The origins and meanings of words

I like the math emphasis because it seems to me that "exceed" is the verbal equivalent of the "greater than" symbol in math. It's neutral and not subjective.  You could exceed expectations or exceed the speed limit.  One object can exceed the weight of another.  The existing, suggested antonyms all have a negative and/or subjective connotation, like you tried to get somewhere but failed.  Subceed feel like the verbal "less than" symbol.     


In economics, you could exceed your forecast performance or subceed it.  Etc. I’m not technical enough to write it properly (but I could polish the sentence/para). 


joanne said:

Aha! Now mainly used in maths & science or economics! Thank you, google scholar! (It still doesn’t like the spelling)
example:

… 1.2) Philosophical explication: extraction of more consistent and precise meaning or meanings …In Good (1968), I defined the complexity of a proposition H as —log P(H), but I retracted … The dynamic explicativity ^(E iH ) can exceed, equal, or 'subceed' ?/0(E:E). When y = | we have …

 Easy for you to say! smile


Have not be able to attend a Mass in real life in weeks, but I haven’t seen or heard this word in a long time...genuflect



mtierney said:

Have not be able to attend a Mass in real life in weeks, but I haven’t seen or heard this word in a long time...genuflect

From the Wizard of Oz (of course):

 If I were King of the Forest, Not queen, not duke, not prince.
My regal robes of the forest, would be satin, not cotton, not chintz.
I'd command each thing, be it fish or fowl.
With a woof and a woof and a royal growl - woof.
As I'd click my heel, all the trees would kneel.
And the mountains bow and the bulls kowtow.
And the sparrow would take wing - If I - If I - were King!
Each rabbit would show respect to me. The chipmunks genuflect to me.
Though my tail would lash, I would show compash
For every underling!
If I - If I - were King!
Just King!
Monarch of all I survey -- Mo--na-a-a--a-arch Of all I survey!


mtierney said:

Have not be able to attend a Mass in real life in weeks, but I haven’t seen or heard this word in a long time...genuflect

 The word genuflect always makes me think of this Tim Lehrer song: The Vatican Rag:


This word seems to have invaded the online world. I have heard it pronounced a multiple of ways. But it is a word with ancient origins, “newly” discovered. Fun to see, tough to say.


My favourite words that I've lately learned are "nocebo", which is where a patient displays the side -effects expected from a drug even though they've been given the placebo, and "grognard" for people who've been playing roleplay games since the 70's. 


Eschew, a stuff shirt word IMHO, spotted today in a news article quoting Speaker Pelosi. I think the word’s synonyms are far more direct.

Choose the Right Synonym for eschew

ESCAPE, AVOID, EVADE, ELUDE, SHUN, ESCHEW mean to get away or keep away from something. ESCAPE stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent. nothing escapes her sharp eyes AVOID stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty. try to avoid past errors EVADE implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding. evaded the question by changing the subject ELUDE implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes. what she sees in him eludesme SHUN often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence. you have shunned your responsibilities ESCHEW implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful. a playwright who eschews melodrama


“But Pelosi has dismissed their concerns and insisted that the new oversight panel will eschew partisan politics and instead focus on realtime accountability for problems that arise amid the crisis response — from testing shortages to helping hospitals access lifesaving medical equipment.”


My Collins thesaurus (the one most easily to hand) suggests that refrain is the meaning employed here. No mystery or nudge-factor employed. 
I’d include the pic of the reference but there’s something weird happening with my photos. 


‘Ipsedixitism’ is the dogmatic assertion that something is true because someone, somewhere said it, and without offering any supporting evidence whatsoever. (From the Latin for ‘he said it’).

https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1256131350870007808?s=21


ridski said:

‘Ipsedixitism’ is the dogmatic assertion that something is true because someone, somewhere said it, and without offering any supporting evidence whatsoever. (From the Latin for ‘he said it’).

https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1256131350870007808?s=21

 Originally referencing Aristotle I believe, who was held to be pretty much infallible. Even though he said flies have eight legs, or something.


Actually, ridski, my Oxford for Writers and Editors reckons that should be ipsissima verba, the very words [that person said]. P. 198 of the 1981 edition. (We’d probably render it ‘as X said, [blah]’ or ‘in his own words, [blah]’ so nothing too new except the rediscovery of Latin) 


Reminds me of the time when an irate local politician stormed into my publisher’s office, irate over a comment attributed to him, by me, in an article covering a public meeting. The boss asked if he had made the remark?

“Yes, but, I didn’t know it would be quoted verbatim!”


Interesting obit in today's NYTimes.Madeline Kripke amassed 20,000 various dictionaries mostly in her Greenwich Village apartment. It all started with a Webster Collegiate received from her parents. She had every kind of dictionary including a Latin dictionary printed in 1502. 


Squonged. 
‘...squonged together into some sort of humongous seething costco of armageddonism...’

Sighted in (cited from?) a commentary on current conspiracy theories.  I think it’s a portmanteau of squished + sponge. 


“Portmanteau” Love it!

Can you imagine the time when you could literally bring along your closet when “going abroad”?  Actually, I wasn’t traveling that far in the day myself smile

 In the late 70s and the 80s, I recall packing two 27”suitcases (his and her), one or two  22” valises,  a book bag (pre-Kindle) which weighed a ton, a camera bag, filled with lens and film canisters, (pre IPhone), and a huge handbag, stuffed with stuff!

As years went by, and travel most often was in the cramped airplane, with lay-overs in miserable airports, bad or no food,  and two small cases as carryons, containing every thing for the trip!

Those were the days! Priceless.


Too many detective novels for me....

Adducing.....

The word adduce comes from the Latin adducere, which means "to lead or bring along." If you were a lawyer, you might adduce, or bring forth, a witness in order to help your case. You might also adduce a piece of evidence, like a fact, to help with your argument.


My Oxford for Writers and Editors informs me that the correct adverbial form is adducible (not adducable) cheese

Lovely word.


 Irrefrangible vs irrefragable

The latter means unanswerable, the former means counter to national customs or etiquette. 
Spotted in a discussion on the modern global use of ‘irregardless’, which has been in the English lexicon since 1795. It just depends which lexicon you use as your ‘house dictionary’. cheese


Remember how our teachers made us put a new words into a sentence?

Who will win in November is irrefrangible, or even irrefragable.

Funny how both words kind of work! Neither word gets past spell check on my iPad.


Hmmm, wonder if Susie lives in MOLand?



https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200522-why-weve-created-new-language-for-coronavirus

Fun article - I’m sure quite a few MOLers will enjoy playing with the new terms (in several languages) offered herein. 
One caught my eye: infodemic. It apparently means a surfeit of information, but to me there’s another opportunity here, for an occupation - the professor or esteemed academic in Information (theory & content).

I also like Blursday, for when you lose track of the days. Totally describes my weeks!!


Blursday! Suitable for any day of quarantine. 
when we are all safely down the curve, we will need new words for March, April and May — they are just blurs now — worst purchase I made in January was a yearly planner smile

2020blurs


It’s been awhile, but this site should be rich for word junkies..

https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day


Ohhh you guys, may I recommend landmarks, the book by robert macfarlane, for all the different words for geographical features from all the nooks and crannies of the UK? my favorite book of 2018!


Fastidiously

Long time ago, this word was used to define neatness and attention to tasks. Even the definition below, gives first attention to the negative aspects.

For sure, after our many weeks of staying home in pjs and eating take-out, this word will be replaced by  disheveled, sloppy, and slipshod - unambiguously.


Mtierney,

As a fellow old timer maybe you had a teacher in your youth that complained about the word Normalcy.  I know that I did.  The lesson taught was that the correct form is Normality.  It sticks in my mind that the word normalcy was invented by FDR in speaking of his struggle with the Great Depression. That word, by common usage, has superceded the previous form and has now become the new normal.


mrmaplewood said:

Mtierney,

As a fellow old timer maybe you had a teacher in your youth that complained about the word Normalcy.  I know that I did.  The lesson taught was that the correct form is Normality.  It sticks in my mind that the word normalcy was invented by FDR in speaking of his struggle with the Great Depression. That word, by common usage, has superceded the previous form and has now become the new normal.

 My Shorter OED vol 2 accepts both, although it doesn’t date or attribute the US origin it mentions. I’ve asked my pedantic sister (remember, she’s a librarian) for her opinion. @marksierra might have guidance from SCOPE on this?


My sister didn’t know, and wondered if Strunk & White stipulated a rule? I couldn’t find my copy, but checked my Australian Govt Printer Style Manual and a later Style Guide - neither shed any light on the matter. 
This fascinating site does, however, complete with links to history charts. Interesting to note the derivation rules and also that ‘normalcy’ predates President Harding’s popularising of it. 
https://grammarist.com/usage/normalcy-normality/


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