Preantepenultimate

Preantepenultimate (pri-an-tee-pi-NUHL-tuh-mit) is a long tongue twister of a word.  It is an adjective (Latin - 1746) meaning - fourth from the last in a series.  This unusual word is not one most people use on a regular basis.  First, it is difficult to pronounce and second, how often do we talk about something that is fourth from the last.  

Here are a few examples: 

What is the preantepenultimate step in this procedure? 

Which was the preantepenultimate State to join the Union?  

Chapter 7 is the preantepenultimate chapter in the book.

I was the preantepenultimate person in line for tickets to the concert. 

No doubt, this is a strange, yet fun word to know. It may come up in a crossword puzzle or in conversation sometime or perhaps you can find a way to use it in a sentence to impress your friends.  Have fun with it!    

“The female in question … was the preantepenultimate ex-wife of ol' Josh P.”

Esther Friesner; Just Another Cowboy; Fantasy & Science Fiction (Cornwall, Connecticut); Apr 2002.

Doppelganger

What a funny sounding word!  Do you know what it means?  Supposedly, we all have one.

Doppelganger is  a German word that means "double walker"   The folklore is that every person has a spirit or apparition that is their double.  A doppelganger refers to a ghostly counterpart of a living person, who may haunt that person.  It is believed that if you see your doppelganger, it is an omen of your death.

In Carl Sandburg's biography of Abraham Lincoln, he tells about a time when Lincoln told his wife that he saw two faces of himself in a mirror  just hours after he received notice that he had been elected president, one face was deathly pale. His wife believed this to mean he would be elected to a second term but would not survive.

Over time the meaning of the word has evolved in cultures around the world. In some cultures it is believed that the doppelganger is a person's unknown evil counterpart who makes appearances to friends and family members and represents a sign of danger or illness.

Others believe that it is look-alike, a second living or deceased individual who shares a strong resemblance. The Internet is filled with pictures of people  and their celebrity look-alike.   Have you ever met or seen someone who is your look-alike?

If you want to have some fun with this word, check out this website.  You can upload a picture of yourself and it will search for the person who looks just like  you. http://www.findmydoppelganger.com

Gossamer

The word Gossamer is an adjective which refers to a film of cobwebs floating in air or on the ground covered with dew.  It is something delicate, light and filmy.  A soft, sheer gauzy fabric. 

The gossamer-winged butterflies are called Lycaenidae and are the second-largest family of butterflies. The beautiful dragonfly also has gossamer wings. As a matter of fact, all insects have wings of this sort, but we don't generally notice the beauty of the wings on the house fly or wasp.  

Of course, some angels and fairies have gossamer wings too.  Don't they?

I love the imagery of this word.  Light and airy, no stress, pure freedom.  If only I had gossamer wings:

I love to glide with gossamer wings, 

Alongside the angels and fairy-like things.

Quietly I flit among the flowers with ease,

with my butterfly friends on a warm summer breeze.  

For more on butterfly's, check out this link:

http://imnh.isu.edu/DIGITALATLAS/bio/insects/butrfly/famlyc/famlyc.htm

If you want to see a cool youtube video about a hand glider with gossamer wings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y41jYXzvz0

On Gossamer Wings

When you feel a little breeze,
or notice a tickle, or need to sneeze
or find your things are rearranged
or something seems a little strange
Look very closely and you might see
sparkly dust, or a buzzing bee:
Behold! a fairy with gossamer wings
has come to show you wondrous things!

~William Allingham~