A Word to the Wise
354 articles filed under A Word to the Wise.
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A Word to the Wise
proselytize
To proselytize (PRAH-suh-lih-tize) – from the Greek for “convert” – is to try to persuade someone to change their religious or political beliefs or way of life to your own. As I used it today: “If you can add…
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A Word to the Wise
Mira mundi
is Latin for “wonderful world.” As I used it today: “I’m a busy person. I don’t want to spend a vast percentage of the hours I’ve got left in this mira mundi on this kind of ever-less-stimulating stuff. So…
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A Word to the Wise
provenance
The provenance (PRAH-vuh-nuntz) of a work of art – from the French for “to come from” – is a record of its ownership. It is used to confirm the piece’s authenticity and value. As I used it today: “Suzanne…
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A Word to the Wise
Gnathonic
(na-THON-ik) means sycophantic; fawning. It was derived from Gnatho, the name of a parasite in TheEunuch, a comedy written by the 2nd century BC Roman playwright Terence.
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A Word to the Wise
Counterespionage
refers to covert actions taken by a country to prevent another country from discovering its military, industrial, or political secrets. In other words, it’s spies spying on spies.
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A Word to the Wise
ineluctable
Something that’s ineluctable (ih-nih-LUHK-tuh-bl) is impossible to avoid or escape. As I used it today: “The stress is ineluctable. And unless you are able to handle it, you will spend much of your time angry…
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A Word to the Wise
Dissilient
(dih-SIL-ee-unt) – a derivative of the Latin for “to leap, jump, spurt” – refers to something that is bursting apart or open. Primarily a botanical term, this is how Joan Houlihan used it in her poem “You…
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A Word to the Wise
Enervate
sounds like it means something like “energize.” It’s actually the opposite. Derived from the Latin for “to weaken,” it means to debilitate; to deprive of strength or force. As I used it today: “Americans – old…
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A Word to the Wise
Zoomorphic
(zoh-uh-MOR-fik) means “having the shape, form, or likeness of an animal.” Example from Canyons of the Colorado by J.W. Powell: “In the mind of the savage, the world is populated by a host of mythic beings…
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A Word to the Wise
Obsequious
means fawning, deferential – i.e., attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery. As quoted in my book review, above: “The Victorians also liked their obsequious anagrams. Lewis Carroll famously…
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A Word to the Wise
Understanding The Meaning Of Biennale
Biennale (bee-uh-NAA-lay) is Italian for “every other year.” The Venice Biennale, for example – the original on which other large-scale international contemporary art exhibitions have been modeled – is held…
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A Word to the Wise
paean
A paean (PEE-un) is a joyous song or hymn of praise, thanksgiving, or triumph. It originated in Ancient Greece as a tribute to Apollo in his guise as Paean, physician to the gods, for his help in healing…
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A Word to the Wise
philomath
A philomath (FIL-oh-math) – from the Ancient Greek – is a scholar, a lover of learning. As used by Sydney George Fisher in The True Benjamin Franklin: “There was a rival [to ‘Poor Richard’s Almanack’] of which…
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A Word to the Wise
Social science
Social science, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a branch of science that deals with the institutions and functioning of human society and with the interpersonal relationships of individuals as members of…
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A Word to the Wise
Piaculative
(pie-AK-yuh-luh-tiv) was coined by T.S. Eliot for his poem “Mr. Eliot’s Sunday Morning Service.” Derived from the Latin for “appease, purify, expiate,” it refers to atonement or reparation – e.g., for a sin or…
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A Word to the Wise
Amortization
Amortization – from the Latin for “to kill” – is the process of gradually paying off a loan by making planned, incremental payments. With real estate, this is done with a mortgage. As each payment is made…
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A Word to the Wise
Petrichor
(PEH-truh-kor) is a pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather. The word was coined by two scientists who needed a name for the phenomenon to use in an article they…
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A Word to the Wise
Bioregionalism
is an environmentalist movement based on the belief that political, cultural, and economic systems are more sustainable and just if they are organized by naturally defined boundaries (e.g., mountain ranges and…
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A Word to the Wise
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
is a martial art and combat sport based on ground fighting and submission holds. It focuses on the skill of taking your opponent to the ground, controlling him, gaining a dominant position, and using a number…
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A Word to the Wise
Chimerical
Chimerical (kye-MEER-uh-kl) – from the Ancient Greek for “she-goat” – means fantastic; wildly fanciful. In Greek mythology, the chimera (kye-MEER-uh) was a three-headed, fire-breathing monster. It had the body…
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A Word to the Wise
wherefore
When Juliet famously says “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo…” it sounds like she’s asking “Where are you?” But wherefore actually means “why,” the reason behind something. So, she’s not wondering…
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A Word to the Wise
margin call
A margin call is a demand for additional capital or securities to bring a margin account up to the minimum maintenance level. Brokers may force traders to sell assets, regardless of the market price, to meet…
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A Word to the Wise
Ploce
(PLOH-chay), from the Ancient Greek for “weaving” or “braiding,” is a rhetorical device – the repetition or inversion of a word or phrase for emphasis. Examples: * “I am stuck on Band-Aid, and Band-Aid’s stuck…
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A Word to the Wise
spoonish
The title of today’s movie reminded me of a “new” slang word I came upon: spoonish. It supposedly describes a person or thing that acts silly or makes a silly mistake. But I googled it… and I can’t find any…
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A Word to the Wise
superjacent
Something that is superjacent is positioned immediately above or on top of something else. Example (from “The Castles of Moravia,” a 2011 article by Evan Rail in the Travel section of the NYT): “Village…
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A Word to the Wise
grabble
To grabble is to grasp or grope – probably from the same Old English/Germanic origin as grapple (wrestle). Example from “The Tall Men” by William Faulkner: “A fine loud grabble and snatch of AAA and WPA and a…
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A Word to the Wise
cipher
A cipher (SY-fur) – from the Arabic for “zero” – is a secret code, usually one created using a mathematical algorithm. It can also be used to refer to someone or something of no importance. Example: “An…
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A Word to the Wise
conflate
To conflate is to fuse or confuse. To bring different things together and fuse them into a single entity – and, by extension, mistakenly treat them as equivalent. Example: “It is easy for those who conflate…
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A Word to the Wise
cadre
A cadre (KAH-dree) – from the Latin for “four” – is a small group of people that have some kind of unifying relationship. Example from an article in The Guardian: “Just another member of the insular elitist…
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A Word to the Wise
indite
To indite is to write, especially a literary or artistic work. As used in “Marginalia,” an essay by Edgar Allan Poe: “It is certain that the mere act of inditing tends, in a great degree, to the logicalisation…
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A Word to the Wise
Vernissage
– from the French for “varnishing” – is a term used for a preview or private showing of an art exhibition before the formal opening. The word has its roots in the old practice of setting aside a day for…
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A Word to the Wise
a word to the wise
As a noun, advert, is, of course, an abbreviated word for “advertisement.” But when used as a verb – as in, “to advert to” something – it means turning attention to. (And, yes, there must be some connection…
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A Word to the Wise
Détente
Détente – from the Latin for “loosen” or “release” – is a political term. It’s usually used to describe the easing of hostility or strained relations between countries.
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A Word to the Wise
Susurrus
(suh-SUR-us) – a word that sounds like what it means – is a low, soft whispering, murmuring, or rustling sound. (Plural is susurruses.) Example from The Journal of a Disappointed Man by W.N.P. Barbellion…
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A Word to the Wise
A word that makes me wonder, “When was the last time I did this?”: disport
To disport is to amuse oneself in a playful way; to display ostentatiously. As used by Jules Verne in Five Weeks in a Balloon: “The soil was thickly studded with cocoa-nut, papaw, and cotton-wood trees, above…
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A Word to the Wise
A word to describe something that smells like your grandmother’s attic: fusty
Fusty – probably from the Old French fusté (“tasting of the wine cask”) – usually means damp and dusty, having a stale odor. As used by Wilkie Collins in My Miscellanies: “The cab is fusty, the driver is…
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A Word to the Wise
A word I just recently came upon for the first time: comminatory
* A word I just recently came upon for the first time: comminatory Comminatory means threatening, punitive, or vengeful. Example from The Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad: “I suspected something comminatory in…
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A Word to the Wise
Words to the Wise
* Palindrome – word, a verse, a sentence, or a number that reads the same backward or forward. Easy to remember examples: - Phrase: Able was I ere I saw Elba. - Names: Hannah and Otto - Numbers: 1661 and 2002…
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A Word to the Wise
punctilious (adjective)
Someone who is punctilious (pungk-TIL-ee-us) is extremely detail-oriented. As I used it today: “These characteristics rule out my involvement in a few perfectly good investment strategies. Strategies that some…
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A Word to the Wise
sobriquet (noun)
A sobriquet (soh-bruh-KET) is an affectionate or humorous nickname. As I used it today: “In What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars, Jim Paul makes some very useful distinctions between 5 money-related…
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A Word to the Wise
comorbidity (noun)
Morbidity (mor-BIH-dih-tee) refers to having a disease or medical condition. Comorbidity (koh-mor-BIH-dih-tee) refers to the presence of two or more diseases or medical conditions in the same patient. As I…
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A Word to the Wise
conflagration (noun)
A conflagration (kon-fluh-GRAY-shun) is an extensive and highly destructive fire As I used it today: “[Trump’s] 2016 campaign rhetoric about illegal immigrants and his promise to build the wall ignited a…
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A Word to the Wise
adulation (noun)
Adulation (ad-juh-LAY-shun) is excessive admiration or praise. As I used it today: “On the one hand, I was thrilled that this person I adulated would condescend to confide in me. On the other hand, her…
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A Word to the Wise
exponential (adjective)
Exponential (eks-puh-NEN-shul) refers to an increase that becomes more and more rapid. As I used it today: “Compounding is slow and boring at first. But as time passes, the dividends get exponentially larger.”
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A Word to the Wise
Word of the Day: Fervent
fervent (adjective) Fervent (FUR-vuhnt) means having/displaying very strong and sincere feelings about something. As I used it today: “Learn everything [the people doing the job you want] know. Help them solve…
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A Word to the Wise
myopia (noun)
Ophthalmologically speaking, myopia (my-OH-pee-uh) is nearsightedness. The word is also used to refer to a lack of foresight or discernment. As I used it today: “People that favor tariffs and other trade…
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A Word to the Wise
volte-face (noun)
Volte-face (vawlt’uh-FAHS) is a reversal in policy or opinion; an about-face. As used by Edmund William Gosse in Some Diversions of a Man of Letters: “We have had in France an example of volte-face in taste…
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A Word to the Wise
pentheraphobia (noun)
Pentheraphobia (PEN-thur-uh-foh-bee-ah) is the fear or strong dislike of one’s mother-in-law, a real – and surprisingly common – psychological affliction. The word is derived from the Greek “penthera”…
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A Word to the Wise
apocalyptic (adjective)
Something that’s apocalyptic (uh-pahk-uh-LIP-tik) shows or prophesies the total destruction of the world – a scenario that is most famously described in the Bible’s Book of Revelation. As I used it today: “So…
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A Word to the Wise
paradigm (noun)
A paradigm (PARE-uh-dime) is a model; a standard, perspective, or set of ideas. As I used it today: “You are going to have to convince [your key people] that there is no other option. That unless everyone gets…
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