mdwriternm has adopted no words, looked up 0 words, created 1 list, listed 16 words, written 7 comments, added 0 tags, and loved 0 words.
mdwriternm has adopted no words, looked up 0 words, created 1 list, listed 16 words, written 7 comments, added 0 tags, and loved 0 words.
Comments by mdwriternm
mdwriternm commented on the word kiss
The word starts hard and ends soft in contrast to the act, which, if sweet, starts soft and ends hard.
October 25, 2007
mdwriternm commented on the word crenated
I just like the way it sounds. A nice alternative to "scalloped."
October 25, 2007
mdwriternm commented on the word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
I think it was originally the title of a song in "Mary Poppins" but was replaced because it didn't rhyme with "precocious" and "atrocious." Of course, I could be wrong about that.
October 25, 2007
mdwriternm commented on the word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconeosis
DOH! I hate when I make typos. ...volcanoconiosis is indeed the preferred spelling of this word, that apparently exists only so that it can exist.
October 25, 2007
mdwriternm commented on the word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconeosis
This is generally considered the "longest" English word, although its origin is obscure. It is supposed to mean black lung disease, found in coal miners, although some thing it was invented solely so that it could be the longest word.
Pneumono: in the lung you have...
ultra microscopic: very small pieces of...
silico volcanoconeosis: bits of rock.
Learn to say it fast, and you will always have a way to command the conversation.
October 19, 2007
mdwriternm commented on the word asymptotic
Taken from mathematics, this is a marvelous word to use when you want to convey something keeps getting closer and closer...but never reaches it. The simple example is this: take a number and divide it by 2. Then divide that by 2, ad infinitum. While you will get closer and closer to zero, you will never actually reach zero. This is called asymptotically approaching zero. What a metaphor for life in many ways...you get closer and closer, but never reach it.
October 19, 2007
mdwriternm commented on the word acomoclitism
Acomoclitism is said in a medical article (J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol (2006) 19:117–123) to be the technical term for having a preference for hairless genitals. That article, however, cites only wikipedia, which provides no citation. I can't find any dictionary that contains the word. It's a great word nonetheless. Long live the acomoclitistic youth of American culture.
October 19, 2007