I just heard the word "riparian" for the first time ever today used twice in an NPR story on the California levees and wondered what the heck it meant. Now I know.
I love coming across new words, scribbling them down during my commute and then looking them up later. Words are like jewels to me, each one as precious as the one before, and no two ever exactly the same, like snowflakes. Plus, words are the one thing you can never take away from me, not through poverty or old age or anything. Even if we couldn't speak or see, they'd stay richly, deeply rooted in our minds, echoing throughout between synapses, in the fertile soil that can never amass too many of them in its vastness.
Sometimes, just for kicks, when I'm riding the train home from work, I take a blank paper journal page and write one word at the top. Then, I will write until I run out of ideas -- writing one word or phrase after another, which the initial word helps to spark inside my mind. In this way, I go on a kind of psychedelic word "trip," and, before I know it, I'm at my stop, which is a 40-minute ride to the end of the rail line and I'm feeling energized and full of new wonder.
I learned this one just this week when the Google blog had an article about a guy who was one and speaks over 50-something languages - wow.
A hyperpolyglot is one who can speak six or more languages fluently. The term was coined by the linguist Richard Hudson in 2003 and derives from the word "polyglot", meaning one who can speak multiple languages.
I had never heard this word until today, 28 Aug 2007, in a headline about the Greek gov't. being pilloried due to the rampant fires raging across the region in Greece.
I am sure it has already been invented, but I used the term today in my blog at http://gotbuzz.vox.com to talk about "blog debris," or blogs created and then forgotten about, abandoned, left unused, etc. So they populate the blogosphere to no good purpose, taking up space better blogs could occupy instead, IMHO.
I am sure it has already been invented, but I used the term today in my blog at http://gotbuzz.vox.com to talk about "blog debris," or blogs created and then forgotten about, abandoned, left unused, etc. So they populate the blogosphere to no good purpose, taking up space better blogs could occupy instead, IMHO.
The price of early adoption: For those of us nerds in the IT biz, "marketecture" refers to glitzy technology that increases sales commissions but doesn't deliver a whole lot (yet). So now you have your own little piece of HD marketecture. Ain't it grand? Another term for marketecture is "bleeding edge." As you might imagine, that is not a pleasant -- or cheap -- place to be.
I never heard this phrase before until today when I came across it in an article in which Middle East historian David Fromkin said he sees "a breakup of the jerry-built nation," when referring to Iraq's bleak future.
I love using "gel" more as a verb than as a noun - as in, "Once the professor explained more on the topic, the concept began to 'gel' better in my mind." I'm sure many of us are also familiar with how the commmercial for that one company's gel inserts uses it in their tagline "Are you gel'in?"
It always brings my mind back to my favorite now basically cult-status flick, "Office Space" and how it described what Jennifer Aniston wore on her person as a restaurant employee in the film.
I was curious how you came to put Orinoco into your words. I happened to think of the Enya song, "Orinoco Flow," and that's how it came to my mind. Thanks. Jen
Cool, sounds like fun. I Googled this because I was looking for some kind(s) of games involving Wordie, and I knew someone out there had to have thought of this already - Bravo!
Just heard this word for the first time yesterday during a business meeting when we got branded potholders handed out to go along with our "hot topics" for the meeting - cool idea, I thought.
Hmmmm, I just heard this word for the first time yesterday - got it on my Word-A-Day email from one of those sites.
Is there maybe a word to describe the male gender, the husband, as well? That was what I wondered when I read it, us being in this day and age of equality and all : )
Just after I left that last comment, I typed in my own word totally out of the blue that just came to mind, and that was "copse." And you turned out to be the person who added that first - your screenname was once again right up there on top.
The Internet is a global bricolage, lashing together unthinkable complexities of miscellaneous computers with temporary lengths of phone line and fiber optic, bits of Ethernet cable and strings of code.
-- Bernard Sharratt, "Only Connected", New York Times, December 17, 1995
I had never heard this word before - maybe it's just been invented, but I love the sound of it.
A friend I connected with on 43Places said another of its members would be good for me to get in touch with for my clutter problem, because she is "very committed to discardia."
The traditional rite of worship, called puja, is a sanctified act of the highest importance for the Hindu. It is the invoking of God Siva and the Gods and the heartfelt expression of our love, devotion and surrender. Aum.
Bhashya
Puja is a ceremony in which the ringing of bells, passing of flames, presenting of offerings and chanting invoke the devas and Mahadevas, who then come to bless and help us. Puja is our holy communion, full of wonder and tender affections. It is that part of our day which we share most closely and consciously with our beloved Deity; and thus it is for Saivites the axis of religious life. Our worship through puja, outlined in the Saiva Agamas, may be an expression of festive celebration of important events in life, of adoration and thanksgiving, penance and confession, prayerful supplication and requests, or contemplation at the deepest levels of superconsciousness. Puja may be conducted on highly auspicious days in a most elaborate, orthodox and strict manner by the temple pujaris, or it may be offered in the simplest form each morning and evening in the home shrine by any devotee. The Vedas proclaim, "Sacrifice resembles a loom with threads extended this way and that, composed of innumerable rituals. Behold now the fathers weaving the fabric; seated on the outstretched loom. 'Lengthwise! Crosswise!' they cry." Aum Namah Sivaya.
I was wondering if, in the future, there might be more attributes to the site? Like word games that encourage interaction and more familiarity with other members. And also, is it possible that we could have the ability to post just our photos on our profiles? I hope I'm not being too annoying with my ideas here - just some thoughts that struck me : )
You are doing a superb job for a "slack bastard" as I saw somewhere on the site - not slack at all! We logophiles are grateful for the birth of Wordie, I believe.
Quick question - how do I have more than one list? I don't seem to have found the option for that, but I see that other people have not made just one unwieldy list of words, as I have - they have separate ones for separate topics.
Please tell me how that's done, if you would. Thanks and happy holidays to you. Jen
kismet (kizmet, kizmat, kizmit) turkish from Arabic qismah portion, lot noun fate, fortune, destiny: "It’s predestined on the face of it. Yes, tell him it’s Kismet. Kismet, mallum? (Fate! Do you understand?)" (Rudyard Kipling, Kim, 1901).
Hi, there seems to be no way to just edit a word once you've put it in - looks like you must delete it and retype it and add it? Maybe an edit link for each word would be handy - just a thought from a dedicated new user : ) Jen
Thanks. The site is great though! I've already apprised my coworkers of its existence where I work here in a media analysis environment; so it comes in handy.
Unperson is a person who had been "vaporized"; who has been not only killed by the state, but effectively erased from existence. Such a person would be written out of existing books, photographs, and articles so that no trace of their existence could be found in the historical record. The idea is that such a person would, according to the principles of doublethink, be forgotten completely (for it would be impossible to provide evidence of their existence), even by close friends and family members, and mentioning his/her name is thoughtcrime. (The concept that the person may have existed at one time, and has disappeared, cannot be expressed in Newspeak.) Compare to the Stalinist practice of erasing people from photographs after their death.
excerpt from Wikipedia:
A similar punishment, damnatio memoriae, was used in the Roman Empire. The Soviet Union also provided real-world examples of unpersons in its treatment of Leon Trotsky and other members of the Communist party who became politically inconvenient. In his 1960 magazine article "Pravda means 'Truth'", reprinted in Expanded Universe, Robert A. Heinlein argued that John Paul Jones and a mysterious May 15, 1960 cosmonaut had also received this treatment.
The official language in the George Orwell book "1984," one of my favorite books of all time, especially because of how, over half a century later, although it is fictional, it seems more relevant than ever. How amazing to think that it was written when it was.
I already knew this word when I heard it on NPR last night in the phrase "clandestine moray," but the British announcer said it so sexily it sent shivers down my spine - such a great word, Clandestine - don't you think?
The word "doublespeak" is often incorrectly attributed to Orwell. It was actually coined in the early 1950s, and never actually appears in Nineteen Eighty-Four, but its meaning forms a natural parallel to the Newspeak word doublethink.
Comments by ecrivaine33
ecrivaine33 commented on the word confluence
Simple word, but I like the sound and the meaning of it.
September 4, 2008
ecrivaine33 commented on the word tweet
I'm Ecrivaine33 on Twitter
September 10, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word riparian
I just heard the word "riparian" for the first time ever today used twice in an NPR story on the California levees and wondered what the heck it meant. Now I know.
I love coming across new words, scribbling them down during my commute and then looking them up later. Words are like jewels to me, each one as precious as the one before, and no two ever exactly the same, like snowflakes. Plus, words are the one thing you can never take away from me, not through poverty or old age or anything. Even if we couldn't speak or see, they'd stay richly, deeply rooted in our minds, echoing throughout between synapses, in the fertile soil that can never amass too many of them in its vastness.
Sometimes, just for kicks, when I'm riding the train home from work, I take a blank paper journal page and write one word at the top. Then, I will write until I run out of ideas -- writing one word or phrase after another, which the initial word helps to spark inside my mind. In this way, I go on a kind of psychedelic word "trip," and, before I know it, I'm at my stop, which is a 40-minute ride to the end of the rail line and I'm feeling energized and full of new wonder.
August 30, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word sonorous
I love the sound of this word, coincidentally.
August 30, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the user reesetee
I also added you and sent an invite on LibraryThing. Have a good one. I'm Ecrivaine32 on that site.
August 28, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the user reesetee
I'm on Blinklist as Ecrivaine32
Looks like you just got started on Blinklist. Feel free to scoop from my over 21,000 links (currently). And thanks for the comment on Wordie.
August 28, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word hyperpolyglot
I learned this one just this week when the Google blog had an article about a guy who was one and speaks over 50-something languages - wow.
A hyperpolyglot is one who can speak six or more languages fluently. The term was coined by the linguist Richard Hudson in 2003 and derives from the word "polyglot", meaning one who can speak multiple languages.
Hyperpolyglot on Wikipedia
August 28, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word pillory
I had never heard this word until today, 28 Aug 2007, in a headline about the Greek gov't. being pilloried due to the rampant fires raging across the region in Greece.
August 28, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word blitter
"blog or blogosphere litter," hence blitter
I am sure it has already been invented, but I used the term today in my blog at http://gotbuzz.vox.com to talk about "blog debris," or blogs created and then forgotten about, abandoned, left unused, etc. So they populate the blogosphere to no good purpose, taking up space better blogs could occupy instead, IMHO.
Twitter is so "blitter," IMHO.
March 29, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word fauxhawk
Just saw this word for the first time today in an article about some guy on the TV show "American Idol."
March 28, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word blidget
"blog litter," hence blitter
I am sure it has already been invented, but I used the term today in my blog at http://gotbuzz.vox.com to talk about "blog debris," or blogs created and then forgotten about, abandoned, left unused, etc. So they populate the blogosphere to no good purpose, taking up space better blogs could occupy instead, IMHO.
February 7, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word blidget
I first saw this today on http://widgetbox.com
It's a new feature on the site that is a term coined from "blog" and "widget."
Read more on my tech blog at:
http://gotbuzz.vox.com/library/post/driven-to-wordcoining-distraction-by-the-new-blidgets.html
February 7, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word marketecture
The price of early adoption: For those of us nerds in the IT biz, "marketecture" refers to glitzy technology that increases sales commissions but doesn't deliver a whole lot (yet). So now you have your own little piece of HD marketecture. Ain't it grand? Another term for marketecture is "bleeding edge." As you might imagine, that is not a pleasant -- or cheap -- place to be.
January 29, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the list some-words
Hi, John,
Great changes on the site. I noticed you'd changed some things.
P.S. I still cannot figure out how to make separate lists. The last time I looked at it I guess I just didn't see how to do this.
January 27, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word obstreperous
I saw this word for the first time ever today in a Boston Globe article.
January 23, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word jerry-built
I never heard this phrase before until today when I came across it in an article in which Middle East historian David Fromkin said he sees "a breakup of the jerry-built nation," when referring to Iraq's bleak future.
January 22, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word gel
I love using "gel" more as a verb than as a noun - as in, "Once the professor explained more on the topic, the concept began to 'gel' better in my mind." I'm sure many of us are also familiar with how the commmercial for that one company's gel inserts uses it in their tagline "Are you gel'in?"
January 19, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word administrivia
I first saw this word in Po Bronson's book, "What Should I Do With My Life," which I was reading this morning on the Metrorail train to work.
January 19, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word flare
It always brings my mind back to my favorite now basically cult-status flick, "Office Space" and how it described what Jennifer Aniston wore on her person as a restaurant employee in the film.
January 19, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the list librarygoblin-s-words
I was curious how you came to put Orinoco into your words. I happened to think of the Enya song, "Orinoco Flow," and that's how it came to my mind. Thanks. Jen
January 19, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word owlish
Probably because I am just mad about owls
January 18, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the list game-of-wordie
Cool, sounds like fun. I Googled this because I was looking for some kind(s) of games involving Wordie, and I knew someone out there had to have thought of this already - Bravo!
I love this site.
Jen
January 16, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the list hiroe-s-words
I absolutely love your interesting words - came across you when I was the second person to list "vaporware."
Jen
January 14, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the list gloriaha-s-words
Love your words! So many that I can't name a fave.
Happy...err... Wordie-ing.
Where do you think you get most of your words from? Just curious.
Through stream of consciousness thinking, which I think is how I do it, or reading, hearing them at work, etc.?
Take care. Jen
January 13, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word tchotchke
Aren't Yiddish words so much fun?
Just heard this word for the first time yesterday during a business meeting when we got branded potholders handed out to go along with our "hot topics" for the meeting - cool idea, I thought.
January 10, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word uxorious
Hmmmm, I just heard this word for the first time yesterday - got it on my Word-A-Day email from one of those sites.
Is there maybe a word to describe the male gender, the husband, as well? That was what I wondered when I read it, us being in this day and age of equality and all : )
http://people.tribe.net/ecrivaine32/blog/f600fa12-bd27-42c0-b987-373c089d04e4
January 10, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the user thricedotted
Just after I left that last comment, I typed in my own word totally out of the blue that just came to mind, and that was "copse." And you turned out to be the person who added that first - your screenname was once again right up there on top.
Jen
January 6, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the list thricedotted-s-words
I keep coming across you everytime I put in a favorite word, it seems. We must have similar tastes in books.
What are your fave authors, subjects or book titles?
Jen
January 6, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the list dbmag9-s-words
I enjoyed your comment on serendipity - ain't life grand?
Jen
January 5, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word helical
Funny - how you ever seen the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical "Cats?"
This word made me immediately think of the song "Jellicle Cats," since it rhymes with it. At least I think that's the name of the song.
Funny how our minds work with what we've fed them over the years for so long and what we have encountered in our individual lives.
Jen
January 5, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word bricolage
The Internet is a global bricolage, lashing together unthinkable complexities of miscellaneous computers with temporary lengths of phone line and fiber optic, bits of Ethernet cable and strings of code.
-- Bernard Sharratt, "Only Connected", New York Times, December 17, 1995
January 2, 2007
ecrivaine33 commented on the word discardia
Also, when I tried to Googlemark it (http://googlemark.org), I found it already existed at http://www.metagrrrl.com/discardia/
The post explains more about it as a concept.
Nice portmanteau though.
December 31, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word discardia
I had never heard this word before - maybe it's just been invented, but I love the sound of it.
A friend I connected with on 43Places said another of its members would be good for me to get in touch with for my clutter problem, because she is "very committed to discardia."
I like the sound of that word, for some reason.
December 31, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the list kaichi-s-wordie-darlings-or-i-m-a-logophile-and-i-m-okay
Funny that you said that, because I use it most to describe myself. I am usually apt to say, "I'm all discombobulated today..."
December 31, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word puja
What Is the Inner Importance of Puja?
The traditional rite of worship, called puja, is a sanctified act of the highest importance for the Hindu. It is the invoking of God Siva and the Gods and the heartfelt expression of our love, devotion and surrender. Aum.
Bhashya
Puja is a ceremony in which the ringing of bells, passing of flames, presenting of offerings and chanting invoke the devas and Mahadevas, who then come to bless and help us. Puja is our holy communion, full of wonder and tender affections. It is that part of our day which we share most closely and consciously with our beloved Deity; and thus it is for Saivites the axis of religious life. Our worship through puja, outlined in the Saiva Agamas, may be an expression of festive celebration of important events in life, of adoration and thanksgiving, penance and confession, prayerful supplication and requests, or contemplation at the deepest levels of superconsciousness. Puja may be conducted on highly auspicious days in a most elaborate, orthodox and strict manner by the temple pujaris, or it may be offered in the simplest form each morning and evening in the home shrine by any devotee. The Vedas proclaim, "Sacrifice resembles a loom with threads extended this way and that, composed of innumerable rituals. Behold now the fathers weaving the fabric; seated on the outstretched loom. 'Lengthwise! Crosswise!' they cry." Aum Namah Sivaya.
December 29, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the list some-words
I was wondering if, in the future, there might be more attributes to the site? Like word games that encourage interaction and more familiarity with other members. And also, is it possible that we could have the ability to post just our photos on our profiles? I hope I'm not being too annoying with my ideas here - just some thoughts that struck me : )
You are doing a superb job for a "slack bastard" as I saw somewhere on the site - not slack at all! We logophiles are grateful for the birth of Wordie, I believe.
December 21, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the list some-words
Hi, John,
Quick question - how do I have more than one list? I don't seem to have found the option for that, but I see that other people have not made just one unwieldy list of words, as I have - they have separate ones for separate topics.
Please tell me how that's done, if you would. Thanks and happy holidays to you. Jen
December 21, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word bohica
This slang acronym that I've heard around the military at times disturbs me greatly. It stands for "Bend Over, Here it Comes Again." I mean EEW, ICK!
December 21, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the user kaichi
Words are pure music to the ears - only addicted logophiles like us can appreciate that : ) Jen
December 21, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word fulking
Are you "fulking" kidding me? Sorry, couldn't resist.
December 21, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word kismet
kismet (kizmet, kizmat, kizmit) turkish from Arabic qismah portion, lot noun fate, fortune, destiny: "It’s predestined on the face of it. Yes, tell him it’s Kismet. Kismet, mallum? (Fate! Do you understand?)" (Rudyard Kipling, Kim, 1901).
December 18, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word klezmer
Heard a story about this type of Jewish music that is in a revival in the U.S. - on NPR today
December 18, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word syncretic
syncretic \sin-KRET-ik; sing-\, adjective:
Uniting and blending together different systems, as of philosophy, morals, or religion.
December 15, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word scuttlebutt
Maybe if I had spent less time keying into the words people were saying and more time making the rounds, I would have met more people, hmmm? LOL.
But, what can I say, I am a logophile of the worst kind : )
December 15, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word momo
I heard a gal say this at a party last night - had no idea what she meant when she said "I am a big 'momo.'" I've heard "mofo" before, but momo?
December 15, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the list some-words
John,
Hi, there seems to be no way to just edit a word once you've put it in - looks like you must delete it and retype it and add it? Maybe an edit link for each word would be handy - just a thought from a dedicated new user : ) Jen
Thanks. The site is great though! I've already apprised my coworkers of its existence where I work here in a media analysis environment; so it comes in handy.
December 14, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the list words-that-populate-my-mind
Oh, thanks. I guess I misinterpreted what I read before. Thanks for the info.
December 14, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word [unperson]
Unperson is a person who had been "vaporized"; who has been not only killed by the state, but effectively erased from existence. Such a person would be written out of existing books, photographs, and articles so that no trace of their existence could be found in the historical record. The idea is that such a person would, according to the principles of doublethink, be forgotten completely (for it would be impossible to provide evidence of their existence), even by close friends and family members, and mentioning his/her name is thoughtcrime. (The concept that the person may have existed at one time, and has disappeared, cannot be expressed in Newspeak.) Compare to the Stalinist practice of erasing people from photographs after their death.
excerpt from Wikipedia:
A similar punishment, damnatio memoriae, was used in the Roman Empire. The Soviet Union also provided real-world examples of unpersons in its treatment of Leon Trotsky and other members of the Communist party who became politically inconvenient. In his 1960 magazine article "Pravda means 'Truth'", reprinted in Expanded Universe, Robert A. Heinlein argued that John Paul Jones and a mysterious May 15, 1960 cosmonaut had also received this treatment.
December 13, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word [newspeak]
The official language in the George Orwell book "1984," one of my favorite books of all time, especially because of how, over half a century later, although it is fictional, it seems more relevant than ever. How amazing to think that it was written when it was.
December 13, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word [clandestine]
I already knew this word when I heard it on NPR last night in the phrase "clandestine moray," but the British announcer said it so sexily it sent shivers down my spine - such a great word, Clandestine - don't you think?
December 13, 2006
ecrivaine33 commented on the word [doublespeak]
The word "doublespeak" is often incorrectly attributed to Orwell. It was actually coined in the early 1950s, and never actually appears in Nineteen Eighty-Four, but its meaning forms a natural parallel to the Newspeak word doublethink.
December 13, 2006