GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[Algot Runeman]

bell-mare

Pronunciation: /bel mer/
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

n. A mare used by mule-herders as an aid in keeping their herds together. The mules follow the bell-mare wherever she goes. Also called madrina in the originally Spanish parts of the United States.



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The cowboys became lazy because the remuda followed the bell-mare in total trust. The cattle were not so well organized. The first bolt of lightning made a shambles of the whole mob.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

bell-mare

I wish I'd had a bell-mare when I was married.

Instead I had a belle-mère (*), who was quite capable of stampeding a 9-block neighbourhood all by herself.

(*)
belle-mère in French
mother-in-law in English
schoonmoeder in Dutch
(though she is not necessarily belle nor schoon)

P.S.
j/k outrageously

[Algot Runeman]

adroit

Pronunciation: /əˈdrɔɪt/
adjective
Clever or skilful: he was adroit at tax avoidance
Origin
Mid 17th century: from French, from à droit 'according to right, properly'.

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In spite of ancient prejudices, Carl, a natural lefty, impressed everyone with his adroit use of brushes to create beautiful and emotional art.

[It is hoped that today's word will be acceptable in spite of the use of maladroit in Oct. 2007.]

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

adroit

C-3PO is actually not a droid. It's the actor Anthony Daniels wearing a customised costume.

Because the robot costume is quite unwieldy, the character is far from adroit, thus emphasising its mechanical nature and fooling the audience.

R2-D2 (left) and C-3PO (right)

[voralfred]

bell-mare

Pronunciation: /bel mer/
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

n. A mare used by mule-herders as an aid in keeping their herds together. The mules follow the bell-mare wherever she goes. Also called madrina in the originally Spanish parts of the United States.


(...)

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The cowboys became lazy because the remuda followed the bell-mare in total trust. The cattle were not so well organized. The first bolt of lightning made a shambles of the whole mob.

Sorry for this delayed comment.

Everyone would gladly follow Pierre Bellemare.
He is extremely funny, and also a very nice person, his humour is always kind.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

bell-mare

...
Everyone would gladly follow Pierre Bellemare.
He is extremely funny, and also a very nice person, his humour is always kind.

Nothing like Jimmy Kimmel then.

Bellemare must've had a tolerant and kind belle-mère, the lucky stiff ...

[Algot Runeman]

Sorry for this delayed comment.

The word of the day is not tied to a single day. Why, some words have been known to show up every day! We are not Pavlovians here, mere bell responders. Poderous pondering is proudly proposed even as radical rushing is rarely rejected.

[Algot Runeman]

jouissance

Pronunciation: /ˈʒwiːsɒ̃s/
/ʒwisɑ̃s/
noun
[mass noun] formal
Physical or intellectual pleasure, delight, or ecstasy.

Origin
French, from jouir 'enjoy'.



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We look forward to all comments with jouissance whether they are early or late, jocose or jaundiced, titillating or tendencious.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

jouissance

My grandma was always pure jouissance to grandpa.

Regardless whether she was viciously angry , or exuberantly joyous or just plain amorous .

[voralfred]

jouissance

My grandma was always pure jouissance to grandpa.

Regardless whether she was viciously angry , or exuberantly joyous or just plain amorous .

...especially since, if I understand the situation correctly, she agreed to remove her furs in his (and only his) presence, something that the lioness above cannot do....

[Algot Runeman]

superannuated

Pronunciation: /suːpəˈranjʊeɪtɪd/
adjective
1 (Of a post or employee) belonging to a superannuation scheme: she is not superannuated and has no paid holiday
2 Outdated or obsolete through age or new developments: superannuated computing equipment a superannuated hippy

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My work here has sometimes been seen as subannuated wit because I've never grown up. It is also no surprise because I'm definitely round the bend in addition to superannuated, over the hill.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

superannuated
...
My work here has sometimes been seen as subannuated wit because I've never grown up. It is also no surprise because I'm definitely round the bend in addition to superannuated, over the hill.

Oh, but that's irrelevant because so are we all in this little WotD club (no offence).

We're more than glad to take you as you are, though we fervently hope that you'll never be pushing superannuated daisies.

[Algot Runeman]

fascicle

Pronunciation: /ˈfasɪk(ə)l/
noun
1 (also fascicule ˈfasɪkjuːl) A separately published instalment of a book or other printed work.
2 (also fasciculus faˈsɪkjʊləs) (plural fasciculi) Anatomy & Biology A bundle of structures, such as nerve or muscle fibres or conducting vessels in plants.

Origin
Late 15th century (in sense 2): from Latin fasciculus, diminutive of fascis 'bundle'.



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Pinus strobus or "White Pine" is a coniferous tree, an evergreen. One characteristic of the tree is the clustering of needles into fascicles or bundles of five relatively flexible needles. Other pines have bundles with different numbers of needles. Other conifers like fir, spruce and hemlock have needles which attach individually to the twigs. The needles actually do fall off the tree every year in the fall, but it is an older set of the needles, not the ones for the current year, so that there are always needles on the branches year-round.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

fascicle
...
The [fascicles of] needles actually do fall off the tree every year in the fall, ...

Grandpa was very glad his penile fascicle, i.e. the bundle of corpora spongiosa, urethra, arteriae, venae, nervi, lymph capillaries and the encompassing structures, did not fall off every year.

And so am I, for that matter.

[Algot Runeman]

paramour

Pronunciation: /ˈparəmʊə/
noun
archaic
A lover, especially the illicit partner of a married person.

Origin
Middle English: from Old French par amour 'by love'; in English the phrase was written from an early date as one word and came to be treated as a noun.



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There was a pair of people who were paramours. They'd met while on a parachute ride at the amusement park. You might say they fell for each other.

[Algot Runeman]

landscaping

Pronunciation: /ˈlan(d)skeɪpɪŋ/
noun
[mass noun]
1 The process of making a garden or other piece of land more attractive by altering the existing design, adding ornamental features, and planting trees and shrubs: we will carry out minor repair works to the building’s facade and supervise the landscaping of the extensive grounds
1.1 Pieces of land that have been landscaped: LA is a wonderful place for walking for pleasure, with great weather and beautiful landscaping and houses



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The work of landscaping
Involves some dirt scraping.
Then raking and seeding
Shrub planting and weeding.

Whether do-it-yourself
Or by hiring an elf,
The result is the same,
Put neighbors to shame.

[Algot Runeman]

pyrophoric

Pronunciation: /ˌpʌɪrə(ʊ)ˈfɒrɪk/
adjective
1 Liable to ignite spontaneously on exposure to air: several boranes are pyrophoric and toxic
1.1 (Of an alloy) emitting sparks when scratched or struck.

Origin
Mid 19th century: from modern Latin pyrophorus, from Greek purophoros 'fire-bearing', from pur 'fire' + pherein 'to bear'.


Josh Janssen

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Judy's pyrophoric personality made her friends hesitate to tell her when they saw her boyfriend out at a bar without her.

[I suspect this irreverent use of pyrophoric is a stretch of the word's meaning, but I like the sound of it.]

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

pyrophoric

I don't know whether my grandpa knew the word "pyrophoric".

But if he did and if he ever used the word in a letter or a conversation, I'm sure he must have been referring to my grandma.

Or more precisely to himself when grandma showed him heightened attention.

[Algot Runeman]

semiosis

Pronunciation: /sɛmɪˈəʊsɪs/
/ˌsiːmɪˈəʊsɪs/
noun
[mass noun] Linguistics
The process of signification in language or literature.

Origin
Early 20th century: from Greek sēmeiosis '(inference from) a sign'.



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Semiosis, whose goal is studying, clarifying and explaining the meaning of symbols and signs was not advanced one bit by today's illustration.

[The included definition didn't help me much, either. I visited Wikipedia for a little more help.]

[Algot Runeman]

sorosis

Pronunciation: /səˈrəʊsɪs/
noun (plural soroses səˈrəʊsiːz)
Botany
A fleshy multiple fruit, e.g. a pineapple or mulberry, derived from the ovaries of several flowers.


Rae Allen

Origin
Mid 19th century: modern Latin, from Greek sōros 'heap'.

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Mulberry wine, produced from an abundance of its sorosis fruit can unfortunately, if imbibed to excess, lead to cirrhosis (Pronunciation: /sɪˈrəʊsɪs/). It is unlikely anyone but a retired, punning science teacher would care.

[The punning retired science teacher continues: Though a raspberry forms up into a shape similar to a sorosis, it is an aggregate "berry" which develops from multiple ovaries of a single flower.]

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

sorosis

Janet told her roommate: "I promise you, Karen. You really will be welcome to spend the long weekend at my parents' house. But be sure to bring some clothes from last year, because both my brothers will be delighted to dunk us in the swimming pool, first chance they get."

That evening they were welcomed by Janet's parents.

Janet: " Hi mom, dad, meet Karen, my sorosis."

"Is that contagious?" asked dad.

Karen chuckled, "No sir. It's just that we're sorority sisters."

[Algot Runeman]

Karen chuckled, "No sir. It's just that we're sorority sisters."

Sorosis is also the name of the first professional women's club in the United States.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorosis

[Algot Runeman]

monologue

Pronunciation: /ˈmɒn(ə)lɒɡ/
noun
1A long speech by one actor in a play or film, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast programme: he was reciting some of the great monologues of Shakespeare he had a long and exacting monologue at the end of the film
1.1 A long, tedious speech by one person during a conversation: Fred carried on with his monologue as if I hadn’t spoken

Origin
Mid 17th century: from French, from Greek monologos 'speaking alone'.

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My monologue is mercifully short. So there.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

monologue

In criminal trial proceedings, a lawyer gives closing statements to the jury.

It's considered a final monologue in a trial.

But maybe a better descriptive term would be a trialogue, even though he's the only one talking?

[Algot Runeman]

literatim

Pronunciation: /ˌlɪtəˈrɑːtɪm/
/ˌlɪtəˈreɪtɪm/
adverb
formal
(Of the copying of a text) letter by letter.

Origin
From medieval Latin.

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I wonder if literatim monastic duplication required actual literacy or merely precise, dexterous penmanship.