L and I were recently talking about whether trilemma is a word. It seemed dubious since the dictionary.com only lists the entry from dictionary.com:
–noun
1. a situation, analogous to a dilemma, in which there are three almost equally undesirable alternatives: His trilemma consisted in not knowing whether to acknowledge receipt, deny it, or simply leave.
2. Logic. [...]
Posts under ‘Words’
Trilemma
Miasma
The JJGo podcast loves to use good words. This time, it’s miasma:
- noun
1. A noxious atmosphere or influence
2. A poisonous atmosphere formerly thought to rise from swamps and putrid matter and cause disease; A thick vaporous atmosphere or emanation
Velocipede
Tall guy and podcaster Jesse Thorn likes to refer to those old-timey bicycles with one giant wheel in the front and one small wheel in the back. Apparently these are called “velocipedes,” although that usage seems to be a subset of the more general term. From dictionary.com:
–noun
1. a vehicle, usually having two or three wheels, [...]
Sirrah
Odie started calling me ’sirrah’ on the train the other day. We figured it was the predecessor of ’sir,’ which turned out to be true. But ’sirrah’ holds a different connotation, according to dictionary.com:
–noun Archaic.
a term of address used to inferiors or children to express impatience, contempt, etc.
Origin: 1520–30; extended form of sir; source of [...]
Arachibutyrophobia
As I recently learned from Mental Floss, “arachibutyrophobia” is a word. According to dictionary.com it is:
noun
a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one’s mouth
Is this really a condition? Even if it is, does it need a specific word to describe it? This is a general problem: most phobias don’t deserve to have [...]
Panegyric
George Washington used the word “panegyric” in a humble reply to a poem dedicated to him by Phillis Wheatley at the outset of the Revolutionary War. From dictionary.com:
noun
1. a lofty oration or writing in praise of a person or thing; eulogy.
2. formal or elaborate praise.
Innocuous
Here’s an exchange that recently transpired:
Labmate: Are you rooting for the Rockies in the playoffs?
Our Hero: Yes. They’re the most innocuous team left.
Labmate: Innocuous?
That’s a prompt for some learning action. Here’s the entry from Webster:
adjective
1 : producing no injury
2 : not likely to give offense or to arouse strong feelings or hostility
That #2 definition perfectly [...]
Jeremiad
In his article in the latest Newsweek about Al Gore and Bill Bradley, Jonathan Alter used the word “jeremiad.” This piqued my interest, as you might expect. I should have guessed the etymology as biblical and hence the meaning. Here’s the listing from dictionary.com:
noun
a prolonged lamentation or mournful complaint.
If I ever decide to change the [...]
Bailiwick
I had never heard the word “bailiwick” before a month ago. Then it appeared throughout The Cuckoo’s Egg and as the name of a theater in Lakeview, the Bailiwick Repertory Theater. I figured I should look it up.
noun
1. the district within which a bailie or bailiff has jurisdiction.
2. a person’s area of skill, knowledge, authority, [...]
Factotum
“Factotum” first appeared in the Jack Black classic School of Rock. It since graduated to a movie of its own, starring Matt Dillon. That was the tipping point for me to look it up.
noun
1. a person, as a handyman or servant, employed to do all kinds of work around the house.
2. any employee or official [...]
Dulcet
The band Camera Obscura was described as “dulcet” by Morning Becomes Eclectic. Since it’s been a while since I increased everyone’s vocabulary, I thought I’d post it.
dulcet – adjective
1. pleasant to the ear; melodious
2. pleasant or agreeable to the eye or the feelings; soothing
Scholars of romance languages will guess the etymology:
Alteration (influenced by Latin dulcis), [...]
Redingote
I’ve been spending a lot of time in the chemistry library lately. There’s a dictionary there which apparently hasn’t been used in the last month. How do I know? Because “redingote” is the feature word every day.
If I didn’t learn anything else in the library, at least I’ve got redingote in my vocabulary.