fr. Wikipedia: Atanua (or Atanea), in Polynesian mythology, is the goddess of the dawn; she created the seas, after having a miscarriage, by filling the oceans with her amniotic fluid.
Admittedly, the name Wordie did surprise me at first — but only because the site itself immediately inspired, deep within me, what I believe bilby has termed a glow-worm symphony of delightedness..
It is a little "web 2.0," but it's cute, memorable, and to-the-point as well — it certainly didn't bother me enough to write, publish, edit, re-edit, and finally delete, when teased about – a blog post.
They are with movies a bit like we are with words; you can rank things, or just save them for later, and get (useful!) recommendations — plus, you can give your rankings names, which they call quips, and instead of friends, you have kumpels!* ..All in all, rather satisfying and dorky.
It seems to me, though, that woman is the sort of word you don't see as implying anything (like so many words in English used daily, remaining oblivious to their roots) until it's specifically brought to your attention. (Funny how, in focusing on the implications of the word woman, one could also choose to disregard the products of intentional misspelling being considered almost universally silly!)
And, by that logic (though faulty — woman is from wífman, a compound where wíf (wife) meant woman, and man meant human being), wife — which, for a time, after originally meaning "woman," meant "woman of lowly rank or employment" — should be just as reprehensible, yes?
It would be really glorious(ly convenient) to have some sort of program to read through everything I've wordied and just tell me what my history's been with everything you mention, 'be..
But yes. I love them, too — Reining them in by hand is time-consuming and kind of overwhelming (in scope and interestingness and usurious number of possibilities..), but I suspect it's really the most thorough way for me to try to answer the bibliophagists' (or this bibliophagist's) question-of-all-questions: "Why do I love what I love, and what do I love that I don't know I do yet?"
And thanks, Prolagus; I still have a few thousand words yet to look at..!
I think Izzy was the name of my childhood friend's iguana, come to think of it.
But yes, it's a cute nickname, and I like how Izi and Isidore have that little extra something without sounding wacky or misguided ("This is my daughter, Annavanessica! With a Q."). Who knows; if no Isidores turn up on reality television in the next ten or twenty years, I may report back with news of so-named spawn!
The title of an official formerly recognized by the University of Cambridge, apparently the head of the grammar school or schools (Latin: Magister Glomeriæ). Cf. glomerel.
A term formerly in use in the University of Cambridge to denote a pupil in grammar school (fr. med. Latin glomeria, likely fr. Anglo-French glomerie/gramarie, grammar); cf. Master of Glomery.
HA! I could've sworn this said "queer as a duck's hatband" when I saw it on the front page. (It was much more convincing than my usual misreadings—! A duck's hatband would be pretty queer-looking, I imagined, and left it at that.)
After pondering it for a bit, I decided c, m, and e were likely to blame for my suddenly finding "c'mere" to be very nice-looking (pronunciation aside), and I happened to be investigating this when I decided to finally start adding these lists to Wordie. There's a whole mess of other noted letters and sounds—some of which are already overlapping with (or closely related to) words I have on this list. And I'll probably end up pruning a few others, when I go back to edit for quality (ideally, I want words whose look/sounds I love, not just words that qualify). Bah—I'll figure it out eventually!
n., A woodwindinstrument capable of playing several tones at once, designed to imitate the sounds of orchestral instruments. It was invented by German shoe-maker J. Weinrich (1793-1855) and patented in 1828.
adj., Belonging to or characteristic of the family Myrtaceae, a large family of aromatic shrubs and trees which includes the myrtles and the eucalypts.
Happened again as I added mons mercurii (also, when I manually searched for the word afterwards, it took me to word, which appears to've happened before). Curious!
Fun fact! Before it meant what it does today, mons Veneris was used in Palmistry to mean the ball of the thumb (and mons to refer to that, or the corresponding part of the palm beneath a finger), giving us also:
In opera: the quality of being intermediate in style or tone between seriousness and comedy; also, (a singer suited to playing) a character having this quality. (Italian, 'half character'. Cf. earlier demi-caractère.)
The herb spignel, Meum athamanticum. Now chiefly (in form Meum): the monospecific genus of the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) containing this herb.
Also, in phrase meum and tuum: (the distinction between) what is mine (one's own) and what is yours (another's) – the principle that a person has sole rights only to his or her own property.
An obs. instrument for measuringcolors — It employed three transparent wedges or prisms filled respectively with blue, red, and yellow liquids, each carrying a graduated scale; these were combined to match any given color.
Obs. n., A syringe, often in the form of a metal cylinder attached to a curved tube, used for injections into the uterus; (also:) the content of such an injection.
The Metoniccycle is a cycle of 19 tropical years – conventionally equated to 235 synodic months – in which the moon returns to almost the same apparentposition relative to the sun, so that new and full moons occur at the same dates in the corresponding year of each cycle.
It was widely adopted in eastern lunisolar calendars, and was the basis of the early Christian calculation of the date of Easter.
I respectfully love and despise you all for playing into the hands of spam and putting this godawful thing all over the front page!
(It's mostly love, but really: I felt actual contempt for this list when I saw it. Spam popping up in places I'm attached to is incredibly bothersome, and the prospect of a gaping spam-hole on Wordie scares me; leaving cute comments instead of deleting it does absolutely nothing to discourage it — it's an eyesore, and a mindsore, and and, and.. help.)
I love(!) the idea of notes, particularly for saving reminders (as opposed to being secretive)—but right now, they're a little.. out-of-the-way for that? I'm afraid I won't be able to remember where I've left them. :(
n.³, The art of ascertaining the properties and purity of drugs; also, of determining by physiological tests whether a child has been bornalive or not.
n., The action of readingthrough a text; a reading (classical Latin, fr. perlegere, to read through; cf. later perlegate).
The Latin prefix per- can be given significance here—its most common senses are ‘through, in space or time; throughout, all over’ (as in vbs. pervade, perforate) and ‘thoroughly, completely, to completion, to the end’ (as in vbs. perfect, permute, perturb), which I think lend perlection the neat implication of 'reading a text from beginning to end.' I like it. :)
When I was looking for places to eat near the airport in Albany, the decision between "Diner" and "Professor Java's Coffee Sanctuary" was not a difficult one.
(If you ask me, we have too many Huts, Places, Rooms, Shacks and Houses, and far too few Sanctuaries..)
adj., (Of a plant:) living in or tolerant of an environment containing high levels of heavy metals; (obs.:) That worships or reveres metals (fr. Latin metallum, metal + -cola, worshipping).
Suitable for humorously extending to fans of the musical genre.
n., Something interposed, serving to connect or reconcile antithetical agencies or principles (fr. Greek for 'middle' and 'setting, placing;' see thesis).
adj., Belonging to, characteristic of, or designating the suborder Mesosuchia of extinctcrocodiles known from Jurassic and Cretaceous fossil remains (also n.).
n., An enclosed and essentially self-sufficient (but not necessarily isolated) experimental environment or ecosystem that is on a larger scale than a laboratory microcosm.
Or mese (obs.): a piece of land or the dwelling built on it (fr. Anglo-Norman mees, mes, meis, mis, mise, 'house, estate, farm, messuage, holding,' Old French mes; see manse, mansion).
n., Harem; seraglio; zenana; the part of a Muslim dwelling-house appropriated to the women, constructed so to give utmost seclusion and privacy (harem + Turkish lik, place).
Ooh: ha! I completely misread this as being unique to pterodactyl's family! (Here I was, imagining someone sitting Great Uncle Ptero down in his childhood: "Alright. Here's what we're gonna do—")
It's good to know that Sophia Loren was never so jaded by her own bazungas that her eyes wouldn't follow ridiculous necklines (—although that one appears to be nearing a 'ribsline').
D'aw. Haha, how on earth did that get started? ..I think I'm going to have to tell the friend I address almost exclusively as Rabbits (named Robert) about this.
Bilby—how are you faring against the distractive powers of all their twitchy little noses?
n.¹, A privatepossession; that which a particular individual owns or has been allocated; the particular concern of an individual (plural peculia).
n.², (in Roman law:) The propertyallowed by the paterfamilias to a family member, or a master to his slave, to hold and administer, and, within limits, to alienate, as though it were his or her own.
n., The skin of an animal (usually a fawn), esp. as worn by Dionysus and his votaries (either fr. classical Latin nebris, a fawn-skin worn by Bacchus and his votaries, or its etymon in ancient Greek).
v., Originally among homosexual men (Polari slang): to make more stylish or smart; to enliven, make more exciting. Often zhoosh up. - OED
A word I've heard countless times (most often on television, as things were being done to hair with mousse), and had no idea how to spell; today, zhoosh (IPA: /ʒʊʃ/) appears more often under variant spellings, for the very same reason— See: zhuzh, tszuj, zhoozh..
Oh dear! Beaten by a long shot! (But, since this list is intended to be more personal/specific, I'm going to pretend I still have enough reason to indulge myself. Hooray!)
If it's any help, all the special character jumblies seemed to coincide with the new notes feature (which is very nifty!); it feels like I noticed one within minutes of the other.
I'm also using Firefox, but things're displaying fine on other sites, so it seems to be a Wordie issue. What browser are you using, pleth?
Thanks, freakish nighttime humidity! I had no idea I could come so close to fainting in a lukewarm shower, bathroom windows wide open. Boy golly!
Our weathery sensormabob (one of those silly man-gadgets, in this case a clock) is reading 99% humidity; it's 70 degrees outside, and I'm blasting the air conditioning. PLEASE TO BE MAKE WITH THE RAINING SOON THIS IS RIDICULOUS THANK YOU.
It seems more likely due to our tendency to favor clustering comments wherever the discussion happened to be started for the sake of continuity (my reason for leaving a comment on this page rather than your list's)— I personally feel no attachment to the fact of being American (Who does, really? Most American Wordies seem critical of America), nor pleasure in deprecating those who aren't. I don't see anyone else celebrating putting others down, here.
We're not trying to erase them; we're simply questioning your regard for them. No one is insisting they have "magical powers" (Think you could lay off the hyperbole for a moment?), but that they have meaning— and some meanings fall below what a lot of people here consider worth dignifying. I don't see the point of playing Abrasive Internet Tough Guy.
I would argue there's nothing clever about this sort of name-calling, as it's something we were all capable of in grade school. (I have no real problem with cunt, but I don't like the sound of it at all. In the United States, its meaning hasn't been watered down; it's one of those words that still sounds particularly awful when you mean it.)
Muslims experience racial prejudice for being or appearing Middle Eastern. Would you call Bible-thumper an "ethnic" slur?
Honestly, runumeratedfrog, this entire list strikes me as tasteless and childish. I don't believe it's wrong; I won't say that you shouldn't be able to, only: You may enjoy collecting words like "nigress," but don't expect many people here to share your enthusiasm. These are insipid words.
n., The addition of a word or words to convey more clearly the meaning implied, or the specific sense intended, in a preceding word or sentence; a word or words added for this purpose.
Comments by she
she commented on the word lingworm
A fabulous serpent (adapted from Old Norse lyngormr ‘heatherworm;’ cf. Danish/Swedish lindworm). No relation to bookworms/linguistics!
October 12, 2008
she commented on the word spasmadrap
Obs. n., A medical plaster (apparently fr. Latin spasma, a healing powder + French drap, cloth).
"He a friar carried divers pills, spasmadraps, cordials, and drops for his adult patients." –Horace Smith, 1826
October 6, 2008
she commented on the word flunge
v., To fly or be flung out with sudden impetus (cf. fly, lunge).
Hellooo; am still out-of-town 'til Monday.
September 28, 2008
she commented on the user she
(tinny speakers) Hello! This is your She speaking. Am regretfully away, again, until the 25th!
September 15, 2008
she commented on the word almirah
Anglo-Indian name for a cupboard, cabinet, press, wardrobe, or chest of drawers.
September 12, 2008
she commented on the word riroriro
The New Zealand grey warbler, Gerygone igata, a small wren-like bird.
September 12, 2008
she commented on the list words-that-have-del-regenerated-del-flourished-magnificently-into-queen-or-beatles-or-johnny-tillotson-songs
It should be <s> </s> or <strike> </strike>, but I don't think it works on Wordie. :(
September 11, 2008
she commented on the word atanua
fr. Wikipedia: Atanua (or Atanea), in Polynesian mythology, is the goddess of the dawn; she created the seas, after having a miscarriage, by filling the oceans with her amniotic fluid.
September 11, 2008
she commented on the word depreciate
How else is one supposed to browse Wordie and eat sushi!? :(
September 11, 2008
she commented on the word depreciate
I'd like to take a moment to depreciate trying to manipulate chopsticks and move a mouse consecutively with one hand. This really isn't going so well.
September 11, 2008
she commented on the word help!!
I'll help you if I can, if you're feeling down.
September 10, 2008
she commented on the word russwale
n., Walrus hide (ultimately fr. Icelandic hrosshvalr, 'horse-whale').
September 10, 2008
she commented on the list words-that-have-del-regenerated-del-flourished-magnificently-into-queen-or-beatles-or-johnny-tillotson-songs
Ha! I was going to amend that comment:
or "Words that have flourished magnificently into Queen or Beatles songs"
September 10, 2008
she commented on the word isogloss
Why are some of the prettiest words the ones I'll never, ever-ever-ever find occasion to use? *weeps*
September 10, 2008
she commented on the word allozooid
n., An 'animal bud' differing and separated from the compound/colonial animal organism from which it originated (allo-, other, different + zooid); cf. isozooid.
September 10, 2008
she commented on the word isogyrous
(Botany) adj., Forming a complete spiral.
September 10, 2008
she commented on the word batterfang
Hot diggity damn!
September 10, 2008
she commented on the word git
Admittedly, the name Wordie did surprise me at first — but only because the site itself immediately inspired, deep within me, what I believe bilby has termed a glow-worm symphony of delightedness..
It is a little "web 2.0," but it's cute, memorable, and to-the-point as well — it certainly didn't bother me enough to write, publish, edit, re-edit, and finally delete, when teased about – a blog post.
September 10, 2008
she commented on the word git
Well! That's it, guys — time to find a clerver name for ourselves!
September 10, 2008
she commented on the word smoke your own fish, 1953
"And then she smoked her own fish! In front of everyone!"
September 9, 2008
she commented on the word help!!
*wonders if anyone has made a list for "Words that have degenerated into Queen or Beatles songs" yet*
September 9, 2008
she commented on the word womyn
I assumed it was 'my,' in the way of 'reclaiming ownership.'
September 9, 2008
she commented on the word womyn
Ain't no shame in the game!
ahem, edit: Oh, hello, yarb! That was directed at c_b.
September 9, 2008
she commented on the list movies-ive-seen
Criticker (my profile) is great for this!
They are with movies a bit like we are with words; you can rank things, or just save them for later, and get (useful!) recommendations — plus, you can give your rankings names, which they call quips, and instead of friends, you have kumpels!* ..All in all, rather satisfying and dorky.
*German for "comrade!"
September 9, 2008
she commented on the word womyn
Oh yes! I wasn't serious.
It seems to me, though, that woman is the sort of word you don't see as implying anything (like so many words in English used daily, remaining oblivious to their roots) until it's specifically brought to your attention. (Funny how, in focusing on the implications of the word woman, one could also choose to disregard the products of intentional misspelling being considered almost universally silly!)
And, by that logic (though faulty — woman is from wífman, a compound where wíf (wife) meant woman, and man meant human being), wife — which, for a time, after originally meaning "woman," meant "woman of lowly rank or employment" — should be just as reprehensible, yes?
September 9, 2008
she commented on the word nomen confusum
Nomen confusum's a taxon based on a mixture of more than one species mistaken as one.
See also: nomen actionis, nomen agentis, nomen ambiguum, nomen conservandum, nomen dubium, nomen illegitimum, nomen novum, nomen nudum, nomen oblitum, nomen rejiciendum
Wouldn't that fall under stupefy? :> (I can't believe I remembered that!)
September 9, 2008
she commented on the word womyn
I've never understood this one. "Yes! We will distinguish ourselves by spelling like popstars."
September 9, 2008
she commented on the list having-c-m-e
It would be really glorious(ly convenient) to have some sort of program to read through everything I've wordied and just tell me what my history's been with everything you mention, 'be..
But yes. I love them, too — Reining them in by hand is time-consuming and kind of overwhelming (in scope and interestingness and usurious number of possibilities..), but I suspect it's really the most thorough way for me to try to answer the bibliophagists' (or this bibliophagist's) question-of-all-questions: "Why do I love what I love, and what do I love that I don't know I do yet?"
And thanks, Prolagus; I still have a few thousand words yet to look at..!
September 9, 2008
she commented on the word outaouais
Is this pronounced "out-a-ways?"
September 9, 2008
she commented on the word flapse
Temporary absence of, or space between, a flap or flaps?
September 9, 2008
she commented on the list stellar-six-letter-words
But deplore is seven letters! :o
September 9, 2008
she commented on the word sphalma
Obs. n., An error or slip in writing or copying (fr. Greek, 'to err').
September 9, 2008
she commented on the word sepia
I have absolutely no problem with what it entails (or seeing it in print! My mind says "sep-i-a," to appease me)— but it's not a word I enjoy hearing.
I'm sorry, sepia. :(
September 7, 2008
she commented on the word isidore
I think Izzy was the name of my childhood friend's iguana, come to think of it.
But yes, it's a cute nickname, and I like how Izi and Isidore have that little extra something without sounding wacky or misguided ("This is my daughter, Annavanessica! With a Q."). Who knows; if no Isidores turn up on reality television in the next ten or twenty years, I may report back with news of so-named spawn!
September 6, 2008
she commented on the word obex
n.¹, An impediment or obstacle; a mental barrier.
n.², (Anatomy) A small, crescentic fold of white matter that covers the inferior angle of the floor of the fourth ventricle.
September 6, 2008
she commented on the word isatis
Also, the white or Arctic fox (Canis lagopus), named by J. G. Gmelin, 1760, Canis isatis.
September 6, 2008
she commented on the word isidore
Isidore/Isadore has got to be the prettiest male name I've ever heard—completely out-melliflues the feminine alternatives.
September 6, 2008
she commented on the word bibliopolar
Just a bookseller, really. (Really! See bibliopole.)
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word master of glomery
The title of an official formerly recognized by the University of Cambridge, apparently the head of the grammar school or schools (Latin: Magister Glomeriæ). Cf. glomerel.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word glomerel
A term formerly in use in the University of Cambridge to denote a pupil in grammar school (fr. med. Latin glomeria, likely fr. Anglo-French glomerie/gramarie, grammar); cf. Master of Glomery.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word monumental city
Yes, yarb! And, on behalf of being utterly-wrong enough to call for rolig's esteemed correction — you're welcome. :)
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word gutfoundered
Was this your 12,000th word, c_b? (Hooray, 12,000!)
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word master of the mint
Ooh!
(I am mistress of the mint, I think, when nummulating choice desserts..)
September 5, 2008
she commented on the list gems-from-i-1811-dictionary-of-the-vulgar-tongue-i
I am (predictably) very fond of this!
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word queer as dick's hatband
HA! I could've sworn this said "queer as a duck's hatband" when I saw it on the front page. (It was much more convincing than my usual misreadings—! A duck's hatband would be pretty queer-looking, I imagined, and left it at that.)
September 5, 2008
she commented on the list having-c-m-e
After pondering it for a bit, I decided c, m, and e were likely to blame for my suddenly finding "c'mere" to be very nice-looking (pronunciation aside), and I happened to be investigating this when I decided to finally start adding these lists to Wordie. There's a whole mess of other noted letters and sounds—some of which are already overlapping with (or closely related to) words I have on this list. And I'll probably end up pruning a few others, when I go back to edit for quality (ideally, I want words whose look/sounds I love, not just words that qualify). Bah—I'll figure it out eventually!
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word intussuscept
Whoops!
Ahem. *quietly brushes word into neighboring pile*
(What's more, this most likely isn't the only neat word I've accidentally put here while browsing for candidates..)
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word monumental city
I stand corrected! (Who was the Wordie posting Melvillean quotes all over the place? He should be pleased with this.)
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word smersh
SMERSH: Smert' Shpionam, lit. "death to spies."
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word smeech
n., Smoke; thick vapor (alt. of smick); in modern dialogue: fine dust; stench (cf. smeek).
v., (tr.) To send off smoke, vapour, or the like; to smoke; (intr.) to perfume or scent.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word schwärmerisch
adj., Extravagantly enthusiastic; infatuated. See schwärmerei, schwärm.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word psallmelodicon
n., A woodwind instrument capable of playing several tones at once, designed to imitate the sounds of orchestral instruments. It was invented by German shoe-maker J. Weinrich (1793-1855) and patented in 1828.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word privement enceinte
Obs. (Legal) adj., Pregnant without the fact being (yet) known or apparent.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word foofle
Google, but a little more happy inside.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word monumental city
Why, yes. (Someone whose 'mental (hoho) American History wing is a bit less drafty may've even been able to tell you without Googling!)
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word nimblecomequick
Obs. (nonce) adj., Rapidly-growing.
"The hugest and softest nimblecomequick turnip you ever saw."
– C. Kingsley, The Water-babies: a fairy-tale, 1863
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word nemocerous
adj., Belonging or relating to the group Nemocera (now the suborder Nematocera) of dipteran flies; nematoceran, nematocerous.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word nemine contradicente
n., A declaration or vote of general agreement; a statement that something has been passed nemine contradicente, '(with) no one speaking against.'
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word nemesistic
adj., Of or relating to nemesism, frustration and aggression directed against oneself.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word myrtaceous
adj., Belonging to or characteristic of the family Myrtaceae, a large family of aromatic shrubs and trees which includes the myrtles and the eucalypts.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word myronic
As myronic acid: a sulphur-containing acidic glycoside of which sinigrin, obtained from the plant black mustard, is the potassium salt.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word myrmicine
adj., Of or belonging to the subfamily Myrmicinae of stinging ants. Also, more generally: of or relating to ants (myrmecic).
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word myrmecophile
Other antsy words: myrmecology, myrmecic, myrmicine..
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word myrmecobius
"Aand the most wonderful thing about Myrmecobius is Iii'm the only one! — Left. :("
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word numbat
Somehow, I pictured numbat as more of a sloth (relating numbness to slowness).
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word myrmecic
Ooo — adj., Relating to or obtained from ants; antlike.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word muniment chest
A chest for safe-keeping archival documents (see muniment).
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word mu-mesic
adj., Muonic (fr. slightly earlier mu-mesonic): of, relating to, or involving a muon; (of an atom) having a muon orbiting the nucleus.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word mulomedic
adj., Relating to the care of mules; also: a farrier. (See mule-medicine.)
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word mule-medicine
Obs. n., Farriery; also mulemedicinal: relating to farriery (cf. mulomedic).
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word mountmellick
A type of white-work embroidery characterized by raised surfaces and originating in Mountmellick, a town in County Laois in the Republic of Ireland.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word moocah
Var. of mootah (US slang).
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word monumental city
I did not realize Baltimore, Maryland had such a grand-sounding nickname (in reference to DC's* Washington Monument being built in Baltimore).
*Ahem, or: "not at all in reference to DC's.."
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word bugs
Happened again as I added mons mercurii (also, when I manually searched for the word afterwards, it took me to word, which appears to've happened before). Curious!
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word mons mercurii
n., The (part of the palm at the) base of the little finger. See mons.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word mons
Fun fact! Before it meant what it does today, mons Veneris was used in Palmistry to mean the ball of the thumb (and mons to refer to that, or the corresponding part of the palm beneath a finger), giving us also:
mons Jovis: the base of the forefinger,
mons Mercurii: the base of the pinky finger,
mons Saturni: the base of the middle finger, and
mons Solis: the base of the ring finger.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word monochorea
n., Chorea (a convulsive disorder) of a single part of the body, such as an arm.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word mezzofantic
adj., Of, relating to, or characteristic of Giuseppe Mezzofanti; displaying extraordinary linguistic range.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word mezzo carattere
In opera: the quality of being intermediate in style or tone between seriousness and comedy; also, (a singer suited to playing) a character having this quality. (Italian, 'half character'. Cf. earlier demi-caractère.)
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word meum
The herb spignel, Meum athamanticum. Now chiefly (in form Meum): the monospecific genus of the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) containing this herb.
Also, in phrase meum and tuum: (the distinction between) what is mine (one's own) and what is yours (another's) – the principle that a person has sole rights only to his or her own property.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word metrochrome
An obs. instrument for measuring colors — It employed three transparent wedges or prisms filled respectively with blue, red, and yellow liquids, each carrying a graduated scale; these were combined to match any given color.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word metrenchyte
Obs. n., A syringe, often in the form of a metal cylinder attached to a curved tube, used for injections into the uterus; (also:) the content of such an injection.
AAHHH.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word metonic
The Metonic cycle is a cycle of 19 tropical years – conventionally equated to 235 synodic months – in which the moon returns to almost the same apparent position relative to the sun, so that new and full moons occur at the same dates in the corresponding year of each cycle.
It was widely adopted in eastern lunisolar calendars, and was the basis of the early Christian calculation of the date of Easter.
September 5, 2008
she commented on the word humuhumu
Hush now; you know I usually don't mean the things I say in German.
Da, da, da.
September 4, 2008
she commented on the word humuhumu
Ich lieb dich nicht, du liebst mich nicht. Uhuh.
September 4, 2008
she commented on the list http-www-orbitmerchantsolutions-com
I respectfully love and despise you all for playing into the hands of spam and putting this godawful thing all over the front page!
(It's mostly love, but really: I felt actual contempt for this list when I saw it. Spam popping up in places I'm attached to is incredibly bothersome, and the prospect of a gaping spam-hole on Wordie scares me; leaving cute comments instead of deleting it does absolutely nothing to discourage it — it's an eyesore, and a mindsore, and and, and.. help.)
September 4, 2008
she commented on the word features
I love(!) the idea of notes, particularly for saving reminders (as opposed to being secretive)—but right now, they're a little.. out-of-the-way for that? I'm afraid I won't be able to remember where I've left them. :(
Also, I move that cell-stretching full urls be forbidden in lists and lickspittle spammers be banished (spamished?)
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word two-headed boy
..was born, and died, in Bangladesh; remains a song.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word poubtful
Of one who is doubting and pouting, hence doubtful and poutful, or doubtful, hence pouting, or poutful, hence doubting–
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word pouter pigeon
A domestic pigeon of a breed characterized by a greatly inflatable crop.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the list of-pouts
—was she being lazy as she got to thinking of 'sleeping out' vs. sleeping in and entering that instead of sleep-out (veranda-for-sleeping-in); whoops.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word ①
① ①
② ②
③ ③
④ ④
⑤ ⑤
⑥ ⑥
⑦ ⑦
⑧ ⑧
⑨ ⑨
⑩ ⑩
⑪ ⑪
⑫ ⑫
⑬ ⑬
⑭ ⑭
⑮ ⑮
⑯ ⑯
⑰ ⑰
⑱ ⑱
⑲ ⑲
⑳ ⑳
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word menevecelec
See Monovocalics.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word docimasy
n.¹, (Greek antiquity:) a judicial inquiry (esp. at Athens) into the character and antecedents of aspirants for public office or citizenship.
n.², The art or practice of assaying metallic ores, i.e., of separating the metallic substance from foreign admixture, and determining the nature and quantity of constituent metal.
n.³, The art of ascertaining the properties and purity of drugs; also, of determining by physiological tests whether a child has been born alive or not.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word perfract
Oh this is delightful.
Obs. adj., Transgressive (fr. classical Latin perfractus, past ppl. of perfringere to break through, to break (laws)).
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word ooh, what's that! . . . oh. i added it.
Are you in Dubai? (–looking for reesetee)
(in Dubai, it was already Wednesday)
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word mirligoes
Scot. Dizziness, vertigo, light-headedness (in the mirligoes: in a state of dizziness; light-headed, dazed); (with pl. concord:) flights of fancy.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word perlegate
Obs. To read through (a text). See perlection.
(Indistinguishable in sound from "pearly gate–")
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word perlection
n., The action of reading through a text; a reading (classical Latin, fr. perlegere, to read through; cf. later perlegate).
The Latin prefix per- can be given significance here—its most common senses are ‘through, in space or time; throughout, all over’ (as in vbs. pervade, perforate) and ‘thoroughly, completely, to completion, to the end’ (as in vbs. perfect, permute, perturb), which I think lend perlection the neat implication of 'reading a text from beginning to end.' I like it. :)
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word obseque
Obs. To comply with; yield to; obey. Cf. obsequious.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word ignotum per ignotius
Obscurum per obscurius is very similar: "the unclear by means of the more unclear" (rather than 'unknown').
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word professor java's coffee sanctuary
When I was looking for places to eat near the airport in Albany, the decision between "Diner" and "Professor Java's Coffee Sanctuary" was not a difficult one.
(If you ask me, we have too many Huts, Places, Rooms, Shacks and Houses, and far too few Sanctuaries..)
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word aposeme
(Zool.) A color, marking, or other attribute serving to warn or alarm, and thus repel the attacks of enemies (fr. aposematic).
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word kineme
(Linguistics) A meaningful unit of body movement or gesture made in non-vocal communication.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word metallicolous
adj., (Of a plant:) living in or tolerant of an environment containing high levels of heavy metals; (obs.:) That worships or reveres metals (fr. Latin metallum, metal + -cola, worshipping).
Suitable for humorously extending to fans of the musical genre.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word ooh, what's that! . . . oh. i added it.
That depends. Do you live in Dubai?
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word mestive
Obs. adj., Mournful, sad (fr. classical Latin maestus, sad, mournful, cognate with maerere, to be sad, mourn); cf. slightly later mestful, mestifical.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word plotosaurus
Which sounds sort of like the scaly Illuminati. :D
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word ooh, what's that! . . . oh. i added it.
Reesetee is two people? :o
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word ooh, what's that! . . . oh. i added it.
I fear I am one of those people.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word mesothesis
n., Something interposed, serving to connect or reconcile antithetical agencies or principles (fr. Greek for 'middle' and 'setting, placing;' see thesis).
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word bugs
Hm, trying to add mesothesis, I got the url http://wordie.orgword/?added=mesothesis instead of http://wordie.org/word/.. (which worked? but I had to manually visit the word afterwards).
edit: Aha! It's happening when I add a word from the "No one is listing.." search results page rather than directly into the box at the top of a list.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word mesothetic
Obs. adj., Occupying a middle position (fr. mesothesis; cf. antithesis/antithetic, prothesis/prothetic).
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word mesosuchian
adj., Belonging to, characteristic of, or designating the suborder Mesosuchia of extinct crocodiles known from Jurassic and Cretaceous fossil remains (also n.).
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word mesolect
(Later also more widely: an intermediate variety in any speech continuum.)
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word mesolecithal
adj., Designating an egg or egg cell having a moderately large yolk.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word mesocosm
n., An enclosed and essentially self-sufficient (but not necessarily isolated) experimental environment or ecosystem that is on a larger scale than a laboratory microcosm.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word meseplace
Or mese (obs.): a piece of land or the dwelling built on it (fr. Anglo-Norman mees, mes, meis, mis, mise, 'house, estate, farm, messuage, holding,' Old French mes; see manse, mansion).
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word meropic
Obs. adj., Gifted with the power of speech (nonce word from ancient Greek μ�?ροψ, speaking articulately).
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word meromictic
(And the property's called meromixis!)
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word naupegus
Methinks we've just uncovered another of the several stages of Wordie addiction.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word merocele
A lovely word that is unfortunately an obsolete medical term for "femoral hernia" (harumph).
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word seleucid
In reference to the neatly-named Seleucus I Nicator's Seleucid Empire.
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word naupegus
Something I'm encountering more often lately: "Ooh, what's that!
..
Oh! I added it."
September 3, 2008
she commented on the word nummulated
Ooh, forgive me! I was lost in a list.*
But now: Nummulated foodstuffs, ahoy!
*where I am technically still
September 2, 2008
she commented on the word silvichemical
n., Any chemical obtained from part of a tree.
September 2, 2008
she commented on the word haremlik
n., Harem; seraglio; zenana; the part of a Muslim dwelling-house appropriated to the women, constructed so to give utmost seclusion and privacy (harem + Turkish lik, place).
September 2, 2008
she commented on the word philosophical wool
n., Zinc oxide in the form of a white flocculent powder, esp. as resulting from the burning of zinc. Alt. of philosophers' wool (—but I like this one, for being able to refashion it to tie into woolgathering).
September 2, 2008
she commented on the word nosophile
A person who is abnormally attracted by sickness or disease.
September 2, 2008
she commented on the word nummulated
This should mean "recently eaten and found to be tasty," but is really related to moneycoin-words (fr. Latin nummulus, a coin): nummularian, nummulary, nummular, nummiform, nummary..
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word cremitoried
The word's meaning is obscure, but this is too good to pass up:
"Out, you babliaminy, you unfeathered cremitoried quean, you cullisance of scabiosity." –Thomas Middleton, A Tricke to Catch the Old-One, 1608
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word crepitaculum
(Zoology:) n., The (physical) rattle of the rattlesnake. Latin, 'rattle.'
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word rabbits
Ooh: ha! I completely misread this as being unique to pterodactyl's family! (Here I was, imagining someone sitting Great Uncle Ptero down in his childhood: "Alright. Here's what we're gonna do—")
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word kabloona
n., A non-Inuit person; (spec.) a person of European descent. Collectively, kabloonat. Cf. later Qallunaaq/Qallunaat.
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word qallunaaq
n., A non-Inuit person, (spec.) a person of European descent; plural Qallunaat. Cf. kabloona.
& adj., Non-Inuit.
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word petechial hemorrhaging
I am normally not very excited about broken capillaries, but the word is so damn cute: "Piteeekial–!" (See: petechial, petechia.)
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word petechial
This word is my fondest (only?) memory of CSI!
'Petechial hemorrhaging' is one of the world's most enjoyable phrases.
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word mixohaline
adj., Brackish (cf. halinous).
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word halinous
adj., Containing or consisting of salt; saline (fr. Greek ἅλινος, of salt + -ous).
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word mitteleuropäische
adj., Middle-European; of, relating to, or characteristic of central Europe or its people (fr. German; cf. Mittel-European, Mitteleuropa).
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word enantiodromia
Oho! So do I.
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word follow the gaze
It's good to know that Sophia Loren was never so jaded by her own bazungas that her eyes wouldn't follow ridiculous necklines (—although that one appears to be nearing a 'ribsline').
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word rabbits
D'aw. Haha, how on earth did that get started? ..I think I'm going to have to tell the friend I address almost exclusively as Rabbits (named Robert) about this.
Bilby—how are you faring against the distractive powers of all their twitchy little noses?
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word ouphant
"Of shells was built the ouphant throne." –John Thelwall, 1787
adj., Elfin; elf-like. See ouphe (pronounced 'auf').
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word ouidaesque
adj., Characteristic or suggestive of the novels of Ouida, the pen name of the English novelist Marie Louise de la Ramée (1839-1908);
(Specifically, of a male character:) impossibly perfect; handsome and accomplished to an implausible extent.
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word peculium
n.¹, A private possession; that which a particular individual owns or has been allocated; the particular concern of an individual (plural peculia).
n.², (in Roman law:) The property allowed by the paterfamilias to a family member, or a master to his slave, to hold and administer, and, within limits, to alienate, as though it were his or her own.
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word cimelia
Yee, I love this word (pl. n.): Treasures, things held in store as valuable (med. Latin cimelia, cimilia, adapt. of Greek κειμήλια, treasures).
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word choenix
See chœnix.
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word chœnix
A dry measure of ancient Greece (variously estimated in imperial measure at one quart, and 1½ pints).
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word phantom corpuscle
Rare, obs. medical term: A red blood cell that's lost all or part of its hemoglobin.
(Tehe. Phantom corpuscle.)
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word cirucummundane
adj., Surrounding the world (fr. Latin mundus, world + circum-).
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word nebris
n., The skin of an animal (usually a fawn), esp. as worn by Dionysus and his votaries (either fr. classical Latin nebris, a fawn-skin worn by Bacchus and his votaries, or its etymon in ancient Greek).
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word necial
adj., Funereal; sepulchral; subdued (fr. classical Latin nec-, nex, death, cognate with Greek necro-).
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word sepelible
Obs. adj., That may be buried (Latin sepelībilis; fr. sepelīre, to bury— as are sepelition n., sepelite v., sepult v./adj., and sepulchre n.).
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word sepia
I do not like you, seepy-uh. You sound like inky seepage.
September 1, 2008
she commented on the word zhoosh
v., Originally among homosexual men (Polari slang): to make more stylish or smart; to enliven, make more exciting. Often zhoosh up. - OED
A word I've heard countless times (most often on television, as things were being done to hair with mousse), and had no idea how to spell; today, zhoosh (IPA: /ʒʊʃ/) appears more often under variant spellings, for the very same reason— See: zhuzh, tszuj, zhoozh..
August 31, 2008
she commented on the word zeep
tr. v., To elicit a zipping sound from.
August 31, 2008
she commented on the word mince
(..) Her father, faithful keeper, fed me well,
but she came daily with my special bowl
barefoot into my cage (..)
Until today: an icy spectre, sheathed
in silk, minced to my side on pointed feet.
I ripped the scented veil from its unreal
head (..) A ghost has bones, and meat!
Come soon, my love, my bride, and share this meal.
- Gwen Harwood, The Lion's Bride
August 31, 2008
she commented on the word watermelong
This is adorable.
August 31, 2008
she commented on the list as-titled-by-salvador-dala
Oh dear! Beaten by a long shot! (But, since this list is intended to be more personal/specific, I'm going to pretend I still have enough reason to indulge myself. Hooray!)
August 31, 2008
she commented on the word bugs
If it's any help, all the special character jumblies seemed to coincide with the new notes feature (which is very nifty!); it feels like I noticed one within minutes of the other.
I'm also using Firefox, but things're displaying fine on other sites, so it seems to be a Wordie issue. What browser are you using, pleth?
August 31, 2008
she commented on the word dunkleosteus
Thank you, kind bubblies!
August 30, 2008
she commented on the word dunkleosteus
Myeeess?
August 30, 2008
she commented on the list words-of-dinosaurology
Ahaha, oh dear. I wonder about the implications of being called a word freak on a site full of logophiles..
August 30, 2008
she commented on the word humidity
We'll see who's hee-heeing when you have weirdly strong soup cravings* and it's too humid for soup! Boy could I go for some soup. :(
*I can't decide on the most appropriate phrase, but I know it has "somethin' fierce" somewhere in it
August 30, 2008
she commented on the list words-of-dinosaurology
I could email you a list of all the palaeontological words in the OED, if you like! There are 597.
August 30, 2008
she commented on the word dunkleosteus
Ooh, my misreadings are getting more topical! I thought this said drunkasaurus.
August 30, 2008
she commented on the word humidity
Thanks, freakish nighttime humidity! I had no idea I could come so close to fainting in a lukewarm shower, bathroom windows wide open. Boy golly!
Our weathery sensormabob (one of those silly man-gadgets, in this case a clock) is reading 99% humidity; it's 70 degrees outside, and I'm blasting the air conditioning. PLEASE TO BE MAKE WITH THE RAINING SOON THIS IS RIDICULOUS THANK YOU.
August 30, 2008
she commented on the word damoiseau
Masculine equivalent of damsel in Old French: "A young man of gentle birth, not yet made a knight."
August 30, 2008
she commented on the word silkie
Oh my fluffs!
August 28, 2008
she commented on the word tzatziki
Nevermind the name; tzatziki is so delicious hllglhg
August 28, 2008
she commented on the word lapidicolous
Beetles living under rocks? That's just lapidicolous.
August 28, 2008
she commented on the word chantpleure
Yesyes. OED lists only chantepleure.
August 28, 2008
she commented on the word chantpleure
Oh, correction here! This is the spelling that appeared in Poplollies & Bellibones, but it appears the word is actually chantepleure.
August 28, 2008
she commented on the word squeaker-deaker
Aw, haha! This reminds me of Beaker.
August 26, 2008
she commented on the list i-1800-woodcuts-by-thomas-bewick-and-his-school-i
Ooh. You're making me very curious to see the illustrations!
August 26, 2008
she commented on the word multocular
Obs. adj., Having many eyes or ommatidia; of an optical instrument: having more than one eyepiece.
August 25, 2008
she commented on the word megalopic
adj., Having large eyes, or resembling a large eye.
August 25, 2008
she commented on the word dichoptic
adj., Having the eyes widely separated (used in Zoology of certain dipterous insects).
August 25, 2008
she commented on the word centoculated
adj., Hundred-eyed.
August 25, 2008
she commented on the word boopic
adj., Ox-eyed.
August 25, 2008
she commented on the word yoda
A cat with four (!) ears! Wonderful.
August 25, 2008
she commented on the word nudibranch
:D
I love sproingy rhinophores, evidently. (You wouldn't happen to be a hypothetical nudibranch, would you, mollusque?)
August 25, 2008
she commented on the word americunt
It seems more likely due to our tendency to favor clustering comments wherever the discussion happened to be started for the sake of continuity (my reason for leaving a comment on this page rather than your list's)— I personally feel no attachment to the fact of being American (Who does, really? Most American Wordies seem critical of America), nor pleasure in deprecating those who aren't. I don't see anyone else celebrating putting others down, here.
We're not trying to erase them; we're simply questioning your regard for them. No one is insisting they have "magical powers" (Think you could lay off the hyperbole for a moment?), but that they have meaning— and some meanings fall below what a lot of people here consider worth dignifying. I don't see the point of playing Abrasive Internet Tough Guy.
And with that, She: exeunt!
August 25, 2008
she commented on the word nequient
Obs. adj., Unable (present participle of Latin nequīre, to be unable).
August 24, 2008
she commented on the word neanic
adj., Adolescent (designating, in Zoology, the stages of an animal's growth in which it acquires adult characteristics).
August 24, 2008
she commented on the word aguerried
adj., Inured or trained to war (fr. 17th c. French aguerrir, to accustom to war).
August 24, 2008
she commented on the word americunt
I would argue there's nothing clever about this sort of name-calling, as it's something we were all capable of in grade school. (I have no real problem with cunt, but I don't like the sound of it at all. In the United States, its meaning hasn't been watered down; it's one of those words that still sounds particularly awful when you mean it.)
Muslims experience racial prejudice for being or appearing Middle Eastern. Would you call Bible-thumper an "ethnic" slur?
Honestly, runumeratedfrog, this entire list strikes me as tasteless and childish. I don't believe it's wrong; I won't say that you shouldn't be able to, only: You may enjoy collecting words like "nigress," but don't expect many people here to share your enthusiasm. These are insipid words.
August 24, 2008
she commented on the word epexegesis
n., The addition of a word or words to convey more clearly the meaning implied, or the specific sense intended, in a preceding word or sentence; a word or words added for this purpose.
August 23, 2008
she commented on the word specksioneer
n., The chief harpooner, who also directs in cutting up the speck, or blubber (so called among whalers).
August 23, 2008
she commented on the word scaramouche
Mama mia, let-me-go!
August 23, 2008
she commented on the word phlogosis
Inflammation; hence phlogosed, 'inflamed.'
August 23, 2008
she commented on the word acturience
Desire to act. Cf. esurience (hunger).
August 23, 2008
she commented on the word tmi
I prefer to think of it as Transmarginal inhibition.
August 22, 2008
she commented on the word auletic
adj., Of or pertaining to flute-players (auletes) or flutes.
August 22, 2008
she commented on the list kneeedeeep
"Brekekekex" was Aristophanes' ribbit, evidently. (I'm not sure it fits, but this seems as good a place as any to leave this tidbit— Oooh. Tidbit?)
August 22, 2008
she commented on the word whirlicote
A coach, carriage. Also whirlecole.
August 22, 2008
she commented on the word whewellite
Calcium oxalate, occurring in colorless or white monoclinic crystals.
August 22, 2008
she commented on the word miley
*picks up all the fallen chain-links and little pieces of bear*
August 22, 2008
she commented on the word miley
It's healthy, regurgitating unwanted advertisements. Cleanse! Cleanse!
August 22, 2008
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