avivamagnolia has adopted no words, looked up 0 words, created 1 list, listed 1084 words, written 260 comments, added 0 tags, and loved 39 words.
Comments for avivamagnolia
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*knock, knock*
January 19, 2009
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Doesn't seem to be helping. I tried at acersecomic too. I don't believe that aviva is reading any other postings at all, are you, A?
Well, sooner or later it may come to that. *sigh*
January 19, 2009
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For the love of pete, avivam., PLEASE read these comments, and the ones on a bunch of your words. I tried sending you a Facebook message and looking for you on Twitter to let you know, to no avail.
January 19, 2009
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Hi avivamagnolia,
I second rolig's comments. I think on many of the pages you have placed these comments, you have forgotten to "close" the bold type, making the rest of the entire page appear bold. It would be much appreciated if you could refrain from using bold except on special occasions, or at the very least, edit those comments and close the bold type.
You also might consider that for words that are spelling variations, not repeating the same definition on that page as a comment, but at most posting a simple "also spelled xyz." As I believe sionnach pointed out, all the comments that are entered on this site go scrolling by on the front page—it's the main way people seem to keep track of conversations—so while it's great to see your many contributions, the repetitive nature is a bit galling after a while.
Welcome to Wordie! I hope you stick around.
January 19, 2009
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Hi, Avivamagnolia! Welcome to Wordie.
I'm impressed already by your energy and enthusiasm at adding words. I don't know if you realize it, however, but a few people have been offering you suggestions, for example, on the word meshugana. Basically, they are pointing out (and I agree) that you really don't have to copy and paste (or retype) dictionary definitions in the comment box, since there is already a row of icon-links to various English dictionaries right beneath the word itself. Also, next to the word, there is a feed from Wordnet providing definitions, though these, alas, are sometimes strangely written (hence many of us call this Weirdnet). Of course, if your word is very strange and unlikely to be found in one of these dictionaries, then a definition is most welcome, though speaking for myself, I usually prefer personal comments or observations about words, or paraphrases of dictionary definitions. But everyone discovers over time what works best for her or him with Wordie.
Also I am wondering why you put so many of your definition-comments in bold? It's a bit annoying (both on the home page where the comments appear to everyone and on the word page), so I am wondering if you have a good reason for it.
A lot of people when they first come to Wordie have questions, so feel free to ask me or anyone of the other more active Wordies. Also, you can find answers and discussions about some Wordie issues at the word faq.
Please continue having fun with Wordie! By the way, you've got a wonderful name!
January 18, 2009
Comments by avivamagnolia
avivamagnolia commented on the word tripudiate
The word is from Latin tripudium, stamping on the ground, which is perhaps from words meaning "three" and "foot," indicating a measured dance of some sort, particularly during a religious ritual.
In Love’s Meinie by John Ruskin: “And observe also, that of the three types of lout, whose combined chorus and tripudiation leads the present British Constitution its devil’s dance, this last and smoothest type is also the dullest.�?
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word kaanji-pinji
Placeholder name for a trivial task, from the Kannada language (ಕನ�?ನಡ Kanna�?a), one of the major Dravidian languages of India, spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word redshifted
~change in the wavelength of light, in which the wavelength is longer than when it was emitted at the source
~shift toward longer wavelengths of the spectral lines emitted by a celestial object that is caused by the object moving away from the earth.
~shift in the spectra of very distant galaxies toward longer wavelengths (toward the red end of the spectrum); generally interpreted as evidence that the universe is expanding
~displacement of the spectrum of a celestial body toward longer wavelengths that is a consequence of the Doppler effect or the gravitational field of the source
~measurement of a celestial body's redshift equal to the ratio of the displacement of a spectral line to its known unshifted wavelength and used especially to calculate the body's distance from earth
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word grawlix
Grawlix, Illustrated Graphically for You!
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word emanata
Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey creator) coined the term emanata."
Examples of emanata include: (1) lightbulb above a character's head to indicate an idea; (2) indication of sleep by a saw cutting a log or a line of "zzzz"s; (3) the use of dotted lines to indicate a line of sight, and (4) daggers instead of dotted lines to indicate an evil look.
Emanata is actually the feminine form of the Italian adjective emanato, which means radiated, promulgated, issued.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word grawlix
grawlix (plural grawlixes or grawlix):
Spiral-shaped graphic used to indicate swearing in comic strips.
Also, a string of typographical symbols used (especially in comic strips) to represent an obscenity or swearword. You've seen this stuff a million times: &@$&@!!!
"He does all the Popeye voices, but prefers Olive Oyl's. He has noises for the nittles, the grawlix, the quimps, the jarns. He blows each balloon up before your ears. He reels home, +'s on his eyes, singing the spirl that rises like heat from his head." ~1995, William H. Gass, The Tunnel, p.159
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word grawlix
Coined by American cartoonist Mort Walker, creator of the Beetle Bailey strip.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word smegma
The word smegma isn't unpleasant, SonofGroucho. It's the stuff it refers to that's so distasteful. I love the sound of the word, and it's got a nice look to it, also!
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word popozão
Also: PopoZão. Large, voluptuous butt, or "big ass," or "big beautiful ass," in Brazilian Portuguese.
Commonly used as a derogatory term, as in dirty talentless leech that sponges off his baby's Mama
Example: "I gots me a record deal from PopoZaoin' Britney Spears in the ass."
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word cochinchina
Cochinchina, an actual term used to refer to various southern regions in Vietnam, is used commonly to refer to a remote and extremely far place, and most likely non-existential, it is also commonly place after China and at the end in a list of remote places or to mean "here and everywhere" (aquí, en la China, y en la Conchinchina).
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word stimovation
"While creating jobs by upgrading the nation’s physical infrastructure may help in the short term, Mr. Atkinson says, “there’s another category of stimulus you could call innovation or digital stimulus—‘stimovation,’ as a colleague has referred to it.�?
“Innovation Should Mean More Jobs, Not Less�? by Janet Rae-Dupree, New York Times, 4 January 2009
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word squick
squick: v. to disturb, unsettle, make uneasy; to cause disgust or revulsion; to gross (someone) out; to freak (someone) out. Also noun, something which causes disgust, revulsion, or uneasiness, or the disgust, revulsion, or uneasiness itself. Also squick (someone) out.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word memristor
The four passive components of electronics are the resistor, capacitor, inductor and the memristor, which was discovered only a few months ago. Memristors (from memory-resistors, geddit?) are resistors whose resistance depends on their past. In that sense they remember the past or, as an electronics engineer might put it, they store information. From the article:
Memristors Made into Low Cost, High Density RRAM (Resistive Random Access Memory)
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word oojamaflip
"Oojamaflip" is used in situations where the speaker doesn't know the name for something, or doesn't want to use the name at the moment.
Synonyms:
* gizmo
* whatchamacallit
* thingamajig
* doodad
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word pulpatoon
A kind of delicate confectionery or cake, perhaps made from the pulp of fruit.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word zyzzyva
A zyzzyva is a South American weevil, for whatever that's worth.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word zufolo
~small flute used to train songbirds
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word zimocca
A sponge (Euspongia zimocca) of flat form and fine quality, from the Adriatic, around the Greek islands, and the coast of Barbary.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word windigo
~cannibalistic giant, the transformation of a person who has eaten human flesh (in the folklore of the Ojibwa and other American Indians)
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word windigo
Basil Johnston, an Ojibwa teacher and scholar from Ontario, gives one description of how Wendigos were viewed:
“ The Weendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tautly over its bones. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets, the Weendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. What lips it had were tattered and bloody .... Unclean and suffering from suppurations of the flesh, the Weendigo gave off a strange and eerie odor of decay and decomposition, of death and corruption. �?
At the same time, Wendigos were embodiments of gluttony, greed, and excess; never satisfied after killing and consuming one person, they were constantly searching for new victims. In some traditions, humans who became overpowered by greed could turn into Wendigos; the Wendigo myth thus served as a method of encouraging cooperation and moderation.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word extispicy
Divination using entrails
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word tatpurusha
A compound of two words in which the 1st is an attributive noun, and the 2nd a substantive, as bookcase, aircraft, or flowerpot.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word kingling
A little king, a kinglet (a weak or petty king)
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word eleutheromania
~manic desire for freedom
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word mpingo
African Blackwood or Mpingo (Dalbergia melanoxylon) is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to seasonally dry regions of Africa from Senegal east to Eritrea and south to the Transvaal in South Africa.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word phantosmia
Phantosmia is an olfactory hallucination--specifically, the phenomenon of smelling odors that aren't really present. The most common odors are unpleasant smells such as rotting flesh, vomit, urine, feces, smoke, etc.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word ejectamenta
Ejectamenta refers to material ejected from a volcano. I wonder if "volcano" being used metaphorically here...?
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word hemiballismus
~spasms in one side of body: constant spasmodic movements on one side of the body, especially in people of an advanced age, caused by damage to part of the brain in the opposite side of the body
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word epiphora
Epiphora is overflow of tears onto the face. A clinical sign or condition that constitutes insufficient tear film drainage from the eyes in that tears will drain down the face rather than through the nasolacrimal system.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word gardyloo
"Gardyloo" is derived from the old French expression garde à l'eau (look out for the water); used in Edinburgh, Scotland.
For a little "chuckle, chuckle," check out the Gardyloo Sisters
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word fysigunkus
Actually, someone who is *totally devoid* of curiosity!
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word cancrizans
~to go backwards
~in music, crab form or crab canon: a cancrizans canon
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word camarilla
~a group of unofficial often secret and scheming advisors; a cabal
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word antigodlin
She went antigodlin across the field...
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word ouspenskian
P.D. Ouspensky, an author/philosopher and colleague of G. I. Gurdjieff
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word taniquelassë
In The Lord of the Rings, an evergreen and fragrant tree that grew in the province of Nísimaldar in Númenor
The name means 'leaf of Taniquetil' in Quenya.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word simbelmynë
In The Lord of the Rings, simbelmynë was a white flower that grew in Rohan primarily on the burial mounds of the Kings.
Also translated from Old English as Evermind, a reference to the plant's blossoming during the whole of the year.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word shivaree
A "noisy mock serenade for newlyweds," probably deriving in turn from a Late Latin word meaning "headache."
Also called regionally charivari, belling, horning, serenade.
From the French "charivari," most likely borrowed from French traders and settlers along the Mississippi River
An 1805 account describes a shivaree in New Orleans:
"The house is mobbed by thousands of the people of the town, vociferating and shouting with loud acclaim.... Many are in disguises and masks; and all have some kind of discordant and noisy music, such as old kettles, and shovels, and tongs.... All civil authority and rule seems laid aside" (John F. Watson).
The word shivaree is especially common along and west of the Mississippi River.
Regional equivalents:
~belling: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan
~horning: upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania, western New England
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word callathump
~a noisy boisterous parade
~a noisy mock serenade (made by banging pans and kettles) to a newly married couple
~synomyms: callithump, shivaree
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word aeolist
aeolist: a pretender to inspiration or spiritual regeneration
~used by Jonathan Swift
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word acersecomic
acersecomic: fr. Gk akersekomes, with unshorn hair obs. a person whose hair has never been cut
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word roky
misty, foggy, cloudy
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word perimorph
Per"i*morph: A crystal of one species inclosing one of another species.
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word zinnober
An archaic term for a "chrome green" color...
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word contrapasso
Contrapasso is the process by which souls serve penance in Dante's "Inferno" according to the nature of their sins in life.
A literal translation would be "counter-suffering".
An example of this would be in Canto XX, where the fortune tellers and diviners walk backwards for eternity, with their heads turned around to face behind them, and their eyes blinded with tears.
~Wikipedia
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word lutraphobia
Squidly lutraphobia - The fear of otters
Killing some break-time at work and found this:
http://www.changethatsrightnow.com/p...?SDID=270:1661
Quote from this video:
"Consider the true cost of living with Lutraphobia.
If you are living with lutraphobia, what is the real cost to your health, your career or school, and to your family life? Avoiding the issue indefinitely would mean resigning yourself to living in fear, missing out on priceless life experiences big and small, living a life that is just a shadow of what it will be when the problem is gone. For anyone earning a living, the financial toll of this phobia is incalculable. Living with fear means you can never concentrate fully and give your best. Lost opportunities. Poor performance or grades. Promotions that pass you by. lutraphobia will likely cost you tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of your lifetime, let alone the cost to your health and quality of life. Now Lutraphobia can be gone for less than the price of a round-trip airline ticket."
Who knew an otter could be responsible for that kind of damage? :-|
URL for post: http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/showthread.php?t=497755
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word lutraphobia
Lutraphobia - An abnormal, persistent fear of otters
January 17, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word mercia
An ancient (early) Anglo-Saxon kingdom of central England. It was settled by Angles c. a.d. 500 and enjoyed its greatest influence during the rule (757–796) of Offa. In 874 the kingdom was overrun by the Danes and split between Wessex and the Danelaw.
January 9, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word turveydropian
Old Mr. Turveydrop: A gentlemanly man, celebrated for deportment. He takes advantage of his son, Prince Turveydrop, preening around and spending his money.
January 9, 2009
avivamagnolia commented on the word limitrophe
Limitrophe: Situated on a border or along a boundary; Adjacent, bordering, or contiguous. Function: adjective. Etymology: French, from Late Latin limitrophus bordering upon, literally, providing subsistence for frontier troops, irregular from Latin limit-, limes boundary + Greek trophos feeder, from trephein to nourish. Date: 1763.
Usage in a sentence: "The area limitrophe to the river requires special vegetation treatments for environmental safety."
In the U.S., the Limitrophe is the segment of the Lower Colorado River that serves as the international boundary between the U.S. and Mexico.
From another dictionary, far less friendly to the eye, some etymology: limitrophe adj. on the frontier XIX; †sb. borderland XVI. — F. — late L. limitrophus , f. līmit - LIMIT + Gr. - trophos sup.
January 1, 2008
avivamagnolia commented on the word glossostigma
Stem plants, used in fish aquariums (e.g., Glossostigma elatinoides, commonly called glosso). I don't know if there are any other varieties of this plant.
January 1, 2008
avivamagnolia commented on the word glossotherium
Glossotherium (literally "Tongue Beast") was a genus of ground sloth. It had a length of about 13 feet (4 m.) snout to tail-tip, and could potentially assume a slight bipedal stance. Fossils of this animal have been found in South America. Due to its size and strength, Glossotherium would have had few natural enemies. It is believed to have died out sometime during the Pleistocene (2 million years ago). ~Wikipedia
January 1, 2008
avivamagnolia commented on the word glossotherium
Glossotherium (literally "Tongue Beast") was a genus of ground sloth. It had a length of about 13 feet (4 m.) snout to tail-tip, and could potentially assume a slight bipedal stance.
December 31, 2007
avivamagnolia commented on the word glossotherium
"Glossotherium" allegedly means "tongue beast," in some approximation of a literal translation. Not knowing Latin, I can't verify (yet).
December 31, 2007
avivamagnolia commented on the word dysania
Now I have an official term for my most troublesome chronic disease! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'll be sure to tell folks at work that I'm suffering from another bout of dysania, and I'm sure they'll let me off the hook!
December 10, 2007
avivamagnolia commented on the word bergamot
Yup, Colleen! Dang right! That's where I first started to love the word...when I found an Earl Grey tea that was labeled "Double Bergamot." Wonder of wonders - that was a tea to make anyone a tea drinker!
October 28, 2007
avivamagnolia commented on the word yuzen
>>> Start Here >>>
1. Chiyogami (Yuzen) Papers at The
Japanese Paper Place
http://www.japanesepaperplace.com/wholesale/chiyo/chiyogami-yuzen-general.htm
2. A Short History of Yuzen Dyeing
Sei-Sen-Kyo (undefiled dyeing house) is an orthodox successor of the art and technique of Yuzen dyeing, developed through 100 year history of Ueno's ...
http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/yuzen/en/yuzen.html
3. Japanese Paper "Washi" Such As Hand-Dyed Yuzen Paper
http://www.washiwholesale.com/
4. Kaga Yuzen
One of the best known dyeing crafts in Japan, the traditional techniques of Kaga Yuzen, which have been handed down since that time, produce elegant colors ...
http://web-japan.org/atlas/crafts/cra12.html
<<< End Here <<<
October 28, 2007
avivamagnolia commented on the word spindle whorl
~The Beginning~
1. Giant Coast Salish Spindle Whorl at Vancouver Airport
http://www.yvr.ca/guide/todo/art/spindle.asp
2. Aztec Spindle Whorl Design Dark T-Shirt|CafePress.com
http://www.cafepress.com/buy/spindle+whorl/-/pd_74411463?CMP=KNC-F-ALL">
3. Medieval North European Spindle Whorls
http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/spindles.html
4. Joy of Handspinning | Types of Drop Spindles
http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/spindle-types.shtml
5. Spindle Whorls From Excavation of Roman Levels in Minchin Hole
http://www.swanseaheritage.net/article/gat.asp?ARTICLE_ID=524&PRIMARY_THEME_ID=5
6. Cedar Spindle Whorl | DeMenil Collection, Houston(High-Res View)
http://sorrel.humboldt.edu/~rwj1/SAL/sal1g.html
~The End~
October 28, 2007
avivamagnolia commented on the word bergamot
ber·ga·mot
–noun 1. a small citrus tree, Citrus aurantium bergamia, having fruit with a rind that yields a fragrant essential oil.
2. Also called essence of bergamot. the oil or essence itself.
3. any of various plants of the mint family, as Monarda fistulosa, yielding an oil resembling essence of bergamot.
4. a variety of pear.
American Heritage Dictionary - bee balm
n. An aromatic eastern North American herb (Monarda didyma) in the mint family, having variously colored, tubular bilabiate flowers grouped in dense showy heads. Also called bergamot.
n. A small tree (Citrus aurantium subsp. bergamia) commercially grown chiefly in southern Italy for its sour citrus fruits, the rinds of which yield an aromatic oil. Also called bergamot orange. The oil itself, used extensively in perfumery.
French bergamote, from Italian bergamotta, from Turkish dialectal beg-armudu, bey's pear : beg, bey; see bey + armud, pear + -u, possessive suff.
December 4, 2006
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