GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[voralfred]

Sometimes I find inexplicable that Algot still perseverates in offering us a new WOTD everyday, when so few of us try and respond, and one of them so rarely.

But I sure enjoy his efforts, so this is my small contribution...


I first wrote what sounded to me a more fluid sentence :
Sometimes I find inexplicable Algot's perseverance in....

but perseverate was a WOTD bur "perseverance" was not...

[Algot Runeman]

hendecagon

Pronunciation: /hɛnˈdɛkəɡ(ə)n/
noun
A plane figure with eleven straight sides and angles.

Origin
Early 18th century: from hendeca- 'eleven' + -gon, on the pattern of words such as polygon.


davidone

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

It is said that there are two sides to every argument. In politics, that is less true. There may be three, four or perhaps a hendecagon of sides with candidates to match.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

hendecagon

My grandma was no hendecagon. Grandpa insisted that she "never had no hen do" and that "she was well rounded in all the right places".

Even in modern CGI terms, she would require an enormous amount of polygons to be acceptably rendered. Think Lara Croft and you'll be close.

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

Monsignor

Pronunciation: /mɒnˈsiːnjə/
/ˌmɒnsiːˈnjɔː/
noun (plural Monsignors or Monsignori /ˌmɒnsiːˈnjɔːri/)
The title of various senior Roman Catholic posts, such as a prelate or an officer of the papal court.

Origin
Italian, on the pattern of French Monseigneur.



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The matins were unusually quiet.
The Monsignor snored alone.
No others dared to try it.
Smiles and nudges they'd atone.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

Monsignor

The humour about the snoring Monsignor producing a "Zzzz" may be an old saw, it can still elicit a chuckle or two.

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

Sophy

Pronunciation: /ˈsəʊfi/
noun (plural Sophies)
historical
A former title for the ruler of Persia, associated especially with the Safavid dynasty.

Origin
From Arabic ṣafī-al-dīn 'pure of religion'.


via Wikipedia

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I suppose that Ayatollah is the modern equivalent of Sophy, though Ayatollah is more associated with Iran and Shi'a than with Iraq and Sunni.

[Algot Runeman]

háček

Pronunciation: /ˈhɑːtʃɛk/
/ˈhatʃɛk/
noun
A diacritic mark (ˇ) placed over a letter to indicate modification of the sound in Slavic and other languages.

Origin
Czech, diminutive of hák 'hook'.



Ivan Čukić is a programmer, part of the KDE Free Software community. I venture to say he writes a háček several times a day.
Walt Longmire, a fictional character written by Craig Johnson always puts his hat on a desk, brim up, to keep the luck from running out. I wonder if he's ever used a hat check service. Would he trust them?

[A háček is also called a "caron" in diacritical discussions. I do not know if those discussions are ever really critical outside linguistic circles.]

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

háček

My grandma was tolerant and easy-going. She never gave a da... a háček if grandpa looked at or paid attention to other women.
As long as he came home for dinner, which he unfailingly did, she couldn't care less.
Enjoy it while you can: "Après nous, le déluge."
In Flemish: "Als we dood zijn, groeit er gras op onzen buik." (meaning: When dead, we'll push the daisies.) (Try Google Translate)

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

movant

Pronunciation: /ˈmuːv(ə)nt/
noun
US Law
A person who applies to or petitions a court or judge for a ruling in their favour.

Origin
Late 19th century: from move + -ant.

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I hope I'll never need to be a movant in any court case.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

movant
... petitions a court or judge for a ruling in their favour. ...

There's one instance where and when "movant" was applicable in a different context.

When grandma traded with the shaman for a voucher and subsequently grandpa visited him for the rejuvenating concoction, my grands were the movants.

It was not in a court house or a judge's chambers, and the shaman was dressed quite plainly, but it was a petition. Well, sort of anyway.

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

preposition

Pronunciation: /ˌprɛpəˈzɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
Grammar
A word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause, as in ‘the man on the platform’, ‘she arrived after dinner’, ‘what did you do it for?’.

Usage
There is a traditional view, first set forth by the 17th-century poet and dramatist John Dryden, that it is incorrect to put a preposition at the end of a sentence, as in where do you come from? or she’s not a writer I’ve ever come across. The rule was formulated on the basis that, since in Latin a preposition cannot come after the word it governs or is linked with, the same should be true of English. The problem is that English is not like Latin in this respect, and in many cases (particularly in questions and with phrasal verbs) the attempt to move the preposition produces awkward, unnatural-sounding results. Winston Churchill famously objected to the rule, saying, ‘This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.’ In standard English the placing of a preposition at the end of a sentence is widely accepted, provided the use sounds natural and the meaning is clear.

Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin praepositio(n-), from the verb praeponere, from prae 'before' + ponere 'to place'.



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To Show the Preposition, by the way: Ragnar showed in the visitors. The room was very large, usually filled with tables at which we ate. We were proud to show off the trophies pre-positioned along each wall. The plan was for Torgny, our local champion, show up the visiting challenger in this annual showdown. After Torgny, a shoo-in, tore up the visitor, Ragnar ceremoniously showed them all out of the hall, empty-handed as usual.

[Prepositions are odd words. They are difficult to grammatically nail down. The irrational, irreverent, illustrative implementation (sentences) above, mainly uses prepositions as adverbs. The underlined/italicized examples "at which" is a properly structured prepositional phrase. The preposition is making the connection between "tables" and "which", identifying the tables we use for eating. The preposition words in just italics become adverbs because they have no object. The first example, "showed in" does not have the expected object "room" and would usually be written as "showed the visitors into the room". Grammar experts, let me know arguments to the contrary! Phrasal verbs, anyone?]

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

preposition

For the use of prepositions, you show rules to which I cannot object.
But there are also none that I can fully agree with.

Of course, English not being my native language, it's far from a subject I'm expert about.

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

contradance

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒntrədɑːns/
noun
A country dance in which the couples form lines facing each other.

Origin
Early 19th century: variant of contredanse.


Bill Ward's Brickpile

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Carl and Carrie hurried out of town because nobody in the city does contradance.

[Algot Runeman]

symphysis

Pronunciation: /ˈsɪmfɪsɪs/
noun (plural symphyses /ˈsɪmfɪsiːz/)
Anatomy & Zoology
1 [mass noun] The process of growing together.
2A place where two bones are closely joined, either forming an immovable joint (as between the pubic bones in the centre of the pelvis) or completely fused (as at the midline of the lower jaw).

Origin
Late 16th century (in sense 2): modern Latin, from Greek sumphusis, from sun- 'together' + phusis 'growth'.


Sam

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I intended to bone up on zoology to write this exemplary treatment, but it strained the symphyses of my cranium's components to do so. Instead, I wondered if there might be a symphysial sort of development when a couple remains together for a long time.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

symphysis
... if there might be a symphysial sort of development when a couple remains together for a long time.

In a commune, such couples could make a symphysic orchestra.

[Algot Runeman]

tribrach

Pronunciation: /ˈtrʌɪbrak/
/ˈtrɪbrak/
noun
Prosody
A metrical foot of three short or unstressed syllables.

Origin
Late 16th century: via Latin from Greek tribrakhus, from tri- 'three' + brakhus 'short'.

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Tribrach

This is it.
These words fit.
Rhyme is short.
No retort.

[Algot Runeman]

sensate

Pronunciation: /ˈsɛnseɪt/
/ˈsɛnsət/
adjective
Perceiving or perceived by the senses: you are immersed in an illusionary, yet sensate, world

Origin
Mid 17th century: from late Latin sensatus 'having senses', from sensus (see sense).



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Today's word is apropos of my life, as words often are. I am more sensate than I was yesterday. I am wearing my first hearing aids. Soft and high pitch sounds like the clicking of the computer keyboard are now heard as well as felt. The floorboard creaks are LOUD. I almost imagine I can hear the TV, even when the mute button is pushed.

[Algot Runeman]

gens

Pronunciation: /dʒɛnz/
noun (plural gentes /ˈdʒɛntiːz/ /ˈdʒɛnteɪz/)
1 A group of families in ancient Rome who shared a name and claimed a common origin.
2 Anthropology A group of people who are related through their male ancestors.

Origin
Latin, from the root of gignere 'beget'.



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Gentes, common genes,
Fatherhood reams.
Egad! Begat.
Enough, enough of that.

[Algot Runeman]

punim

Pronunciation: /ˈpʊnɪm/
noun
North American informal
(Chiefly in Jewish use) a person’s face: look at that punim, as my grandma would say! I love her punim—what a face

Origin
Yiddish ponem, punem, from Hebrew pānīm.


Tom Merton

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Parsing the Punim

When you look at her face,
What is it first that you see?
Is it the shape, the nose or the eyes?
Is it the lips or the teeth that surprise?

Do you remark at her chin?
What is the thing that draws you in?
Is it skin that is smooth
or hair that is fair?
Does it matter the call?
She's a beauty for all.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

punim

The whole of Panem couldn't ignore, let alone resist, Katniss's charm.
Even I, an old geezer, was mesmerised by her lovely punim.

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

E.P.S.
Did you watch the movies only, or did you read the novels? I enjoyed all but the final volume, and have not attempted to watch the final two movies linked to that volume. I agree about the actress and her attractive punim, and that may eventually mean I will watch those movies on TV.

[Algot Runeman]

tweeps

Pronunciation: /twiːps/
plural noun
informal
A person’s followers on Twitter: he told his tweeps he was going to a Bruce Springsteen concert millions of tweeps follow their every tweet

Origin
Early 21st century: blend of Twitter, the proprietary name of the social media service, and peeps.



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Tony loved his tweeps. They answered his questions and shared his joys and sorrows. It wasn't clear, though, how many of his social media followers were bots.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

E.P.S.
Did you watch the [Hunger Games] movies only, or did you read the novels? I enjoyed all but the final volume, and have not attempted to watch the final two movies linked to that volume. ...

I didn't read the books.

I liked the first two movies because of the nice special effects, the multiple surprises and the captivating story.

Though I don't want to be harsh on movies 3 and 4, I liked them less, because they are darker, both figuratively and literally. The story also becomes predictable, inevitably, I guess, to allow the ending it has. I wouldn't spring for an expensive cinema, but rented DVD's or BD's are acceptable.

[Algot Runeman]

diachronic
Pronunciation: /ˌdʌɪəˈkrɒnɪk/
adjective
Concerned with the way in which something, especially language, has developed and evolved through time. Often contrasted with synchronic. the census is also a diachronic data set linguistic change is the diachronic aspect of linguistic variation



Origin
Mid 19th century: from dia- 'through' + Greek khronos 'time' + -ic.

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A paper dictionary provides a snapshot of our language. The reality is more fluid, not exactly a movie, but not so fixed as a snapshot. Language is in flux, diachronic, changing as we speak because, perhaps, our grasp is weak, and between our words, a mountain's peak.

[Algot Runeman]

waragi

Pronunciation: /ˈwarəɡi/
noun
[mass noun]
(In Uganda) a strong alcoholic drink made from bananas or cassava.

Origin
From Kiswahili wargi.


wintersoul

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Let us welcome, with open arms and an open mouth, a banana-based booze. Waragi for me. Waragi for you. When you get up to leave, remember your shoe.