A Word A Day - Last Two Weeks of the Decade
with Anu Garg
Explore "dipsomania" in the Visual Thesaurus.
with Anu Garg
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Fear and Desire. That sounds like the name of some 19th century novel. Instead, it is the theme for this week's words in AWAD. It seems that in English there's a word for every imaginable phobia and mania -- let's face up to some of these during the next few days.
agoraphobia
PRONUNCIATION:
(ag-uhr-uh-FO-bee-uh)
MEANING:
noun: A fear of being in public places, open spaces, or in crowdsETYMOLOGY:
From Greek agora (marketplace). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ger- (to gather) that is also the source of egregious, gregarious, disgregate, aggregate, congregation, and segregate.
USAGE:
"Concerns a polar bear would suffer agoraphobia after moving from a city zoo to four acres in the Highlands were unfounded." Agoraphobic Bear Fears 'Allayed'; BBC News (London, UK); Oct 30, 2009.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke. -Arthur Plotnik, editor and author (b. 1937)
dipsomania
PRONUNCIATION:
(dip-suh-MAY-nee-uh)
MEANING:
noun: An insatiable, periodic craving for alcoholETYMOLOGY:
From Greek dipsa (thirst) + -mania (excessive enthusiasm or craze)USAGE:
"As the emperor Janangir began his decline in the old familiar grip of dipsomania (both his brothers had died early of drink), his wife Nur Jahan took complete charge as his proxy."Sunil Sethi; Jahangir's Josephine; Outlook (New Delhi, India); Nov 27, 2000.
Explore "dipsomania" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence. -Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (1872-1970)
astraphobia
PRONUNCIATION:
(as-truh-FO-bee-uh)
MEANING:
noun: An abnormal fear of lightning and thunderETYMOLOGY:
From Greek astrape (lightning). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ster- (star) that is also the source of star, asterisk, asteroid, astrology, disaster, stellar, constellation, Persian sitareh (star), and the names Stella and Esther.
NOTES:
Also known as astrapophobia and brontophobia (from Greek bronte-, thunder, which also gave us brontosaurus).
USAGE:
"In the USA, it is estimated around 10 per cent of people suffer from astraphobia to some degree." Don White; Weatherwatch; The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia); Dec 11, 2001.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Any advertisement in public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It belongs to you. It's yours to take, re-arrange, and re-use. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head. -Banksy, street artist (b. 1974)
onomatomania
PRONUNCIATION:
(on-uh-mat-uh-MAY-nee-uh)
MEANING:
noun: An obsession with particular words or names and desire to recall or repeat themETYMOLOGY:
Via Latin, from Greek onoma (name) + -mania (excessive enthusiasm or craze)USAGE:
"Every time Ammon Shea came across an interesting word, he jotted it down, desperate to avoid onomatomania." Nicole Martin; The Last Word; The Daily Telegraph (London, UK); Oct 4, 2008.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Not far from the invention of fire must rank the invention of doubt. -Thomas Henry Huxley, biologist (1825-1895)
acrophobia
PRONUNCIATION:
(ak-ruh-FOH-bee-uh)
MEANING:
noun: An abnormal fear of heightsETYMOLOGY:
From Greek acro- (height, tip) + -phobia (fear). Some related words are acronym (a word formed with the tips of other words), acrobat (one who walks on tiptoes), and acropolis (a city built on high ground).
USAGE:
"Dr Anthe George suggests that Mark would not even have been able to stand on the balcony of his own accord because of his acute acrophobia. 'Mark was truly afraid of heights. I do not mean he was afraid of standing on the edge of a cliff -- he was afraid of any height." Kevin Rawlinson; My Son Was Killed; The Independent (London, UK); Dec 9, 2009.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe. -Thomas Paine, philosopher and writer (1737-1809)
with Anu Garg
The new year is just around the corner. It brings new hopes, new ideas, new events. In a language, there's no new year -- it's always on the move. There's a constant churning in the waters of a language, words evolving, changing meanings, becoming obsolete, new words being born, gaining acceptance, and so on. This week we'll feature five words that today mean something quite different from their previous meanings.
beldam
PRONUNCIATION:
(BEL-duhm, -DAM)
MEANING:
noun: An old woman: a hagETYMOLOGY:
From Middle English beldam (grandmother), from Old French bel (fine) + dame (lady). In Middle English, the prefix bel was used to indicate relationships, such as belsire or belfader (grandfather, ancestor). In Modern French belle is still used to indicate in-law relationships. A belle-mère is a mother-in-law or a stepmother, for example.
USAGE:
"Carr mixes her story with such amusing oddballs as Carthage's mother, a vinegary and vain beldam." 'Bog' Weighed Down by Mundane Events; Minneapolis Star-Tribune; Mar 16, 2009.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
The real index of civilization is when people are kinder than they need to be. -Louis de Berniere, novelist (b. 1954)
prude
PRONUNCIATION:
(prood)
MEANING:
noun: A person who is overly concerned with propriety or decorumETYMOLOGY:
From Old French prudefemme (wise or good woman), feminine of prud'homme (wise man). The word prude once had positive connotations, but nowadays it is used only in a negative sense.
USAGE:
"I'm not a prude, by any means, but with all her talent, Mariah Carey doesn't need to use her bodacious bod to garner attention." Candace Hammond; TV News is Front and Center; Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Massachusetts); Nov 6, 2009.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one. -Leonard Matlovich, a gay Vietnam Veteran (1943-1988)
quantum
PRONUNCIATION:
(KWON-tuhm)
MEANING:
noun: 1. A quantity or amount
2. A portion
3. A large amount
4. The smallest amount of something that can exist independently
adjective: 2. A portion
3. A large amount
4. The smallest amount of something that can exist independently
Sudden; major
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin, neuter of quantus (how much or how great). In physics, a quantum jump or quantum leap is usually a small change, while in popular usage the term is used to mean a significant change.
USAGE:
"A quantum jump in the volume of traffic has made major snarls on the capital's periphery a routine affair for commuters." Dipak Kumar Dash; New Roadmap; The Times of India (New Delhi); Nov 7, 2009.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
A civilized society is one which tolerates eccentricity to the point of doubtful sanity. -Robert Frost, poet (1874-1963)
sycophant
PRONUNCIATION:
(SIK-uh-fuhnt, SY-kuh-, -fant)
MEANING:
noun: A servile self-seeking person who flatters in an attempt to win favor.ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin sycophanta (informer, slanderer), from Greek sykophantes (informer, slanderer), from sykon (fig) + phainein (to show). How did a sycophant turned from one who shows a fig, to an informer, to a flatterer? There are two explanations though both are unconfirmed. The first theory is that the word referred to someone who informed against the theft or illegal export of figs in ancient Athens; other is that it referred to one who makes a fig sign. When the word arrived in the English language its meaning changed from an informer to a flatterer.
USAGE:
"There are few models around the world of coup plotters who have succeeded as civilian administrators. This is in part because dictators invariably begin to believe the sycophants who gather around them."The Savior Fantasy; The Washington Post; Oct 20, 1999.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Good men must not obey the laws too well. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)
meticulous
PRONUNCIATION:
(muh-TIK-yuh-luhs)
MEANING:
adjective: Extremely careful, precise, or thorough. ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin meticulosus (fearful), from metus (fear). Originally the term meant one who was fearful and eventually it acquired a positive sense.USAGE:
"It was a movement that required the meticulous precision of a master surgeon." George Pelletier; A Christmas Story in Two Parts Eggnog; Nashua Telegraph (New Hampshire); Dec 24, 2009.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
When love is not madness, it is not love. -Pedro Calderon de la Barca, poet and dramatist (1600-1681)
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