ORTHOEPY

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 31 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  ORTHOEPY  (n. pl. ORTHOEPIES)


Definition(s):

1. (n.) the correct or accepted pronunciation of words
2. (n.) the study of correct pronunciation
3. (n.) the study of the relationship between the pronunciation of words and their spelling

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: (none)
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: ORTHOEPIC (adj.), ORTHOEPIST (n.), ORTHOEPICALLY (adv.)

Current theme:

Language & Words

Epilogue:

When the contestants take the stage tonight in the finals of the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee, they will be listening carefully to the ORTHOEPIC utterances of the pronouncer, Dr. Jacques Bailly.  While pronunciation is not always a good indication of how to spell a word in English, it is nonetheless one of the key pieces of information that good spellers use to hone in on a word, along with etymology and meaning.

The word ORTHOEPY comes from Greek roots, a combination of orthos (“right, proper”) and epos (“word, speech”).  The orthos root is also part of a word that truly describes the speller’s bailiwick: ORTHOGRAPHY, which is the art or study of correct spelling.  The opposite is CACOGRAPHY, which is incorrect spelling, though you will not see much of that at the National Bee!

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

PANGRAM

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 30 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  PANGRAM  (n. pl. -S)


Definition(s):

1. (n.) a sentence or phrase that includes all the letters of the alphabet

Useful info for word game players:

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

Current theme:

Language & Words

Epilogue:

Writers have always played with words, and PANGRAMS have been concocted in many different languages, from ancient times to the present, as have other word games such as anagrams and palindromes.  PANGRAM, if you were just quizzically debating the exact origin, is derived from Greek roots.  It is a combination of pan (“all”) and gramma (“letter”).  The latter root is also a part of a few other words pertaining to letters, such as ANAGRAM and MONOGRAM.

Crafting pangrams can be challenging and addicting.  True purists will seek to create a meaningful pangram with exactly the same number of letters as the alphabet, but this is exceedingly difficult to do in English, with perhaps the best example being:

• Cwm fjord bank glyphs vext quiz.

Those are all legitimate English words (and all acceptable in Scrabble), but the meaning is, admittedly, obscure.  If abbreviations, proper nouns, or creative punctuation is allowed, other fine 26-letter examples include:

• Mr. Jock, TV quiz Ph.D., bags few lynx. 
• Quartz glyph job vex'd cwm finks.

Clearly, though, the meanings still tend to be fanciful or nonsensical.  If a few letters are repeated, short English pangrams start to resemble natural language, and many people find these to be more fun and interesting.  You may have seen “the quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog,” since it is often used as filler text in documents.  A few other excellent short pangrams include:

• How quickly daft jumping zebras vex. (30 letters) 
• Two driven jocks help fax my big quiz. (30) 
• The five boxing wizards jump quickly. (31) 
• Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs. (32) 
• Fake bugs put in wax jonquils drive him crazy. (37)
• Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes. (40)

For even more of a challenge, you can try to compose pangrams with a theme, such as, say, Scrabble.  After a lot of thinking and scribbling, here are my best original contributions to the genre so far:

• Joyful word maven picks tough quiz box. (32) 
• Joky wiz vanquished expert scrabble game foe. (38)

Can you do better?  Let’s have a pangram contest!  If you would like to play along, please send your best scrabble-themed pangram compositions to me, and I will compile and publish them.  The contest rules are as follows:

• Please submit no more than three entries per person 
• Each entry must be a sentence or phrase that uses all 26 letters of the alphabet at least once; letters may be repeated as needed, but aim for entries that are fewer than 50 letters in length (ideally, fewer than 40 letters) 
• Each entry must have a meaning loosely related to our favorite word game or to the activities surrounding it (words, word study, tournaments, etc.) 
• Each entry should, ideally, utilize only words acceptable in the North American word list, that is the Official Tournament and Club Word List (TWL) (for home players, the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, 4th edition, may be used as a guide, since it is nearly identical to the TWL list)
• I will publish your name along with your entry, unless you advise me that you wish to remain anonymous 
• Send entries directly to me at tilehead@gmail.com by Wednesday June 6th

Entries will be judged on originality, meaning, and brevity.  No real prize is being offered — other than the joy of composition and, of course, eternal scrabble pangram glory.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

ZEUGMA

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 29 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  ZEUGMA  (n. pl. -S)


Definition(s):

1. (n.) the use of a word to modify or govern two or more words, usually in such a manner that it applies to only one of them or to each in a different sense

Useful info for word game players:

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

Current theme:

Language & Words

Epilogue:

The term ZEUGMA is often used to describe situations where a word modifies two or more other words, usually applying concretely to one and abstractly to the other, and often for humorous or emphatic effect, as in:

• She caught a taxi and a husband 
• He lost the match and his mind 

The word also has several technical meanings in linguistics, all applying to the way in which words are joined together — fittingly, since it comes from the Greek zeugnynai, meaning “to yoke or to join.”  In case one name for this concept is not enough, the word SYLLEPSIS, from the Greek syllambanein (“a taking together”), has an almost identical meaning.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee, the latter rounds of which will be broadcast on May 31, is a contest where unusual words and verbal legerdemain take center stage, a veritable linguistic feast for logophiles.  In honor of the nation’s most high profile competition involving words, meanings, and etymology, this week we will explore some unusual terms pertaining to language and words.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

"Why I used a particular word..."

Quote of the Week:

I am not... in a position to say why I used a particular word, any more than many musicians are able to say why they use a particular chord.
~ William F. Buckley, Jr. (1925-2008)

LEGONG

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 25 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  LEGONG  (n. pl. -S)


Definition(s):

1. (n.) an intricate Balinese dance performed by young girls

Useful info for word game players:

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

Epilogue:

The LEGONG dance is usually performed by two young girls in elaborate costumes and is characterized by graceful hand movements, footwork, and facial expressions.  The word entered English directly from Balinese, a language spoken in Bali and several other Indonesian islands.

We could spend many moons exploring words for types of dances, as there are so many of them and they open such windows into the language and traditions of other cultures — as with the CZARDAS of Hungary and LEGONG of Bali and many others — but, alas, our terpsichorean tour through the world of dance has arrived at its finale.

Recapping this week’s featured words:
CORYPHEE, FOUETTE, CHASSE, CZARDAS, and LEGONG

Also mentioned:
ARABESK, ARABESQUE, BALLERINA, BALLETOMANE, BALLETOMANIA, BALLONNE, BATTERIE, BATTEMENT, BATTU, CHAINE, CORYPHAEUS, DANSEUR, DANSEUSE, DEVELOPPE, ENTRECHAT, ETOILE, FIGURANT, GLISSADE, JETE, PAS, PIROUETTE, PLIE, POINTE, RELEVE, SASHAY, and TERPSICHOREAN

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

CZARDAS

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 24 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  CZARDAS  (n. pl. -ES)


Definition(s):

1. (n.) an intricate Hungarian folk dance characterized by variations in tempo
2. (n.) music for such a dance

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: (none)
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: czardasES
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Current theme:

Dance

Epilogue:

The CZARDAS is a traditional Hungarian folk dance that starts out “with a slow, pathetic introduction called lassu” and finishes with a flurry “in a rapid and wild dance called friss or friska” (Harvard Dictionary of Music, 1944).  It is usually performed in traditional dress, including large hoop skirts for women.  The name derives from the Hungarian csárda, the word for a pub, tavern, or village inn — where the dance probably originated as both entertainment and courting ritual.

Other interesting words from Hungarian include:

•  Culinary terms such as GOULASH and PAPRIKA
• Currency from Hungary such as FORINT and PENGO
• Dog names such as KOMONDOR, KUVASZ, PULI, and VIZSLA
• HUSSAR (a cavalry soldier)
• SOUTACHE (an ornamental braid or pattern usually sewn upon fabric)
• TZIGANE (a gypsy)

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

CHASSE

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 23 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  CHASSE  (v. CHASSED, CHASSEING, CHASSES)


Definition(s):

1. (v.) to step with one foot to the side, followed closely by the other foot, such as in ballet, dance, or figure skating
2. (n.) a quick movement with one foot to the side, followed closely by the other foot

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -D, -S
• Anagrams: CASHES, CHASES
• Longer extensions: chasseUR, chasseING, chassePOT, chasseURS, chassePOTS
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: SASHAY

Current theme:

Dance

Epilogue:

There are many words to describe different types of PAS (“a dance step or a combination of steps”).  CHASSE comes from the French chasser, meaning “to chase,” since in this movement one foot “chases” after the other.  The word SASHAY derives from the same source and can be used synonymously, although it also has other senses such as “to walk or glide casually” or “to strut or flounce in a showy manner.”  The term GLISSADE (from a French word meaning to “slide”) also describes a similar gliding movement in dance or ballet.

Most dance and ballet terms entered English through the French language.  The influence traces partly to Louis XIV’s strong interest in dance and especially his establishment of the Académie Royale de Dance (Royal Academy of Dance) in the seventeenth century, now known as the famous Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris (Paris Opera Ballet).

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

FOUETTE

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 22 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  FOUETTE  (n. pl. -S)


Definition(s):

1. (n.) a quick whipping movement of the raised leg in ballet, often accompanying a pirouette or other movement

Useful info for word game players:

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

Current theme:

Dance

Epilogue:

FOUETTE is just one of a bewildering array of terms relating to specific ballet movements, jumps, and positions.  It comes from a French verb, fouetter, meaning “to whip.”  Other interesting words for ballet movements include:

• ARABESK or ARABESQUE: (n.) a pose in which the dancer stands on one foot with one arm in front and the other arm and leg behind
• BALLONNE: (n.) a wide, circular ballet jump
• BATTERIE: (n.) a ballet movement consisting of a leap involving the beating together of the feet or legs
• BATTEMENT: (n.) a ballet movement in which one leg is extended and retracted, often repeatedly
• BATTU: (adj.) pertaining to a ballet movement performed with a striking together of the legs
• CHAINE: (n.) a series of short and usually fast ballet turns
• DEVELOPPE: (n.) a ballet movement in which one leg is raised and then fully extended  
• ENTRECHAT: (n.) a ballet leap in which the dancer repeatedly crosses or beats together the legs
• JETE: (n.) a ballet leap in which one leg is extended forward and the other backward
• PIROUETTE: (n.) a spinning about on one foot or on the points of the toes; a rapid whirl of the body
• PLIE: (n.) a ballet movement in which the knees are bent while the back is held straight
• POINTE: (n.) a ballet position in which the dancer is balanced on the tips of the toes
• RELEVE: (n.) a ballet movement consisting of a rise to the toes from a flat foot

By the way, if all of this ballet terminology has you jumping for joy, then you may be a BALLETOMANE — that is, one afflicted with BALLETOMANIA, “an extraordinary enthusiasm for ballet.”


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

CORYPHEE

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 21 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  CORYPHEE  (n. pl. -S)


Definition(s):

1. (n.) a ballet dancer, especially one who performs in small ensembles and who ranks above a member of the corps de ballet and below a soloist

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: CORYPHAEUS, CORYPHAEI

Current theme:

Dance

Epilogue:

The leader of an ancient Greek chorus was called a koryphaios, from a word meaning “head” or “summit.”  The Latin version CORYPHAEUS is still used in English to refer to the leader of a chorus or, more generally, to a leader of a group, party, or school of thought.  By further extension, the French form CORYPHEE came to denote one of the leaders of a ballet troupe. 

Ballet has a rich hierarchy and vocabulary, much of which came into English by way of French in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.  Traditionally, the coryphees rank below the soloists, but above members of the “corps de ballet” or general company of dancers.  A soloist was sometimes called a DANSEUR or DANSEUSE, prima BALLERINA, or ETOILE.  A member of the corps de ballet was sometimes called a FIGURANT.  In most modern American companies, there is now a simpler hierarchy of principals, soloists, and members of the corps de ballet.

This week we will glide and slide through some TERPSICHOREAN terminology.  Terpsichore, the ancient Greek muse of song and dance, lent her name to that long but useful adjective meaning “pertaining to dance.”

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

"Words are timeless..."

Quote of the Week:

Words are timeless. You should utter them or write them with a knowledge of their timelessness.
~ Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931)

SISTRUM

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 18 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  SISTRUM  (n. pl. SISTRUMS or SISTRA)


Definition(s):

1. (n.) an ancient percussion instrument of Egypt, Sumeria, and Rome, consisting of a thin metal frame with numerous metal rods or loops that jingle when shaken
2. (n.) any of various musical instruments played like a rattle

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: TRISMUS, TRUISMS
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Epilogue:

Of the vocabulary of ancient Egypt that survives to the modern day, most of it applies to the elaborate religious and funerary practices of that civilization.  However, the ancient Egyptians also made important mathematical and scientific discoveries, and they produced rich forms of literature, art, and music.  In the latter category, one unique instrument that has survived is the SISTRUM, a rattle-like device probably used for religious ceremonies, dances, and other occasions.  The word came into English from a Latin form of the Greek seistron, akin to the verb seiein “to shake.”  Many earthquake words beginning with seism- (SEISMIC, SEISMAL, SEISMOLOGY, etc.) derive from the same shaky source.

Recapping this week’s featured words:
PSCHENT, SERDAB, URAEUS, and SISTRUM

Also mentioned:
ANKH, BA, DEMOTIC, HIEROGLYPHICS, KA, MASTABA, PHARAOH, PYRAMID, and SEISMIC

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

URAEUS

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 16 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  URAEUS  (n. pl. URAEI or URAEUSES)


Definition(s):

1. (n.) the figure of the sacred serpent (a cobra in an upright position), often depicted on the headdress of ancient Egyptian rulers and deities

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: (none)
• Anagrams: AUREUS
• Longer extensions: uraeusES
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Current theme:

Ancient Egypt

Epilogue:

The upright cobra symbol was identified with Wadjit, the patron goddess of Lower Egypt.  A falcon symbol was similarly identified with Nekhbet, the patron goddess of Upper Egypt.  Each became symbols of sovereignty for the kings of those lands, and upon the unification of Egypt (c. 3000 B.C)  they were frequently joined together as a symbol of unity, such as in the PSCHENT headdress worn by most later pharaohs. 

The modern word for this cobra symbol bears little resemblance to the ancient demotic Egyptian form y’rt, characteristically written without vowels.  The reason is that the word URAEUS is a Latin form of a Greek word (ouraios, “pertaining to the tail”) for the symbol.  The symbol is also called the “sacred serpent” or “sacred asp.”

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

SERDAB

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 15 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  SERDAB  (n. pl. -S)


Definition(s):

1. (n.) a small chamber of an ancient Egyptian tomb containing a statue of the deceased, typically either concealed or accessible only by a narrow passage
2. (n.) a living room in the basement of a Middle Eastern or East Mediterranean house that provides coolness during the summer months

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: ARDEBS, BARDES, BEARDS, BREADS, DEBARS, and SABRED
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Current theme:

Ancient Egypt

Epilogue:

The ancient Egyptians famously constructed elaborate PYRAMIDS to house the dead and their treasures.  Less well known is the precursor called a MASTABA (or MASTABAH), a square or rectangular flat-topped tomb with sides sloping outward to the base.  The word MASTABA, in fact, comes from Arabic for “bench of stone or mud.”  Many mastabas can be found in the same areas as the pyramids, and the pyramidal design may, in fact, have originated from the idea of stacking multiple mastabas on top of each other.

Inside most mastabas is a SERDAB, a small chamber containing a statue of the deceased.  The word is from Arabic and Persian, meaning “cellar” or “ice-house.”  The statue in the serdab was usually situated so that it could “see,” through a squint hole, into a ceremonial room where various rites could be performed and incense could be burned.  The sounds and smells of the rites could waft through the squint to the statue, which was designed to represent the KA (the spiritual self) of the deceased.  If the body and statue were well preserved, the ancient Egyptians believed, then the person’s BA (eternal soul) might someday return and revivify the body. 

The actual burial chamber in a mastaba was usually located in a separate, hidden part of the tomb.  The intricate layout may have been designed to protect the statue, the material possessions, and the actual body from grave robbers.  Unfortunately, though, most were looted over time, along with most of the rest of the ancient Egyptian tombs, however ingeniously designed.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

PSCHENT

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 14 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  PSCHENT  (n. pl. -S)


Definition(s):

1. (n.) a double crown worn by later Egyptian pharaohs, symbolic of dominion over both Upper and Lower Egypt

Useful info for word game players:

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

Current theme:

Ancient Egypt

Epilogue:

The PSCHENT headdress was meant to symbolize the unification of the lands of ancient Egypt (c. 3000 B.C.), and accordingly it combined the White Crown of Upper Egypt with the Red Crown of Lower Egypt.  Most of the well known achievements of ancient Egypt, such as the construction of the Great Pyramids, occurred after the period of unification.

This strange-looking word is perhaps the best surviving example in modern English of the ancient Egyptian language.  Ancient Egyptian writing did not usually incorporate vowels, thus this word was taken into English as PSCHENT in the 1800s from a Greek transliteration of the Egyptian demotic p-skhnt (“the” + “double crown”).  The word appears on the historically important Rosetta Stone, rediscovered in 1799.  Since the Rosetta Stone contained the same text written in HIEROGLYPHICS (a pictorial writing system), in DEMOTIC script (a simplified form of ancient Egyptian), and in ancient Greek, it was the key that allowed scholars to begin deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

The word ANKH (an ancient Egyptian symbol of everlasting life) was featured in last week’s theme on symbols, and my investigation of that word inspired me to unearth a lot more words related to the land of the pharaohs, pyramids, and hieroglyphics.  I invite you to join me this week on a brief lexical excavation of more words related to ancient Egypt.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

"When I use a word..."

Quote of the Week:

'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'
~ Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), Through the Looking-Glass

TRISKELE

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 11 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

TRISKELE  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) a symbolic figure consisting of three curved or bent lines, branches, or legs radiating from a common center

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: TRISCELE, TRISKELION
• Related Forms: (none)

Epilogue:

As with many of the symbols we have examined this week, the TRISKELE (or TRISCELE or TRISKELION) has ancient roots and has appeared in many times and places throughout history.  Among its uses has been as a symbol of Sicily, as a symbol of the sun, and as a figure on coins, pottery, and other artwork.

The word derives from the Greek triskeles (“three-legged”), from skelos, meaning “leg.”  The same root is a part of the word ISOSCELES, which, as you may remember from math class, means “having two sides of equal length,” as in an “isosceles triangle” or “isosceles trapezoid.”

Recapping this week’s featured words:
FYLFOT, MANDALA, ANKH, and TRISKELE

Also mentioned:
GAMMADION, ISOSCELES, MANDALIC, SWASTICA, SWASTIKA, TRISCELE, and TRISKELION

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

ANKH

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 9 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

ANKH  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) a figure resembling a cross with a loop for its upper vertical arm and serving especially in ancient Egypt as a symbol of eternal life

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: HANK, KHAN
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Current theme:

Signs & Symbols

Epilogue:

The ANKH (☥) is an ancient symbol, commonly seen in amulets, artwork, and tombs of ancient Egypt.  It is believed to have symbolized life, fertility, or balance, though the reason for its shape is unknown and much disputed.  It has also been known as the Key of Life, the Key of the Nile, the handled cross, or the ansate cross or crux ansata (Latin for “cross with a handle”).

The shape and symbolism of the ANKH may have influenced the development of the Coptic cross (which, however, now has a different form), and today it is still used as a mystical symbol by various New Age groups.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

MANDALA

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 8 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

MANDALA  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) a graphic symbol of the universe, used chiefly in Hinduism or Buddhism as an aid to meditation or concentration; often, specifically: a circle enclosing a square and bearing symmetrically arranged representations of deities
2. any graphic or symbolic pattern in the form of a circle divided into sections or bearing multiple projections of an image, usually intended to depict the world or the universe

Useful info for word game players:

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

Current theme:

Signs & Symbols

Epilogue:

This word derives from the Sanskrit mandala (“circle”), and most writings associate it with religious traditions of Asia.  However, types of MANDALAS have been found in various cultures throughout history, including among Africans, Europeans, Native Americans, and Polynesians.  Some use the term even more broadly to refer to any representation of the universe (such as the yin yang symbol ☯) or to any symbol in a dream or vision.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

FYLFOT

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 7 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day: 

FYLFOT  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) a symbol or ornament in the form of a cross with arms bent at right angles in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction; a swastika

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: SWASTIKA, SWASTICA, GAMMADION

Current theme:

Signs & Symbols

Epilogue:

This symbol (卍 or 卐) has been seen in various forms throughout history.  As the OED puts it, the symbol “has been extensively used as a decoration (often, apparently, as a mystical symbol) in almost all known parts of the world from prehistoric times to the present day.”  The three most common names for it in English are FYLFOT, SWASTIKA, and GAMMADION.

FYLFOT is the oldest of the words, dating to approximately 1500, when it first appeared in a medieval manuscript.  The word in that manuscript was probably a form of the term “fill-foot” (a device that “fills the foot” of a painted window), but the term caught on and has remained in use ever since.  Today, it is still employed in writings about flags, heraldry, and other fields where such symbols are relatively common.

Under the name SWASTIKA (or SWASTICA), the symbol is regarded as an emblem of Nazi Germany.  That word derives from Sanskrit svastika, meaning “well-being” or “fortune,” because it was once regarded as a symbol of good luck.  Because of the negative connotations surrounding this word, however, it is now used mainly to refer to the Nazi symbol.

The term GAMMADION (plural GAMMADIA) refers to the fact that each arm resembles the uppercase form of the Greek letter gamma (Γ).  Nowadays it is used mostly to refer to “gammadion pendants” and other jewelry with a similar shape.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

"language disrupts..."

Quote of the Week:

Like desire, language disrupts, refuses to be contained within boundaries.
~ bell hooks (1952- )