Nictate

Nictate or Nictitate is a verb (Medieval Latin 1815-1825) that means to briefly shut the eyes, to “wink” or “blink”.  Many non-verbal messages are sent with a simple wink or blink of the eyes.  

A wink can be interpreted many ways, such as flirting, a sign of approval or comfort or a shared secret. Our eyelids blink to moisten our eyes, but rapid blinking can sign of nervousness or even lying.     

The word is also used to describe animals with nictitating membranes, which is a translucent third eyelid that can be drawn across the eye for moisture or protection from the elements. It is found primarily in fish, birds, reptiles and many mammals, including camels, polar bears, cats, dogs and seals.  The nictitating membranes move horizontally across the eye. 

Some examples for using Nictate in a sentence: 

“Are you trying to flirt with me or does your eye nictate involuntarily”? 

“She must be nervous as both eyes nictate rapidly when she talks to me.”

“It appears that the eyes of the newscaster never nictitate.” 

“A clear third eyelid, known as the nictitating membrane covers and protects the otters eyes as it swims under water.”  

Here’s a special wink for you!  

Philomath

A Philomath (noun) is a person who loves to learn; a scholar. A philomath is a seeker of knowledge and facts. It is Greek in origin from the 16th century from the word philomathia. Philos (loving) and mathos (to learn).

“ She is such a Philomath that she is studying for her third PhD.”
   
The word is not commonly used today, however, there is a small town outside of Corvallis Oregon that is keeping the word alive.

Philomath Oregon, population of approximately 4,600 was named after Philomath College established in the mid 1800’s.  It is a beautiful town and you can find several YouTube video’s about it if you wish to explore.

I like this word and I love to learn so I will try to use it whenever possible.  Let’s keep it alive!

Philomath College - closed in 1929

Pecksniffian

Pecksniffian is an adjective describing someone who pretends to have high moral standards,  is hypocritical and insincere. The earliest documented use of the work was in 1844 in a Charles Dickens novel called Martin Chuzzlewit. The word evolved from a character named Seth Pecksniff.

"Philadelphia is the most pecksniffian of American cities, and thus probably leads the world.” by H.L. Menchen, 1919

“She is so pecksniffian about spreading rumors” 

Can you use this word in a sentence?  Do you know anyone who is pecksniffian?

Love this word. Enjoy!

Fomite

A fomite (noun) is an inanimate object or substance that is capable of carrying germs that can be transmitted from on person to another.  Some examples include doorknobs, books, toy’s, clothing and soap. The word comes from Latin origin with first known use in the 1800’s.

The Center for Disease control states that 80% of infections are spread from our hands, either by shaking hands or my touching inanimate objects such as doorknobs.  

The use of disinfectant hand cleaner is a way of life today to help prevent the transmission of germs.  In the U.S. sales have sky-rocketed in recent years.  The CDC also states that hand washing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of illness.  Washing your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds is the key.

Protect yourself from fomites and stay healthy!

Quidnunc

Quidnunc is noun which refers to a person who wants to be the first to know everything, the latest news and gossip. Sometimes referred to as nosy or a busybody or gossip-monger, they generally seek information that is none of their business. They love a scandal.

The word  is latin for “what now” with first known use in the early 1700’s.  A strange word for this week, but good to know!  Have fun with it!

 In a sentence:

“We can count on Fran the neighborhood quidnunc to keep us up to date on the news about our neighbors.”

“He is a quidnunc, so keep him away from confidential information”

One of the classic quidnunc’s of all time was Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched.  Remember?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLC1b8nUF74

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhojzyaMOyM

Pastoral

Pastoral is an adjective which means having a simple, rural, serene characteristic.  Pastoral refers to a lifestyle, setting or state of mind. Pastoral is most often related to the lifestyle of shepherds tending to their livestock in beautiful peaceful country setting. It illustrates a life free from complication. It is a simple existence in an idyllic setting.   

“Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought/As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral”  John Keats, English Poet 

On a strawberry sundae of a day, all daisies and June sun and pastoral posing by world leaders on the Lancaster House lawn.”  John Vinocur

Here s a work by John Reinhard Weguelin - Pastoral

Supine

Supine is an adjective which describes the position of lying on your back face up with hands by your side or behind the head. Holding your palms of your hand up is also considered to be a supine position. The opposite of supine is the prone position which is lying face down on your stomach. We are often in the supine position when we exercise and sometimes when we relax or sleep.

Being supine can send a message of indifference, relaxation, submission or passivity.

Here are some examples and quotes:

“There is no calamity which a great nation can invite which equals that which follows a supine submission to wrong and injustice.”  Grover Cleveland

“The patient lay quietly in the supine position on the examination table.” 

“We remained supine on the spongy grass blanketed by a warm breeze and watched the clouds drift slowly across the August sky.”  by me :)

My cat Chloe often lays in the middle of the floor in the supine position. I interpret this as a sign of trust, because it seems as though showing her belly puts her in the most vulnerable position for attack.  

One more cute picture.  Go find a place to relax and take the position!

Viridescent

Viridescent is an adjective (Latin origin - 1847) which means greenish or beginning to turn green.  The word itself brings so many beautiful images to mind.  It is the color of green that shimmers, like young grass covered with dew and glimmering in the morning sunlight.  It is an extraordinary color of  nature.  

Here is an examples for use in a sentence: 

The young girls hazel eyes were filled with an viridescent glow of excitement as she approached school for the first time. 

Here is a lovely quote: 

“At dawn that morning, the truck driver had pulled up in the fourteen-wheeler to a grassy clearing on the north bank of the Tana River, where crocodiles skulked in typhoidal water in the viridescent shadow of mangrove trees.”

Simon & Schuster: Peace Meals

Check out the origin of this photo.  Quite remarkable!

http://gallery.rootriverphotography.com/Photography/The-Night-Sky/16119720_dKFvrx/1392721773_tGcCfsc#!i=1392721773&k=tGcCfsc

Blatherskite

Today’s word is dedicated to Sam, who sent it to me for this weeks blog.  Thanks Sam, this is a fun one!

Blatherskite is a talkative person who goes on and on about nothing important.  Someone who babbles on for hours nonsensically. The word originated and was formed from two Scots words, blather (or blither) and skate.  Blather meaning to talk foolishly and Skate a contemptible person.

Here are some synonyms to make you smile: babble, gabble, gibberish, balderdash, jabberwocky, prattle, baloney, malarky, bunkum, codswallop, hooey, piffle, drivel and fiddlesticks.  There are more, but too many to list here!

Example:

"My friendly neighbor is a bit of a blatherskite.”

Can you use it in a sentence?

Zyzzyva

Zyzzyva is the last word in most of the American dictionaries. Zyzzyva is a South American weevil  discovered by Thomas Lincoln Casey Jr, an entomologist in Brazil in 1922. It is believed that he named the weevil Zyzzyva as a joke so it would show up at the end of most related guides and manuals.  It is very destructive to plants, primarily palms.

Here is a picture:

Thanks to wikipedia for the picture.

Oh - it makes me itch!!!

Metacognition

Metacognition (noun), refers to a higher level of thinking.  It is when one thinks about how they think and selects certain strategies for learning and problem solving.  It is the ability to actively monitor and control the thinking process.  

John Flavell, a developmental psychologist was one of the first to share his research on the theory of metacognition in 1976.   Most of his work was focused on the cognitive development of children.  

Here are some examples of metacognition from the psychologyandsociety.com website: 

• When a person learns what things help them to remember facts, names and events
• When a person becomes aware of his/her own bias in judging others
• When a person learns about their own learning style

Understanding your own style of learning, how you think about yourself and others and how you memorize is a form of metacognition. When you understand how you think about yourself and others you will take your cognitive ability to a new level.

  "A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices." (William James)

"Specific knowledge will not be as important to tomorrows people as the ability to learn and make sense of new information."   (D  Gough, 1991)

"To make an individual metacognitively aware is to ensure that the individual has learned how to learn."   (Garner), 1988 

Limerick

A Limerick is a short, often humorous poem made of up of five lines with a characteristic rhythm.  The word is derived from the Irish town of Limerick and reportedly started as a pub song or chorus. This form of poetry was made popular by Edward Lear in the 19th century.  

My father would often recite limerick style poetry to me as a child, often times they were created by him in the moment.  He taught me to love all poetry, but especially the funny and clever limerick.  

Here are a few by Edward Lear

There was an Old Man who supposed,
That the street door was partially closed;
But some very large rats,
Ate his coats and his hats,
While that futile old gentleman dozed.

There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, 'It is just as I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!’

Here are a few more: 

Published in 1902 in the Princeton Tiger: 

There once was a man from Nantucket

Who kept all his cash in a bucket.

But his daughter, named Nan, 

Ran away with a man

And as for the bucket, Nantucket. 

By John Updike

There was an old poop from Poughkeepsie,

Who tended, at night, to be tipsy.

Said he, “my last steps

Aren’t propelled by just Schweppes

That peppy old poop from Poughkeepsie.

These are a lot of fun to read and write.  Please share if you have a favorite or if you would like to write one!

Gongoozler

Gongoozler (noun - British slang) describes a person who watches leisurely as the boats pass by from the shore or bridge; a spectator who stares for a long time at something. The word originated in the United Kingdom referring to people who enjoy watching the activity on the canals. 

“Yarns of a Professional Gongoozler: Tales of the English Canal Life at Dixie’s Marina", written by R.J. Adams is a series of eight fictional tales based on his experience working as a marina manager. You can find the book on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Yarns-Professional-Gongoozler-English-Dixies/dp/1434382206/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Today I think will go to the marina and spend the afternoon as a gongoozler.  How about you? 

Whangdoodle

Whangdoodle is a noun (American origin 1856) that refers to a fanciful creature of undefined nature.  It is used most often in children’s literature and folklore. 

 It was first published in a sermon parody by William P. Brennan called the Harp of a Thousand Strings, Or Laughter for a Lifetime.  “Where the lion roareth and the whangdoodle mourneth for her first-born” (Wikipedia) 

The word has been used most notably by British authors Julie Andrews and Roald Dahl. 

In Roald Dahls book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willie Wonka describes how he rescued the Oompa Loompas from the whangdoodles.  

Julie Andrews wrote a book called, “The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles” first published in 1991.

...he told her she was the most beautiful horse he'd ever seen but he wouldn't care if she were the ugliest whangdoodle in all creation, he'd still love her...

-- Robert Coover, Ghost Town, 1998

The cool thing is that no two whangdoodles are alike and we can create these characters at whim.

What does your whangdoodle look like? 

  

Cachinnate

Cachinnate is a verb of Latin origin (1824) that means to laugh hard, loudly and convulsively.  It is a compulsive or hysterical form of laughter with or without apparent cause.  

This word refers to moments when we start laughing so hard that we can’t stop for quite some time.  I usually refer to it as “having the giggles”.   I love when this happens to me, except when I am in church, a library or a serious movie!  

Have you notice that when you are with others and you start laughing like this that it is quite contagious and pretty soon everyone is laughing and probably not sure why?  

This kind of laughter is extremely healthy for us emotionally, mentally and physically.  Laughter relaxes your body and releases stress relieving endorphins in the brain. It increases immune cells and protects the heart by increasing the flow of blood.  It makes our burdens seem lighter, restores hope and improves connectivity to others. 

Doesn’t this make you want to laugh? 

Here are some examples of use in a sentence:

"He looked in at the door and snickered, then in at the window, then peeked down from between the rafters and cachinnated till his sides must have ached.”
 (John Burroughs, "A Bed of Boughs”)

"'Butler' is so deliciously zany and funny, we cachinnated until our sides hurt."
Christopher Muther; It's Oh So Quiet; Boston Globe (Massachusetts); Mar 20, 2004.

Some additional fun related quotes: 

Laughter is an instant vacation. ~Milton Berle

Mirth is God's medicine.  Everybody ought to bathe in it.  ~Henry Ward Beecher

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. ~Victor Borge

I have never been great at telling jokes, but I love to hear them.  Here is a cute one for your day: 

Did you hear about the guy who finally figured out women?
He died laughing before he could tell anybody.

BA dump dump!!!!

Lodestar

Lodestar, a noun (pronounced lohd-star) is a star that guides us and provides a source of inspiration.  It is a guiding principle or idea by which we set our course in life.  The origin of the word is Middle-English 1325-1375. 

The most familiar lodestar is Polaris, commonly known as the North Star.  The North Star is the brightest star in the constellation and used for navigation purposes.  

During WWII, Lockheed manufactured a passenger transport plane called Model 18 Lodestar.  With the ability to carry 10-14 passengers and it first flew in 1937.   

Arizona State University has created the Lodestar Center for philanthropy and non-profit innovation.  Check it out: https://lodestar.asu.edu/about/about 

Fun Quote: 

Lady, lady, should you meet One whose ways are all discreet, One who murmurs that his wife Is the lodestar of his life, One who keeps assuring you That he never was untrue, Never loved another one† Lady, lady, better run! 

- Dorothy ne e Rothschild Parker

Enough Rope,'Social Note’.

Logophile

If you are reading this blog then you might be a logophile; a person who loves words.  It is formed from the Greek word “Logos” meaning “word" and phile is a suffix meaning “lover of”.

It’s first appearance in print was in the London Sunday Times on February 25, 1959. “We are pretty sure that all Sunday Times readers are natural and inveterate logophiles.”   

Here are a few examples of use:

“How serendipitous is that, since I am both a blogophile and a logophile?”

Allan Jenkins' Desirable Roasted Coffee

“There probably isn't a better gift for a logophile or linguist than witticisms and wordplay - the clever kind or the chocolate version of such.”

The WritingYA Weblog: Poetry Friday: Love...Word

Slainte

Slainte is Gaelic word and an old Irish expression used as a salutation which means ‘health’.  It is also used as a common toast in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man before downing a pint.

Slainte!  Cheers!  To your health!  Happy St Patricks Day!

Erin Go Braugh!  (Ireland Forever!) 

An Old Irish Blessing

May love and laughter light your days, 

and warm your heart and home. 

May good and faithful friends be yours, 

wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world

with joy that long endures. 

May all of life’s passing seasons 

bring the  best to you and yours! 

 

Sprezzatura

Sprezzatura (Italian) is a noun that means doing something effortlessly, with spontaneity and a certain nonchalance.  It has also been described as a way to disguise what one really desires, thinks or feels as a form of defense.  A performance that appears to be without effort. 

The word was coined in 1528 by Baldassare Castiglione, the author of  “The Book of Courtier”, a book about Renaissance court life. 

"Practise in everything a certain nonchalance that shall conceal design and show that what is done and said is done without effort and almost without thought.”   Baldassare Castiglione, The Book of the Courtier
  
"Norris is a man always in equipoise, a living illustration of the art of sprezzatura. No one has ever seen him ruffled.”    Hilary Mantel; Bring Up the Bodies; Henry Holt; 2012.

Rainbow

Rainbow (noun) is a bow or arc of prismatic colors appearing in the heavens or in a spray of water from a fountain or waterfall. A rainbow is caused by the refraction and reflection of the light on droplets of water. A primary rainbow shows red on the outer edge of the arc and violet on the inner edge.  When there is a double rainbow, the second rainbow shows the colors in reverse order.  The colors of the rainbow are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. 

A Fogbow is similar to that of a rainbow, but is formed by fog and cloud droplets which diffract light.  

I love this time of year in Southern California because I know that many times when we have rain it will be followed by a beautiful rainbow.  I also love when the light shines through a triangular prism of glass creating a colorful rainbow on whatever surface happens to be in its path.  The rainbow is one of my favorite forms of nature!

“The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched”  Henry David Thoreau

An Irish Blessing For You: 

“May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.  May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.  May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that’s always blue. And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.”