Published by rodney March 13th, 2006
in Interesting Words.
ululate \UL-yuh-layt; YOOL-\, intransitive:
To howl, as a dog or a wolf; to wail; as, ululating jackals.
perambulate \puh-RAM-byuh-layt\, intransitive verb:
1. To walk about; to roam; to stroll; as, “he perambulated in the park.”
transitive verb:
1. To walk through or over.
2. To travel over for the purpose of surveying or inspecting.
jollification \jol-ih-fuh-KAY-shuhn\, noun:
Merrymaking; festivity; revelry.
somniferous \som-NIF-uhr-uhs\, adjective:
Causing or inducing sleep
Not sure this last one is actually a word as I couldnt find an official dictionary definition. BUT it has happened to me several times!!
resistentialism
seemingly spiteful behavior manifested by inanimate objects
Published by rodney December 22nd, 2005
in Interesting Words.
Nothing fancy this time just some more interesting words.
bibulous \BIB-yuh-luhs\, adjective:
1. Of, pertaining to, marked by, or given to the consumption of alcoholic drink.
2. Readily absorbing fluids or moisture.
eldritch \EL-drich\, adjective:
Strange; unearthly; weird; eerie.
pusillanimous \pyoo-suh-LAN-uh-muhs\, adjective:
Lacking in courage and resolution; contemptibly fearful; cowardly.
ameliorate \uh-MEEL-yuh-rayt\, transitive verb:
To make better; to improve.
deliquesce \del-ih-KWES\, intransitive verb:
1. To melt away or to disappear as if by melting.
2. (Chemistry) To dissolve gradually and become liquid by attracting
and absorbing moisture from the air, as certain salts, acids, and alkalies.
3. To become fluid or soft with age, as certain fungi.
4. To form many small divisions or branches — used especially of the veins of a leaf.
Published by rodney May 19th, 2005
in Interesting Words.
The Origin of Phrases
I have often wondered where a particular phrase or saying originated. Many of these phrases have been around so long that the original meaning has been lost or misconstrued. I recently heard the phrase, “If I had my druthers” or a variation or it used in conversation. I had a vague idea of what it meant and so did the person using it but we couldn’t pin down an exact meaning. Being curious about these kind of things, I started researching that particular phrase along with “Mind your own bees wax.”
Dictionary sites are good for definitions and word usage. However they are not that useful in finding the origin of phrases. In my searching I found several good sites which list the origins or possible origins of phrases. The first site is The Phrase Finder, and the second is Origins of Phrases. Both have a large supply of idioms and sayings to keep you busy
From my research it looks like “druthers” is a combination of “I’d” and “rather”, meaning if one were free to choose or if one had ones way. The Phrase Finder site has a better explanation of its origin in the discussion forums. The search feature on The Phrase Finder is a very handy when searching for a particular saying of interest.Mind your own bees wax is generally understood to mean “mind your own business” or “keep your opinions to yourself”. It may actually take its origins from smallpox. Survivors of the disease were left with unsightly pock marks on face and body. To help cover this disfigurement bees wax was used to smooth out ones complexion. In warm weather the wax could melt, however it was not proper decorum to point out another’s melting face.
Published by rodney March 15th, 2005
in Interesting Words.
Here are the definitions of some of the words I use on my previous blog. I decided to use these words as they were different from what you might expect to see. Hopefully I haven’t completely confused my readers with this verbiage.
Squib - a short humorous or satiric writing or speech
substituted this for “comments”
Equipage - A collection of small articles for personal use.
gadgets, cars, equipent
Euphonies - Agreeable sound, especially in the phonetic quality of words
Music or music related
Simulacrum - An image or representation.
Photographs and Images
Cinematics - I cant find a definition that relates to movies but the thesaurus brought this up when I punched in “movie”. It’s pretty straight forward.
Brainwork - Intellectual activity
General thoughts and ideas
Published by rodney February 7th, 2005
in Interesting Words.
Here are the definitions of some of the words I use on my blog. I decided to use these words as they were different from what you might expect to see. Hopefully I haven’t completely confused my readers with this verbiage.
Squib - a short humorous or satiric writing or speech
substituted this for “comments”
Equipage - A collection of small articles for personal use.
gadgets, cars, equipent
Euphonies - Agreeable sound, especially in the phonetic quality of words
Music or music related
Simulacrum - An image or representation.
Photographs and Images
Cinematics - I cant find a definition that relates to movies but the thesaurus brought this up when I punched in “movie”. It’s pretty straight forward.
Brainwork - Intellectual activity
General thoughts and ideas
Published by rodney January 19th, 2005
in Interesting Words.
The Evolution of E-mail Phraseology
All spoken words are composed of sounds, but not all sounds form words. I think I have come across a new category of words. They are sounds you might make in a casual face to face conversation. They allow you to express yourself and show interest in what the speaker is saying without interrupting. When these sounds are written/typed I like to call them “sound words”.
I noticed a while back, that in e-mail conversations and instant messages, that I started to use these sound words more and more often. I have several ideas on why I am using these sound words. Its possible that I have slouched into gramatical lazyness. I never remember using these kinds of words when I would hand write letters to friends and family. And even now when I hand write a note or letter I don’t use sound words. For the most part it seems that when ever I do use sound words its in a conversational environment such as e-mail or instant messenger.
Because e-mail and IM’s can reach the recipient in a fraction of a second I think those forms of communication tend to seem more conversational in nature. In face to face conversation we use these “words” with out really thinking, they are second nature. While writing in the conversational frame of mind it makes sense to me that I would use the same kind of sound words as if I was engaged in a verbal exchange. I think its my brain attempting to add color or feeling to an otherwise bland medium.
Some of the sound words listed below I use often. Others I have picked from the brains of my good friends. Their is no hard rule on the spelling, they just tend to look like they sound. What sound words do you use??
Sound Words
pffft, grrrrr, ack, blah, hmmm, fneh, gahh, nyeah, ahhhh
Published by rodney November 17th, 2004
in Interesting Words.
Some words look or sound funny, and others just have interesting meanings.
Caterwaul - To make a shrill, discordant sound. To have a noisy argument.
Defenestration - An act of throwing someone or something out of a window.
Wagnerian - Of, relating to or characteristic of Richard Wagner, his music dramas, or his theories.
Malapropism - Ludicrous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound.
Vitriol - Bitterly abusive feeling or expression.
Conflagaration - A large disastrous fire.
