CHILIAD

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 18 June 2012

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Word of the Day: 

CHILIAD  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) a group of one thousand
2. (n.) a millennium: a period of one thousand years

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: chiliadAL, chiliadIC
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: CHILIADAL (adj.), CHILIADIC (adj.)

Current theme:

Numbers

Epilogue:

The ancient Greek word for “one thousand” can be transliterated as either chilioi or khilioi.  The CH- form gave English words such as CHILIAD, CHILIASM (belief in the millennium of Christian prophecy), and CHILIARCH (a commander of one thousand troops in ancient Greece). 

You are probably more familiar with words with spellings based on the K- form, such as KILO, KILOBYTE, KILOGRAM, KILOWATT, KILOMETER/KILOMETRE, and KILOCALORIE, since the kilo- prefix was adopted for use in the metric system, first devised in France in the late 18th century and now widespread throughout the industrialized world — with the notable exception of the United States.  A few lesser-known words with the kilo- prefix, all pertaining to units of measure, include KILOBAR, KILORAD, KILOTON, KILOBAUD, KILOMOLE, KILOVOLT, KILOCURIE, KILOCYCLE, KILOGAUSS, KILOJOULE, KILOPARSEC, and KILOPASCAL.

This week we will play the numbers game, by accounting for unusual words related to numbers. 

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