A hapax legomenon (word used only once in the written history of the language), meaning "snowflake". Discovered in an English manuscript from around 1275.
A veritable pox upon society; both this word and that which it defines. Representative of everything that is awful about gaudy, materialistic, thoughtless celebrity culture.
Sadly it could be a rather pretty word in and of itself if it didn't have the connotations it does; it could be a sea-bird or a kind of knot. Is anyone out there willing to help reclaim "bling"?
Does not mean what most people think it means. Traditionally involving the fear of failure, suffering and death experienced by humans who believe themselves to be in an uncertain existence, it now is more commonly used to describe what makes up +90% of the content of popular teen-dominated blogging services.
I know what it means, but this word remainds me of Inuits. And dogs. It's quite an elegant word, oddly, until you deconstruct it, and then it suddenly starts sounding less impressive....
If the order-chaos balance is tipped somewhat towards the ordered side, I propose "ordotic". It's like the difference between a meat and potato pie, and a potato and meat one. (Believe me, there is a difference. :)
Also, I wouldn't equate either word to neutral, quite; they potentially have similar meanings, but having properties of both chaos and order doesn't necessarily mean that the chaos-to-order ratio is equal. (Also, "neutral" implies, at least to my mind, a somewhat benign and passive state, whereas I see both "chaordic" and "ordotic" as very active words, ones that emphasize the presence rather than absence of both properties.)
arbeiration.n. the condition wherein two or more people each contribute something to the other that facilitates the other's contribution to them, particularly in an emotional sense, creating an endless upwards spiral; a virtuous circle. To arbeirate: to spiral such.
Their arbeiration fulfilled them; when he was happy, she was happy too, and so it was for him.
Aww, what a lovely way to think of it. I certainly think love at first sight would be a type of theracence; when you know without analysis or experience that you were meant to be close to someone, that it is right for someone to be part of your life.
theracence.n. a certainty of knowledge impressed upon one through other channels than logical deduction or belief; a knowledge that enters directly into one's mind along with the indisputable certainty that it is true, which cannot be derived from only observation of existence, and results in a knowing more certain than that which one can derive from observation alone. To therace: to know in this way, often in the form to therace that.
She possessed theracence of the fundamental nature of the universe, which many said was impossible.
He theraced that what he had just learnt was true.
I love your "more about" profile, too. Really, those are all the things that one needs to know about something: is it beautiful; is it sincere; is it real. And frequently something that is one of those three will also be the other two....
Comments by tellurian
tellurian commented on the word lithopedion
A "stone child"; a rare abnormality where a developing fetus becomes calcified.
July 9, 2008
tellurian commented on the word flother
A hapax legomenon (word used only once in the written history of the language), meaning "snowflake". Discovered in an English manuscript from around 1275.
June 27, 2008
tellurian commented on the word pifanous
The opposite of blasphemous; something done or said in order to demonstrate praise, respect or worship for a thing.
A lot of fandom could be said to be pifanous, though some of it is blasphemous; it all depends on the respect with which it is enacted.
November 7, 2007
tellurian commented on the list hallelujah
What about El-ahrairah, the rabbit prince from Watership Down? A much more elegant name than Oprah, IMHO....
November 1, 2007
tellurian commented on the word mondegreen
I can never quite get the image of Vienna Teng carring an axe convincingly out of my head....
November 1, 2007
tellurian commented on the word bling
A veritable pox upon society; both this word and that which it defines. Representative of everything that is awful about gaudy, materialistic, thoughtless celebrity culture.
Sadly it could be a rather pretty word in and of itself if it didn't have the connotations it does; it could be a sea-bird or a kind of knot. Is anyone out there willing to help reclaim "bling"?
November 1, 2007
tellurian commented on the word existential angst
Does not mean what most people think it means. Traditionally involving the fear of failure, suffering and death experienced by humans who believe themselves to be in an uncertain existence, it now is more commonly used to describe what makes up +90% of the content of popular teen-dominated blogging services.
November 1, 2007
tellurian commented on the word inutile
I know what it means, but this word remainds me of Inuits. And dogs. It's quite an elegant word, oddly, until you deconstruct it, and then it suddenly starts sounding less impressive....
October 31, 2007
tellurian commented on the word chaordic
If the order-chaos balance is tipped somewhat towards the ordered side, I propose "ordotic". It's like the difference between a meat and potato pie, and a potato and meat one. (Believe me, there is a difference. :)
Also, I wouldn't equate either word to neutral, quite; they potentially have similar meanings, but having properties of both chaos and order doesn't necessarily mean that the chaos-to-order ratio is equal. (Also, "neutral" implies, at least to my mind, a somewhat benign and passive state, whereas I see both "chaordic" and "ordotic" as very active words, ones that emphasize the presence rather than absence of both properties.)
October 31, 2007
tellurian commented on the word arbeiration
arbeiration. n. the condition wherein two or more people each contribute something to the other that facilitates the other's contribution to them, particularly in an emotional sense, creating an endless upwards spiral; a virtuous circle. To arbeirate: to spiral such.
Their arbeiration fulfilled them; when he was happy, she was happy too, and so it was for him.
October 17, 2007
tellurian commented on the word theracence
Aww, what a lovely way to think of it. I certainly think love at first sight would be a type of theracence; when you know without analysis or experience that you were meant to be close to someone, that it is right for someone to be part of your life.
Intuition, also.
October 17, 2007
tellurian commented on the word theracence
theracence. n. a certainty of knowledge impressed upon one through other channels than logical deduction or belief; a knowledge that enters directly into one's mind along with the indisputable certainty that it is true, which cannot be derived from only observation of existence, and results in a knowing more certain than that which one can derive from observation alone. To therace: to know in this way, often in the form to therace that.
She possessed theracence of the fundamental nature of the universe, which many said was impossible.
He theraced that what he had just learnt was true.
October 17, 2007
tellurian commented on the list rich-words
Magnificent words! Deep and earthy, elemental....
October 15, 2007
tellurian commented on the list funny-words-6
You're surely missing "noodle".
October 15, 2007
tellurian commented on the user cathari
I love your "more about" profile, too. Really, those are all the things that one needs to know about something: is it beautiful; is it sincere; is it real. And frequently something that is one of those three will also be the other two....
October 15, 2007