VAGITUS
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:09 pm
• vagitus •
Pronunciation: vê-jai-tês • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. The first cry of a new-born baby. 2. The cry or wailing of any small child.
Notes: Apparently, today's intriguing word is so rarely used, no dictionary compiler knows what its plural would be: the Latin vagitus (same as the singular) or English vagituses. You are always safe with the latter. This word is used primarily in medicine but there is no reason why the rest of us cannot use it, too.
In Play: One of the most important events of human life is the sound of the first cry of a newborn infant: "It was a difficult birth but all the pain was erased by the sound of my new son's vagitus." However, the meaning of this word has important metaphorical implications, too: "The new president's inaugural speech was the vagitus of an era of radical innovation at the college."
Word History: Today's Good Word is Latin vagitus "the crying, squalling of young children", the noun from the verb vagire "to cry, squall". The same original root, *uagh-, underlies Sanskrit vagnu "a cry, sound" and Greek ekho "a sound, echo". (I think everyone will echo my thanks to M. Henri Day for suggesting such an interesting word as we have read about today.)
Pronunciation: vê-jai-tês • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. The first cry of a new-born baby. 2. The cry or wailing of any small child.
Notes: Apparently, today's intriguing word is so rarely used, no dictionary compiler knows what its plural would be: the Latin vagitus (same as the singular) or English vagituses. You are always safe with the latter. This word is used primarily in medicine but there is no reason why the rest of us cannot use it, too.
In Play: One of the most important events of human life is the sound of the first cry of a newborn infant: "It was a difficult birth but all the pain was erased by the sound of my new son's vagitus." However, the meaning of this word has important metaphorical implications, too: "The new president's inaugural speech was the vagitus of an era of radical innovation at the college."
Word History: Today's Good Word is Latin vagitus "the crying, squalling of young children", the noun from the verb vagire "to cry, squall". The same original root, *uagh-, underlies Sanskrit vagnu "a cry, sound" and Greek ekho "a sound, echo". (I think everyone will echo my thanks to M. Henri Day for suggesting such an interesting word as we have read about today.)