GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

In truth, my taste in coffee is plebeian. It might just as well be abracadabra as arabica. It's magic either way.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

plebeian

/plɪˈbiːən/
noun
1 (in ancient Rome) a commoner.
1.1 A member of the lower social classes.
adjective
1 Of or belonging to the commoners of ancient Rome.
1.1 Of or belonging to the lower social classes.
1.2 Lacking in refinement.

Origin
Mid 16th century: from Latin plebeius (from plebs, pleb- ‘the common people’) + -an.

==========

In spite of protests to the contrary, the US is a society with classes. A plebeian democracy is declared, but too often those with scads of money determine the scope of legislation.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

ostensible

/ɒˈstɛnsɪb(ə)l/
adjective
attributive Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so.

Origin
Mid 18th century: from French, from medieval Latin ostensibilis from Latin ostens- ‘stretched out to view’, from the verb ostendere, from ob- ‘in view of’ + tendere ‘to stretch’.

==========

What you've said to me is ostensible,
But it may equally be reprehensible.
Though I see kids in your minivan,
I am sure it is your sneaky plan
To make it seem apparent
That you are a busy parent.
The reality may actually be
For Uber you drive them for a fee.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

This person at the wheel looks very much like pavid David. But is he a plebeian Uber driver, or a patrician pater familias ostensibly showing his devotion to his family (and addicted to Jamaica Blue Mountain) ?
Hamletus, the son of a roman king possibly killed by his own brother, would ask
Hamletus wrote:To be a plebeian or to be a patrician ? That is the question !
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

voralfred wrote:This person at the wheel looks very much like pavid David.
Indeed.

Next, a ridiculous, random ramble:

Each day's illustration is ostensibly "new", but honesty must reign. Frequently, elements of earlier illustrations may be combined in another way. It might be inaccurate to say "combined in a unique manner", so I won't claim that.

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In an effort to continue the theme of honesty, words of the irreverently illustrative sentences are routinely reused. Our rulebook specifies we may not use words more than once as our day's focus. However, as words scattered around our posts, repeats are common. "Ostensibly", the adverb form of today's WotD has appeared here seven times (revealed through a quck search).

Words, in general, get lots of repetition. We cannot avoid that, thank goodness. How meaningless would our conversations be if every word we uttered had to be brand, spanking new?
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

percussive

/pəˈkʌsɪv/
adjective
Relating to or produced by percussion.

==========

"Be original!" was the jussive command.
Don't just use any old word at hand.
I do not intend to be rude,
But I'm certain of my verbish mood.
I like recycling as much as the next person
And I know without it our world will just worsen.
But a rule is a rule, here a very sharp tool
If I were to ignore it, I'd be a great fool.
So a new word to you I must give.
Ta-da, rat-a-tat-tat, take that: percussive.
I'll drum it into you. Yes, you know it's true.
It's the thing which I must do, until you're black and blue.

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[If you notice the link to "jussive" above, you will see that our routine source of words, ODO, has offered us a word for today only a scant year or so from the last time. It is also offering us a self-referenced definition for this selected substitute.]
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

ostensibly

/ɒˈstɛnsɪbli/
adverb
As appears or is stated to be true, though not necessarily so; apparently.

==========

Word of the Day selections are ostensibly chosen randomly. Unfortunately the algorithm used does not check for prior use of a word. Fortunately astute human intervention can prevent duplication.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

Ostensibly, today's WOTD is ostensibly, and further, again ostensibly, it has not been used before. However it is rather close to the ante-penultimate WOTD of tuesday february 26th, namely ostensible.
Once more ostensibly, your remark about human astuteness has to do with yesterday's WOTD, namely jussive.
However, human astuteness also allows to find out what is actually today's WOTD.

In any case it would be extremely ungrateful to make any disparaging remark about the remarkable work you do day after day, especially since you do not get any pecuniary reward for it.
Your only reward is our (EPS's and mine, at least) gratitude, which is total, and I suppose, the fun you get out of it !
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

Somebody recommended ostensibly. That is the word for which I did the search. It is shocking that I had forgotten using ostensible, and so recently!

I must be following the recommendation, "Live in the now."

(I may also be suffering from short term memory degradation, I suppose.)

Moving on...[scuttles away, hiding his head.]

...while smiling broadly at all the fun, verily glee, to be had from this repartee...
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

bioactive

/bʌɪəʊˈaktɪv/
adjective

(of a substance) having a biological effect.

==========

While the term bioactive is typically used in the realm of pharmacology, a substance as simple as water has a bioactive effect, often seen during a seed's germination as no other substance beyond air is generally needed to sprout the seed.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

oenophile
(US enophile)

/ˈiːnə(ʊ)fʌɪl/
noun
A connoisseur of wines.

Origin
1930s: from Greek oinos ‘wine’ + -phile.

==========

According to the dictionary, it took until the 1930s for oenophiles to develop. Apparently, before that, people just enjoyed drinking the best wine they could find and spoke about it in their local language.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

A true oenophile would probably object to your previous claim that water is bioactive. Only wine would qualify, for him/her.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

enumerate

/ɪˈnjuːməreɪt/
verb
[with object]
1 Mention (a number of things) one by one.
1.1 formal Establish the number of.

Origin
Early 17th century: from Latin enumerat- ‘counted out’, from the verb enumerare, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘out’ + numerus ‘number’.

==========

"I have made several points today", said Bob. To the dismay of his students, waiting eagerly for the bell, he enumerated them for the third time.

Classic pedagogy:
  1. Tell them what you are going to tell them.
  2. Tell them.
  3. Tell them what you told them.
If all else fails, read aloud in class the text which you wrote and sold to the students.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

proem

/ˈprəʊɪm/
noun
formal
A preface or preamble to a book or speech.

Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French proeme, via Latin from Greek prooimion ‘prelude’, from pro ‘before’ + oimē ‘song’.

==========

A weather forecast is merely a proem to reality.

Image
(Image Credit: Screenshot 2019-03-04 from CBS Boston)

March Snow

Muscles are tired
From clearing the snow.
Much more than predicted
Only when done can you really know.

We got 17 inches
midnight to eight
People driving to work
Had to go in late.

Started the clearing at six
Inside for breakfast at nine
Will this top off the season?
With that, most will be fine.

Oatmeal with coffee
And a cookie or two
I take off my boots next
In favor of a regular shoe.

Let the lingering flakes
Dust the sidewalk and stair
I'll rest quite happily
In my most comfortable chair.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

Algot, you really are a proet !
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

I wonder if pre-biotics should be considered a proet or preamble to my constitution.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

becloud

/bɪˈklaʊd/
verb
[with object]
literary
Make obscure or muddled.

==========

I won't intentionally cloud the issue by incentivizing you to use becloud instead. Making nouns work as verbs has become common, making these older forms obsolete.

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[ Interesting "verbing" link: https://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/verbing-nouns/
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

halfling

/ˈhɑːflɪŋ/
noun
1 (originally in stories by J. R. R. Tolkien) a member of an imaginary race of small people.
2 (in fantasy fiction) a being who is the offspring of a human and a member of another race.
3 Scottish archaic A person who is not yet fully grown.

Origin
Mid 17th century: from half + -ling.

==========

Writers of fantasy fiction populate their imagined worlds with all sorts of imagined species, including halfling ones. Then, so did the myths of the Ancients.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote:halfling
So logically, as I certainly am no halfling, I must be a fulling ?
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

E Pericoloso Sporgersi wrote:
Algot Runeman wrote:halfling
So logically, as I certainly am no halfling, I must be a fulling ?
Wouldn't that depend on your waistline ?

Algot Runeman wrote:halfling
(....)
==========

Writers of fantasy fiction populate their imagined worlds with all sorts of imagined species, including halfling ones. Then, so did the myths of the Ancients.

Image

The halfling (def. 2) character of the centaur is obvious, but what about the other one ? Looks like two human parts, each one bigger than half a body, and adding up to one body plus a half, or so. Is it supposed to be a one-and-a-halfling (def. 1) ?
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

voralfred wrote:
E Pericoloso Sporgersi wrote:
Algot Runeman wrote:halfling
So logically, as I certainly am no halfling, I must be a fulling ?
Wouldn't that depend on your waistline ?
Careful there!
You're confusing with filling.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

higher-order

adjective
Involving reasoning of a high level.

==========

It involves neither a cell phone nor a connection to Amazon from the mountaintop to display higher-order thinking.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

institutional

/ɪnstɪˈtjuːʃ(ə)n(ə)l/
adjective
1 Of, in, or like an institution or institutions.
1.1 (especially of surroundings) impersonal and unappealing.
1.2 Expressed through or organized in the form of institutions.
1.3 Established as a convention or norm in an organization or culture.
2 (of advertising) intended to create prestige rather than immediate sales.

==========

Irene installed many institutional policies during her time as the director of the Icelandic Intellectual Institute. She considered it fitting.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

spica1

/ˈspʌɪkə/
noun
Medicine
A bandage folded into a spiral arrangement resembling an ear of wheat or barley.

Origin
Late 17th century: from Latin, literally ‘spike, ear of corn’; related to spina ‘spine’. The current sense is influenced by Greek stakhus ‘ear of wheat’.

==========

A wrap of flexible bandage may be sufficient as a thumb spika to stabilize a mild sprain of the wrist. More often, a brace is applied with Velcro™ straps.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

specie

/ˈspiːʃiː//ˈspiːʃi/
noun
mass noun
Money in the form of coins rather than notes.

Origin
Mid 16th century: from Latin, ablative of species ‘form, kind’, in the phrase in specie ‘in the actual form’.

==========

It is wise to note that the value of all money, whether digital bits, notes of rag paper or specie, is an agreement we make with one another. I could choose to deliver your salary in urns of salt, as was once apparently done.

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