New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FATUOUS

pronunciation: [FA-tchoo-əs]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, early 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. Silly and pointless.

 

Examples:

"He thought the decorative pillows were fatuous, but they made his mom happy."

"The teacher was frustrated by the fatuous questions that showed the students hadn't been paying attention."

About Fatuous

The "fat" in this adjective is misleading — "fatuous" has nothing to do with weight. Instead, the origin can be traced to the Latin word "fatuus," meaning "foolish." You might recognize this root in the word "infatuation," which refers to a silly, foolish crush.

 

Did you Know?

The word "fatuous" is an adjective used to describe someone lacking in intelligence, or something that is pointless. But before you call someone else "fatuous," make sure you're not being inane, puerile, infantile, vacuous, asinine, witless, harebrained, preposterous, or risible yourself.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EUPHONY

pronunciation: [YOO-fə-nee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Greek, 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. The quality of being pleasing to the ear, especially through a harmonious combination of words.

2. The tendency to make phonetic change for ease of pronunciation.

 

Examples:

"She wanted to pick out the perfect name for her baby — something unique and with euphony."

"Some abbreviations are created purely for ease of speech and a sense of euphony."

About Euphony

English adopted the noun "euphony" from the French word "euphonie," but it really goes back to the Greek word "euphōnia," derived from the adjective "euphōnos," meaning "well sounding." Any word containing "phon" can be traced to the Greek "phōnē," which means "sound."

 

Did you Know?

Euphony can describe any pleasing sound, but it is most commonly applied to words. There is, however, a specific linguistic phenomenon called "euphony." Some speakers are drawn to easier-to-pronounce words, even going so far as to alter the pronunciation of words to make them simpler and faster to say. The development of contractions is an example of euphony.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: INTERSTICE

pronunciation: [in-TUR-stəs]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 15th century

 

Meaning:

1. An intervening space, especially a very small one.

 

Examples:

"I see the neighbor's dog's eye peeking through the interstice of the fence."

"His birthday falls during the interstice between Christmas and New Year's."

About Interstice

You might recognize "inter" as "between." "Interstice" comes from the Latin word "intersistere," which means "standing between." It's an impressive word for a tiny gap.

 

Did you Know?

Read between the lines — an interstice is the space between. The word can apply to a physical gap between objects, or it can be used in a more figurative sense, such as between time periods or even emotional space.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: LETHOLOGICA

pronunciation: [lee-thə-LAH-jih-kə]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Greek, early 20th century

 

Meaning:

1. The inability to remember a particular word or name.

 

Examples:

"Her lethologica increased when she was meeting multiple people at a time."

"Use mnemonic devices to avoid lethologica when you're studying for a big test."

About Lethologica

With the Greek word "lethe" for "forgetfulness" and the Greek word "logos" for "word," you can understand "lethologica" as the feeling of being unable to remember a word or a name. It can be a symptom of a medical condition, or it can be a case of forgetfulness.

 

Did you Know?

The root "lethe" comes from Greek mythology — it's the river in Hades that makes the souls of the dead forget their previous life. "Lethologica" is a somewhat obscure term for being unable to remember a certain word. A related medical condition is called "aphasia," the loss of ability to understand or express speech.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: STENTORIAN

pronunciation: [sten-TOHR-ee-ən]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Greek, early 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. (Of a person's voice) Loud and powerful.

 

Examples:

"A successful candidate requires a stentorian voice that carries above the cheering crowds."

"It was a surprise to hear a stentorian voice coming from such a small body."

About Stentorian

Stentorian is an adjective to describe a loud, booming voice. "Stentor" is the proper noun from Homer's "Iliad," but "stentor" is a common noun for anyone with a powerful voice.

 

Did you Know?

Thank Homer for this one. In the classic epic poem the "Iliad," Stentor is the name of the herald who delivered proclamations to the Greek army during the Trojan War. It was said that his voice was as loud as 50 men together, but you don't have to be quite that loud to be called "stentorian."

 

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: DEMUR

pronunciation: [də-mər]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Latin, 12th century

 

Meaning:

1. Raise doubts or objections or show reluctance.

2. (Law) Put forward a demurrer.

 

Examples:

"This is an open forum — please demur if you don't agree."

"If you don't agree with the charge, your lawyer can demur."

About Demur

Like many words that are rooted in Latin, "demur" took a progression through other languages to get to English. In Latin, "de-" means "away or completely," and "morari" means "delay." It moved into Old French as "demourer" (verb) and "demeure" (noun), and as it moved from French into Middle English, "demur" meant "to delay." However, it's also an objection — maybe even an objection at a delay.

 

Did you Know?

To demur means to object, doubt, or show your reluctance. The verb is also used in a legal sense to file a demurrer, or objection. But if you don't have any qualms, you might use "demur" as a noun. "Demur" is almost always used in the negative as a noun: "I agreed to his compromise without demur."