Word of the Day - "H"

Hubris. I love this word.

From Dictionary.com:

excessive oride or self-confidence, arrogance.

Etymology - from the Greek hybris, meaning insolence.

In other words, what Tiger Woods, Mel Gibson, numerous politicians, atheletes, and celebrities have in common.

Thinking your sexcapades, rants, affairs, bloopers, doping, drugging, and carousing won't have an impact on your career, personal reputation, marriage or relationships.

Or your bank account.

When People Become Words

Take the word "mesmerize". According to Webster's 9th (my fave!) it means to hypnotize, spellbind, fascinate.

From "mesmerism" which was a movement and process popular in the 18th century after Friedrich Mesmer evolved techniques based on "animal magnetism" for a variety of bizarre cures and treatments for various ailments.

How many words do we use on a daily basis that actually evolved from an individual who did something to earn the honor?

Well, off the top of my head: The Marquis de Sade = sadist, sadistic, sadism and his counterpart, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch = masochist, masochistic, masochism.

And together we have, voila: S&M! Go together just like Sonny & Cher, huh?

A Fiend By Any Other Name?

Two of my favorite words today, for the price (!) of one:

Fiend: Noun - a. Devil b. Demon c. a person of great wickedness or maliciousness (but the secondary meaning approximates fanatic or - fan!)

And the word lends itself in adjective form to "fiendish". A most delectable word for creating an image of a most horrible character.

According to Webster's 9th Collegiate: 1. perversely diaboloical and, in a less intense definition, 2. extremely cruel or wicked.

For example:



And when one is a fiend, one tends to have helpers in one's fiendish endeavors. Rather than "helper" of course (such a benign and generic word) or "assistant" (too clinical), I prefer the word:

MINION - a servile dependent.

And isn't "servile" too perfect?

Naughty or Not?

Prostrate.

As per Webster's Collegiate 9th Ed:

As a verb: "to put oneself in a humble and submissive posture or state".

As an adjective: "stretched out with face on the ground in adoration or submission" (see 'prone') or alternatively, "lacking in vitality or will".

Used in sentences, "She demanded he prostrate himself before her." Or "She was prostrate with grief."

Note the all-too-frequent error of the use of the word "prostate" in place of the above.

Not. The. Same. Thing. At. All.

A prostate is the dangling appendange that men hold dear. Figuratively speaking.

The sentences would read:

"When told by the Grand High Poo-Bah that his punishment would be the loss of his prostate by sword, the hero became prostrate with terror."

Nobody lies "prostate" on the ground. They could lie prostrate WITH their prostate on the ground, though.

Pays to double check these words.

"D" is for....DROLL

Droll can be an adjective (amusing in an odd way, waggish, whimsically humorous says Dictionary.com), a noun (a jester or a wag, ibid), or an intransitive verb (to jest or to joke) (what, pray tell, is THAT? I really have to start hanging out more with Strunk & White - I've heard they're fun guys, right?).

From the French for scamp, and the Middle Dutch for imp, it is a short, sweet and oh, so evocative word. Use it in dialogue and you can immediately characterize both the speaker AND the object of derision (because when someone calls another person "droll" is usually not a "good" thing).

Synonyms: Witty, a clown. Antonyms: serious (or another of my favorite "d" words, DOUR!)

"Oh, my dear boy, do tell us another of your droll little tales!" said the Duchess of Dingleberry to the Tsar of Tumescence.

See? You know that someone in the scene is seething, right? And that one Duchess is due for a comeuppance .....

Do It Yourself Vocabulary

Shakespeare did it. So why can't I? I can, in fact, make up words.

It is probably a bit easier today when new words pop onto the scene daily. To whit: I twitter, therefore I tweet. Or something like that (actually, to twitter is the verb, the result of a twitter is a tweet - what I would really like someone to answer for me is, if I twitter, why am I not a Twit?)

Anyway. I coined the phrase: humongolicious (meaning: a large, muscular, hunky man). I referred to my day job responsibilities as "Everestian" (meaning nearly insurmountable except for the truly Sherpa-esque among us).

And when I congratulated an e-friend with "fantabulistic" regarding her recent success (don't ask me who or what, I try to be supportive of all), she thought it was a great word.

Then, of course, are my current references to all things "e-". My "e-boyfriend", "e-friends", "e-debates" and so forth. Forget e-books, I'm an e-phenom waiting to happen.

The universe is filled with amazing words that can describe everything from A to zed. But never forget that a new word can sum up something no one else may ever have thought of.

Seriously, someone, somewhere came up with the word, "Dingleberry". It was not from the Latin, trust me.

Don't know what it means? Honey, grab that dictionary.

"C" is for Chrematistic. (huh?)

Chrematistic (adjective and noun)

Adjective: Of, pertaining to, or engaged in the accumulation of wealth.

Noun: The branch of knowledge that deals with wealth; economics.

Never heard this word before. But I can think of lots of people it applies to. Do the names Enron, Exxon, Halliburton, AIG mean anything?

Some synonyms (off the top of my head): Greedy and grasping?

Antonynms: US middle class taxpayer.

I'm just saying .....