a love potion or charm
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: (none)
- Anagrams: (none)
- Longer extensions: (none)
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: (none)
- Related Forms: PHILTER (v.), PHILTRE (v.)
Epilogue:
Shapely lips have long been associated with love and romance, and that is probably why the Greek philtron (“love potion”) came to be used to describe the groove in the upper lip. The same root is behind the verb PHILTER (or PHILTRE), meaning “to put under the spell of a love potion.”
Recapping this week’s featured words:
DIASTEMA, GLABELLA, THENAR, and PHILTRUM
Also given a nod:
DIASTEM, EQUIPOLLENT, GLABRATE, GLABROUS, GLABELLAR, GLABRESCENT, PHENAL, PHILTER, PHILTRE, and POLLEX
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Wednesday, March 21, 2012
THENAR
TileHead’s Word of the Day for 21 March 2012
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THENAR (n. pl. -S)
Definition(s):
Useful information for game players:
Epilogue:
Thumbs up if you knew that THENAR comes from the Greek for “palm of the hand,” and that’s why the similar-looking THENAL means “pertaining to the palm of the hand.” Over time, however, THENAR came to be used primarily to refer to the musculature of the thumb, while THENAL has retained its “palm” meaning.
Two thumbs up if you also knew that POLLEX is the medical term for the thumb (or more precisely, for the first or innermost digit of the forelimb). The word was taken over intact from Latin, where it also meant either “thumb” or “bit toe.” Some sources suggest that it may be derived from the verb pollere (“to be strong”), since the thumb is the strongest digit. That root is also behind the rare word EQUIPOLLENT, “something that has equal power, force, or significance.”
Theme:
A body of words pertaining to human anatomy
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THENAR (n. pl. -S)
Definition(s):
- (n.) the fleshy part of the hand at the base of the thumb
- (adj.) of or relating to the fleshy mass at the base of the thumb or to the musculature of the thumb
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: -S
- Anagrams: ANTHER
- Longer extensions: (none)
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: (none)
- Related Forms: THENAL
Epilogue:
Thumbs up if you knew that THENAR comes from the Greek for “palm of the hand,” and that’s why the similar-looking THENAL means “pertaining to the palm of the hand.” Over time, however, THENAR came to be used primarily to refer to the musculature of the thumb, while THENAL has retained its “palm” meaning.
Two thumbs up if you also knew that POLLEX is the medical term for the thumb (or more precisely, for the first or innermost digit of the forelimb). The word was taken over intact from Latin, where it also meant either “thumb” or “bit toe.” Some sources suggest that it may be derived from the verb pollere (“to be strong”), since the thumb is the strongest digit. That root is also behind the rare word EQUIPOLLENT, “something that has equal power, force, or significance.”
Theme:
A body of words pertaining to human anatomy
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Tuesday, March 20, 2012
GLABELLA
TileHead’s Word of the Day for 20 March 2012
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GLABELLA (n. pl. GLABELLAE)
Definition(s):
Useful information for game players:
Epilogue:
Once I learn a word like this, a perfectly precise word for a common thing, I wonder how I ever managed without it. The word comes from the Latin glaber, meaning “smooth or bald.” Similarly, GLABRATE and GLABROUS can mean “smooth or hairless,” while the useful GLABRESCENT means “tending to become glabrous with age or maturity” — it is usually used with reference to plants, but more than one writer has referred to a man’s “glabrescent scalp.”
Theme:
A body of words pertaining to human anatomy
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GLABELLA (n. pl. GLABELLAE)
Definition(s):
- (n.) the small, usually smooth area on the human forehead between the eyebrows and just above the nose
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: -E, -R
- Anagrams: (none)
- Longer extensions: (none)
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: (none)
- Related Forms: GLABRATE (adj.), GLABROUS (adj.), GLABELLAR (adj.), GLABRESCENT (adj.)
Epilogue:
Once I learn a word like this, a perfectly precise word for a common thing, I wonder how I ever managed without it. The word comes from the Latin glaber, meaning “smooth or bald.” Similarly, GLABRATE and GLABROUS can mean “smooth or hairless,” while the useful GLABRESCENT means “tending to become glabrous with age or maturity” — it is usually used with reference to plants, but more than one writer has referred to a man’s “glabrescent scalp.”
Theme:
A body of words pertaining to human anatomy
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Monday, March 19, 2012
DIASTEMA
TileHead’s Word of the Day for 19 March 2012
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DIASTEMA (n. pl. DIASTEMAS or DIASTEMATA)
Definition(s):
Useful information for game players:
Epilogue:
Now you know: DIASTEMA is the name for that gap between teeth that some people have, most commonly between the two upper incisors. The word passed into English from Latin, derived from the Greek diastema, meaning “interval” or “space between.” DIASTEM is another spelling of the same word, and comes from the same source, though it also has an independent meaning pertaining to an interruption in geologic sedimentation.
Theme:
This week we will cast our eyes on some unusual words pertaining to human anatomy
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DIASTEMA (n. pl. DIASTEMAS or DIASTEMATA)
Definition(s):
- (n.) a gap or space between teeth
- (n.) a space or fissure in a body part, especially when congenital
- (n.) an interval or pause, especially in ancient Greek music
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: -S
- Anagrams: ADAMSITE
- Longer extensions: diastemaTA
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: DIASTEM
- Related Forms: (none)
Epilogue:
Now you know: DIASTEMA is the name for that gap between teeth that some people have, most commonly between the two upper incisors. The word passed into English from Latin, derived from the Greek diastema, meaning “interval” or “space between.” DIASTEM is another spelling of the same word, and comes from the same source, though it also has an independent meaning pertaining to an interruption in geologic sedimentation.
Theme:
This week we will cast our eyes on some unusual words pertaining to human anatomy
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Sunday, March 18, 2012
"Language is like soil..."
Quote of the Week:
Language is like soil. However rich, it is subject to erosion, and its fertility is constantly threatened by uses that exhaust its vitality. It needs constant re-invigoration if it is not to become arid and sterile.
~ Elizabeth Drew (1935- )
Friday, March 16, 2012
GASCON
TileHead’s Word of the Day for 16 March 2012
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GASCON (n. pl. -S)
Definition(s):
Useful information for game players:
Epilogue:
This word takes its form from the Gascony region of France, the natives of which were once believed to be especially boastful and were often represented as such in literature and drama. The character D’Artagnan in Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers, for example, is portrayed as coming from Gascony.
We’ve covered a lot of boastful terms over the past two weeks, but we’ll just throw one more out there:
Recapping the vainglorious words featured over the last two weeks:
FANFARON, HECTOR, GASBAG, VOGIE, COXCOMB, POPINJAY, and GASCON
Also mentioned in passing:
BRAGGADOCIO, BLOWHARD, BLUSTERER, COCKY, JACTITATION, PEACOCK, PRINCOX, PRINCOCK, RODOMONTADE, SCARAMOUCH(E), THRASONICAL, VAPORING, VOGUE, WINDBAG, and WINDJAMMER
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GASCON (n. pl. -S)
Definition(s):
- (n.) a braggart; a boaster
- (n.) capitalized: a native or inhabitant of the Gascony region of France
- (adj.) capitalized: relating to a native of Gascony
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: -S
- Anagrams: CONGAS
- Longer extensions: gasconADE, gasconADED, gasconADER/S, gasconADES, gasconADING
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: (none)
- Related Forms: GASCONADE (v.), GASCONADER (n.)
Epilogue:
This word takes its form from the Gascony region of France, the natives of which were once believed to be especially boastful and were often represented as such in literature and drama. The character D’Artagnan in Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers, for example, is portrayed as coming from Gascony.
We’ve covered a lot of boastful terms over the past two weeks, but we’ll just throw one more out there:
- JACTITATION (n.): a boastful declaration or affirmation
(from the Latin jactitare, “to throw out publicly”)
Recapping the vainglorious words featured over the last two weeks:
FANFARON, HECTOR, GASBAG, VOGIE, COXCOMB, POPINJAY, and GASCON
Also mentioned in passing:
BRAGGADOCIO, BLOWHARD, BLUSTERER, COCKY, JACTITATION, PEACOCK, PRINCOX, PRINCOCK, RODOMONTADE, SCARAMOUCH(E), THRASONICAL, VAPORING, VOGUE, WINDBAG, and WINDJAMMER
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Wednesday, March 14, 2012
POPINJAY
TileHead’s Word of the Day for 14 March 2012
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POPINJAY (n. pl. -S)
Definition(s):
Useful information for game players:
Epilogue:
This word has strutted its way through the ages, with a variety of spellings and meanings. It started out as the Arabic babgha, an imitative word for the parrot. It then passed through several languages and many spellings in medieval English before settling on the modern-day rendering of POPINJAY. The OED notes specifically that “the word was probably borrowed from Arabic at the time of the Crusades; its various forms in different languages show remodelling of the ending as a result of folk etymology...” In English, the folk etymologies associated it either with the bird JAY or the adjective GAY, neither of which it is actually related to.
In any case, before long the word’s meaning changed from a literal parrot, to a representation of a parrot, to a person who behaves in a brash or strutting manner, the last being in use from at least the 1500s. In yesterday’s COXCOMB entry we saw other examples of the centuries-old relationship between boastful words and birds — doubtless an unfair characterization, but such is the enduring influence of old associations between animals and human personality traits or behaviors.
Theme:
Words about bragging, vanity, and boastfulness
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POPINJAY (n. pl. -S)
Definition(s):
- (n.) a vain, conceited, or overly talkative person; “a strutting supercilious person” (MW)
- (n.) a parrot
- (n.) a wooden parrot or other object, used as a target for archery or firearms
- (n.) in heraldry, a representation of a parrot
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: -S
- Anagrams: (none)
- Longer extensions: (none)
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: (none)
- Related Forms: (none)
Epilogue:
This word has strutted its way through the ages, with a variety of spellings and meanings. It started out as the Arabic babgha, an imitative word for the parrot. It then passed through several languages and many spellings in medieval English before settling on the modern-day rendering of POPINJAY. The OED notes specifically that “the word was probably borrowed from Arabic at the time of the Crusades; its various forms in different languages show remodelling of the ending as a result of folk etymology...” In English, the folk etymologies associated it either with the bird JAY or the adjective GAY, neither of which it is actually related to.
In any case, before long the word’s meaning changed from a literal parrot, to a representation of a parrot, to a person who behaves in a brash or strutting manner, the last being in use from at least the 1500s. In yesterday’s COXCOMB entry we saw other examples of the centuries-old relationship between boastful words and birds — doubtless an unfair characterization, but such is the enduring influence of old associations between animals and human personality traits or behaviors.
Theme:
Words about bragging, vanity, and boastfulness
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Tuesday, March 13, 2012
COXCOMB
TileHead’s Word of the Day for 13 March 2012
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COXCOMB (n. pl. -S)
Definition(s):
Useful information for game players:
Epilogue:
The association between birds and vanity goes back many centuries. The PEACOCK was portrayed as boastful in medieval bestiaries as early as the 12th century, leading to a verb form meaning “to strut vainly.” The COCK (or ROOSTER) was similarly portrayed as being vain, perhaps from the way it holds its head up, leading to the familiar adjective COCKY. Similarly, a “cock’s comb” or COCKSCOMB (or eventually COXCOMB) was used to refer to a cap worn by a professional fool or jester, before becoming a general term for a conceited fool of any kind. The word PRINCOX (or PRINCOCK), another word for a conceited person, probably has a similar origin in the rooster’s association with strutting vanity.
Theme:
This week we continue with words about bragging, vanity, and boastfulness
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COXCOMB (n. pl. -S)
Definition(s):
- (n.) a conceited dandy; a person overly concerned about appearance; “a foolish, conceited, showy person, vain of his accomplishments, appearance or dress” (OED)
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: -S
- Anagrams: (none)
- Longer extensions: coxcombIC, coxcombRY, coxcombICAL, coxcombRIES
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: COCKSCOMB
- Related Forms: COXCOMBIC (adj.), COXCOMBICAL (adj.) and COXCOMBRY (n.)
Epilogue:
The association between birds and vanity goes back many centuries. The PEACOCK was portrayed as boastful in medieval bestiaries as early as the 12th century, leading to a verb form meaning “to strut vainly.” The COCK (or ROOSTER) was similarly portrayed as being vain, perhaps from the way it holds its head up, leading to the familiar adjective COCKY. Similarly, a “cock’s comb” or COCKSCOMB (or eventually COXCOMB) was used to refer to a cap worn by a professional fool or jester, before becoming a general term for a conceited fool of any kind. The word PRINCOX (or PRINCOCK), another word for a conceited person, probably has a similar origin in the rooster’s association with strutting vanity.
Theme:
This week we continue with words about bragging, vanity, and boastfulness
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Monday, March 12, 2012
VOGIE
TileHead’s Word of the Day for 12 March 2012
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VOGIE (adj.)
Definition(s):
Useful information for game players:
Epilogue:
This is a strange old Scottish word, in use primarily in the 1700s and 1800s, whose origin is unknown. It sometimes means “vain,” sometimes “cheerful,” and (unless you read Scottish English better than I do) it can be difficult to tell which meaning is intended, even in context.
There does not seem to be any strong connection between VOGIE and the word VOGUE which can mean “popularity” or “in fashion,” or more recently “to strike poses in imitation of fashion models.” VOGUE probably comes from a Middle French word roughly meaning “rowing,” apparently originally with the sense that one in vogue is borne along the waves of fashion.
Theme:
This week we continue with words about bragging, vanity, and boastfulness
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VOGIE (adj.)
Definition(s):
- (adj.) vain; proud; conceited
- (adj.) cheerful; merry
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: (none)
- Anagrams: OGIVE
- Longer extensions: (none)
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: (none)
- Related Forms: (none)
Epilogue:
This is a strange old Scottish word, in use primarily in the 1700s and 1800s, whose origin is unknown. It sometimes means “vain,” sometimes “cheerful,” and (unless you read Scottish English better than I do) it can be difficult to tell which meaning is intended, even in context.
There does not seem to be any strong connection between VOGIE and the word VOGUE which can mean “popularity” or “in fashion,” or more recently “to strike poses in imitation of fashion models.” VOGUE probably comes from a Middle French word roughly meaning “rowing,” apparently originally with the sense that one in vogue is borne along the waves of fashion.
Theme:
This week we continue with words about bragging, vanity, and boastfulness
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Sunday, March 11, 2012
"I've always been insufferable"
Quote of the Week:
Success didn't spoil me; I've always been insufferable.
~ Fran Lebowitz (1950- )
Friday, March 9, 2012
GASBAG
TileHead’s Word of the Day for 9 March 2012
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GASBAG (n. -S)
Definition(s):
Useful information for game players:
Epilogue:
For obvious reasons, empty or boastful talk has long been associated with air, gas, or wind. Other examples include BLOWHARD, BLUSTERER, VAPORING, WINDBAG, and WINDJAMMER — the last is a type of sailing vessel, but it has also been used as a slang term for a rumormonger or braggart.
This week’s theme:
Words about bragging, braggarts, and hot air
(to be continued next week...)
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GASBAG (n. -S)
Definition(s):
- (n.) a bag or container for holding gas, as in a balloon or dirigible
- (n.) one given to empty or boastful talk
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: -S
- Anagrams: (none)
- Longer extensions: (none)
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: (none)
- Related Forms: (none)
Epilogue:
For obvious reasons, empty or boastful talk has long been associated with air, gas, or wind. Other examples include BLOWHARD, BLUSTERER, VAPORING, WINDBAG, and WINDJAMMER — the last is a type of sailing vessel, but it has also been used as a slang term for a rumormonger or braggart.
This week’s theme:
Words about bragging, braggarts, and hot air
(to be continued next week...)
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Wednesday, March 7, 2012
HECTOR
TileHead’s Word of the Day for 7 March 2012
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HECTOR (v. -ED, -ING, -S)
Definition(s):
Useful information for game players:
Epilogue:
This word is a bit unfair, for in Homer’s Iliad (c. 800 BC) Hector was a valiant warrior who is eventually killed by Achilles during the Trojan War. He is neither particularly bullying nor boastful, and originally the noun HECTOR referred to a leader or warrior. Nonetheless, from the 1600s on the word has been used almost exclusively in pejorative senses, perhaps influenced by the line “Said I well, bully Hector?” in Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor (1602). “Bully” at the time was sometimes used as a general term of endearment roughly meaning “good fellow,” but perhaps that fact was lost on later generations.
A lot of words about bragging and braggarts derive from characters in drama and literature. Here are a few more interesting ones in that category:
This week’s theme:
Words about bragging, vanity, and boastfulness
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HECTOR (v. -ED, -ING, -S)
Definition(s):
- (v.) to bully or brag
- (v.) to intimidate or domineer
- (n.) a bully or braggart
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: -S
- Anagrams: ROCHET, ROTCHE, TOCHER, TROCHE
- Longer extensions: hectorED, hectorING, hectorINGLY
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: (none)
- Related Forms: HECTORINGLY (adv.)
Epilogue:
This word is a bit unfair, for in Homer’s Iliad (c. 800 BC) Hector was a valiant warrior who is eventually killed by Achilles during the Trojan War. He is neither particularly bullying nor boastful, and originally the noun HECTOR referred to a leader or warrior. Nonetheless, from the 1600s on the word has been used almost exclusively in pejorative senses, perhaps influenced by the line “Said I well, bully Hector?” in Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor (1602). “Bully” at the time was sometimes used as a general term of endearment roughly meaning “good fellow,” but perhaps that fact was lost on later generations.
A lot of words about bragging and braggarts derive from characters in drama and literature. Here are a few more interesting ones in that category:
- BRAGGADOCIO (n.): an empty braggart
(first used by Edmund Spenser as a personification of vainglory in the _Faerie Queene_)
- RODOMONTADE (n.): a braggart, or a vainglorious act or piece of writing
(from an Italian word, popularized by the name of a character in Italian Renaissance epic poems)
- SCARAMOUCH or SCARAMOUCHE (n.): a stock character in Italian *commedia dell’arte* and pantomime that is usually characterized by boastfulness or cowardliness
(from an Italian word roughly meaning “skirmish”)
- THRASONICAL (adj.): boastful, vainglorious
(from Thraso, the name of a braggart in the ancient Roman comedy _Eunuchus_)
This week’s theme:
Words about bragging, vanity, and boastfulness
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Monday, March 5, 2012
FANFARON
TileHead’s Word of the Day for 5 March 2012
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FANFARON (n. pl. -S)
Definition(s):
Useful information for game players:
Epilogue:
The English language abounds with fanciful words for braggarts, vanity, and boastfulness. Doubtless you know GRANDSTAND, VAIN, VAINGLORY, VAUNT, VAUNTIE, and their various inflections and spellings, but over the next few days we will give you a few more boastful words to crow about.
Today’s word, FANFARON, is related to the word FANFARE, which itself probably comes from a French word of imitative origin. A related form is FANFARONADE, an instance of boastful language or ostentation.
Theme:
Vainglorious words
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FANFARON (n. pl. -S)
Definition(s):
- (n.) a braggart; a boaster
- (n.) fanfare: a lively sounding of trumpets, or any showy display
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: -S
- Anagrams: (none)
- Longer extensions: fanfaronADE, fanfaronADES
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: (none)
- Related Forms: FANFARONADE
Epilogue:
The English language abounds with fanciful words for braggarts, vanity, and boastfulness. Doubtless you know GRANDSTAND, VAIN, VAINGLORY, VAUNT, VAUNTIE, and their various inflections and spellings, but over the next few days we will give you a few more boastful words to crow about.
Today’s word, FANFARON, is related to the word FANFARE, which itself probably comes from a French word of imitative origin. A related form is FANFARONADE, an instance of boastful language or ostentation.
Theme:
Vainglorious words
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Sunday, March 4, 2012
"Words can have no single fixed meaning..."
Quote of the Week:
Words can have no single fixed meaning. Like wayward electrons, they can spin away from their initial orbit and enter a wider magnetic field.
~ David Lehman (1948- )
Friday, March 2, 2012
EARTHSET
TileHead’s Word of the Day for 2 March 2012
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EARTHSET (n. pl. -S)
Definition(s):
Useful information for game players:
Epilogue:
It’s all a matter of perspective. We TELLURIANS, also known as TERRESTRIALS or EARTHLINGS, have a GEOCENTRIC perspective and see SUNSETS and MOONSETS. A LUNARIAN (inhabitant of the moon) would have a SELENOCENTRIC (moon-centered) perspective and would see SUNSETS and EARTHSETS. Nice shots of the latter were captured by a Japanese lunar probe a few years ago and can easily be found online.
For more LUNY words, see the LUNARIAN entry. For other moon-related entries from the past, also see the SAROS and MOONCALF entries.
Recapping this week’s featured words:
RILLE, MASCON, and EARTHSET
Also mentioned in passing:
ARCUATE, EARTHLING, GEOCENTRIC, GRABEN, LUNARIAN, MARE, MARIA, MOONSET, PORMANTEAU, SELENOCENTRIC, SELENOLOGY, SINUOUS, SUNSET, TELLURIAN, and TERRESTRIAL
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EARTHSET (n. pl. -S)
Definition(s):
- (n.) the setting of the earth below the horizon (for example, as seen from the moon)
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: -S
- Anagrams: THEATERS, THEATRES
- Longer extensions: (none)
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: (none)
- Related Forms: (none)
Epilogue:
It’s all a matter of perspective. We TELLURIANS, also known as TERRESTRIALS or EARTHLINGS, have a GEOCENTRIC perspective and see SUNSETS and MOONSETS. A LUNARIAN (inhabitant of the moon) would have a SELENOCENTRIC (moon-centered) perspective and would see SUNSETS and EARTHSETS. Nice shots of the latter were captured by a Japanese lunar probe a few years ago and can easily be found online.
For more LUNY words, see the LUNARIAN entry. For other moon-related entries from the past, also see the SAROS and MOONCALF entries.
Recapping this week’s featured words:
RILLE, MASCON, and EARTHSET
Also mentioned in passing:
ARCUATE, EARTHLING, GEOCENTRIC, GRABEN, LUNARIAN, MARE, MARIA, MOONSET, PORMANTEAU, SELENOCENTRIC, SELENOLOGY, SINUOUS, SUNSET, TELLURIAN, and TERRESTRIAL
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