"Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa" (intoned while beating one's breast).
Anachronistic or facetious now, but a formal way of begging forgiveness once upon a time.
Search found 8153 matches
- Wed Apr 24, 2024 5:43 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Exculpatory
- Replies: 1
- Views: 2466
- Wed Apr 24, 2024 5:32 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Cartoon
- Replies: 1
- Views: 45
Re: Cartoon
In case the Greek and Semitic words made you think it, too, here's harass, which turns out not to be related. People can be harassed with cartoons, though.
- Tue Apr 23, 2024 7:21 pm
- Forum: Etymology
- Topic: Epsilontist
- Replies: 1
- Views: 44
Re: Epsilontist
I managed to come up with two places that speak of epsilontics, so I guess that's what an epsilontist would engage in. Here they are: https://www.wordsense.eu/epsilontic/ https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/epsilontics If anyone cares to share just what those definitions might mean in plain English, I'd ...
- Tue Apr 23, 2024 5:30 pm
- Forum: Res Diversae
- Topic: Vocabulary
- Replies: 1
- Views: 410
Re: Vocabulary
No idea why I didn't say this when I first thought it, but...; wouldn't this fall nicely under the Grammar section? Words and how to use them, or not use them.
- Tue Apr 23, 2024 5:28 pm
- Forum: Res Diversae
- Topic: World Book Day!
- Replies: 0
- Views: 22
World Book Day!
I knew it was Shakespeare's birthday, along with my brother's, but never knew UNESCO celebrated it, too. World Book and Copyright Day is April 23. Go read!
- Tue Apr 23, 2024 7:09 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Wrench
- Replies: 1
- Views: 2790
Re: Wrench
Should you so desire, you can read up on spanner, too.
- Mon Apr 22, 2024 3:33 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Escarpment
- Replies: 1
- Views: 2958
Re: Escarpment
Another one of those words that look like they should be related but aren't. Scarper is no kin. It's related to escape, which has different roots but similar letters.
- Sat Apr 20, 2024 8:40 pm
- Forum: Good Word Suggestions
- Topic: cartoon
- Replies: 1
- Views: 82472
Re: cartoon
Revisiting this suggestion I was reminded that it can also be a verb. Which gives us cartoonery, too. I see that it comes from the original idea of drawing such sketches on stiff paper, i.e. carton. Then it spread out from there. Speaking of Herblock, he designed a US postage stamp . It's not a cart...
- Sat Apr 20, 2024 8:21 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Dastard
- Replies: 1
- Views: 106
Re: Dastard
Dick Dastardly was probably how I first came to know this word:
He ranks right up there with Snidely Whiplash:
He ranks right up there with Snidely Whiplash:
- Sat Apr 20, 2024 12:22 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Affinity
- Replies: 1
- Views: 3075
Re: Affinity
For a word with no history we know of, finis sure has a good-sized family: finish, finite, finitude, finity, infinity, definite, etc.
- Sat Apr 20, 2024 6:29 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Picnic
- Replies: 1
- Views: 3457
Re: Picnic
I recently learned that some people have tried to give the etymology of picnic a racist bent, saying it comes from a game called Pick-a-N*****.
- Fri Apr 19, 2024 8:55 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Velutinous
- Replies: 1
- Views: 147
Re: Velutinous
Whilst picking on Spiro Agnew, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In gave me the word tomentose , which I gather he deployed in some fashion. Judging from the definition and images, it means velutinous. https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/glossary/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Tomentose.jpg Not exactly, but pr...
- Fri Apr 19, 2024 7:02 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Cantata
- Replies: 1
- Views: 2468
Re: Cantata
"We must go through a lot of tribulation". In case you're interested, I found a video recording of this cantata to spare others the tribulation of searching. Here it is, on youtube.
- Thu Apr 18, 2024 10:17 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Parody
- Replies: 1
- Views: 3482
Re: Parody
It is not merely US states that have parodies of legislatures, I dare say.
Politics aside, the parodies of Mel Brooks were sheer genius when they came out, and most remain so to this day.
Politics aside, the parodies of Mel Brooks were sheer genius when they came out, and most remain so to this day.
- Thu Apr 18, 2024 7:40 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Recourse
- Replies: 1
- Views: 5512
Re: Recourse
It's interesting how sometimes when you look up a word, it's definition is rather recursive. Recourse means resort, which means recourse. Fun? You decide.
Resort itself might make a decent GW, too.
Resort itself might make a decent GW, too.