incunabulum \in-kyuh-NAB-yuh-lum\ noun
*1 : a book printed before 1501
2 : a work of art or of industry of an early period
Example sentence: Among the library's archives is a collection of exquisite incunabula.
Did you know? The invention of the mechanized printing press in the 15th century revolutionized the way books were produced, dramatically increasing the number and variety of works to be published and distributed to awaiting readers. "Incunabulum" first appeared in English in the 19th century, referring retroactively to those books produced in the first decades of printing press technology, specifically those printed before the year 1501, a date that appears to have been determined only arbitrarily. Coming from Latin, "incunabulum" is singular of "incunabula," which translates literally to "swaddling clothes" or "bands holding the baby in a cradle." The "baby" in this case is likely a figurative one, referring to a book that was produced when the art of printing was still in its infancy.
30 July 2006
29 July 2006
The Word of the Day
delate \dih-LAYT\ verb
*1: accuse, denounce
2 : report, relate
Example sentence: "In that year Archbishop Blackadder of Glasgow delated some thirty heretics to James IV who let the matter go with a jest." (J.D. Mackie, _A History of Scotland_)
Did you know? To "delate" someone is to "hand down" that person to a court of law. In Latin, "delatus" is the unlikely-looking past participle of "deferre," meaning "to bring down, report, or accuse," which in turn comes from "ferre," meaning "to carry." Not surprisingly, our word "defer," meaning "to yield to the opinion or wishes of another," can also be traced back to "deferre." At one time, in fact, "defer" and "delate" had parallel meanings (both could mean "to carry down or away" or "to offer for acceptance"), but those senses are now obsolete. Today, you are most likely to encounter "delate" or its relatives "delation" and "delator" in the context of medieval tribunals, although the words can also relate to modern ecclesiastical tribunals.
*1: accuse, denounce
2 : report, relate
Example sentence: "In that year Archbishop Blackadder of Glasgow delated some thirty heretics to James IV who let the matter go with a jest." (J.D. Mackie, _A History of Scotland_)
Did you know? To "delate" someone is to "hand down" that person to a court of law. In Latin, "delatus" is the unlikely-looking past participle of "deferre," meaning "to bring down, report, or accuse," which in turn comes from "ferre," meaning "to carry." Not surprisingly, our word "defer," meaning "to yield to the opinion or wishes of another," can also be traced back to "deferre." At one time, in fact, "defer" and "delate" had parallel meanings (both could mean "to carry down or away" or "to offer for acceptance"), but those senses are now obsolete. Today, you are most likely to encounter "delate" or its relatives "delation" and "delator" in the context of medieval tribunals, although the words can also relate to modern ecclesiastical tribunals.
27 July 2006
The Word of the Day
jeunesse doree \zheuh-ness-dor-RAY\ noun : young people of wealth and fashion
Example sentence: "On any sunny afternoon in Dublin, you will see the jeunesse doree taking their ease under the awnings of pavement cafes." (Bruce Anderson, _The Spectator_, July 2001)
Did you know? French revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre and his allies, the Jacobins, gained many enemies for their role in the Reign of Terror. One of their fiercest opponents was Louis Freron, a former Jacobin who played a key role in overthrowing their government. On July 27, 1794, counter-revolutionaries toppled the Jacobin regime and had Robespierre arrested and executed. In the midst of the chaos that followed, Louis Freron organized gangs of fashionably dressed young toughs to terrorize the remaining Jacobins. French speakers called those stylish young thugs the "jeunesse doree" -- literally, the "gilded youth." By the time the term "jeunesse doree" was adopted into English in the 1830s, it had lost its association with violent street gangs and simply referred to any wealthy young socialites.
Example sentence: "On any sunny afternoon in Dublin, you will see the jeunesse doree taking their ease under the awnings of pavement cafes." (Bruce Anderson, _The Spectator_, July 2001)
Did you know? French revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre and his allies, the Jacobins, gained many enemies for their role in the Reign of Terror. One of their fiercest opponents was Louis Freron, a former Jacobin who played a key role in overthrowing their government. On July 27, 1794, counter-revolutionaries toppled the Jacobin regime and had Robespierre arrested and executed. In the midst of the chaos that followed, Louis Freron organized gangs of fashionably dressed young toughs to terrorize the remaining Jacobins. French speakers called those stylish young thugs the "jeunesse doree" -- literally, the "gilded youth." By the time the term "jeunesse doree" was adopted into English in the 1830s, it had lost its association with violent street gangs and simply referred to any wealthy young socialites.
25 July 2006
The Word of the Day
conquian \KONG-kee-un\ noun : a card game for two played with 40 cards from which all games of rummy developed
Example sentence: The friends whiled away a long summer day with endless games of conquian.
Did you know? "Conquian" is an old card game, played more frequently in the past than it is now. It is based upon the "draw and discard" principle that forms the basis for all modern games of rummy and is played with 40 cards, setting aside certain cards of a 52-card deck. (The most common variations involve the removal of either all face cards, or the tens, nines, and eights.) The goal of the game is to form three or four of a kind, or sequences. "Conquian" comes to us from Mexican Spanish, but the word is ultimately derived from the Spanish "con quien?" meaning "with whom?"
Example sentence: The friends whiled away a long summer day with endless games of conquian.
Did you know? "Conquian" is an old card game, played more frequently in the past than it is now. It is based upon the "draw and discard" principle that forms the basis for all modern games of rummy and is played with 40 cards, setting aside certain cards of a 52-card deck. (The most common variations involve the removal of either all face cards, or the tens, nines, and eights.) The goal of the game is to form three or four of a kind, or sequences. "Conquian" comes to us from Mexican Spanish, but the word is ultimately derived from the Spanish "con quien?" meaning "with whom?"
23 July 2006
The Word of the Day
euchre \YOO-ker\ verb
1 : to prevent from winning three tricks in euchre
*2 : cheat, trick
Example sentence: The report said that people in the community were being euchred out of their life savings by scammers presenting phony investment opportunities.
Did you know? Euchre is a card game for four players that is played in tricks, or rounds, with a deck of 32 cards. Etymologists are not sure where we got the name for the game, though they do know that it first appeared in English in the mid-19th century. The first sense of the verb "euchre" arose from an action that takes place during the game: a player is "euchred" when an opponent blocks him or her from winning three or more tricks after making trump. Deception can often be key to a winning strategy, and sure enough it took almost no time at all for "euchre" to develop a sense meaning "cheat" or "trick."
1 : to prevent from winning three tricks in euchre
*2 : cheat, trick
Example sentence: The report said that people in the community were being euchred out of their life savings by scammers presenting phony investment opportunities.
Did you know? Euchre is a card game for four players that is played in tricks, or rounds, with a deck of 32 cards. Etymologists are not sure where we got the name for the game, though they do know that it first appeared in English in the mid-19th century. The first sense of the verb "euchre" arose from an action that takes place during the game: a player is "euchred" when an opponent blocks him or her from winning three or more tricks after making trump. Deception can often be key to a winning strategy, and sure enough it took almost no time at all for "euchre" to develop a sense meaning "cheat" or "trick."
21 July 2006
Some say
"Whenever I dwell for any length of time on my own shortcomings, they gradually begin to seem mild, harmless, rather engaging little things, not at all like the staring defects in other people's characters." - Margaret Halsey
The Word of the Day
Rube Goldberg \ROOB-GOALD-berg\ adjective
: accomplishing by complex means what seemingly could be done simply; also : characterized by such complex means
Example sentence: "We had to devise equipment constantly and have it jerry-built with Rube Goldberg contraptions." (Ralph Morse, _Air & Space Smithsonian_, June/July 1989)
Did you know? Reuben Lucius Goldberg was a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist who satirized the technology of modern times. He was best known for his cartoons of complicated, ramshackle contraptions that performed simple tasks in ludicrously complex ways. His cartoon character Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts, for example, invented an automatic stamp licker. The contraption involved a robot that would dump a can of ants onto upturned stamps and a starving anteater that would then lick up the ants, moistening the stamps. Long before Goldberg died in 1970, his name had become associated with unnecessarily complicated contraptions and procedures.
: accomplishing by complex means what seemingly could be done simply; also : characterized by such complex means
Example sentence: "We had to devise equipment constantly and have it jerry-built with Rube Goldberg contraptions." (Ralph Morse, _Air & Space Smithsonian_, June/July 1989)
Did you know? Reuben Lucius Goldberg was a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist who satirized the technology of modern times. He was best known for his cartoons of complicated, ramshackle contraptions that performed simple tasks in ludicrously complex ways. His cartoon character Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts, for example, invented an automatic stamp licker. The contraption involved a robot that would dump a can of ants onto upturned stamps and a starving anteater that would then lick up the ants, moistening the stamps. Long before Goldberg died in 1970, his name had become associated with unnecessarily complicated contraptions and procedures.
20 July 2006
Dragon NaturallySpeaking review
I have finally fixed my dragon and can communicate with more than my little finger. Click on the title to read about the software that I use.
19 July 2006
Comeuppance for Ralph Reed
Analysis: The former leader of the Christian right suffers a humiliating defeat in his Georgia primary race, thanks to his ties to a disgraced lobbyist click title for article
The Word of the Day
schadenfreude \SHAH-dun-froy-duh\ noun, often capitalized
: enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others
Example sentence: "There is simply no higher level of schadenfreude than when the rich or famous stumble." (John Gonzalez, _Boston Magazine_, August 2005)
Did you know? "Schadenfreude" is a compound of the German nouns "Schaden," meaning "damage" or "harm," and "Freude," meaning "joy," so it makes sense that "schadenfreude" means joy over some harm or misfortune suffered by another. "What a fearful thing is it that any language should have a word expressive of the pleasure which men feel at the calamities of others," wrote Richard Trench of Dublin, an archbishop with literary predilections, of the German "Schadenfreude" in 1852; perhaps it was just as well he didn't live to see the word embraced by English speakers before the century was out.
: enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others
Example sentence: "There is simply no higher level of schadenfreude than when the rich or famous stumble." (John Gonzalez, _Boston Magazine_, August 2005)
Did you know? "Schadenfreude" is a compound of the German nouns "Schaden," meaning "damage" or "harm," and "Freude," meaning "joy," so it makes sense that "schadenfreude" means joy over some harm or misfortune suffered by another. "What a fearful thing is it that any language should have a word expressive of the pleasure which men feel at the calamities of others," wrote Richard Trench of Dublin, an archbishop with literary predilections, of the German "Schadenfreude" in 1852; perhaps it was just as well he didn't live to see the word embraced by English speakers before the century was out.
18 July 2006
Happy Birthday Holly
If I promise not to tell the waiter that today you're 36, may I tell the internet gang?
The Word of the Day
dauntless \DAWNT-lus\ adjective : fearless, undaunted
Example sentence: Following a defeat by the French, dauntless George Washington wrote, "I luckily escap'd with't a wound tho' I had four Bullets through my Coat and two Horses shot under me." (Letter to Robert Dinwiddie, July 18, 1755)
Did you know? The history of the world is peopled with dauntless men and women who refused to be subdued or "tamed" by fear. The word "dauntless" can be traced back to Latin "domare," meaning "to tame" or "to subdue." When our verb "daunt" (a "domare" descendant borrowed by way of Anglo-French) was first used in the 14th century, it shared these meanings. The now-obsolete "tame" sense referred to the taming or breaking of wild animals (particularly horses). An "undaunted" horse was an unbroken horse. Not until the late 16th century did we use "undaunted" with the meaning "undiscouraged and courageously resolute" to describe people. By then, such lionhearted souls could also be described as "undauntable," and finally, in _Henry VI_, Part 3, Shakespeare gave us "dauntless."
Example sentence: Following a defeat by the French, dauntless George Washington wrote, "I luckily escap'd with't a wound tho' I had four Bullets through my Coat and two Horses shot under me." (Letter to Robert Dinwiddie, July 18, 1755)
Did you know? The history of the world is peopled with dauntless men and women who refused to be subdued or "tamed" by fear. The word "dauntless" can be traced back to Latin "domare," meaning "to tame" or "to subdue." When our verb "daunt" (a "domare" descendant borrowed by way of Anglo-French) was first used in the 14th century, it shared these meanings. The now-obsolete "tame" sense referred to the taming or breaking of wild animals (particularly horses). An "undaunted" horse was an unbroken horse. Not until the late 16th century did we use "undaunted" with the meaning "undiscouraged and courageously resolute" to describe people. By then, such lionhearted souls could also be described as "undauntable," and finally, in _Henry VI_, Part 3, Shakespeare gave us "dauntless."
17 July 2006
THE SINS OF RALPH REED
From star foot soldier for the religious right to GOP lobbyist with questionable ties to Jack Abramoff, Ralph Reed is finally losing his Teflon luster
Simply put, Abramoff crony Scanlon wrote in an e-mail to one of the Coushattas’ lawyers, we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them. The wackos get their information [from] the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet, and telephone.
And that’s what Reed was paid to do: froth up the wackos on behalf of the morons and the monkeys. click title for article
Simply put, Abramoff crony Scanlon wrote in an e-mail to one of the Coushattas’ lawyers, we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them. The wackos get their information [from] the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet, and telephone.
And that’s what Reed was paid to do: froth up the wackos on behalf of the morons and the monkeys. click title for article
Let's face it, it's WWIII, Gingrich says
By David Postman
Seattle Times chief political reporter
Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich says America is in World War III and President Bush should say so.
Gingrich said in an interview Saturday that Bush should call a joint session of Congress the first week of September and talk about global military conflicts in much starker terms than have been heard from the president.
"We need to have the militancy that says 'We're not going to lose a city, " Gingrich said. click title
Seattle Times chief political reporter
Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich says America is in World War III and President Bush should say so.
Gingrich said in an interview Saturday that Bush should call a joint session of Congress the first week of September and talk about global military conflicts in much starker terms than have been heard from the president.
"We need to have the militancy that says 'We're not going to lose a city, " Gingrich said. click title
The Return of the Draft
With the army desperate for recruits, should college students be packing their bags for Canada? by TIM DICKINSON in Rolling Stone
Uncle Sam wants you. He needs you. He'll bribe you to sign up. He'll strong-arm you to re-enlist. And if that's not enough, he's got a plan to draft you.
In the three decades since the Vietnam War, the "all-volunteer Army" has become a bedrock principle of the American military. "It's a magnificent force," Vice President Dick Cheney declared during the election campaign last fall, "because those serving are ones who signed up to serve." But with the Army and Marines perilously overextended by the war in Iraq, that volunteer foundation is starting to crack. The "weekend warriors" of the Army Reserve and the National Guard now make up almost half the fighting force on the front lines, and young officers in the Reserve are retiring in droves. The Pentagon, which can barely attract enough recruits to maintain current troop levels, has involuntarily extended the enlistments of as many as 100,000 soldiers. Desperate for troops, the Army has lowered its standards to let in twenty-five percent more high school dropouts, and the Marines are now offering as much as $30,000 to anyone who re-enlists. To understand the scope of the crisis, consider this: The United States is pouring nearly as much money into incentives for new recruits -- almost $300 million -- as it is into international tsunami relief. Posted Jan 27, 2005 12:00 AM click title for more
Uncle Sam wants you. He needs you. He'll bribe you to sign up. He'll strong-arm you to re-enlist. And if that's not enough, he's got a plan to draft you.
In the three decades since the Vietnam War, the "all-volunteer Army" has become a bedrock principle of the American military. "It's a magnificent force," Vice President Dick Cheney declared during the election campaign last fall, "because those serving are ones who signed up to serve." But with the Army and Marines perilously overextended by the war in Iraq, that volunteer foundation is starting to crack. The "weekend warriors" of the Army Reserve and the National Guard now make up almost half the fighting force on the front lines, and young officers in the Reserve are retiring in droves. The Pentagon, which can barely attract enough recruits to maintain current troop levels, has involuntarily extended the enlistments of as many as 100,000 soldiers. Desperate for troops, the Army has lowered its standards to let in twenty-five percent more high school dropouts, and the Marines are now offering as much as $30,000 to anyone who re-enlists. To understand the scope of the crisis, consider this: The United States is pouring nearly as much money into incentives for new recruits -- almost $300 million -- as it is into international tsunami relief. Posted Jan 27, 2005 12:00 AM click title for more
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15 July 2006
Word Of The Day
oppugn \uh-PYOON\ verb
1 : to fight against
*2 : to call in question
Example sentence: As a young research assistant, Erin had the audacity to oppugn the conclusions of her department head.
Did you know? "Oppugn" was first recorded in English in the 15th century. It came to Middle English from the Latin verb "oppugnare," which in turn derived from the combination of "ob-," meaning "against," and "pugnare," meaning "to fight." "Pugnare" itself is descended from the same ancient word that gave Latin the word "pugnus," meaning "fist." It's no surprise, then, that "oppugn" was adopted into English to refer to fighting against something or someone, either physically (as in "the dictatorship will oppugn all who oppose it") or verbally (as in "oppugn an argument"). Other descendants of "pugnare" in English include the equally aggressive "pugnacious," "pungent," "repugnant," and the rare "inexpugnable" ("incapable of being subdued or overthrown").
1 : to fight against
*2 : to call in question
Example sentence: As a young research assistant, Erin had the audacity to oppugn the conclusions of her department head.
Did you know? "Oppugn" was first recorded in English in the 15th century. It came to Middle English from the Latin verb "oppugnare," which in turn derived from the combination of "ob-," meaning "against," and "pugnare," meaning "to fight." "Pugnare" itself is descended from the same ancient word that gave Latin the word "pugnus," meaning "fist." It's no surprise, then, that "oppugn" was adopted into English to refer to fighting against something or someone, either physically (as in "the dictatorship will oppugn all who oppose it") or verbally (as in "oppugn an argument"). Other descendants of "pugnare" in English include the equally aggressive "pugnacious," "pungent," "repugnant," and the rare "inexpugnable" ("incapable of being subdued or overthrown").
14 July 2006
Word Of The Day
zillionaire \zil-yuh-NAIR\ noun : an immeasurably wealthy person
Example sentence: The mansion on the hill is owned by a zillionaire investment banker.
Did you know? The word "millionaire" has been used in English to designate a person who is worth a million pounds or dollars, depending on the side of the ocean, since 1826. We borrowed the word straight from the French, whose millions, of course, were in francs. When "millionaire" no longer sufficed, English speakers coined "billionaire" in 1860. The turn of the century apparently brought a turn of fortune, for soon afterwards "multimillionaire" and "multibillionaire" were created. By the 1940s we needed "zillionaire," so it's a good thing we had coined "zillion" -- for an indeterminately large number -- the previous decade. "Zillion" and "zillionaire" aren't used in the most formal of writing, but they have found their way into plenty of serious publications.
Example sentence: The mansion on the hill is owned by a zillionaire investment banker.
Did you know? The word "millionaire" has been used in English to designate a person who is worth a million pounds or dollars, depending on the side of the ocean, since 1826. We borrowed the word straight from the French, whose millions, of course, were in francs. When "millionaire" no longer sufficed, English speakers coined "billionaire" in 1860. The turn of the century apparently brought a turn of fortune, for soon afterwards "multimillionaire" and "multibillionaire" were created. By the 1940s we needed "zillionaire," so it's a good thing we had coined "zillion" -- for an indeterminately large number -- the previous decade. "Zillion" and "zillionaire" aren't used in the most formal of writing, but they have found their way into plenty of serious publications.
13 July 2006
Word Of The Day
conurbation \kah-ner-BAY-shun\ noun : an aggregation or continuous network of urban communities
Example sentence: While some cities are built around a central hub, others, such as Los Angeles, are often described as sprawling conurbations with no fixed center.
Did you know? When Sir Patrick Geddes, a Scottish biologist turned sociologist, sat down in 1915 to write _Cities in Evolution_, a work on urban planning, he needed a word. How should he refer to thickly populated regions consisting of a sprawling range of cities clustered together? "Some name, then, for these city-regions, these town aggregates, is wanted....What of 'conurbations'?" he asked rhetorically early on in his work. For his coinage, Geddes combined "urbs" (the Latin word for "city," already familiar in "urban" and "suburb") with the Latin prefix "con-" ("together") and the English noun suffix "-ation." It turned out that his word suited English speakers just fine -- we've been using it ever since.
Example sentence: While some cities are built around a central hub, others, such as Los Angeles, are often described as sprawling conurbations with no fixed center.
Did you know? When Sir Patrick Geddes, a Scottish biologist turned sociologist, sat down in 1915 to write _Cities in Evolution_, a work on urban planning, he needed a word. How should he refer to thickly populated regions consisting of a sprawling range of cities clustered together? "Some name, then, for these city-regions, these town aggregates, is wanted....What of 'conurbations'?" he asked rhetorically early on in his work. For his coinage, Geddes combined "urbs" (the Latin word for "city," already familiar in "urban" and "suburb") with the Latin prefix "con-" ("together") and the English noun suffix "-ation." It turned out that his word suited English speakers just fine -- we've been using it ever since.
01 July 2006
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