Content tagged with “definition” under “Stuff I Looked Up”

“I always thought this just meant ‘obey,’ but our pastor pointed out in a sermon that it actually means, effectively, ‘to continue obeying.’ Now, this caught my eye, of course, because of The Big Lebowski where the main character says, ‘The Dude abides’ (at 0:48 in this video ). By this, he doesn’t…”

“ This feels like a formal way to say ‘dissolved’ or ‘terminated.’ ”

“Actually not a new word – I had encountered this once before in a book about why we would never completely rid ourselves of paper. The reason being that it offered ‘affordances’ that digital screens never could. For instance, paper has the affordance of being able to be easily passed around a room…”

“ An ‘agentic’ process is one whereby someone else goes and does something with your approval and authority. In the world of AI, it means empowering an AI engine to do something for you. These agents are goal-seeking, adaptible, asynchronous, and have decision making powers. ”

“ Comes from the same prefix that gives us ‘aggression’ and ‘aggravation.’ Historically, the prefix meant ‘to approach’ or ‘to attack.’ (See PS below. This might be a British idiom.) ”

“ An ambit could be around a physical or geographic space. But it could also refer to the limits of knowledge or influence. ”

“From the French ‘améliorer’ which means ‘improve.’ It seems very similar to ‘alleviate,’ but I read one definition that implied ‘alleviate’ means to reduce suffering, where ‘ameliorate’ means to ‘make better.’ That’s a subtle difference, and I really haven’t seen that reflected in usage (see the…”

“ The core of the word is a form of ‘no break,’ meaning something that bends and coils but never stops. ”

“ It’s literally Greek for ‘less pain.’ It can be used for the entire category of painkilling drugs. The word is often used to mean ‘things that have been deliberately toned-down to reduce stress or anxiety.’ ”

“ It comes from the ancient Greek word ‘nomos,’ which means ‘custom’ or ‘law.’ The prefix ‘a-’ means this is the opposite of that. ”

“ This literally means ‘before war’ in Latin. It’s most often used to discuss the period of Southern life prior to the American Civil War. Less known is the antonym ‘postbellum,’ which means the period after a war. ”

“ This technically means ‘before the Great Flood.’ ‘Diluvial’ means ‘related to a flood.’ But, over the years, it’s become a synonym for ‘old’ or ‘ancient,’ when used to refer to non-historical things. ‘Diluvian’ means ‘related to or brought about by a flood’ and ‘ante’ is the prefix for ‘before.’ ”

“I read several lists of apéritifs, and it seems almost any cocktail counts. The point is that it’s served before the meal, so it’s kind of a ‘liquid appetizer.’ The same thing, served after the meal, it called a ‘digestif,’ and it’s supposedly a tool to aid digestion. (Honestly, both of these just…”

“ It’s from a Greek word meaning the granting of God-like status on something. ”

“This has its basis in Russian, where it was used to refer to a devoted member of the Communist Party. The party itself was referred to as ‘apparat,’ meaning something along the lines of ‘The Communist Machine.’ Today, it’s used to refer to anyone who is a blind or devoted follower of some…”

“ This one comes from the root of ‘posit’ which means ‘to assert.’ This is also where we get ‘position’ from, as a position is essentially an ‘assertion of place.’ The prefix is not the Greek ‘a’ (which would mean ‘opposite’) but rather the Latin ‘ad,’ which means ‘toward.’ ”

“ See also: Parvenu . ”

“ As a description of human behavior, this means to handle rigorously – to question, to interrogate, to be skeptical, to require proof, etc. An arresting and questioning police offer handles someone with asperity – your Mom doesn’t. ”

“ This seems to have a special designation for secret meetings, especially romantic meetings. An ‘assignation’ is often implied to mean a sexual rendezvous. ”

“This comes from the Greek ‘telos’ which means ‘end’ or ‘goal’ or ‘purpose.’ If you remove the ‘a’ prefix, you get ‘telic’ which means an activity which has a purpose. This is the same root we get ‘teleological’ from, which is the argument that the world was created from an intelligent design with a…”

“ It’s literally French for ‘workshop,’ which comes from another word meaning ‘woodpile,’ meaning a carpenter’s workspace. ”

“I did find some references to ‘aubergine purple,’ which is more specifically the color. If you do an image search for ‘ aubergine purple ’ you get all sorts of shades, even drifting into brown. I also found Pantone 229, which someone claimed was ‘aubergine.’ That’s the color swatch embedded at…”

“ This comes from Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and revelry. In some context, it has a sexual subtext, used to describe and orgy or indulgent sexual performance. Humorously, one of the top search results for the word is the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas . ”

“ This comes from ‘beget,’ which means ‘something that creates something else.’ Example: ‘violence just begets more violence.’ ”

“This seems to mean ‘be-nighted,’ like ‘being in night’ or ‘being in darkness.’ Specifically, ‘night’ seems to be intended as state of unknowing or ignorance. Another definition: If you describe people or the place where they live as benighted, you think they are unfortunate or do not know anything….”

“ It literally means ‘black beast’ in French. The first word is pronounced ‘bet.’ In several definitions, I found the word ‘bugbear.’ A bugbear is a random, scary mythical creature, the name of which also means something to be avoid, or a pet peeve. ”

“‘Bey’ is the male form of this word, ‘begum’ the female. It’s the equivalent of the English ‘Lady’ or ‘Dame.’ Spellings are all over the map here. The male form can be spelled any which way: Beigh, Beg, Bek, Bey, Baeg or Begh. Informally, Muslim men will sometimes use ‘begum’ to refer to their own…”

“ It’s literal French for ‘well thinking’ or ‘good thinking.’ ”

“ This is literally French for ‘of course,’ which isn’t interesting, but I’ve never seen it used in an English context before. ”

“The NY Times, in an article entitled Where Did BIPOC Come From? claims this tweet is the first usage: Shout out to @EricPride @ToTNG @MissHC @Aim_4_Greatness & @headonist Thanks for supporting/following us #GrindToronto #BIPOC #Toronto The article quoted a journalism professor: ‘The black and…”

“ The more modern term in use today is ‘Afrikaners,’ though their are subtle differences. ”

“ There are lots of ideas for etymology listed on the Wikipedia page but none is definitive. ”

“It was named for Thomas Bowdler. In the 1800s, he published The Family Shakespeare , which was a version of Shakespeare’s plays which he felt were more suitable for families. Wikipedia has some examples of his changes. In Hamlet, the death of Ophelia was called an accidental drowning, not a…”

“ The etymology traces back through the word ‘braze’ in Old French, meaning ‘to boil or burn.’ The definition is very wide. It could refer to anything from a fire pit to a grill. ”

“ This can also mean ‘a piece of a brick used as a weapon,’ but that would seem to be a strange usage. ”

“ It’s historically Italian for ‘mettle’, ‘fire,’ or ‘life.’ As of today, it translates directly as ‘liveliness.’ ”

“Technically, a bromide is a scientific noun, referring to some part of the chemical compoud Bromine. Historically, a common usage of bromides is as a sedative. It was commonly used as an anesthetic before modern discoveries. Hence, a ‘bromide’ in speech or writing is something so meaningless or…”

“ Often, the stones were a burial mound, containing a body and intended to keep it away from predators or scavengers. ”

“ This is a physical word that was used in an emotional context. ”

“I could figure this one out from the word structure, but here’s the interesting thing about this – this is always irrational, because everything is chemicals . We tend to think ‘chemical’ means something artificial, created in a lab. But water is a chemical. Everything is a chemical. It is not…”

“ The etymology on this goes back to the root word for ‘bile,’ which supposedly – by the reasoning of ancient medicine – led to an excess of anger. It’s the same root from which we get ‘cholera.’ ”

“ This is the root word of ‘inclement,’ which is usually always used to refer to bad weather. So ‘clement weather’ means nice, sunny, and mild conditions. It comes from ‘clemen’ which is Latin for ‘mild, placid, or gentle,’ and is the same root from which we get ‘clemency.’ ”

“ From Latin for ‘counter time.’ Though I’m not sure how that specifically applies. ”

“Technically, an equivalent male is a ‘coquet,’ but you don’t see that word much. Perhaps unfortunately, ‘coquet’ is a diminutive form of ‘cock’ in French. One assumes that the usage here is because a rooster ‘flirts’ with a bunch of hens. That would fit a male in this situation, and ‘coquette’ is…”

“ It’s Latin for ‘from the beginning’ or ‘anew.’ ”

“ There’s a good etymology here: it comes from the French word décollet , which literally means no (‘de’) collar (‘collet’) to represent ‘low neckline.’ In one type of usage, décolletage is also known, more simply, as cleavage. ”

“ The word seems vaguely condescending – to be ‘didactic’ is to be a bore that lectures and moralizes at every opportunity. ”

“ This is literally from a Latin word meanin ‘daily.’ It refers to something that generally follows a daily cycle, or occurs once per day. ”

“The origin of this goes back to ‘dote,’ which is Old English for ‘to act foolishly.’ This is where we get the verb form of ‘to dote,’ which means to lavish foolish levels of attention on someone. It’s also where we get ‘dotage,’ which is someone’s old age where they experience mental decline…”

“ This is the feminine version of the more rare ‘doyen,’ which means: the senior member of a body or group a person considered to be knowledgeable or uniquely skilled as a result of long experience in some field of endeavor ‘Doyen’ is Old French for ‘dean’ which vaguely means leader. ”

“ There are several scientific definitions of this in different disciplines, but they all basically describing two individual things, regarded as a single pair. The Greek word for ‘two’ is ‘dio,’ from which we got ‘duo’ and ‘dyas’ which means ‘group of two.’ ”

“ This comes from the word ‘dyspepsia,’ which refers to digestive problems like heartburn and acid reflux. Presumably, people suffering from dyspepsia are known to be irritable. ”

“ For some reason, I thought this mean ‘feminine,’ but it comes from the word meaning ‘no longer fruitful.’ I was once used to refer to animals no longer capable of producing offspring. ”

“ It’s a form of ‘elegy,’ which is ‘a poem of serious reflection, usually a lament for the dead.’ ”

“ This is related to a couple other words: convince and invincible. They come from the Latin root which means ‘to vanquish’ or ‘to win’ (as in, win an argument). ”

“In particular, ‘medical etiology’ concerns discovering the causes of diseases or conditions, however the word can refer to research into the cause of anything. I got to wondering if the word ‘etiologist’ is an actual thing (note: according to the spellcheck in the editor in which I am writing now,…”

“ A person who engages in this is an ‘exegete.’ Not to be confused with exigency . ”

“ I sort of knew what this meant, but I wanted to clarify that it was not the same as exegesis (it is not). ”

“ It’s somewhat similar to ‘extermination,’ but I couldn’t see how they had any common etymology. ”

“ In examples on the web, I found it used to describe both George Santos and Alex Jones (in addition to the Trump reference below), so it’s definition seems pretty obvious by context. ”

“ It’s often used to mean ‘overly simplistic.’ Someone who has a ‘facile solution’ is not thinking about the problem hard enough. ”

“ This is sort of like a ‘life manager’ or personal assistant or majordomo. A factotum assists someone by performing whatever tasks they need. The word is Latin for ‘do all.’ ”

“ In various definitions, I saw the words: ‘hodgepodge,’ ‘mish-mash,’ ‘haphazard,’ ‘non-sensical,’ etc. It comes from a Latin word for a mixed grain that was fed to cattle. Any grain that didn’t measure up to human standards, became a ‘farrago’ for cattle. ”

“ Sounds kind of like ‘facetious,’ but has no relation. ”

“ ‘Feck’ means ‘effect’ in Scottish. It’s loosely related to ‘effect.’ So, to be ‘feck-less’ is to be without effect. ”

“ Another word for ‘fertility.’ It also means someone with great creative output. ”

“ As a verb, ‘festoon’ means to hang something in a decorative fashion, or just to decorate in general, as if for a party or celebration. ”

“ This refers to a feeling or obligation from a child to their parent. ‘Filial respect,’ for example, is the respect one pays to their parents. It comes from the Latin words for son or daughter. ”

“ Something that’s ‘fulsome’ has a lot of some characteristic. It can also mean ‘overdone,’ and is commonly used to mean ‘too much praise.’ ”

“ There’s an Old English interpretation of ‘gain’ as meaning ‘against.’ So, ‘gainsay’ is to literally ‘say against.’ ”

“This is a religious term, as there are several specific religious practices around it. However, it’s more known as an idiom or shorthand to mean ‘defer.’ An alternative definition : To be servilely respectful or deferential; grovel. I’ve interpreted it from context quite often to mean, ‘obviously…”

“For no particular reason, I searched Google Trends for ‘gravid’ and found an interesting correlation – a large percentage of searches for the term come from southern US states. Do Southerners use this term more often, or do are they just less likely to know what it means and therefore have to…”

“ Clearly, Broadway in New York City is an example of this. However, I suppose it could apply to any ‘entertainment district’ of a city – even a couple blocks Phillips Avenue in downtown Sioux Falls. Wiktionary just has this for etymology: So called from its brilliant illumination at night. ”

“ A ‘moll’ is a girlfriend or prostitute of a male criminal. Various etymologies state that it’s a shorthand for ‘Mary’ or ‘Molly,’ which was also used to indicate a prostitute. To be a ‘gun moll’ specifically implies a level of active participation in crime. ”

“ It comes from the Latin word for ‘circle.’ ”

“ This refers to things that are allowed under Islamic law. This is the opposite of haram . ”

“This idiom is often used when referring to childhood or youth Halycon is an ancient name for the Kingfisher bird. In ancient times, it was believed the gods had given the bird the power to calm the seas during the time when she laid her eggs. Shakespeare used the phrase as the contemporary idiom in…”

“ This is used to describe anything outlawed by the Quran. It’s the opposite of halal . ”

“ I read in some places that ‘dox’ is a suffix meaning ‘opinion,’ which clearly explains the ‘hetero’ prefix. The opposite is not ‘homodox’ (that’s not a word), but rather ‘orthodox.’ The prefix ‘ortho’ means ‘true, correct, proper.’ ”

“ This is German for ‘land in back of.’ It’s often used to refer to land inland from a coast, but is always used to generally mean ‘the area away from the center of something.’ ”

“I feel like this word gets used more in Catholic religious contexts that others. Wikipedia says this: In Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox churches, a homily is usually given during Mass (Divine Liturgy or Holy Qurbana for Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, and Divine Service…”

“ Essentially, a disease or disorder that just happens for no reason: ”

“ ‘Pecuniary’ means something related to money or wealth. The ‘im’ prefix means ‘the opposite of.’ ”

“This is Latin for ‘let it be printed.’ After the printing press was created, it came to be printed on the inside cover of a book to show who had given approval for the book to be distributed. I found lots of pronunciations, mostly differing on the third syllabus: ‘im-prim-MAY-tor’ ‘im-prim-MAH-tor’…”

“Some really interesting etymology here : Inchoate derives from inchoare, which means ‘to start work on’ in Latin but translates literally as ‘to hitch up.’ Inchoare was formed from the prefix in- and the noun cohum, which refers to the part of a yoke to which the beam of a plow is fitted. The…”

“ This is the opposite of ‘salubrious’ which means ‘favorable to or promoting health or well-being,’ but I doubt that gets used as often. ”

“ It’s French for ‘not anxious’ ”

“ It’s a negation of the French word ‘soucier,’ which means ‘to bother or trouble.’ ”

“ The word literally means ‘between reigns.’ If a ruler died, the interregnum was the period of time until a new ruler was crowned. It can be used in general to refer to a gap in something otherwise continuous. ”

“ Clearly, the ‘in’ prefix here means ‘not,’ and ‘utile’ is Latin for ‘useful.’ ”

“ A noun derivative of this is ‘invective,’ which is the actual protest or complaint. ”

“I know this mainly from the phrase ‘inveterate liar.’ I knew it was a adjective that implied amplification, but I wasn’t sure in what sense. Did it mean someone told big lies? Someone told lies without remorse or shame? Turns out that it’s from the Latin word ‘vetus’ which means ‘old.’ It’s mildly…”

“ From the Greek ‘isos,’ which means ‘equal to,’ and the Greek ‘morphe’ which means ‘shape.’ ”

“ It’s from a Latin word meaning ‘hungry’ or ‘empty of food.’ The current definition problem stems from some concept of ‘lacking in substance.’ ”

“ It’s a Latin word meaning ‘hole’ or ‘pit.’ ”

“This is a term most closely aligned with the Catholic church of the Italian renaissance. A legate was a representative of the church with decision-making powers, since geography and transportation at the time prevented easy communication with a central authority. Several definitions compared it to…”

“ This seems to be a compliment used to describe something that embodies all the positive qualities of a lion. ‘Leo’ is Latin for lion, but I couldn’t find any references to this being used to discuss actual lions. It seems to only be used to relate other things to the qualities of a lion. ”

“ Some definitions describe the literary usage as ‘archaic.’ (Though I encountered it in a modern context – see below.) It’s somewhat derived from ‘illuminate’ in Old English. ”

“ ‘Lode’ is Middle English for ‘course.’ So, literally, it means ‘a star that shows the course.’ ”

“ ‘Mad cap’ literally means ‘crazy head.’ It dates to the 1500s, and used to literally mean a person suffering from mental illness. ”

“ The definition above is actually for ‘majoritarianism,’ which appears to be the simple belief in using a majority to decide things. A ‘majoritarian view’ would – I think – be a view that someone believes is held by the majority. ”

“ This is exact opposite of ‘benefactor.’ The root of the word is ‘mal,’ which is Latin for ‘evil.’ It’s the same root from which we get ‘malevolent.’ ‘factor’ means ‘to do.’ ”

“ A ‘mendacity’ can be a single thing someone says, or it can be a quality they possess. ”

“ The adjective form ‘miasmic’ refers a general dirtiness or foulness. ”

“ The name comes from an Old English word for ‘monastery,’ and it technically requires that the church have a monastery, but has since been used to refer to churches without one. ”

“ From context, this usually means externally obvious happiness – laughing, dancing, etc. It might be more accurately described as celebration . It’s from the Old English word for ‘merry.’ ”

“This is pronounced ‘more-ays,’ as in ‘social mores’ (that sounds different when you say it out loud…) It’s Latin, and it’s from the same root word from which we get ‘morality.’ However, the word doesn’t imply the moral rightness or wrongness of anything, it just refers to what’s normally accepted…”

“ I believe it’s literal French for ‘right word.’ ”

“ This is literally the noun form of ‘naive.’ Both words come from the French word for ‘native,’ which was used to mean ‘simple.’ ”

“ From the Latin ‘nasci,’ which means ‘to be born.’ ”

“ It’s Latin for ‘no more beyond,’ meaning, ‘there is nothing greater than this thing.’ ”

“ ‘Nimbus’ means ‘cloud’ in Latin. ”

“There are two definitions for this, one more recent than the other, and seemingly at odds with each other. To be ‘nonplussed’ means you might be: Confused Uninterested Originally, ‘nonplussed’ was Latin for ‘no more’ or ‘no further,’ meaning the person was so confused there was nothing else that…”

“It’s literally French for ‘work.’ So, to discuss ‘Picasso’s oeuvre’ is to simply discuss Picasso’s work. It’s pronounced differently in English and French, and, honestly, I got a lot of different opinions on it. The two most popular: One syllable, rhymes with ‘swerve’ (take away the ‘sw’) Two…”

“ For example: ‘Bang!’ or ‘buzz’ or ‘hiss.’ Saying the word also makes the sound. ”

“ A ‘pageboy’ was traditional a young male attendant. Since then, a ‘pageboy’ haircut is a short cut where the hair curls under towards the face. ”

“ The source is from an ancient Greek word meaning something like: ‘large assembly to honor a god.’ ”

“ The idea behind this is to refer to someone who follows the Pope (‘papal’) more than God or Jesus Christ. ”

“This is a loaded term, because sexual desire is very personal, and how does someone define ‘atypical.’ There’s an Overton Window at play here – what used to be atypical, might not be in the future. Wikipedia has a list of paraphilias which runs from Abasiophilia (sexual arousal to people with…”

“ In medicine, a ‘paroxysmal attack’ is when someone’s previously manageable symptoms suddenly intensify, like a coughing attack, or difficulty breathing. ”

“I’ve known this word to be used pejoratively, to imply that an artist or creator has nothing new to say and just copied inspiration from elsewhere. But in my reading, it seems to be considered a legitimate form of art. I went looking for content on the ‘pejorative-ness’ of the word, and I found an…”

“ Clearly, this is a combination of ‘paternal’ and ‘family.’ ”

“It’s French, pronounced ‘PAT-twah.’ There’s a blurry line between what is a patois and what is an entirely different language. A common example is Jamaican English – is this a regional dialect, or a form of creole? Also murky is where the line sits between a ‘accent’ and a ‘dialect’ or patois. This…”

“ The ‘patricians’ were the ruling class of ancient Rome, as compared to the ‘plebeians’ or ‘plebes,’ who were the lower class. ”

“This is a general concept in use around the world. However, it’s most known to European and American people as a common convention for Scandinavian naming. In historical Scandinavian tradition, one’s last name was formed from the father’s first name. Commonly, in English countries, this has caused…”

“ This is a Biblical reference, from Matthew 7:6: Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. ”

“Both hunger and irritability were mentioned in definitions for this, which means this might be a formal-ish word for the slang ‘hangry.’ It comes from the root ‘peck,’ meaning what a bird does when they eat. It could be that this represents that the person is just slightly hungry – they don’t want…”

“ ‘Ambulate’ means walk. ‘Per’ is a prefix meaning ‘through.’ So to perambulate something is to walk through it. And I suppose people often walk through something to inspect it. ”

“ It’s from the Latin root for ‘to throw away, to destroy.’ ”

“ It’s similar to ‘preemptory,’ which is an actual word, and what I thought this was. To ‘preempt’ means to ‘cut in line,’ which sometimes also fits the context. But peremptory is an entirely different word, it turns out. ”

“ It comes from Latin. ‘fides’ means faithfulness, and the prefix ‘per-’ means ‘to the detriment of.’ ”

“ If it’s capitalized, then it refers to followers of Aristotle, since he liked to teach while walking around. ”

“This is a historic Spanish coin, but most people probably know it as the name of a New Orlean’s newspaper: The Times-Picayune . It paper was so-named because it originally cost one Picayune. (Though mostly associated with the French, New Orleans was owned by the Spanish in the late 1700s. It was…”

“French for ‘foot on the ground.’ For example, a wealthy hedge fund manager might have a house out in the Hamptons, but have a pied-à-terre in the city to stay overnight during the week. A retired couple might keep a pied-à-terre in a larger city and live there part-time. Lately, these types of…”

“ A ‘pillory’ were the classic ‘stocks’ in the town square in Old England where criminals would be locked so people could ridicule them and throw fruit at them. No one does that anymore, so ‘pilloried’ is figurative now. ”

“ This is usually a sleeveless dress worn over another dress or shirt. It can be considered a ‘wearable apron.’ In some cases, they are open at the back, like a hospital gown. It traditionally didn’t have buttons, and was ‘pinned’ to the ‘fore’ (front) of other clothes, hence the name. ”

“ This is used in food descriptions a lot. Something that is ‘piquant’ has a sharp taste to it. A person or statement that is ‘piquant’ is something aggressive or provocative – something that stands out. It’s from the French word for ‘prickly.’ ”

“ I knew that ‘piscis’ was an astrological sign ( its symbol is a fish ), but it didn’t occur to me that the word was simply Latin for ‘fish’ and would be the root of other words. ”

“ From the Latin ‘plenus,’ which means ‘full.’ ”

“ This is a big, sculpted stone, onto which you would put a smaller sculpture or bust. It’s often used in the context of ancient architecture, but you can buy plinths at many home improvement stores . ”

“ One would assume this is where ‘politics’ comes from, in the sense that politics should be a series of good, sound decisions. ”

“ It’s the French word for ‘precise.’ ”

“ Competing definitions for this. interesting, attractive, or impressive; as in ‘He wasn’t a very prepossessing sort of person’ ( Cambridge dictionary ) an attitude, belief, or impression formed beforehand; as in ‘ a prepossession against technology’ ( Merriam Webster ) ”

“‘Presbyter’ is an honorific title for a single Christian clergy. This comes from a Greek word for ‘old man.’ It might be the root for the word ‘priest.’ A pastoral staff considered as a group is a ‘presbytery.’ The word is sometimes used for location: the home of a priest or a section of the church…”

“ To be ‘prescient’ means to have ‘prescience’ which is simply the combination of ‘pre-’ and ‘science’ (knowledge). ”

“I can’t quite figure out how this is different from ‘supernatural.’ After some research, as near as I can tell, ‘preternaturally’ means something extraordinary or explainable, but still within the bounds of physical possibility and reality. It’s often used to describe a high level of skill….”

“ In some cases, this is just another way to say ‘lie.’ In other cases, it’s just heavily implied that someone is leaving out important information or being specifically misleading. It comes from a Latin word meaning ‘to talk crookedly’ or ‘to straddle.’ Reminds me a bit of mendacity . ”

“This is interesting, because it comes from the Latin ‘privare,’ which means ‘to deprive, to strip, to remove.’ But we also use ‘de-prive.’ That sounds like ‘taking away privation,’ which would mean…giving something? My question seems to be about root ‘priv.’ What does that mean? Is that the state…”

“ This is another word for ‘prose’ as opposed to something more artistic like poetry or art. ”

“ Proteus was a Greek god of the sea. The word comes from the mutable, variable characteristic of the sea. ”

“ It’s a German word, and it might come from an Old Germanic term for ‘blow’ or ‘strike.’ The ‘u’ sound is like ‘put’ not ‘putt.’ ”

“It’s a French phrase literally meaning ‘Long live who?’ Guards and sentries would ask unknown people this question, looking for a specific answer (presumably ‘long live the king,’ though one wonders how this didn’t simply become common knowledge). The practical definition and usage eventually…”

“ It’s from the base word ‘rapine,’ which means ‘to seize’ in Latin. A few words in Latin that being ‘rap-’ have similar meanings. rapina: robbery rapere: to snatch rape: forcible sexual contact ”

“ It comes from a Latin word meaning ‘to conceal.’ When I read the definition, I thought to myself, ‘That sounds like ‘esoteric.'’ Then I checked a synonym guide, and the first synonym suggested was ‘esoteric.’ ”

“ The word seems to be heavily used in architecture and engineering. ”

“ The ‘reg’ comes from ‘regal.’ It’s unclear whether this specifically refers to assassination, coup, or execution. The Wikipedia page uses examples of all three. ”

“ ‘Reprove’ means to scold or express disapproval of someone. A ‘reprobate’ is technically someone on the receiving end of that disapproval. ”

“ Not a modern word. I can’t say I’ve ever heard this outside of a biblical reference. ”

“ This is sometimes also used as a synonym for ‘reluctant.’ ”

“I knew what a ‘revival’ was in general terms, but I looked it up: a period of renewed religious interest; an often highly emotional evangelistic meeting or series of meetings Wikipedia has it under Revival Meeting , to disambiguate a specific event from the general societal notion of a ‘revival’: A…”

“ The proper noun ‘Rialto’ refers to the central district of Venice, Italy, known for his historical marketplaces and commerce. Over the years, ‘rialto’ has taken on a general definition. When lower-cased, I’m assuming it just means ‘marketplace’ or ‘commerce’ in general. ”

“ It’s generally used to mean anything on the land adjacent to a river. ”

“ It means something is not objectively pleasant, but that provides some benefit. ”

“ It’s literally French for ‘cold blood.’ ”

“ It sounds kind of like sarcastic, but the difference is that sardonic implies an attempt to belittle or mock someone, while someone could be sarcastic just for general humor value. Sardonic has a ‘meaner’ edge to it than sarcastic. ”

“ ‘Scrofula’ is a form of tuberculosis. Presumably, this is extrapolated to mean disease in general. Also, it sounds like ‘scruffy,’ which fits (though the two words don’t seem to have related origins). ”

“ This is a nautical term. Scudding is a good thing, I gather. There’s a sailing emphasis to some definitions: To run before a gale with little or no sail set. ”

“ The trick here is that the emphasis is on the second syllable: ‘se-CON-ded.’ It doesn’t sound at all like the ordinal ‘first, second, …’ ”

“ […] a sign is defined as anything that communicates a meaning that is not the sign itself to the sign’s interpreter. ”

“ The root is the Latin ‘sen,’ which means ‘old,’ which is also where we get ‘senile’ from. ”

“Merriam provides this commentary : Nowadays, ‘sententious’ is usually uncomplimentary, implying banality, oversimplification, and excessive moralizing. It also notes, there is another meaning which seems to be at odds: The original Middle English sense of ‘sententious’ was ‘full of meaning,’ a…”

“This seems to be used to refer to an actual physical thing that simulates something else. I think we use the word ‘simulation’ for this quite a bit, though that word seems to be tilted to the experience of a simulacrum. So, a photograph, for instance, might be a simulacrum (noun) that simulates…”

“This is sometimes unethical – a no-show job , for example – but is sometimes a way to legally bestow a necessary title or position that someone needs to perform a function. For example, someone might be ‘employed’ by a company for $1/year in order to be legally considered an employee to perform…”

“The extended/metaphorical definition in many cases is ‘things that can be interwoven.’ Examples: ‘A difficult or complicated situation’ ‘A web, weave or tangle’ For example, plot threads are like skeins of yarn. I googled ‘skein plot’ and I found a bunch of books and movies with it in the title,…”

“ According to the Online Etymology Dictionary : literally ‘kind of person who would skin a flint to save or gain something’ This supposedly comes from a 1656 poem called The Legend of Captain Jones . From Word Histories : ”

“ Weirdly, the origin is unknown. It’s clearly French, but taken literally, it means ‘a tap (or tuck) under the chin.’ No sources agreed on how we got from that to a synonym for ‘nickname.’ It appeared in English in the 1600s. ”

“The etymology traces back through multiple languages, all the way to the ancient Greeks. It’s said to have been coined because the Athenian Greeks thought the grammar of the people of the city Soli (sometimes ‘Soloi’) was poor and provincial, therefore they called grammatical and verbal mistakes…”

“From Wikipedia : Solipsism holds that knowledge of anything outside one’s own mind is unsure; the external world and other minds cannot be known and might not exist outside the mind. From a Scientific American article entitled How Do I Know I’m Not the Only Conscious Being in the Universe? :…”

“ From the Latin ‘sopor’ which means ‘deep sleep.’ ”

“ My generation, of course, applies this to the Soviet Union. But ‘soviet’ has a generic meaning as well. Here’s an entire page on the etymology of the word. It literally means ‘co-talking’ in Russian, but is commonly used as the word ‘council.’ ”

“ It comes from the Latin word meaning ‘beautiful.’ The implication is that it’s something that looks good on the surface. ”

“ This usually refers to an animal’s trail, but is also used to refer to a general trail of clues that something has happened. For example, we might leave a ‘digital spoor’ as we spend time on the internet. It comes from a Afrikaans word for ‘footprint.’ ”

“ This is a phonetic spelling of the Portuguese word for ‘a man who loads ships and stows cargo.’ Also called a ‘longshoreman.’ ”

“In Old English, ‘strond’ meant the edge of a river. This is used in quite a few contexts. ‘The strand’ refers to a general place relative to water, I think. But ‘The Strand’ as a proper noun is used to refer to several specific places. Additionally, ‘The Strand’ has been used in many commercial…”

“ This is an adjective based on the word ‘Styx,’ the river in Hades, from Greek mythology. ”

“It’s literally Latin for ‘under the rose.’ I found a couple reasons why this implies secrecy (from American Heritage): From the practice of hanging a rose over a meeting as a symbol of confidentiality And where did this come from? According to Wikipedia : In Hellenistic and later Roman mythology,…”

“A ‘luxation’ is a complete dislocation, when a bone is completely removed from its joint. A subluxation is when something is partially removed. These bones and joints often ‘pop back into place’ by themselves. Chiropractic care is centered on subluxations of the spine, where the vertebra are ‘out…”

“ This is a form of the word ‘sulfur.’ Literally, it can simply mean something that smells like sulfur, but figuratively, it means something that is very aggressive or apocalyptic. ”

“ From the French ‘surfaire’ which means ‘to overdo.’ ”

“ This comes from the ancient city of Sybaris, which was renowned for its hedonism and luxury. It’s pronounced ‘seh-BAR-ritick,’ kind of like ‘arthritic.’ The last two syllables run together. ”

“If you follow the etymology of this all the way back, it comes from the Latin word for ‘time’ or ‘period of time.’ This is the same source from which we get ‘temporary.’ And that’s likely where the connection to Earthly existence comes from. According to most religious traditions, our time on Earth…”

“ This is often applied to journalism, particularly the coverage of politics or issues that have a political aspect. ”

“This word is more commonly known as ‘transgressions,’ and is represented in a couple of Bible verses: If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. […] But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions The definition reminds…”

“ From ‘trans’ which means ‘on the other side of’ and the Latin verb ‘mutare’ which means ‘to change.’ Thus, ‘transmute’ means ‘to complete or effect a change’ – get ‘on the other side of’ a change. ”

“The name comes from some structures on the royal grounds in France. A treaty signed in the Grand Trianon building to end Hungarian involvement in World War I was known as The Treaty of Trianon . I couldn’t find an raw translation for the word. Google Translate doesn’t believe it’s French, and any…”

“I got to wondering about this because it’s a relatively common term. I thought maybe it meant more than I thought it did. Well, it doesn’t. I means exactly what I thought it did. So, then I got to wondering why we hear this term so much, as opposed to other ‘-partite’ terms. I searched for…”

“ This refers to any authority structure that consists of three people. Apparently this has been so common throughout history that it has its own word. It’s Latin for ‘three men.’ ”

“ This comes from the Latin ‘trux’ which means ‘savage.’ ”

“ This comes from a child-ish pronunciation of the word ‘sweet.’ ”

“ This is the definition of someone who ‘tries too hard’; who is obsessed with wiggling their way into someone’s inner circle. ”

“ ‘ur-’ is German for ‘original’ or ‘primitive.’ The urtext is the original document, without any changes. It’s often used to discuss printed music, as these tend to change over time to accommodate new notation or musical styles. ”

“ The root is ‘vainglory,’ which is clearly just a compound word of ‘vain’ and ‘glory.’ ”

“In the 1678 novel Pilgrim’s Progress there was a town called Vanity that had a non-stop fair specializing in anything Man could pleasure in or desire. It is run by the demon Beelzebub and represented Man’s frivolity and hedonism. The phrase was then used as the title of a serialized novel in 1847….”

“ This often means something that changes regularly, or goes back and forth. The implication is usually negative. ”

“ It’s literally French for ‘face to face.’ ”

“ This is the root of the word ‘waning.’ It comes from a old word meaning ‘dark’ or ‘sick.’ ”

“ This seems to be another word for ‘carnivorism.’ A carnivore is a ‘zoophagist.’ ”