Monday, March 30, 2015

More Words I Love.

Welcome back. It's okay to like certain words, but try not to fall in love with them. At the same time, don't neglect or forget them, either. Remember them as you might remember important moments in your life. And think about this: The words you use are indicators of the person you are; they also adumbrate the person you are becoming.

Omerta: noun, Italian. A secrecy sworn to by oath; a code of silence. Origin: In 1909 from the Italian,umilta, meaning humility, referring to the code of submission of individuals to the overriding group interest. From the Latin humilitas. Example: ''A time-honored culture of omerta often prevails at the Supreme Court.'' David Remick writing in The New Yorker, 2015.

Adumbrate trans. verb To outline; give a faint indication of; to foreshadow; to overshadow; to obscure. Origin: 1575-1585, from the Latin, adumbratus, meaning shaded equivalent to ad + umbra meaning shade, shadow + -atus. Example: The storming of the Bastille in 1789 was the adumbration of the French Revolution that rallied citizens to overthrow the king. Noun: Adumbration.

Delineate verb To trace the outline of; sketch or trace a visual representation of; to portray in words; describe precisely. Origin: Latin, Delineatus, meaning to outline. Entering English between 1550 and 1560. Example: In the President's speech he took great care to delineate the major components of the law. Related words: delineated, delineating, delineation.

Apercu noun French A hasty glance, a glimpse; an immediate judgment; understanding; insight; an outline or summary. Literal meaning in French: perceived. Example: They exchanged an ominous apercu.

Note how the words delineation and apercu have very different meanings, yet the word ''outline'' defines them both.

Beamish adj Bright, cheerful and optimistic. Origin: Between 1520 and 1530, coming from beam + ish. Example: He had a beamish smile.

Intenerate verb To make soft or tender; to soften. Origin: In the late 1500s. The word has its roots in the Latin term tener, meaning ''tender.'' Example: The leather was intenerated. Other forms: intenerates, intenerated.

Itinerant noun Traveling from place to place, especially on a circuit, as a minister, judge or laborer. Origin: 1560-1570. Late Latin from the present participle of itinerate, to journey. Example: Itinerant preacher.

Notice how different the words intenerate and itinerant are, even though they sound alike.

Anthesis noun used in botany The period or act of expansion in flowers, especially the maturing of the stamens. Origin: This word entered English in the 1800s. Its roots lie in the Greek anthesis, meaning bloom. Example: During anthesis the avocado tree is sensitive to temperature, which can severely disrupt the dichogamy mechanism.

Antithesis noun Opposition; contrast. The direct opposite (usually followed by of or to.) Example: Her reputation was that of a coward, but her behavior showed her to be the very antithesis of that.

Note: Do not confuse anthesis and antithesis.

Dysphemism noun The substitution of a harsh, disparaging or unpleasant expression for a more neutral one; an expression so substituted. Origin: The word entered English in the late 1800s. Derived from the Greek dys- meaning ill or bad + pheme meaning ''speaking.'' Example: In the charges, they decided to call the activity ''data collection'' after the term ''spying'' was excluded as a dysphemism.

Euphemism noun The substitution of a mild, indirect or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh or blunt. Origin: From the Latin, Euphonia, meaning to sound good. Example: ''To pass away'' is a commonly used euphemism for ''to die.'

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Notice how dysphemism and euphemism have the exact opposite meaning.

More lovely words next month. Send in your favorites.

Monday, March 2, 2015

More Word Love

Welcome back. Falling in love with words is like falling in love with marble figurines. Basically, it is a narcissistic experience. Still I can't resist. Continuing on from last month, here are a few more words that have managed to worm their way into my heart.

Clutch: Of course as a noun it is a woman’s purse or part of an automobile, but I love it as a verb because one cannot clutch anything without there being passion or strong emotions involved in the holding of that thing, whatever it is.

Clenched: Whether it is a fist or teeth that are clenched, emotions run deep with this verb, which is also why I love it.

Downcast: In this iPhone age, we have all forgotten that we needn’t always write, ''He walked looking down.'' If we choose, we can write, ''He walked with downcast eyes,'' thereby causing the style of our writing to look up.

Harsh: Whether we are speaking of a harsh winter or harsh penalty calls in a sport, this admittedly old-fashioned and somewhat under-used word provides a wonderful alternative to old standbys such as punishing, strict, draconian, or unfair.

Seldom: Today this word is seldom used yet it exudes dignity, honor and a sense of importance. What a colorful alternative to ''rarely'' and ''infrequently.''

Slender: I put it to you, dear reader: Would you rather have a slender figure, a thin figure, a slim figure, or an emaciated figure? I rest my case. Yet today the word ''slender'' is rarely used. You can make your writing distinctive by calling upon it every once in a while.

Winnow: To drive or blow (chaff, dirt) away by fanning; to blow upon, fan; to separate. Note: the word parse that we covered last month also means to separate out, but applies to analyzing a sentence by its grammatical parts of speech.

Ephemera: The plural of ephemeron, which refers to anything that is short-lived or ephemeral.

Specious: Pleasing to the eye on the surface, but lacking genuine merit. Plausible. Usually used in reference to ideas or thinking.

Comely: Pleasing in appearance, attractive, fair. Usually used in reference to people, e.g., A comely maid.

Abhorrent: Detestable or loathsome.

Odious: Deserving hatred, detestable.

Sophistic: Fallacious, logically unsound.

Cohort: A companion or associate.