polymorph has adopted no words, looked up 0 words, created 9 lists, listed 411 words, written 66 comments, added 0 tags, and loved 235 words.
Comments for polymorph
-
Is there a more narcissistic act than leaving a comment for yourself? I suppose if I had a dissociative identity disorder there might be a reasonable need for one personality to leave a message for another, but a sticky note just seems like it would be more practical.
April 10, 2007
Comments by polymorph
polymorph commented on the word adelphophagy
This behavior of intrauterine cannibalism in sharks was mentioned on the Sharkland documentary on PBS recently.
May 7, 2007
polymorph commented on the word nuées ardentes
incandescent cloud produced by a volcano.
April 30, 2007
polymorph commented on the word nyotaimori
AKA body sushi
April 19, 2007
polymorph commented on the word merino
This word always calls to mind a quote from one of my favorite pieces by John Muir:
"Give to Nature every cultured apple--codling, pippin, russet--and every sheep so laboriously compounded--muffled Southdowns, hairy Cotswolds, wrinkled Merinos--and she would throw the one to her caterpillars, the other to her wolves."
April 16, 2007
polymorph commented on the word thigh pie
This is best served with a giant pork sword.
April 16, 2007
polymorph commented on the word toxoplasmosis
This fascinating disease was recently blamed in the news for turning women into sex kittens and men into alley cats.
The article made light of the feline terms for human behavior because the parasite normally infects mice and cats. It appears to also alter the behavior of infected mice. It is theorized that it triggers the release of dopamine in the mouse's brain when a mouse encounters the odor of a cat. Infected mice then will seek out such locations (which healthy mice avoid), presumably because the parasite wants to be eaten in order to complete it's cycle- the dopamine is a neurochemical carrot that counteracts the mouse's instinctive avoidance of cats.
April 16, 2007
polymorph commented on the word strannik
Some additional insight into this Russian word is found in this document:
"In contemporary Russian, strana doesn’t mean “other’s country�?, simply “country�?.... Etymological dictionaries however indicate the shared root of strana and storona (part)... Hence also the strannik, the pilgrim, the one who travels, and that is strange, in the sense that he is literally out of (his normal) place. Something similar happens in Italian too, with the etymology of “strano�? and “straniero�?."
According to the wikipedia entry for Grigori Rasputin, the so-called mad monk was considered a strannik or "religious pilgrim".
ninjawords tries to resolve this as 'strange' which probably is related.
April 16, 2007
polymorph commented on the word scissoring
See also tribadism and clam jousting.
April 14, 2007
polymorph commented on the word feminism
Bumper sticker politics:
Feminism is the radical notion
that women are people
P.S. I think I added scissoring last night :)
April 14, 2007
polymorph commented on the word intelligent design
This phrase makes me LoL almost more than moral majority.
"Our neoconservatives are neither new nor conservative, but old as Babylon and evil as Hell."
- Edward Abbey
April 14, 2007
polymorph commented on the word clamjousting
lmfao
April 14, 2007
polymorph commented on the word lapus lazuli
doh!
April 14, 2007
polymorph commented on the word longcat
Longcat is looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong
April 14, 2007
polymorph commented on the word wherefore
Not "where" but "why". See this explanation of what Juliet really meant when she lamented "Wherefore art thou Romeo".
April 14, 2007
polymorph commented on the word mawkishness
This word appears in Pablo Neruda's Toward an Impure Poetry:
"Let no one forget them. Melancholy, old mawkishness impure and unflawed, fruits of a fabulous species lost to the memory, cast away in a frenzy's abandonment---moonlight, the swan in the gathering darkness, all hackneyed endearments: surely that is the poet's concern, essential and absolute."
Google found etymology here:
17c: from obsolete mawk a maggot, from Norse mathkr.
See also mawkish
April 14, 2007
polymorph commented on the word diphallic
The wiki article has some more information, but it seems you're right - it's probably not a pretty or pleasant thing to have given it could also be accompanied by two assholes. The wiki article also mentions related terms diphallia and diphallus (I guess when referring to an instance of the condition?)
The wiki also mentions that this is considered an example of a supernumerary body part.
April 14, 2007
polymorph commented on the word diphallic
I saw a picture of a diphallic man recently and commented that he could provide for many women's double penetration fantasies.
April 14, 2007
polymorph commented on the word hurdy-gurdy
I saw Nigel Eaton play a hurdy-gurdy at a Page and Plant show in the 90s. The hurdy-gurdy.com FAQ has more details about those performances and also a note on etymology.
April 13, 2007
polymorph commented on the word menocide
The musician Otep uses this word in a song of the same title. The chorus is "kill your masters" but the Latin for Master is 'Magister', so it's most likely a word she made up that would mean literally "men killer" (vs women killer) based on the context.
April 12, 2007
polymorph commented on the word ass pirate
A year ago a local movie theater had their signboard words re-arranged. At the time they were showing "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "An Inconvenient Truth", among others.
The vandals had rearranged the letters to spell out the following message:
AN INCONVENIENT ASS PIRATE WEARS A STRAP-ON
I also found that term on the NFL's list of naughty words that cannot be printed on official personalized jerseys.
I don't know what these guys will do if/when they go pro ;)
April 11, 2007
polymorph commented on the word simianity
Compare with humanity
April 11, 2007
polymorph commented on the word pisaster giganteus
The Planet Earth series recently featured an amazing time lapse of the Giant sea star hunting on the ocean bottom.
April 11, 2007
polymorph commented on the word drainbow
Term coined by US wilderness activists to describe members of the Rainbow Family who come to remote wilderness action camps and eat the groups food without making a contribution to the planned action(s).
April 11, 2007
polymorph commented on the word trustafarian
A (usually white) person who grows dreadlocks and assumes other characteristics of the rasta lifestyle, while still supported by their trust funds in a manner that could probably feed an entire village of real Jamaicans for a year. Often seen on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall getting back into their 4-Runners after panhandling for change.
April 11, 2007
polymorph commented on the word freegan
Free + Vegan - could be one who will eat vegan food IF it is free, or one who is Vegan but prefers finding free food (I ran across the term amongst some hippies in college and never really got clarification on this point). See also opportunivore, trustafarian and drainbow.
April 11, 2007
polymorph commented on the word opportunivore
See also freegan (If's it's free I can be Vegan)
April 11, 2007
polymorph commented on the word orbo
A supposed clean, free-energy source under development by the Irish company Steorn.
April 11, 2007
polymorph commented on the list words-japanese-people-cannot-pronounce
I can only imagine being asked by my employer if I did my civic duty on "erection day".
April 11, 2007
polymorph commented on the word stroke
I had a great uncle who, after suffering a stroke, could no longer remember certain words. Notable among them was the word "stroke". He would write it all over on notepads and in the margins of newspapers to help him remember it. Sometimes he would still have to ask his wife "What did I have again?".
I think he also had a problem with the word chicken
April 11, 2007
polymorph commented on the word sebkhet
Interesting. This wordie page is #1 in a regular google search for sebkhet, and also indexed in the top results are non-existent pages at both dictionary.com and urbandictionary.com. I wonder if by google indexing the links here they added those two pages that don't exist as well...?
It appears that sebkhet is a place in the Sahara known more fully as Sebkhet Oumm ed Droûs Guebli.
My girlfriend commented when she saw the word on the screen that it sounded Egyptian, and I agreed.
April 11, 2007
polymorph commented on the word mycophile
M-W is the only listed dictionary that defines this word, which means literally "Mushroom lover".
April 10, 2007
polymorph commented on the word rawr
Like this
April 10, 2007
polymorph commented on the word pwn
this says it all
April 10, 2007
polymorph commented on the word irc
The LoL goes here
April 10, 2007
polymorph commented on the word chatroom
The LoL goes here!
April 10, 2007
polymorph commented on the user polymorph
Is there a more narcissistic act than leaving a comment for yourself? I suppose if I had a dissociative identity disorder there might be a reasonable need for one personality to leave a message for another, but a sticky note just seems like it would be more practical.
April 10, 2007
polymorph commented on the word failboat
This is a failboat.
April 9, 2007
polymorph commented on the word cilantro
Cilantro was left in the Pharoah's tombs to prevent indigestion in the afterlife.
There's also a humorous discussion about cilantro over at veganporn.com.
People have enough hatred of cilantro that a domain was spawned to fight it: ihatecilantro.com
April 9, 2007
polymorph commented on the word utopia
Well, utopia is literally "nowhere". I think it's interesting that social perfection is forever linguistically impossible (as it likely is in reality, so I think I favor this word).
April 9, 2007
polymorph commented on the word molasses
If you've never heard of the Boston molasses disaster check out this wiki article.
April 9, 2007
polymorph commented on the word metrosexual
My personal favorite definition for metrosexual can be found over at uncyclopedia.org
April 9, 2007
polymorph commented on the word e-penis
See the Urban Dictionary entry, specifically usage #3:
Online "social status" on an internet forum. Usually based on stats such as post count, or amount of time one has been a member.
April 9, 2007
polymorph commented on the word e-penis
With the addition of this word, my e-penis is now exactly 155 words long.
April 9, 2007
polymorph commented on the word diastole
Mentioned with its cousin systole in the Robinson Jeffers' poem The Great Explosion:
And no doubt it will burst again; diastole and systole: the
whole universe beats like a heart.
April 9, 2007
polymorph commented on the word uncompahgre
Uncompahgre is a corruption of the Ute phrase "hot springs":
unca - hot
pah - water
gre - spring
April 9, 2007
polymorph commented on the word sinapu
Sinapu is the Ute word for wolf and also the name of a colorado-based wolf recovery organization.
April 9, 2007
polymorph commented on the word interweb
I like internets better myself
April 9, 2007
polymorph commented on the word mitochondrial eve
Our mitochondria have their own DNA and RNA which reproduce on their own. At conception the nuclear DNA of each parent is combined, but the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is exclusively contributed by the mother. This means that researchers can trace back lineage by mtDNA, and that all living humans share a common ancestor known as mitochondrial eve (but see wikipedia for more information about what that really means).
I wonder if there is a communication mechanism the mitochondria have that we aren't aware of (sub-audible? olfactory? chemical? perhaps the "chemistry of love" is combination of physical attraction AND mtDNA compatibilty), which could occasionally account for other things ranging from Jung's collective unconscious to ESP?
It seems that we are human-bacteria hybrids and even if it is not the mitochondria, there may be other biological explanations for paranormal phenomena
For an excellent read see Lewis Thomas Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher
April 9, 2007
polymorph commented on the word fulgarite
None of the dictionary links will work for this word. See this article: Lightning Fossils for some interesting and darkly humorous history.
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word polymorph perverse
According to Freud, all humans are born polymorph perverse which this site defines as:
infantile interest in obtaining gratification from such activities as viewing, touching, exhibiting
Characterized by or displaying sexual tendencies that have no specific direction, as in an infant or young child, but that may evolve into acts that are regarded as perversions in adults.
Etymologically this phrase literally means "many forms turn through" and gives me a visual image of autofellatio
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word anatolia
Some day I want to visit Anatolia and see the underground cities for myself. They are rumored to be one of the great (albeit unofficial) wonders of the world. I first read about these cities in From the Ashes of Angels, a book about the nephilim.
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word crepuscular
One theory of the evolution of the human brain is that our distant crepuscular ancestors needed sharp vision to avoid predators. This lead to increased brain capacity necessary to process the higher image resolution that their enlarged optic nerve was delivering (I imagine a wide-eyed lemur-like creature constantly scanning its environment searching for danger in the twilight).
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word bonobo
Bonobos are the closest non-human relatives to us, with slightly more identical DNA than the chimpanzees who are second-closest. It is believed that all three descend from a common ancestor and that perhaps humans have inherited the capability for both the chimp's warlike nature and the bonobo's more peaceful tendencies.
It's worth noting that bonobos are matriarchal. The males are physically bigger than the females, but the females have learned to band together to enforce order.
And speaking of hangups, the first studies of the Bonobos couched some of their findings in Latin for fear of causing offense:
Sex, it turned out, is the key to the social life of the bonobo. The first suggestion that the sexual behavior of bonobos is different had come from observations at European zoos. Wrapping their findings in Latin, primatologists Eduard Tratz and Heinz Heck reported in 1954 that the chimpanzees at Hellabrun mated more canum (like dogs) and bonobos more hominum (like people). In those days, face-to- face copulation was considered uniquely human, a cultural innovation that needed to be taught to preliterate people (hence the term "missionary position"). These early studies, written in German, were ignored by the international scientific establishment. The bonobo's humanlike sexuality needed to be rediscovered in the 1970s before it became accepted as characteristic of the species.
Bonobo Sex and Society
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word untermenschen
See also ubermenschen
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word ubermenschen
Seems fitting with the recent addition of untermenschen.
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word word
I found word by accidentally searching on a null string :) Sometimes the javascript in that search box eats my characters when I mouse fumble and click back in the box twice.
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word kinnikinnick
This plant is particularly valued for use in treating urinary tract inflammation.
I went looking for etymology and found this:
kiku. Tobacco. Compare kinnickkinnick (Ojibwe).
kinnikkinnik. Smoking mixture (from Algonquian language).
- Source (MS-WORD .doc)
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word uva-ursi
Common names: bearberry, kinnikinnick
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word love
For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.
-Charles Bukowski
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word anarchy
Anarchy literally means "no rulers" and I've seen a bumpersticker that declares:
Anarchy doesn't mean "no rules"
It means "no rulers"
Contrast with anomie
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word krummholz
The normal definition: German for 'twisted wood'
This is a slightly more scientific explanation:
Krummholz Line: Krummholz is a growth form followed the trees at locations of great environmental stress, such as high wind. At lower elevations, where more favorable conditions exist, the same species that form into krummholz grow upright. The krummholz line is the upper-most limit in elevation that trees in krummholz form exist.
-A Definition of Treeline
If you want to see some of the earth's most twisted trees that are easily accessible, come visit Rocky Mountain National park and drive up Trail Ridge Road.
April 8, 2007
polymorph commented on the word enantiadromia
Yes, the yin-yang is exactly what I think of also. I've spent some years pondering the idea and looking for other examples.
The "modern primitives" have been rediscovering the age-old practices that use pain as a pathway to transcendent/blissful states (such as the Ball Dance from the East where metal balls are sewn into the flesh and then participants engage in vigorous dancing).
There's crossover from the modern primitives into the world of BDSM where this principle is even starker: pain turns into sexual pleasure, restraint becomes release, embarrassment become excitement, etc.
This Sex Magic Primer talks a little more of this in more tantric terms but the principle is there nonetheless.
April 7, 2007
polymorph commented on the word epiphanette
None of the dictionaries list it. I've used it before without remembering a specific source. Google finds 39 matches total on the date of epiphanette's wordie birth.
April 7, 2007
polymorph commented on the word monotheistic
What the archaic revival means is shamanism, ecstasy, orgiastic sexuality, and the defeat of the three enemies of the people, and the three enemies of the people are monotheism, monogamy, and monotony.
- Terence McKenna
April 7, 2007
polymorph commented on the word yeaux
this is pure slang. Bow down before any word ending in 'eaux'
April 7, 2007
polymorph commented on the word enantiadromia
I can't believe no one defines this word, but perhaps that's because it's Greek and rarely encountered. A regular google search reveals more for those interested. Think of it as a sort of alchemical transformation:
Jung often referred to Heraclitus’ idea of enantiadromia, the Greek word meaning, everything changes into its opposite. According to Jung, the human psyche itself is comprised of opposites. For example, the word he liked to use to define the male psyche is the Greek word for soul, anima. This, however, is the feminine form of the word. He used the masculine version of the same word, animus, to describe the female psyche. For Jung, the inside of a male is female, and the inside of a female is male. The law of enantiadromia maintains that we all change into our opposites, that men will feminize and women will masculinize.
- Bipolarity: Embracing Opposition
My friend Paul first introduced the concept to me, so props to him. I think we were talking about how the far left and the far right in politics exhibit a lot more similarities than they'd ever like to admit.
I also found this completely unrelated but rather funny story at edromia.com while researching the word.
April 7, 2007