While that which we call a rose would smell as sweet if it were not called a rose, how about a Cecilia? Ever wonder what a name means or how it came about? Cecilia is a name of Italian origins, not surprisingly it derives from a Latin word caecus, meaning blind or hidden. It was…
Word of the Week
My Word! – July 22
by Betsey Ellis •
Klipspringer klip·spring·er Noun A small African antelope found from Cape Colony to Somaliland. “The Zoo” recently featured an episode about the relocation of a herd of klipspringer that I enjoyed. Probably not found in English before we found then cute little guys (and they are cute).
Word of the Week
My Word! – July 15
by Betsey Ellis •
Jiffy Jif-fy Noun Believe it or not there is an actual definition beyond a small amount of time. A jiffy is 1/100th of a second. No one can get their grocery shopping done in a jiffy on the day before Thanksgiving. While the origin is unknown it traces back to 1779, maybe attached to the…
Word of the Week
My Word! – July 8
by Betsey Ellis •
Ichthyotoxism ich·thyo·tox·ism Noun Poisoning from fish or fish venom Improper handling of puffer fish can result in ichthyotoxism. Again Merriam-Webster was no help in tracking down how long we have had a word for the problem, but I am certain Latin and/or Greek were involved.
Word of the Week
My Word! July 1
by Betsey Ellis •
Hebephrenia he·be·phre·nia Noun a form of schizophrenia characterized especially by incoherence, delusions lacking an underlying theme, and affect that is usually flat, inappropriate, or silly a form of dementia occurring at puberty Joaquim Phoenix received the Best Actor award in part for how well he depicted hebephrenia in “The Joker”. This one comes from…
Coffee Potpourri
What’s In a Name?
by Betsey Ellis •
While that which we call a rose would smell as sweet if it were not called a rose, how about a Barbara? Ever wonder what a name means or how it came about? Barbara comes from a Greek root, barbarous, meaning foreign traveler or strange. It was an incredibly popular name in the earlier 20th…
States Well Stated
FALLING DOWN ON THE JOB
by Betsey Ellis •
OR – WELCOME TO NEW HAMPSHIRE! So now we move back east to one of the original colonies, New Hampshire! The “Live Free or Die” state. But did you know that the State’s motto was not the whole story? The sentence, as originally delivered by General John Stark (no relation to the Starks of Winterfell,…
Word of the Week
My Word! – June 24
by Betsey Ellis •
Giaour Adjective that I have no idea how to pronounce One outside of the Islamic faith; infidel Since he was born well before Mohammed, Nero was definitely a giaour. This one harkens back to 1564, and does not come from Latin. In fact it comes from French, who got it from Italian…
Uncategorized
What’s In a Name?
by Betsey Ellis •
While that which we call a rose would smell as sweet if it were not called a rose, how about an Amelia? Ever wonder what a name means or how it came about? There seems to be some dispute about the origin of Amelia. One school of thought says the name is Germanic or Hebrew…
Word of the Week
My Word! – June 17
by Betsey Ellis •
Fructivorous fruc·tiv·o·rous Adjective Feeding on fruit Monkeys are have a mainly fructivorous diet. Probably from Latin, but Merriam-Webster was pretty silent on the subject.