Discussion Forum

EUPHONY

2009-11-08T21:26:17-08:00

Discuss euphony here.

noun

An agreeable or pleasing sound or combination of sounds; a poronunication of letters, syllables, or words which is pleasant to the ear; the contrary to harshness or cacophony.

[Greek euphonia, from euphonos = harmonious or pleasant to the ear; eu = well, good, and phone = a sound, voice.]

Related Resources

Answers.com
Audio English
Word Reference

ANIMADVERSION

2009-11-08T09:06:23-08:00

Discuss animadversion here.

noun

1) The act of perceiving an object; attention.

2) As close attention to anyone’s conduct is pretty sure to detect serious imperfections in it, the word acquired the secondary signification of severe censure, reproof, serious blame. This is now almost its sole meaning.

3) Punishment

4) Medieval Law: The infliction by the civil power, at the instigation of the church, of punishment on offenders against ecclesiastical law.

[From Latin animadversio = 1) the perception of an object, attention; 2) censure; 3) punishment.]

Related Resources

Answers.com
Audio English
Word Reference

ALMS

2009-11-01T23:12:21-08:00

Discuss alms here.

noun

Ordinary Language

Money, food, clothing, or anything else given as a gratuity to relieve the poor.

The s of the word alms is not the sign of the plural; it is the s of the Greek word. Alms is now, however, often used as a plural.

Technically

In law:

1) Reasonable alms: A certain portion of the estates of intestate persons allotted to the poor.

2) Tenure by free alms, or frank almoyne: Tenure of property which is liable to no rent or service. The term is especially applied to lands or other property left ot churches or religious houses on condition of praying for the soul of the donor. Many of the old monasteries and religious houses in Britain obtained lands in this way, which were free from all rent or service. In the United States churches, schools and charitable institutions are free from taxation.

[Ango Saxon aelmesse, aelmasse, aelmysse, almes. In Swedish almosor; Danish almisser; Dutch aalmoes; German almosen; French aumone; Normandy French almoynes; Spanish limosna; Portuguese esmola; Italina limosina; Low Latin eleemosyna; Greek eleemosyne = (1) pity, mercy, (2) charity, alms; eleeo = to have pity; eleos = pity. Thus alms in English, when traced to its origin, is really the Greek word eleemosyne corrupted; and the fact that so long a Greek word should have been worn away into so short an English one, is fitted to suggest that in these islands during the Middles Ages it can scarcely ever have been out of people’s lips. The Continental nations, it will be observed, have not yet succeeded in reducing the six Greek syllables into less than three or two; we have cut it away into a monosyllable, not susceptible of much further reduction. There must have been among our ancestors much charity or much mendicancy, or much of both one and the other.]

Related Resources

Answers.com
Brainy Quote
Word Reference

SEGREGATE

2009-11-04T22:36:25-08:00

Discuss segregate here.

verb

1) To separate from others; to set apart.

2) To separate or go apart.

3) To separate from a mass and collect about centers or lines of fracture.

adjective

Separated from others; set apart; select.

[Latin segregatus, past participle of segrego = to set apart, to separate; se- = apart, and grex (genetive of gregis) = a flock.]

Related Resources

Answers.com
Word Reference
Audio English

OBLOQUY

2009-11-06T22:14:07-08:00

Discuss obloquy here.

noun

1) Censorious speech; reproachful language; reproach, blame, slander; language which brings, or is intended to bring, men into odium or reproach.

“Even his own sect looked coldly on him, and requited his services with obloquy.” - Macaulay

2) A cause of reproach or disgrace; a reproach, a disgrace.

[Latin obloquium = contradiction, from obloquor = to speak against; ob- = against,and loquor = to speak.]

Related Resources

Answers.com
Audio English
Wiktionary

Invigilate

2009-11-07T10:33:26-08:00

Meaning

: to keep watch : supervise, monitor

Theodore sat in his favorite chair on the back deck, sipped his coffee, and invigilated the activities of his grandchildren as they played in the yard. Keep your eyes open and you’re sure to spot a few relatives of today’s word. “Invigilate” is a descendant of the Latin verb “vigilare,” meaning “to stay awake.” As you may have guessed, “vigilare” is the ancestor of our adjective “vigilant” (“alertly watchful”), and it also gives us “reveille” (“a signal to wake up in the morning,” via French “réveiller”) and “surveillance” (“close watch, supervision,” via French “surveiller”). “Invigilate” has been a part of the English language since the mid-16th century.

This should be in the “suggest a word” thread: sorry.

SALMAGUNDI

2009-11-05T22:53:34-08:00

Discuss salmagundi here.

noun

1) A mixture of pickled herrings, cold dressed chicken, salt beef, radishes, endive, olives, and etc, arranged with regard to contrast in color as well as flavor, and served with oil, vinegar, pepper, and salt.

[French salmigondis; probably from Italian salame = salt meat, and condito = seasoned.]

Related Resources

Answers.com
Audio English
Wordia

STRAITLACED

2009-10-31T21:34:39-08:00

Discuss straitlaced here.

adjective

Literally

1) Having the stays or bodice tightly laced; laced or braced tightly.

2) Stiff, constrained.

Figuratively

Rigid in opinion; over-strict in morals or manners.

“I know not what philosopher hee was, that would have women come by thrice abroad all their time, to be baptised, maried, and buried, buthe was too straitlaced.” - Burton

Related Resources

Word Reference
Wiktionary
Define.com

Marriage

2004-04-08T15:21:56-08:00

brian_costello
Logophile

I love yourDictionary

Posts: 208
Marriage
« on: Apr 8th, 2004, 2:52am »

————————————————————————————————————————
Re Marriage
The word can be used in a formal sense:
1) MARRIAGE is for the lucky and the strong.
2) The tragic MARRIAGE of Pamela Hurley to Dave
Gunther.
or in a figurative sense:
1) English is a MARRIAGE between French and
German.

2) When two cultures (civilizations) come into contact
with each other, there is sometimes a MARRIAGE
of ideas.
As an institution marriage certainly began appearing
only after the human race became mono-
gomous. The theory is that in proto-human
societies women lived in harems controlled by
alpha males. By and large only the alpha males
enjoyed female companionship and mated. The
rest of the male population had to do without.
So the evolution of marriage was obviously good
news for them.
Regards,

Brian Costello
Seattle, Wa.

Brian Costello
Seattle, Wa.
« Last Edit: Apr 8th, 2004, 3:03am by brian_costello » Logged

————————————————————————————————————————
b

gailr
Neophyte

I love yourDictionary

Posts: 16
Re: Marriage
« Reply to this post #1 on: Apr 8th, 2004, 3:43am »

————————————————————————————————————————
Quote:1) English is a MARRIAGE between French and
German.

And here I always thought English was the "out of wedlock" offspring of Latin and German. Live and learn, I guess.
As for your harem comments: Brian, Brian, Brian. Even Desmond Morris gives high marks to "pair bonding". Elaine Morgan has several provocative opinions along this line as well. Moreover, where there’s a "harem" in nature, researchers have either observed the females sneaking off to fraternize with the bachelor males, or deduced this tendency from the genetic dis-similarities of their offspring.
The purpose of marriage—as an institution—is to regulate the ownership and administration of property, preferably to one’s biological heirs. In this regard, your assertion that it developed so those bachelor males wouldn’t get left out in the cold, as it were, is bogus. The social aspects of marriage transcend this definition, and that is "good news" for us, as couples and as a species. However, if the pair bond dissolves, the ownership and administration of property resumes center stage.
gailr
« Last Edit: Apr 8th, 2004, 3:45am by gailr » Logged

————————————————————————————————————————
"...the scholar’s first duty is to learn languages!" -Umberto Eco

Pages: 1

Forum Jump:——————————————- Word of the Day——————————————-=> Discuss today’s word. - Suggest a word——————————————- Language——————————————- - Grammar - Spelling - World Languages - Etymology - What’s the word…? - Idioms——————————————- General——————————————- - News - Suggestions - Omnibus
« Previous topic | Next topic »

————————————————————————————————————————

QUIXOTIC

2009-10-25T22:30:23-08:00

Discuss quixotic here.

adjective

Extravagantly romantic; aiming at an extravagantly ideal standard; visionary, ridiculously venturesome or romantic.

[After Don Quixote, the hero of Ceorvantes’ romance of that name, who is pictured as a half crazy champion of the supposed distressed, and a caricature of the knight-errants of the Middle Ages.]

Related Resources

Answers.com
Word Reference
Audio English