manilamac has adopted no words, looked up 0 words, created 0 lists, listed 0 words, written 50 comments, added 0 tags, and loved 2 words.
manilamac has adopted no words, looked up 0 words, created 0 lists, listed 0 words, written 50 comments, added 0 tags, and loved 2 words.
Comments by manilamac
manilamac commented on the word marvered
From New York Times 21 May 2010,"The Mysteries of Meroe":
In the last three years, dozens of objects beggaring belief have shown that the Meroitic Kingdom was in contact with most northern and eastern Mediterranean lands. Wine was imported in amphoras of the common pottery type found along the shores of the French Riviera. A precious glass flask with a marvered pattern, alternately turquoise and black, that is typical of the finest Syrian production were recovered at Sedeinga.
May 22, 2010
manilamac commented on the word marvered
From Wikipedia "History of glass":
During the Late Bronze Age in Egypt and Western Asia there was a rapid growth in glass-making technology. Archaeological finds from this period include colored glass ingots, vessels (often colored and shaped in imitation of highly prized hardstone carvings in semi-precious stones) and the ubiquitous beads. The alkali of Syrian and Egyptian glass was soda ash, sodium carbonate, which can be extracted from the ashes of many plants, notably halophile seashore plants: (see saltwort). The earliest vessels were 'core-wound', produced by winding a ductile rope of glass round a shaped core of sand and clay over a metal rod, then fusing it with repeated reheatings. Threads of thin glass of different colors made with admixtures of oxides were subsequently wound around these to create patterns, which could be drawn into festoons by using metal raking tools. The vessel would then be rolled flat ('marvered') on a slab in order to press the decorative threads into its body.
May 22, 2010
manilamac commented on the word consolidating
Examples have no reference to freight consolidating. Perhaps because, while it is often done, especially for ocean/container shipping, it is seldom written about.
March 13, 2010
manilamac commented on the word nonrhoticity
this r-dropping word deserves a definition.
November 10, 2009
manilamac commented on the word vitrifacture
This is a fantastic word! And I came by it through the random word button. (Where, after having been a "first person to look up..." several times on words from my own life, I discover a lot of "first time" words come up on the random button.)Bravo!
November 10, 2009
manilamac commented on the word solecism
Without thinking, I entered solecisms instead of solecism and got a, “first person to look . . .” page. At the last minute I realized this was a simple plural and dropped the “s.” Shouldn’t the first page have asked me, “do you mean . . .”?
October 1, 2009
manilamac commented on the word quattrocentro
Ah ha! This one was a typo--no wonder!
October 1, 2009
manilamac commented on the word syncope
‘T is pity, but e’en your expanded examples have naught but pathological applications, the grammar’s omitted.
October 1, 2009
manilamac commented on the word umwelt
Her work draws on that of an early-20th-¬century German biologist, Jakob von Uexküll, who proposed that “anyone who wants to understand the life of an animal must begin by considering what he called their umwelt . . . : their subjective or ‘self-world.’ ” – New York Times Book Review Sept. 8, 2009. Inside of a Dog, by Alexandra Horowitz.
September 22, 2009
manilamac commented on the word ashlar
From somewhere I have an impression of this word referring to dressed stone that is left undressed on the surface that’s going to show. If that’s true, it would be the only single-word description of that rather common style. The definition of “ashler” hints at this property but neither it nor “ashlar” spell it out.
September 22, 2009
manilamac commented on the word phthalates
Specifically, phthalates are used to soften polyvinyl chlorides.
September 16, 2009
manilamac commented on the word mote
Sorry, but I have a literary interest in semi-archaic words. This is not the time for it, but the day will come when we could look forward to, in this case say, statistics on the current usage and also the archaic usage—or at least the statistics for the noun and separate ones for the verb. So mote it be!
September 13, 2009
manilamac commented on the word mote
Sorry, but I have a literary interest in semi-archaic words. This is not the time for it, but the day will come when we could look forward to, in this case say, statistics on the current usage and also the archaic usage—or at least the statistics for the noun and separate ones for the verb. So mote it be!
September 13, 2009
manilamac commented on the word pollisand
Ok (or, OK, or okay) I'll admit that the Pollisand (your statistics should show 99% capatalised because it's a propername) is a recuring character in a series of James Alan Gardner books. But the Pollisand is getting a lot of web play--use as user name &c.,and is probably going to be around quite a while.
September 8, 2009
manilamac commented on the word preexilic
If you have a catagory for weird looking words, preexilic should qualify.
September 8, 2009
manilamac commented on the word dingbat
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ?, ? ? ? ??? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?. ? ? ? ?? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ?;? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? . ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ?. ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ?.
? ? ? ? ? ? ?,
? ? ? ? ?
August 30, 2009
manilamac commented on the word kabaragoya
Better hurry--this is one of the tastier reptiles and they may all be eaten before you come up with a definition.
August 30, 2009
manilamac commented on the word Heterodyne
Electronics, engineering, music, poetry . . . you should get to this one quickly. Oh, in music, the heterodyne effect is mostly used in avaunt guarde music.
August 26, 2009
manilamac commented on the word strewnfield
I was looking for information about tektites when I encountered this word. I really like it--I've been aware of tektites for many years and only now encounter strewnfield, which is so apt to the way tektites are scattered about.
August 23, 2009
manilamac commented on the word demerge
I have a quandry here. Years ago I used to pick up shipments at a bonded customs warehouse. If the goods had been there over an allotted time, it was necessary to pay "demerge" in order to get the goods released. It was the only time in my life that I encountered the word. I now find myself looking for some hint of that meaning, but I have yet to find it.
August 21, 2009
manilamac commented on the word Perissologia
Perissologia is a rather prolix word for prolix.
August 20, 2009
manilamac commented on the word Occultatio
Had anyone asked, I would have been able to explain that occultatio was a form of paralipsis that I refuse to mention as having been used by Shakespeare and others as a rhetorical device.
August 20, 2009
manilamac commented on the word vermifuge
In speculative fiction, I've seen this word applied to computer worms. In fact, I see it as a sort of trend. As computer tech gives way more to bio-tech there will be more and more wrods crossing over.
August 19, 2009
manilamac commented on the word lagundi
Here in Southeast Asia, lagundi is a medicinal plant used, among other things, to treat coughs.
August 19, 2009
manilamac commented on the word allostasis
I would be very interested in the antonyms of this word. How does allostatic differ form homeostasis? It's beautifully dynamic word that I'd love to see escape from science and medicine into the world of literature.
August 19, 2009
manilamac commented on the word plinth
I have just encountered this word as a substitute for “template” (almost) or perhaps foundation—but in the technological sense. For instance, building a complex piece of software on such a lowly plinth.
August 19, 2009
manilamac commented on the word BATNA
This is a hot accronym--best alternative to a negotiated agreement. It's probably not going to go away.
August 19, 2009
manilamac commented on the word ringstraked
Gen 31:10 And it came to passH1961 at the timeH6256 that the cattleH6629 conceived,H3179 that I lifted upH5375 mine eyes,H5869 and sawH7200 in a dream,H2472 and, behold,H2009 the ramsH6260 which leapedH5927 uponH5921 the cattleH6629 were ringstraked,H6124 speckled,H5348 and grisled.H1261
From King James Version with Strong's numbers for the Hebrew:
H6124
???
?a?qo?d
aw-kode'
From H6123; striped (with bands): - ring straked.
August 13, 2009
manilamac commented on the word uilleann
There’s got to be an interesting story behind this word. The word uilleann is recent to me as applied to the Irish bagpipes (powered by bellows pump as opposed to breath).In the past, the much more common word Aeolian was used. Was that right or wrong? Aeolian, in the sense of musical scales, generally applies to the ancient Greek untempered scale that was based on “perfect” mathematical relationships. I always found that use of the word (re: the Irish pipes) unsatisfactory, because I knew the pipes didn’t use that scale (almost on one does these days). So comes the question, was Aeolian used in the past as a substitute for uilleann? Why? Because Greek is respectable but Galic less so? Whence the word uilleann anyway? Has an increase in the popularity of Irish music brought the word back into usage? Have I just been reading lousy sources for the last twenty-five years?
August 11, 2009
manilamac commented on the word therblig
This is a great word! It is a unit of time in terms of "time and motion" studies, which isn't so great. What's great about it is that its Gilbreth spelled backwards. The Gilbreths (husband and wife) were pioneers in the wretched matter of industrial time and motion study. Wonderful way to sneek into the dictionary!
August 9, 2009
manilamac commented on the word Syllepsis
This is a great word and deserves better treatment. Zeugma is a mere shadow of syllepsis.
"Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana."
G. Marx
August 6, 2009
manilamac commented on the word sansculottic
I'm having a bit of trouble here getting from sansculottic to revolutionary. I know I'm missing something in the history of the word, but I can't find out what.In this respect, the etymology is unhelpful.
August 5, 2009
manilamac commented on the word apostrophized
The prospects for the coming year looked good, certainly better than they had at the same time twelve months ago. As he apostrophized the coming year of 1973 in his memoirs, it was to begin "with glittering promise; rarely had a Presidential term started with such bright foreign policy prospects."
KISSINGER
1973, the Crucial Year
By Alistair Horne
August 5, 2009
manilamac commented on the word adumbrated
As his close associate on most of his ventures at that time, Winston Lord, adumbrated these heady days to the author, "U.S. foreign policy was at an absolute peak," with the Nixon-Kissinger team looking "poised to continue to build a structure of peace."
KISSINGER
1973, the Crucial Year
By Alistair Horne
August 5, 2009
manilamac commented on the word apostrophe
Of course, I found apostrophe and adumbrate, but there were no links for what I was really looking for: apostrophized and adumbrated. Writers, in addition to being endlessly interested in rhetoric, are often at sea seeking interesting words for the attribution of quotations. I recently encountered, in adjacent paragraphs, one quoted person who adumbrated his quote, followed by a second person who apostrophized his. Wow! I wanted to check this out. Naturally, there are those who would have us substitute “said” for both these words, but never mind those people.
Then, there’s the fascinating relation between adumbrated and chiaroscuro. All of these connections were made in my head, not on the site. For instance, none of the examples for apostrophe had reference to rhetoric; there were no rhetorical examples. What’s a writer to do? Could you help? Maybe there literary geniuses out there just waiting for such revelations. What? I’m supposed to find those examples and send them to you? We’ll see.
August 4, 2009
manilamac commented on the word fortean
See: Charles Fort. This is a very good general application word for a well defined condition. Better say, than "strangenesses."
August 2, 2009
manilamac commented on the word swipple
Yes, I agree. The swingle is indeed the swipple of a flail.
July 28, 2009
manilamac commented on the word procrustesian
The definition of this word tells me to see Procrustean--which is a good idea since I accidently picked it from the new "forms" function, intending to pick procrustian. The problem is that you show no definition for Procrustean, or any other form of the word.
July 21, 2009
manilamac commented on the word cognoscenti
The cognoscenti are the people who know about things. If my friends at Wordnik wish to be considered cognoscenti, they will come up with a definition for this word which has been queried 24 times.
July 19, 2009
manilamac commented on the word cognoscenti
The cognoscenti are the people who know about things. If my friends at Wordnik wish to be considered cognoscenti, they will come up with a definition for this word which has been queried 24 times.
July 19, 2009
manilamac commented on the word McCleaf
Aha! I should have known: to make or made sibilant. Ho ha!
July 12, 2009
manilamac commented on the word McCleaf
I just looked up lich here on wordnik and found:
Century Dictionary (2)
1.An assibilated form of like1.
2.An obsolete assibilated form of like2.
I'll have to search elsewhere to find the meaning.
July 12, 2009
manilamac commented on the word liche
A liche is most simply a dead body. In genre fiction (and I assume other places) it can also mean a zombie. It seems to have very specific meanings in online gaming, but since I'm not into that, I can't help there.I do not believe the word has come into the language from the gameing world, though, because I've encountered it in works written before online gaming became widespread.
July 12, 2009
manilamac commented on the word genre-specific
How can it be that you have listings for zeugma and even antimetabole but you have no listing for syllepsis?
July 9, 2009
manilamac commented on the word tessera
Excuse me for getting into this here, but I notice the feedback tab is gone. My problem is spelling. I like your new "looking for this?" prompt. With tessera, for instance, the word I encountered was "teserae" which is of course a latin plural, though that didn't occur to me at first. In the past, I have looked for plurals or words with suffixes and had to either go to other sites or puzzle out the root word before finding it in wordnik. But a larger problem is that spelling, not being an exact science, can vary with sources. British and American spellings differ sometimes and sometimes authors either use a non-standard spelling the learned somewhere along the way or mis-remember a spelling. In the past I've had to go elsewhere to figure out these discrepancies. I hope your new prompt solves this. Wordnik is a great site--I'm using it more and more.
July 7, 2009
manilamac commented on the word furbelows
I encountered furbelows in Martha Grimes' I Am the Only Running Footman. I could tell it was meant to draw attention to some sort of ornimentation. All refs indicate women's clothing, but Grimes applied it to home-made chair covers.
July 7, 2009
manilamac commented on the word credent
Credent
Words and Phrases Coined by Shakespeare
At this site:
http://www.pathguy.com/shakeswo.htm
Lists “credent” as one of the “words which Shakespeare evidently coined but which did NOT pass into common use.”
While, “SHAKESPEARE'S COINED WORDS”
An article originally published in "The Shakespeare Key". Charles and Mary Cowden Clarke. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1879. pp. 54-64.
And found here:
http://www.theatrehistory.com/british/shakespeare031.html
Gives the following examples:
"For my authority bears so credent bulk,
That no particular scandal once can touch,
But it confounds the breather. -- Measure for Measure, iv. 4.
With what's unreal thou co-active art,
And fellow'st nothing: then, 'tis very credent
Thou may'st co-join with something -- The Winter's Tale, i. 2.
If with too credent ear you list his songs. -- Hamlet, i. 3.
From the Latin principles credendus, 'to be believed or trusted,' and credens, 'believing,' 'trusting,' Shakespeare fashioned the word 'credent': to express, in the first of the above three passages, 'quality commanding belief or credit'; in the second, 'easily to be believed or credited'; and in the third, 'facilely believing or giving credit.'"
What can I say? Your listing seems to put the lie to the idea that “credent” “did not pass into common use.” On the other hand, your etymology seems to bring into question the whole idea of Shakespeare’s coinage. It may, in fact be a simple neologism. Which brings up the point that many people who should know better are blurring the difference between a coinage and a neologism.
Manilamac
June 30, 2009
manilamac commented on the word thliptic
Thliptic is the adjetive form of thlipsis. The note below is something I also posted for thlipsis; it comes from a short essay by William Long at: http://www.drbilllong.com/Words/Thi.html
That, by the way, is as a medical term meaning "compression, especially constriction of vessels by an external cause." Indeed, the Greek root means "pressure" or "crushing," with the verb being "thlibein," but it was taken over by the early Christians to denote the Great Tribulation that was supposed to happen at the end times. This Tribulation (the "thlipsis") would see oppression, death and slaughter throughout the earth until the Second Coming of Christ. So, why not capture the word for use today in a non-medical way? People's lives are always falling apart, and we need to have some linguistic variety in describing these events. People make far too much use of the words "disaster" or "train wreck" or even "holocaust" to describe their personal losses. Let's bring back thlipsis to describe a personal catastrophe. "The thlipsis I endured was almost more than I could bear." "The thliptic devastation reduced her to tears." Even if the disaster doesn't go away you will at least derive some pleasure from pronouncing the word.
June 28, 2009
manilamac commented on the word eucatastrophe
I encountered this word in a recent piece of genre fiction; I have been unable to find any mainstream (dictionary)definitions for it. I did find the following:
From The Urban Dictionary:
eucatastrophe
"The sudden joyous turn, not an ending, but the moment we get a glimpse of joy. A moment that passes outside the frame rends indeed the very web of story and lets a gleam come through, a gleam of revelation from outside the narrative."
Word created by J.R.R Tolkien and first used in his fantasy saga, 'the Lord of the Rings'.
Citation:
The arrival of Him in her life turned out to be a eucatastrophic event
From Wikipedia:
Eucatastrophe is a term coined by J. R. R. Tolkien which refers to the sudden turn of events at the end of a story which result in the protagonist's well-being. He formed the word by affixing the Greek prefix eu, meaning good, to catastrophe, the word traditionally used in classically-inspired literary criticism to refer to the "unraveling" or conclusion of a drama's plot. For Tolkien, the term appears to have had a thematic meaning that went beyond its implied meaning in terms of form. In his definition as outlined in his 1947 essay On Fairy-Stories, eucatastrophe is a fundamental part of his conception of mythopoeia. Though Tolkien's interest is in myth, it is also connected to the gospels; Tolkien calls the Incarnation the eucatastrophe of "human history" and the Resurrection the eucatastrophe of the Incarnation.
June 16, 2009
manilamac commented on the word eloigned
I encountered this word in a novel, humorously used in the sense of "kidnapped." Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) gives two usage examples: "From worldly cares he did himself eloign. --Spenser." & "The sheriff may return that the goods or beasts are eloigned.--Blackstone." The concept involved reminds me of the phrase, "moved to Oklahoma," which, in Texas, is a euphemism for declaring bankruptcy.
May 19, 2009