Word of the Week

ca·nard   [kuh-nahrd]

–noun,plural-nards

1. a false or baseless, usually derogatory story, report, or rumor.

2. Cookery. a duck intended or used for food.

3. Aeronautics.
a. an airplane that has its horizontal stabilizer and elevators located forward of the wing.
b. Also called canard wing. one of two small lifting wings located in front of the main wings.
c. an early airplane having a pusher engine with the rudder and elevator assembly in front of the wings.

Origin: 1840–50; < F: lit., duck; OF quanart drake, orig. cackler, equiv. to can(er) to cackle (of expressive orig.) + -art -art, as in mallart drake; see mallard

canard. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/canard

Word of the Week

I came across this weeks word in this L.A. Times magazine blog article. And while we are discussing "Black Hagiography Month" lets prepare for Irish-American History Month and Women's History Month. Both are in March.

hag·i·og·ra·phy   [hag-ee-og-ruh-fee, hey-jee-]

–noun,plural-phies.

the writing and critical study of the lives of the saints; hagiology.

Origin:
1805–15; hagio- + -graphy

—Related forms
hag·i·o·graph·ic  [hag-ee-uh-graf-ik, hey-jee-] Show IPA, hag·i·o·graph·i·cal, adjective

hagiography. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hagiography

Word of the Week

ed·u·cate   [ej-oo-keyt]

-verb (used with object)

1. to develop the faculties and powers of (a person) by teaching, instruction, or schooling.
2. to qualify by instruction or training for a particular calling, practice, etc.; train: to educate someone for law.
3. to provide schooling or training for; send to school.
4. to develop or train (the ear, taste, etc.): to educate one's palate to appreciate fine food.
5. to inform: to educate oneself about the best course of action.

–verb (used without object)

6. to educate a person or group: A television program that educates can also entertain.

Origin:
1580–90; < L ēducātus brought up, taught (ptp. of ēducāre), equiv. to ē- e- + -duc- lead + -ātus -ate1

—Related forms
o·ver·ed·u·cate, verb (used with object),-cat·ed, -cat·ing.
pre·ed·u·cate, verb (used with object),-cat·ed, -cat·ing.

—Synonyms
1. instruct, school, drill, indoctrinate.


educate. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/educate

Word of the Week

fet⋅ter  [fet-er]

–noun

1. a chain or shackle placed on the feet.
2. Usually, fetters. anything that confines or restrains: Boredom puts fetters upon the imagination.

–verb (used with object)

3. to put fetters upon.
4. to confine; restrain.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME, OE feter; c. OHG fezzera, ON fjǫturr; akin to foot

Related forms:
fet⋅ter⋅er, noun
fet⋅ter⋅less, adjective

fetter. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fetter

Word of the Week

The Word of the Week is back after a short vacation hiatus.

mis⋅o⋅pe⋅di⋅a  [mis-oh-pee-dee-uh, mahy-soh-]

–noun

hatred of children, esp. one's own.

Also, mis⋅o⋅pae⋅di⋅a.

Origin:
< NL misopaedia; see miso-, ped- 1 , -ia

Related forms:
mis⋅o⋅pe⋅dist, noun

misopedia. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/misopedia

If summer were any longer, I would become a misopedist. (just kidding!!)

Word of the Week

va⋅ca⋅tion  [vey-key-shuhn, vuh-]

–noun

1. a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday: Schoolchildren are on vacation now.
2. a part of the year, regularly set aside, when normal activities of law courts, legislatures, etc., are suspended.
3. freedom or release from duty, business, or activity.
4. an act or instance of vacating.

–verb (used without object)

5. to take or have a vacation: to vacation in the Caribbean.

Origin:
1350–1400; <>

I'm going to Disneyworld. I'm taking a vacation. See you later!

Life in the Words

I have been bored by my books lately. Bored. Tired. Turned-off. I haven't found anything to peak my interest or excite my mind in a few months. Friends have suggested books. Blogs have suggested choices. Nothing.

Until this weekend.

Whoever you are out there in the "blogosphere" that recommended my Memorial Day reads ... thank you, thank you, thank you. First, allow me to apologize for my bad habit. I write down the books that people recommend, but I don't write down who recommended them. Often I click straight from one website directly to my library page and put the book on hold. I can't thank the person who suggested these books and I am sorry.

I loved them.

I was entranced.

I was inspired.

I was happy reading again.

These books each deserve their own post, but I read them back to back and they are intertwined in my mind so I will write about them both here. They are about the same thing, but so very different. Each book is about one person's life in books and life with words.

The first book I read was Lynne Sharon Schwartz's Ruined by Reading: A Life in Books. She starts with the same questions that have been plaguing me for months,

What is it all about? What am I doing it for? And the classic addict's question, What is it doing for me?

Her answers challenged me to face my reading demons. What is it about reading that I love and need? I am past trying to prove something to other people. I don't really care what they read. I don't care if they know what I read or that I read.

It started -- my reading, that is-- innocently enough, and then it infiltrated. It didn't replace living; it infused it, till the two became inextricable, like molecules of hydrogen and oxygen in a bead of water.

Exactly. Reading is as much a part of my life as eating or sleeping. I realized that I have been searching much too hard. There is no reason for reading in my life. It is just a part of my life and always has been. Reading is not my life, but it is necessary to it.

How are we to spend our lives, anyway? That is the real question. We read to seek the answer, and the search itself -- the task of a lifetime -- becomes the answer.

Like the bodies of dancers or athletes, the minds of readers are genuinely happy and self-possessed only when cavorting around, doing their stretches and leaps and jumps to the tune of words.

And really, why do I care so much about books? Why do I care that, above all else in school, my children learn to read.

For in the end, even if all my books were to vanish, I would still have them somewhere, if I had read them attentively enough. Maybe the words on the page are not even the true book, in the end, only a gateway to the book that recreates itself in the mind and lasts as long as we do.

I am glad I read Schwatrz's book first this weekend. It freed me from the need to know why I was reading a book and allowed me to throughly enjoy the next slim volume I picked up, Donald Hall's Unpacking the Boxes.

I put down my note taking pencil and put away my mini-sticky notes. I read. I immersed myself in Hall's life and lived along with this former Poet Laureate of the United States as he found and followed his passion. I laughed and I cried and I vowed to read every single book he has ever written. I wish I could pick out passages for you from his memoir. I wish I could share the words here, but I can't. I think this book should be taken as a whole. His father's dreams for him can not be separated from his life at Harvard or his friends and family. They are who he is. And, WOW, what a life.

I have included these book in the same post, but many will say they are nothing alike. That may be true; but the first allowed me to enjoy the second, and the second allowed me to appreciate the first.

Read these books.

Word of the Week

widg⋅et  [wij-it]

–noun

1. a small mechanical device, as a knob or switch, esp. one whose name is not known or cannot be recalled; gadget: a row of widgets on the instrument panel.
2. something considered typical or representative, as of a manufacturer's products: the widgets coming off the assembly line.

Origin:
1925–30; perh. alter. of gadget

Word of the Week

in⋅quire  [in-kwahyuhr]

–verb (used without object)

1. to seek information by questioning; ask: to inquire about a person.
2. to make investigation (usually fol. by into): to inquire into the incident.

–verb (used with object)

3. to seek to learn by asking: to inquire a person's name.
4. Obsolete. to seek.
5. Obsolete. to question (a person).

—Verb phrase

6. inquire after, to ask about the state of health or condition of: Friends have been calling all morning to inquire after you.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME < L inquīrere to seek for (see in- 2 , query ); r. ME enqueren < OF enquerre < L, as above

Related forms:
in⋅quir⋅a⋅ble, adjective
in⋅quir⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1–3. investigate, examine, query. Inquire, ask, question imply that a person addresses another to obtain information. Ask is the general word: to ask what time it is. Inquire is more formal and implies asking about something specific: to inquire about a rumor. To question implies repetition and persistence in asking; it often applies to legal examination or investigation: to question the survivor of an accident. Sometimes it implies doubt: to question a figure, an account.

Inquirer

One who inquires or examines; questioner; investigator. --Locke.

inquire. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/browse/inquire

Spelling List Wordzzle

Boy-oneder had to write a story using his spelling words.  The assingment reminded me of Views From Raven's Nest weekly wordzzle challenge (which we have participated in exactly once).  Here it is.  The underlined words are his spelling words.

                                      MY TRIP TO THE SHOPPING MALL 

One peaceful night we looked in the pantry and realized we didn’t have any tuna for dinner. We all looked at each other, and then I got a idea. I happily said, “Let’s go to the grocery store.” We hopped in the car and drove off.  Usually we go to a grocery store 19 miles away, but there’s a new one 5 miles away. When we got there we met some homeless people and gave them some quarters. Other people were thoughtless and just passed them by. A beautiful store worker told us exactly where the tuna was. We were a little forceful while we were rummaging through the fish. We found the tuna and went to check it out when I realized my brother was missing. Dad stayed at the door in case he came back. We were clueless about where he was hiding.  We found him by the balloon man. He was lightly picking up a balloon that the balloon man dropped. We thought he was just being careless. We looked at Michael seriously and told him to come home with us. We easily bought the tuna. When we got home, Michael yelled, “Hey, the tuna is in the refrigerator!” We looked at each other, then we burst out laughing. For the next few weeks tuna was plentiful in our house.  That is the true story of how my brother became a balloon man’s assistant. 

Word of the Week

o⋅di⋅um  [oh-dee-uhm]

–noun

1. intense hatred or dislike, esp. toward a person or thing regarded as contemptible, despicable, or repugnant.
2. the reproach, discredit, or opprobrium attaching to something hated or repugnant: He had to bear the odium of neglecting his family.
3. the state or quality of being hated.

Origin:
1595–1605; < L: hatred, equiv. to od(isse) to hate + -ium -ium

Synonyms:
1. detestation, abhorrence, antipathy. 2. obloquy.

Antonyms:
1. love.

odium. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/browse/odium

Word of the Week

in⋅cu⋅nab⋅u⋅la [in-kyoo-nab-yuh-luh, ing-] 

–plural noun, singular -lum  [-luhm].

1. extant copies of books produced in the earliest stages (before 1501) of printing from movable type.
2. the earliest stages or first traces of anything.

Origin:
1815–25; < L: straps holding a baby in a cradle, earliest home, birthplace, prob. equiv. to *incūnā(re) to place in a cradle (in- in- 2 + *-cūnāre, v. deriv. of cūnae cradle) + -bula, pl. of -bulum suffix of instrument; def. 1 as trans. of G Wiegendrucke

Related forms:
in⋅cu⋅nab⋅u⋅lar, adjective

incunabulum. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/incunabulum.

Word of the Week

per⋅spi⋅ca⋅cious [pur-spi-key-shuh s]

–adjective
1. having keen mental perception and understanding; discerning: to exhibit perspicacious judgment.
2. Archaic. having keen vision.
Origin:
1610–20; perspicaci(ty) + -ous

Related forms:
per⋅spi⋅ca⋅cious⋅ly, adverb
per⋅spi⋅ca⋅cious⋅ness, noun


Synonyms:
1. perceptive, acute, shrewd, penetrating.

Antonyms:
1. dull, stupid.

perspicacious. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perspicacious

Word of the Week

hu⋅mor [hyoo-mer or, often, yoo-]

–noun
1. a comic, absurd, or incongruous quality causing amusement: the humor of a situation.
2. the faculty of perceiving what is amusing or comical: He is completely without humor.
3. an instance of being or attempting to be comical or amusing; something humorous: The humor in his joke eluded the audience.
4. the faculty of expressing the amusing or comical: The author's humor came across better in the book than in the movie.
5. comical writing or talk in general; comical books, skits, plays, etc.
6. humors, peculiar features; oddities; quirks: humors of life.
7. mental disposition or temperament.
8. a temporary mood or frame of mind: The boss is in a bad humor today.
9. a capricious or freakish inclination; whim or caprice; odd trait.
10. (in medieval physiology) one of the four elemental fluids of the body, blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile, regarded as determining, by their relative proportions, a person's physical and mental constitution.
11. any animal or plant fluid, whether natural or morbid, as the blood or lymph.

–verb (used with object)
12. to comply with the humor or mood of in order to soothe or make content or more agreeable: to humor a child.
13. to adapt or accommodate oneself to.

—Idiom
14. out of humor, displeased; dissatisfied; cross: The chef is feeling out of humor again and will have to be treated carefully.

Also, especially British, humour.

Origin:
1300–50; ME (h)umour < style="font-style:italic;">Related forms:
hu⋅mor⋅ful, adjective
hu⋅mor⋅less, adjective
hu⋅mor⋅less⋅ly, adverb
hu⋅mor⋅less⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
4. Humor, wit refer to an ability to perceive and express a sense of the clever or amusing. Humor consists principally in the recognition and expression of incongruities or peculiarities present in a situation or character. It is frequently used to illustrate some fundamental absurdity in human nature or conduct, and is generally thought of as more kindly than wit: a genial and mellow type of humor; his biting wit. Wit is a purely intellectual manifestation of cleverness and quickness of apprehension in discovering analogies between things really unlike, and expressing them in brief, diverting, and often sharp observations or remarks. 9. fancy, vagary. 12. Humor, gratify, indulge imply attempting to satisfy the wishes or whims of (oneself or others). To humor is to comply with a mood, fancy, or caprice, as in order to satisfy, soothe, or manage: to humor an invalid. To gratify is to please by satisfying the likings or desires: to gratify someone by praising him. Indulge suggests a yielding to wishes that perhaps should not be given in to: to indulge an unreasonable demand; to indulge an irresponsible son.

Antonyms:
12. discipline, restrain.

humor. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/humor

MY SENTENCE: Based on the comments I did not publish, some people failed to see the humor in my writing.

Word of the Week

dis⋅in⋅gen⋅u⋅ous [dis-in-jen-yoo-uhs]

–adjective
lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous; insincere: Her excuse was rather disingenuous.

Origin:
1645–55; dis + ingenuous

Related forms:
dis⋅in⋅gen⋅u⋅ous⋅ly, adverb
dis⋅in⋅gen⋅u⋅ous⋅ness, noun

disingenuous. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/disingenuous

Word of the Week

quo⋅tid⋅i⋅an [kwoh-tid-ee-uhn]

–adjective

1. daily: a quotidian report.
2. usual or customary; everyday: quotidian needs.
3. ordinary; commonplace: paintings of no more than quotidian artistry.
4. (of a fever, ague, etc.) characterized by paroxysms that recur daily.

–noun

5. something recurring daily.
6. a quotidian fever or ague.

Related forms:
quo⋅tid⋅i⋅an⋅ly, adverb
quo⋅tid⋅i⋅an⋅ness, noun

Word of the Week

du⋅plic⋅i⋅ty [doo-plis-i-tee, dyoo-]

–noun, plural -ties

1. deceitfulness in speech or conduct; speaking or acting in two different ways concerning the same matter with intent to deceive; double-dealing.
2. a twofold or double state or quality.

Origin:
1400–50; late ME duplicite < MF < ML, LL duplicitās, with -ite r. -itās; see duplex, -ity

Synonyms:
1. deception, dissimulation..

Antonyms:
1. straightforwardness.

Happy April Fool's Day.

What is a Wordzzle?

A wordzzle is a web challenge I recently discovered at Views from Raven's Nest. You are given between 8 and 10 words or phrases each week and asked to create a small but coherent paragraph using every one of them. There are a few guidelines in this post.

It struck me that this was just the kind of thing I was looking for to get J more interested in writing. So I presented him with the challenge and the following ten words: partition, imagination, salvation, mirror image, green power, highway, roasting marshmallows, serial killer, autograph and cartography. He wrote for 20 minutes and we edited together. Here is the result.

The Map Maker's Hero

There once was a very fine man who was skilled in cartography. He was riding down the highway when a magical serial killer approached. The killer made the cartographer's (whose name was Henry F. Salvation) eyes become blurry and writing hard to read. Henry was becoming poor because he couldn't do his work any more. One day, his hero, Map Maker, came. Henry asked for an autograph. Map maker said, "Use your imagination to defeat the killer." When Henry set out to find the killer, he looked to the side and saw mirror images. He found the killer roasting marshmallows. Henry used his green power to create a partition between them. He also made green ropes to to tie him up and he took him to jail. Oh yes, he took away the killer's powers. Then he used his green power to make himself see to far lands and his writing neater.

I love that he was excited to write and that I got to teach him a little about the process. For each mistake we corrected, we talked about why the correction was necessary. It was a quick, fun, and painless writing lesson which we will be able to complete each week.

I'm already a little tired of the super-hero genre, but I have to remember that he is nine and he is writing. For that I am glad.

Word of the Week

lep⋅i⋅dop⋅ter⋅ol⋅o⋅gy [lep-i-dop-tuh-rol-uh-jee]

–noun
the branch of zoology dealing with butterflies and moths.

Also, lep⋅i⋅dop⋅ter⋅y [lep-i--dop-tuh-ree]

Origin:
1895–1900; Lepidopter(a) + -o- + -logy

Related forms:
lep⋅i⋅dop⋅ter⋅o⋅log⋅i⋅cal  [lep-i-dop-ter-uh-loj-i-kuhl], adjective
lep⋅i⋅dop⋅ter⋅ist, noun

lepidopterology. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lepidopterology

Among many other things, Vladimir Nabakov, my favorite author, was a lepidopterist.

Word of the Week

au⋅to⋅di⋅dact [aw-toh-dahy-dakt, -dahy-dakt]

–noun
a person who has learned a subject without the benefit of a teacher or formal education; a self-taught person.

Origin: 1525–35; < style="font-style:italic;">autodídaktos self-taught

Related forms:
au⋅to⋅di⋅dac⋅tic, adjective
au⋅to⋅di⋅dac⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb

autodidact. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/autodidact

One of the many words I use to define myself.