New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: COPESTONE

pronunciation: [KOHP-stohn]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin and Germanic, mid-16th century

 

Meaning:

1. A flat stone forming part of the coping of a wall; the highest stone in a building, wall, or structure.

2. A finishing touch or crowning achievement.

 

Examples:

"The brickwork narrowed as it got higher until it formed a very small copestone."

"Stella felt earning her Ph.D. was the copestone of her life."

About Copestone

This word is a combination of the Middle English “cope,” from a variant of the late Latin “cappa,” and the Old English “stān,” which is Germanic in origin and is related to the Dutch “steen” and German “Stein.”

 

Did you Know?

“Two Fragments of a Copestone” are two pieces of mottled red sandstone with delicate, intricate images of animals, plants, and patterns carved into them. They are from the sacred city of Mathura (in modern-day northern India) and are estimated to be from the period between 50 BCE and 5 CE. These pieces of copestone can be seen at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SYNCRETIZE

pronunciation: [SING-krə-tiyz]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. Attempt to amalgamate or reconcile (differing things, especially religious beliefs, cultural elements, or schools of thought).

 

Examples:

"The ESL teacher hoped to syncretize his students’ experiences so they could learn from one another."

"Throughout history, people have syncretized parts of religions to create unique belief systems."

About Syncretize

This word originated from the Latinized form of the Greek “synkretizein,” meaning “to combine against a common enemy.”

 

Did you Know?

Rome, one of the greatest powers of the ancient world, expertly syncretized features of other cultures to create a uniquely Roman one. For instance, the Romans incorporated aspects from several northern Mediterranean religions into their own gods. Similarly, Latin uses Phoenician writing, Etruscan letters, and the Greek alphabet. And Roman architecture featured Etruscan arches and Greek columns along with the Roman innovation of concrete.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ARTIFICER

pronunciation: [ar-TIH-fə-sər]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, late 14th century

 

Meaning:

1. A skilled craftsman or inventor.

2. (British military) A skilled mechanic in the armed forces.

 

Examples:

"The artificer could fix any kind of engine."

"Terry was a skilled artificer who had applied for multiple patents."

About Artificer

This word stems from Anglo-Norman French, probably as an alteration of the Old French “artificien,” from “artifice.”

 

Did you Know?

In the fifth edition of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, the artificer characters are master inventors. They use a variety of tools to channel their impressive capabilities, and they view magic as a complex system they need to decode and then utilize in their spells.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PROSOPOGRAPHY

pronunciation: [prah-sə-PAH-ɡrə-fee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, late 16th century

 

Meaning:

1. A description of a person’s social and family connections, career, etc., or a collection of such descriptions.

 

Examples:

"The sociologist used the prosopographies of different groups to study larger trends."

"My grandmother traced our family’s genealogy, and I used her research to start on the prosopography."

About Prosopography

This word stems from the modern Latin “prosopographia,” from the Greek “prosōpon,” meaning “face, person,” plus “-graphia,” meaning “writing.”

 

Did you Know?

British historian Lawrence Stone stated in a 1971 article that there was an old and new style of prosopography. Traditionally, the social science was most interested in well-known social elites, allowing a prosopography of a “power elite” to surface over time. By the 1970s, the new form of prosopography was concerned with wider populations of “ordinary people” who had some form of shared experiences and history. Genealogy is a popular hobby related to prosopography.

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: LIGHTSOME

pronunciation: [LIHYT-səm]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Middle English, early 15th century

 

Meaning:

1. Merry and carefree.

2. Gracefully nimble.

 

Examples:

"Maryann had a lightsome spirit that drew people to her."

"The dancers in this production are lightsome in their movements."

About Lightsome

This literary adjective pairs the uplifting and cheery definition of “light” with the suffix “-some,” meaning “very like” or “same as.”

 

Did you Know?

In addition to the carefree and nimble usages, “lightsome” can also describe something that is well lit and bright. As an example: “The test kitchen was lightsome in order to provide a space for sharp, professional pictures of the food.”