Comments by grantsr

  • I believe "amythist" as given in the example is actually a misspelling of "amethyst" the gemstone. I propose a new definition of "amythist" as a superset of the term "atheist" (one who does not believe in a God or gods). An "amythist" (or A-myth-ist, with a long 'a' and emphasis on 'myth') is someone who does not believe in any myths at all.

    November 17, 2010

  • I "make up" a lot of words, just for the fun of it and to spice up conversation. I "made up this word for the title of my blog and on a whim decided to Google it. There was only one hit. The word was used once way back in 1921 in a - not too favorable - book review in the Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry.

    Here are the pertinent sentences in the review:

    "But to him, a book like the present raises somewhat forcibly an underlying question of ideational values. It is a case in which possible benefit to psychopathology or to society seems minute in proportion to the energy systematically and devotedly expended. Purposes of sublimation may have been well served; but not every one's mind endures, St. Antony-like, 'ideationizing' so naked and unashamed."

    (The quotes around "ideationizing" were double quotes in the original text, indicating that even the author knew he was simply making up a word.)

    Here is the citation:

    Association, American Medical. Archives of neurology and psychiatry. American Medical Association, 1921.  

    Here is a link to the document on Google Books:

    http://books.google.com/books?id=OyIBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA111&lpg=PA111&dq=ideationizing&source=bl&ots=2L_c3Ypfao&sig=p1Exd3fbkYep4vhCHrL0txZnBzk&hl=en&ei=fbwvSpWuBI_wMoyP7PcJ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1

    June 10, 2009

  • verb: The act or process of thinking of new things simply for the purpose of having thought of those new things.

    Basically, "ideationizing" is thinking of new stuff just for the fun of it.

    "My friends and I got drunk and were just sitting around ideationizing bizarre what-if scenarios about all kinds of things."

    "The primary occupation of a blogger is ideationizing."

    June 10, 2009