Word of the Day. Post it Here

Discussion in 'Linguistics' started by Captain Kremmen, Aug 16, 2007.

  1. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    For several decades, the English language has begun undergoing a development that it has needed for centuries: a precise and convenient way to express relationships.

    Ever since Anglo-Saxon began to diverge from Old High German (when German tribes took advantage of the collapse of the Roman empire and established their own rule of most of southern Britannia excluding Wales and to a certain extent Cornwall), we have been stuck with the pathetic set of Old High German prepositions to express every conceivable relationship between two things.

    The "Anglisc" people of "Angle Land" worked hard to expand that set, creating new prepositions from old ones such as "without," "into," "about," "beside," "atop," etc. So Modern English has a considerably larger number of prepositions than Modern German. But that's not much of an accomplishment, given that there is virtually a limitless number of relationships to express. Words like "of," "for" and "in" end up having twenty or more formal definitions... which makes them ambiguous--easy to misuse and misunderstand. They have become little more than "noise words," placeholders that merely mark the end of one phrase and the beginning of another, leaving the listener or reader to discern the relationship from context.

    But a new word-building technique arose in recent centuries, and gathered tremendous momentum in the mid-20th century: the noun-adjective compound. Compounds like cable-ready, cost-effective, energy-efficient and impact-resistant very precisely express the relationship between two things without relying on prepositions. This is a free-form technique that can be used whenever needed--so long as the rest of the anglophone population accepts it.

    I'm quite happy that our language has evolved this technique. So your "healthynonattachment" could probably be expressed by one of these hyphenated compounds.
     
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  3. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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  5. Captain Kremmen All aboard, me Hearties! Valued Senior Member

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    Paleoconservativism.
    Pat Buchanan, in his criticism of Pope Francis's attempts at reform in the Catholic church is described as a Paleoconservative. New word for me.
    from http://www.etymonline.com/
     
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  7. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Since conservatism by definition is a desire to restore ideas, policies, activities, etc., from the past, "paleoconservatism" is a bit redundant.

    Paleoliberalism makes more sense. It's a philosophy rooted in what were once progressive policies but either have been fulfilled and are no longer in need of major support (such as acceptance of homosexuality and marijuana use in 21st-century America), or have been proven wrong and need to be replaced by more modern ideas (such as socialism).
     
  8. Captain Kremmen All aboard, me Hearties! Valued Senior Member

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    The word was probably inspired by the geological terms Neolithic, Mesolithic and Paleolithic,
    so in addition to Neoconservatives and Paleoconservatives, there should be Mesoconservatives.
    That would be what? American conservatives in the 1940s?
    Pro-segregation, anti-communist, home and church-loving, middle class Americans.

    Or perhaps it would be someone who holds both Neocon and Paleocon views.
    Combining the worst of both.
    That would be a fearsome Hippalektryon.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2014
  9. Anew Life isn't a question. Banned

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    the word 'mutualist' !?..
     
  10. Anew Life isn't a question. Banned

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    perhaps the word crucifiction; defined as editing unlifening material, that encourages discord in it's efficacy.
    perhaps the word sodomy: defined as a rushed printing or of rushed or altered text, or musical composition; where an author (s) aren't as they like due to subtle dominion.
     
  11. Captain Kremmen All aboard, me Hearties! Valued Senior Member

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    Do you understand the principle of this thread?
     
  12. Magical Realist Valued Senior Member

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    "SGIOMLAIREACHD"

    A Gaelic word, pronounced scum-leerie, it is typical of the wariness with which English and Scottish view each other, and means “the kind of friend who tends to only drop in around mealtimes” or “the kind of people who loiter around train stations”.
     
  13. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    There is no such word as "unlifening." Did you mean "unenlivening"?

    That is not the definition of the word "sodomy."

    Please play by the rules: Post a legitimate word in the dictionary with which people might not be familiar.

    Fraggle Rocker
    Moderator
     
  14. Landau Roof Registered Senior Member

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    December 1, 2014. Today's word: anecdata. I just came across it for the first time today. I think anecdatal would be a good adjective form. What does it mean? Well, it's a portmanteau of sorts, I won't spoil your fun by providing a definition. You could look it up.

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  15. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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  16. Anew Life isn't a question. Banned

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    negate' ; an abbreviate word defined as providing a worthy answer for an unworthy action failing to defer from worth.
     
  17. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Huh? I can't even understand that.

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    "Negate" has two basic definitions:
    • 1. To render something ineffective, to nullify it, as in "Progress on this project has been negated by the cancellation of its budget due to the company's financial crisis."
    • 2. To deny something, by claiming that is not true, that it does not exist, or that the evidence supporting it is invalid or unconvincing, as in, "Our investigation has not discovered any external influence, negating your claim that the problems in your project were caused by people who would be inconvenienced by its success."
    Fraggle Rocker
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  18. Intersect Registered Member

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    Aphorism
    (from Greek ἀφορισμός aphorismos, "delimitation") is a terse saying, expressing a general truth, principle, or astute observation, and spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form. Aphorism literally means a "distinction" or "definition". The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates.
     
  19. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Aphorism...
    In modern times, at least in the USA, aphorisms are usually packaged in forms that make them seem clever or humorous, in order to increase the likelihood of retention. For example: "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."
     
  20. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    besmirch

    damage the reputation of (someone or something) in the opinion of others.
     
  21. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    It derives from the noun "smirch," originally simply a spot of soot, dust, dirt or other filth, on a piece of clothing or anything that the owner or user tries to keep looking nice. Using it in the same way for a "besmirched" reputation is merely metaphorical.

    The word's origin is unclear. Or perhaps I should say it is besmirched.

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  22. Beaconator Valued Senior Member

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    Fragile- I'm going to guess....

    Synonym- delicate

    Antonym- everlasting

    Etymology- latin

    Fragere- close to "facere" which means "to do" this word has been besmirched by neanderthals who confuse "frag" "the f word" and "fracture" which is germanic...
     
  23. Dr_Toad It's green! Valued Senior Member

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    I'm not a scholar of Latin, but 'fragere' seems to mean breakable. The German may have borrowed from the Latin. See frangible, for instance.
     

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