Home »

• Word of the Day Index

March 24, 2008

Lackaday (adverb)

Pronunciation: ['læk-ê-dey]

Definition: An archiac interjection used to express disapproval or regret.

Usage: This word fell out of use, but its offshoot, "lackadaisical," is still with us. "Lackadaisical" is an irregular eighteenth-century formation from "lackaday" and means "lacking spirit." "Lackadaisical" doesn't quite mean "lazy," but rather, "disinterested."

Suggested Usage: Perhaps if "lackaday" is used alongside "lackadaisical," we can rejuvenate it through that context: "We got James's grades in the mail this afternoon. Lackaday, but that boy is lackadaisical about his studies."

Etymology: Shortened from "alack the day," where "alack" was used to express alarm or disapproval. "Alack" is a form of "alas," which comes from Middle English by way of Old French a las, helas, "ah (I am) miserable," from Latin lassus, "weary." "Lassus" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "le-," which also gives us lassitude, "a condition of weariness or listlessness." Thus, while "lackadaisical" is an irregular formation from its parent, it leads us back quite surely to its PIE ancestor.

March 25, 2008

Moiety (noun)

Pronunciation: ['moy-ê-tee]

Definition 1: One of two equal parts; one's spouse ('better half').

Usage: Use today's word when discussing something that is or should be divided into equal halves. "I'd split this éclair and give you a moiety, but you're really sticking to that diet, aren't you?" The plural is "moieties" and there are no adjectives or verbs.

Definition 2: In cultural anthropology, one of the two subdivisions of a society with a dual organizational structure; more specifically, one of the two units that make up a tribe on the basis of unilateral descent.

Suggested Usage: This is a deflective term for talking about no-fault divorces and property reassignment in a clinical tone. "When Harold left Calliope, he took more than a moiety of their property and chattel," sounds less bitter than "That cad made off with much more than he deserved!" You might stretch definition two to talk about your in-laws (or outlaws, as the case might be), combining the first definition with the second, "My moiety's moiety is hosting a pig roast and truck pull this August," if it doesn't strike you as a bit repetitious.

Etymology: From Middle English "moite" from Old French moitie "middle," a reduction of Latin medius "middle" via Late Latin medietas. The PIE root was *medhyo- from which English gets the words "mid," "middle," and "mean," plus "medial," "median," "medium," "intermediate," and "mediocre" via Latin—all terms that cut right down the middle. Russian mezdu "between" derives from the same source. For more PIE, see "How Is A Hippo Like A Feather?" in YDC's library.

March 26, 2008

Hyperbole (noun)

Pronunciation: [hI-'pêr-bê-lee]

Definition: Overstatement; a figure of speech that uses exaggeration for effect, without intending to be taken literally.

Usage: There must be a thousand forms of this word: hyperbolism "the use of hyperbole" is the noun, "hyperbolize" is the verb, and "hyperbolic" [hI-pêr-'bah-lik] is the adjective. When using "hyperbole" in writing or speaking, one must be especially careful to avoid the hyperbolic cliché. "I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse" and "Her skin was as white as snow" are not only hackneyed but overstated, as well.

Suggested Usage: No one has provided the English language with better hyperboles than Mark Twain: "There did not seem to be brains enough in the entire nursery, so to speak, to bait a fishhook with." But the hyperbole is alive and well. One of today's suggested examples comes from Justin of T. S. Hill Middle School in Dexter, Missouri, who wrote that his dog is so ugly, "he only has cat friends." And as a jazz musician friend said, "Yeah, I know Des Moines. Played for a week there one night."

Etymology: From Greek hyperbole "excess," from hyperballein, "to exceed": hyper "above, beyond" + ballein "to throw." In Greek, "hyperbole" refers to the rhetorical effect of using exaggeration for emphasis. "Hyper-" (Latin "super") is a relative newcomer to English, arising only in the 17th century, but it is used frequently now: "hyperactive," "hypercritical," "hypersensitive" are some of the neologisms recently bestowed on English. Greek ballein goes back to *gwel- "to throw; to pierce." In English it ended up as "ball" (from Old French baller "to dance") and "ballad," which originally was a dance song. In the sense of "pierce," this stem came to English as "quell" and "kill."

March 27, 2008

Histrionic (adjective)

Pronunciation: [his-tree-'ahn-ik]

Definition: Exaggerated or melodramatic in behavior or speech, extremely theatrical.

Usage: Today's word is generally used disparagingly to describe outrageous, overreactive behavior. However, in psychology it refers to a disorder which causes an individual to exhibit a dramatic, self-centered, and emotionally unstable personality for the purpose of attracting attention. The Adverb is "histrionically" and the noun, "histrionics."

Suggested Usage: Today's word is one to describe an overly dramatic reaction to a minor event, "Virginia Beach broke a fingernail yesterday but from her histrionic reaction you would have thought she had broken her arm." Even in its normal sense, "histrionic" implies an overreaction aimed at attracting attention, "Every time Wesley fails to get his way, he flies into a histrionic diatribe about how he is undervalued by those around him."

Etymology: This word is Latin histrionicus "theatrical" from histrio, histrion- "actor," barely touched up for service in English. It may seem improbable that this word is unrelated to "history," but apparently this is so. Our best guess is that Latin borrowed it from Etruscan, a now dead sister language. "History" originates with Greek histor "wise man" via historia "record of inquiries, research." (Did you know that "story" but a variation of "history?" Apparently, the distinction between the two has not been clear, historically.)

March 28, 2008

Zarf (noun)

Pronunciation: [zahrf]

Definition: In the Middle East, coffee is often drunk from cups without handles and tea, from glasses. A zarf is a decorative holder, usually from metal, with a handle that prevents the hot cup or glass from burning fingers. Some zarfs also have no handles, such as the insulation jackets that hold glasses to keep their contents cold.

Usage: You will find that you use this word more when you are in the Middle East where coffee is drunk from cups without handles or in Eastern Europe where hot tea is sipped from glasses. This, of course, makes the cup or glass to hot to handle, requiring a handle for holding—that's what a zarf is. (For a picture of a Russian zarf, check http://www.catteacorner.com/holidayshoppingcups.htm.)

Suggested Usage: We normally avoid words with such narrow meanings; after all, how can you use such a word other than to refer to this one rather unusual object? "A zarf and a coffee cup go together like a horse and carriage." Just remember, all words may be used metaphorically and our lives are richer for it. Try this on your significant other: "My dear, I am your zarf: you are just my cup of tea and I want to hold you forever." How much more romantic can you get?

Etymology: Today's word is an Arabic word meaning "container, envelope." The Russians call a similar metal exoskeleton for their tea glasses a podstakannik "a 'subglassnik'."

March 29, 2008

Ceilidh (noun)

Pronunciation: ['key-li]

Definition: (Scotland and Ireland) A social gathering, especially one at which hosts and guests participate in traditional music, dancing, or storytelling—or a professional "ceilidh" band might be hired for the event.

Usage: Today's word is clearly a Celtic one adapted for use in Ireland, Scotland, and northern England. It has no relatives in English, so all we have to worry about is the pronunciation: it sounds like 'Kay Lee' with the accent on the first syllable.

Suggested Usage: A ceilidh today is usually a party organized around folk music or folklore: "We're having a wee ceilidh at the house this weekend; would you mind telling your brother that he's invited?" However, it still may be a gathering, usually around a fire, at which the participants exchange stories: "Everyone at this quiet country ceilidh had a good story to tell about someone who wasn't there."

Etymology: Irish Gaelic céilidhe is from Old Irish célide "visit" from céile or céle "companion." The English spelling follows the Scottish. The stem here developed from Proto-Indo-European *kei- "beloved, dear" and also "bed, couch." The suffixed form *kei-wi- underlies "city," "civic," "civil" from Latin civis "citizen," probably originally referring to a member of a household. In Sanskrit, this stem became the name, "Shiva," one of the three figures in the Supreme Trinity of Hinduism, from Sanskrit s'iva- "auspicious, dear."