MEMORIAL

Use this forum to discuss past Good Words.
User avatar
Dr. Goodword
Site Admin
Posts: 7417
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:28 am
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Contact:

MEMORIAL

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sun May 29, 2005 11:51 pm

• memorial •

Pronunciation: mê-mor-i-êl

Part of Speech: Adjective, Noun

Meaning: 1. [Adjective] Designed to evoke remembrance of a person or event. 2. [Noun] A service or artifact designed to evoke remembrance of a person or event.

Notes: The origin of Memorial Day is a bit cloudy. It began during or right after the Civil War as informal trips to cemeteries where flowers were placed on the graves of soldiers fallen in battle. It became such a popular event each spring that General John Logan proclaimed Memorial Day a holiday on May 5, 1868. It was first officially observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers in Arlington Cemetery. It spread, state by state, across the nation; however, the southern states refused to recognize it until after World War I.

In Play: At Alpha Dictionary we are all thinking today of those who have given, are giving, and will give their lives to remove a despot as nefarious as Hitler or Stalin, Saddam Hussein, from power. We are sure we speak for all those who are alive in Iraq and Afghanistan today only because of the sacrifices of US and coalition forces in those countries. It is to the courage of those who continue to make the ultimate sacrifice for democracy and sanity around the world that we dedicate today's Good Word.

Word History: Today's word comes from Late Latin memoriale, the neuter of Latin memorialis "related to memory". The adjective is based on memoria "memory", a partial reduplication of the root *mor-, me-mor-, the initial consonant having been repeated as a prefix. We use the Latin word itself in the phrase in memoriam "in memory (of)", often carved on memorials to those we love and respect. With the suffix –n, the same stem became mourn in English, where wars always lead our memories.
Last edited by Dr. Goodword on Mon May 30, 2005 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
• The Good Dr. Goodword

tcward
Wordmaster
Posts: 789
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:18 pm
Location: The Old North State

Re: MEMORIAL

Postby tcward » Mon May 30, 2005 10:23 am

Today's word comes from Late Latin memoriale, the neuter of Latin memorialis "related to memory". The adjective is based on memoria "memory", a partial reduplication of the root *mor-, me-mor-, the initial consonant having been repeated as a prefix.
So is this only peripherally related to PIE *men- "to think"...?

Does anyone here remember Remembrance Day?

-Tim

KatyBr
Wordmaster
Posts: 959
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:28 pm

Postby KatyBr » Mon May 30, 2005 6:51 pm

It was first officially observed on May 39, 1868,
While I haven't seen a calendar from 1868, I'm pretty sure that May only came in size 31......
but then I could be wrong

Katy

User avatar
gailr
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1945
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2005 11:40 am
Contact:

Postby gailr » Mon May 30, 2005 7:04 pm

I think that's some of the fallout from the Gregorian-Julian Calendar revisions...
gailr

Apoclima
Senior Lexiterian
Posts: 555
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:00 pm

Postby Apoclima » Mon May 30, 2005 7:10 pm

Perhaps a double triple leap year!

Apo
'Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination.' -Max Planck

M. Henri Day
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1141
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 8:24 am
Location: Stockholm, SVERIGE

Postby M. Henri Day » Tue May 31, 2005 4:54 am

I think that's some of the fallout from the Gregorian-Julian Calendar revisions...
In 1868 ?...

Henri (aka the man who never gets a joke, no matter how obvious....)
曾记否,到中流击水,浪遏飞舟?

KatyBr
Wordmaster
Posts: 959
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:28 pm

Postby KatyBr » Tue May 31, 2005 11:58 am

Henri, I think they keep the jokes simple for me.

Katy
(I see that the good Doctor has changed the original May 39th to May 30th, making my quote obsolete, Now I just look stupid)

User avatar
gailr
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1945
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2005 11:40 am
Contact:

Postby gailr » Tue May 31, 2005 10:28 pm

Rome is eternal, Henri. So what are a few centuries here and there between friends? :wink:
gailr

Flaminius
Lexiterian
Posts: 408
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2005 4:36 am

Postby Flaminius » Tue May 31, 2005 11:40 pm

According to the link, In the section "The change-over from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar"
In 1868 ?...
Japan: Different authorities say:
19 Dec 1872 was followed by 1 Jan 1873
18 Dec 1918 was followed by 1 Jan 1919

What a gem! Did we, the avowed pagans, ever use Julian caledar?

M. Henri Day
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1141
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 8:24 am
Location: Stockholm, SVERIGE

Postby M. Henri Day » Wed Jun 01, 2005 2:26 am

According to the link, In the section "The change-over from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar"
...

Japan: Different authorities say:
19 Dec 1872 was followed by 1 Jan 1873
18 Dec 1918 was followed by 1 Jan 1919
...
Could you check this discrepancy out, Flam ?...

Henri
曾记否,到中流击水,浪遏飞舟?


Return to “Good Word Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot], Google [Bot] and 49 guests