27
Jun
by maryann
Happy Birthday to the youngest son!
Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was anastrophe. We had a couple of guesses for this one. Merriam-Webster Online says that anastrophe means: inversion of the usual syntactical order of words for rhetorical effect. The daughter hit this nail on the head, giving the example of Star Wars’ Yoda, who is rather fond of anastrophe. Wise, you are, Daughter! So wise that she even trumped her granddad’s guess (although he took a great stab at it).
This week’s WOW is Beltane and yes, it’s capitalized. Here are my definition guesses for Beltane:
Beltane (ˈbel-tān) 1. A big horse with high “octane” 2. the offspring of a Belgian and a Dane 3. arcane belts
What’s your guess for Beltane? Can you outdo the relatives? Give it a shot by posting a guess in the comments section below this post! Thanks!
Wednesday’s Post: The Log Blog continues!
You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: anastrophe and Word of the Week: ablution
30
May
by maryann
Good morning, Word Nerds! Last week’s Word of the Week (WOW) was solecism. The daughter says that studying for the GRE taught her the meaning of solecism. She thinks it means “a grammatical error.” Merriam-Webster Online: a mistake in speech or writing –OR–an impolite or improper way of behaving. So, the money spent on GRE study materials paid off!
Conclusion? I didn’t study enough for the GRE.
This week’s WOW is pandiculation. Here are my definition guesses for pandiculation:
pandiculation (pan-ˌdik-yə-ˈlā-shən) 1. speculation by Peter Pan 2. speech that tells the public there will be yet another remake about Peter Pan 3. a totally mind-blowing thought
What’s your guess for pandiculation? Tell me by posting a comment below! Good luck!
Wednesday’s Post: What does styrofoam have to do with building a log cabin?
You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: solecism; Word of the Week: septentrional; and Word of the Week: retronym
25
May
by maryann
All those who have never heard of examen, post a comment! Until HeartPaths I had never heard the term examen (Merriam-Webster says examen is pronounced ig-ˈzā-mən, although I have heard it pronounced like the word examine, too.). It is a prayer practice initiated by Ignatius.
If I had to guess, most Christians do an informal version of examen without realizing it. While there are countless ways to do it, the essence is this: Review the previous day and find the underlying meaning of the day’s events. Do this every day. Most contemplatives would say that examen is the most important prayer practice.
Thus, my next year in HeartPaths will be focused on doing examen daily and reflecting on what I’m learning. Ignatius also created other spiritual exercises and I will also be doing those. Don’t ask me about these, since I won’t start them until this fall!
Some forms of examen also ask us to look forward to the next 24 hours and ask God for assistance where needed. However, let me be
23
May
by maryann
Good morning, Word Nerds! Last week’s Word of the Week (WOW) was septentrional. Merriam-Webster Online says that septentrional means: northern. (And that’s probably why septentrional is the bottom 20% of words currently used by English-speakers!) It refers to the septentriones, which means the seven stars of Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) and the Ursa Minor (The Little Dipper). Since these constellations are normally in the northern sky, septentrional became known as northern or the north. That’s your astronomy lesson for today!
This week’s WOW is solecism. Here are my guesses for the definition of solecism:
solecism (ˈsä-lə-ˌsi-zəm) 1. the study of oneness 2. solemnity 3. examining the bottom of one’s shoes
What’s your guess for solecism? Post a comment below and let me know what you think!
Wednesday’s Post: Examining Examen…
You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: septentrional and Word of the Week: retronym
16
May
by maryann
Good morning, Word Nerds! How are you today?
Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was retronym. The definition of retronym, according to Merriam-Webster Online is as follows: a term consisting of a noun and a modifier which specifies the original meaning of the noun. For instance, a film camera is an example of a retronym and there are even web sites dedicated to retronyms. Who knew?!
Today’s WOW is septentrional. My French antennae are going off yet again because sept means seven in French. (In the original version of the Roman calendar, September was the 7th month of the year, not the 9th. Adding January and February to the calendar is why it’s now # 9! You’re welcome for giving you a little known fact that will never be useful Ever.)
septentrional (sep-ˈten-trē-ˌänəl) 1. purposely grouping things together in 7’s 2. relating to one week’s time 3. having to do with the septum
What’s your guess for septentrional? Submit a comment to this post to let me know!
Wednesday’s Post: Know Your Body…
You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: retronym; Word of the Week: ne plus ultra; and Word of the Week: mellifluous
09
May
by maryann
Howdy, Word Lovers! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was ne plus ultra. Merriam-Webster Online says that ne plus ultra means:
the highest point capable of being attained
the most profound degree of a quality or state
The daughter guessed ““No more than” or “the most of something.” She deduced that from co-founding the Latin Club in high school. Ummm…didn’t even know she did that. Was I asleep while she was in high school??? Anyway, she’s “two for two”! Let’s see if she can make it three for three this week. Here’s this week’s WOW and my guesses for it:
retronym (ˈre-trō-ˌnim) 1. a word that no longer is the meaning of another word 2. a return to the former meaning of a word 3. a synonym of an antonym of a homonym
What’s your guess for retronym? Submit a guess below this post!
Wednesday’s Post: Guided Meditation…
You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: ne plus ultra; Word of the Week: mellifluous; and Word of the Week: longueur
02
May
by maryann
Good morning, Word Nerds! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was: mellifluous. The daughter guessed that it was “sweet sounding, musical, etc. ????” Let’s see how close she got.
Merriam-Webster Online says that mellifluous means having a smooth, flowing sound. So, she’s pretty darn close! Glad to know all those music lessons paid off! 🙂
Today’s WOW is ne plus ultra. Again, my French “bells” are going off, so let’s see what I can conjure up as my definition guesses for it:
ne plus ultra (nā-ˌpləs-ˈəl-trə) 1. no longer special 2. not noteworthy or significant 3. subtraction
What are your guesses for ne plus ultra? Submit a comment to this post to let me know!
Wednesday’s Post: Put on your thinking caps…
You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: mellifluous and Word of the Week: longueur
25
Apr
by maryann
Good morning, Friends! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was longueur. This one stumped everybody, so here’s what Merriam-Webster Online had to say about it: a boring part of something (such as a book or play). Hmmm…could WOW be longueur??? I hope not!
Today’s WOW is mellifluous. I feel like I’ve heard this word before, but I can’t pull out the definition from my memory, so here are my guesses for it:
mellifluous (me-ˈli-flə-wəs) 1. full of Mello Yello 2. a melodic tune 3. infatuated with Mel Gibson
What’s your guess for mellifluous? Submit it in a comment here!
Wednesday’s Post: Sensate Prayer…
You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: longueur and Word of the Week: legerdemain
18
Apr
by maryann
Good morning, Word Nerds! Last week’s WOW was legerdemain. We had one guess that it meant slight of hand or magic-like. According to Merriam-Webster Online legerdemain means: skill in using your hands to perform magic tricks, so the guess is absolutely correct! I wonder if legerdemain would be useful in making the clutter in my house disappear. Hmmm….
Today’s WOW is longueur. I think there’s a French basis for this word, too, so maybe that will pay off somehow, but I’m not holding my breath over here:
longueur: (lōⁿ-ˈgœr) 1. an interminably long event 2. the act of being vertical 3. a tall person
What’s your guess for longueur? Submit a guess below this post!
Wednesday’s Post: It May Be More than Woman’s Intuition…
You May Also Like: Word of the Week: legerdemain and Word of the Week: ex cathedra
11
Apr
by maryann
Good morning, Word Lovers! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was ex cathedra. The father-in-law had a guess for this one again (I need to pick tougher words???). According to Merriam-Webster Online ex cathedra means: by virtue of or in the exercise of one’s office or position. The father-in-law had a more specific take on it, as an official pronouncement from the Pope that is believed to be without error. More than likely that is how ex cathedra is used most often. Too bad my children didn’t think of my parenting as ex cathedra. Hmmm….
Today’s WOW is legerdemain. My French brain is going off right now and it remembers that demain means tomorrow in French, so let’s see how close I get to the correct definition this time:
legerdemain (le-jər-də-ˈmān) 1. the entry one puts into a ledger after receiving an IRS audit notification 2. the hope a short person has for longer legs in the future 3. procrastination
What’s your guess for legerdemain? Put a comment below to let me know your guess!
Wednesday’s Post: Feeling Prayer…
You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: ex cathedra and Word of the Week: diapason
Recent Comments