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word | 5 Jul 2002 11:00

hypocorism: M-W's Word of the Day

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Playwright Lanford Wilson immortalized "The 5th of July"
in 1978. Read about him in our Dictionary of American Writers.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/book/peoplace/amwrit.htm
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The Word of the Day for July 6 is:

hypocorism   \hye-PAH-kuh-rih-zum or hye-puh-KOR-ih-zum\
(noun)
    *1 : a pet name
     2 : the use of pet names

Example sentence:
     Even monsters can have hypocorisms -- for example, we call
the Loch Ness monster "Nessie."

Did you know?
     "Hypocorism" was once briefly a buzzword among
philologists who used it rather broadly to mean "adult baby
talk," that is, the altered speech adults use when supposedly
imitating babies. But what the Greeks likely had in mind with
their word "hypokorisma" was simply pet names. (Pet names can
be diminutives like our "Johnny" for "John," endearing terms
such as "honey-bunch," or, yes, names from baby talk, like
"Nana" for "Grandma.") "Hypokorisma" comes from the verb
"hypokorizesthai" ("to call by pet names"), which itself comes
from "korizesthai" ("to treat with tokens of affection").
English speakers borrowed the noun as "hypocorism" (by way of
Late Latin "hypocorisma") in the late 19th century. Once the
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word | 6 Jul 2002 11:00

felicitous's Word of the Day

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Playwright Lanford Wilson immortalized "The 5th of July"
in 1978. Read about him in our Dictionary of American Writers.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/book/peoplace/amwrit.htm
***************************************************************

The Word of the Day for July 7 is:

felicitous   \fih-LIH-suh-tuss\   (adjective)
    *1 : very well suited or expressed : apt
     2 : pleasant, delightful

Example sentence:
     The expression "trip the light fantastic" seems
particularly felicitous when applied to the dance style of
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Did you know?
     The adjective "felicitous" has been part of our language
since the late 18th century, but "felicity," the noun meaning
"great happiness," and later, "aptness," was around even in
Middle English (as "felicite," a borrowing from Middle French).
Both words ultimately derive from the Latin adjective "felix,"
meaning "fruitful" or "happy." The ancient Romans apparently
found something particularly suitable in that juxtaposition of
meanings -- and happily, we've retained the "happy" sense in
our "felicitous."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
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word | 7 Jul 2002 11:00

chawbacon's Word of the Day

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Playwright Lanford Wilson immortalized "The 5th of July"
in 1978. Read about him in our Dictionary of American Writers.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/book/peoplace/amwrit.htm
***************************************************************

The Word of the Day for July 8 is:

chawbacon   \CHAW-bay-kun\   (noun)
     : bumpkin, hick

Example sentence:
     "Tad's such a chawbacon," said Cal, "you'll never take the
backwoods out of him, no matter how hard you try."

Did you know?
     "Chaw" is an alteration of "chew" that is still used in
some English dialects, especially in rural areas. According to
some sources, bacon was a staple of rural folks' diets in the
past. Since the 16th century, "chaw" has been combined with
"bacon" to create a ludicrous name for an uncultured yokel.
Over the centuries, the word has lent its delicious dialect
flavor to a wide range of publications, but it has become less
common in recent decades. Today, city dwellers are as likely as
country folk to chow down on bacon, and the word "chawbacon"
isn't often on the lips of either group.

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word | 8 Jul 2002 11:00

ingurgitate's Word of the Day

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Playwright Lanford Wilson immortalized "The 5th of July"
in 1978. Read about him in our Dictionary of American Writers.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/book/peoplace/amwrit.htm
***************************************************************

The Word of the Day for July 9 is:

ingurgitate   \in-GUR-juh-tayt\   (verb)
     : to swallow greedily or in large quantities : guzzle

Example sentence:
     The children hurriedly ingurgitated their dinner, then
rushed back outside to play.

Did you know?
     Most people are familiar with "regurgitate" as a fancy
synonym for "throw up," but far fewer know of its rarer antonym
"ingurgitate." It's a word as likely to turn up in a spelling
bee as in conversation, but it does see occasional use, both
literal (as in "ingurgitating red wine") and figurative (as in
"ingurgitating artwork"). "Regurgitate" and "ingurgitate" (and
also "gurgitate," an even rarer synonym of "ingurgitate") can
be ultimately traced back to the Latin word for "whirlpool,"
which is "gurges."

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word | 9 Jul 2002 11:00

smarmy's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for July 10 is:

smarmy   \SMAHR-mee\   (adjective)
    *1 : revealing or marked by a smug, ingratiating, or false
earnestness
     2 : of low sleazy taste or quality

Example sentence:
     "I was so disappointed to hear you didn't get that
promotion," said Kit insincerely, using a smarmy tone of voice
that made me fume.

Did you know?
     Something "smarmy" will often ooze with self-satisfaction
and insincerity. Much like synonyms "unctuous" and "slick," it
has a history that starts with a meaning of literal slipperiness
or oiliness. The verb "smarm" appeared in English in the mid-
19th century. Etymologists don't know where it came from, but
they do know that it meant "to smear," "to gush," or sometimes
"to make smooth or oily." A few decades later, use of "smarm"
was extended to sometimes mean "to use flattery." The adjective
"smarmy" appeared in the early 20th century. At first meaning
"insincerely flattering" or "smug," it later took on an
additional meaning: "sleazy."
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word | 10 Jul 2002 11:00

propitious's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for July 11 is:

propitious   \pruh-PIH-shuss\   (adjective)
     1 : favorably disposed : benevolent
     2 : being of good omen : auspicious
    *3 : tending to favor : advantageous

Example sentence:
     The continuing surge in economic growth made it a
particularly propitious time to start a new business.

Did you know?
     "Propitious," which comes to us through Middle English
from the Latin word "propitius" (same meaning as "propitious"),
is a synonym of "favorable" and "auspicious." All three
essentially mean "pointing toward a happy outcome," with some
differences of emphasis. "Favorable" implies that the persons
involved in a situation are approving or helpful, or that
circumstances are advantageous ("favorable weather conditions").
"Auspicious" usually applies to a sign or omen that promises
success before or at the start of an event ("an auspicious
beginning"). "Propitious" may also apply to beginnings, but it
often suggests a continuing promising condition ("propitious
conditions for an alliance").
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word | 11 Jul 2002 11:00

quondam's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for July 12 is:

quondam   \KWAHN-dum or KWAHN-dam\   (adjective)
     : former, sometime

Example sentence:
     After they moved into their new house, Mike and Lynn
discovered a cache of hundred dollar bills hidden behind the
fridge by the quondam owner.

Did you know?
     Looking for an unusual and creative way to say "former"?
"Quondam" (which came to English in the 16th century from Latin
"quondam," meaning "formerly") certainly fits the bill. Or
maybe you'd prefer one of its synonyms: "whilom," "ci-devant"
or "preterit." Or you could really go crazy with "umquhile," a
word that is extremely rare even in its more natural Scots
English setting. "Quondam" itself isn't exactly ubiquitous, but
it's used more than any of the other words above. If you're
looking for something a bit more pedestrian, you might try yet
another synonym: "erstwhile." Despite its wonderfully archaic
flavor, "erstwhile" is a highly favored alternative.

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word | 12 Jul 2002 11:00

kibitzer's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for July 13 is:

kibitzer   \KIH-bit-ser\   (noun)
     : one who looks on and often offers unwanted advice or
comment especially at a card game; broadly : one who offers
opinions

Example sentence:
     Sue's uncle was an inveterate kibitzer, and worse, he
usually offered bad advice.

Did you know?
     The Yiddish language has given English some particularly
piquant terms over the years, and "kibitzer" is one such term.
"Kibitzer," spelled "kibitser" in Yiddish, came to that
language from the German word "kiebitzen," meaning "to look on
(at cards)." "Kiebitzen" may or may not be derived from a
German word for "lapwing," a type of bird noted for its shrill
and raucous cry. (We can speculate that the bird's cry reminded
people of the shrill commentary of onlookers at card games.)
The word became more popular and widespread after the 1929 play
_The Kibitzer_ came out. Although "kibitzer" usually implies
some sort of meddling, there is a respectable body of evidence
for the word simply meaning "spectator," regardless of whether
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word | 13 Jul 2002 11:00

demagogue's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for July 14 is:

demagogue   \DEH-muh-gahg\   (noun)
    *1 : a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false
claims and promises in order to gain power
     2 : a leader championing the cause of the common people in
ancient times

Example sentence:
     "The man is, I believe, a complete demagogue in the sense
that he can take the truth and twist it completely around all
the time he's gaining more and more power." [_Outside The Magic
Circle_, Hollinger F. Barnard, Editor)]

Did you know?
     When the ancient Greeks used "demagogos" they meant
someone good -- a leader who used outstanding oratorical skills
to further the interests of the common people. Mid-17th-century
writers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Dryden and, later,
Jonathan Swift employed the English word that way. But at
the same time the word -- from "demos," meaning "people" and
"agein," which means to lead -- took a negative turn, coming
to suggest one who uses his powers of persuasion to sway and
mislead. "A plausible, insignificant word, in the mouth of
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word | 14 Jul 2002 11:00

august's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for July 15 is:

august   \aw-GUST or AW-gust\   (adjective)
     : marked by majestic dignity or grandeur

Example sentence:
     Mr. Lee's bearing was always august and stately, and he
drew respectful glances wherever he went.

Did you know?
     "August" comes from the Latin word "augustus," meaning
"consecrated, venerable," which in turn derives from "augere,"
a verb meaning "to make grow" or "to increase." The first Roman
emperor was given the title "Augustus" to reflect his lofty
status. During his reign (in 8 B.C.), the Roman Senate voted to
use the title to replace the name of the month "Sextilis" in
their calendar to honor their grand leader. English speakers
inherited the name of the month of August with the rest of the
Julian calendar, but it wasn't until the mid-1600s that "august"
came to be used generically in English, more or less as
"augustus" was in Latin, to refer to someone with imperial
qualities.

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