Sesquibimillennial

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Sesquibimillennial

Postby Dr. Goodword » Tue Sep 01, 2015 8:05 am

• sesquibimillennial •

Pronunciation: ses-kwê-bai-mê-len-i-êl • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: 2500th anniversary.
Image
Notes: Today's Good Word would be the adjective accompanying sesquibimillennium, if such a word existed. You will not find today's word in any dictionary because English-speaking people did not exist 2500 years ago. It was the time of Ancient Greeks, Romans, Persians, Hittites, and the like. It appears only twice in a search of Google. It is a properly constructed word, and most appropriate word to come as the 2500th word of the Good Word series.

In Play: Dr. Goodword has been working on his word-of-the-day series now for eleven years at alphaDictionary. In that time he has created 2500 Good Words, including today's, which may be used legitimately this way: "In 1971 the sesquibimillennial anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire was celebrated throughout Iran." Rome would have celebrated its sesquibicentennium in 1747.

Word History: This Good Word is made up from the Latin word sesqui "one half more" + bi- "twice, double" + millennial "thousand years", created by analogy with sesquicentennial, bicentennial and millennial. Latin did not contain this word because Romans knew nothing of events 2500 years before them. Sesqui is a contraction of semi- "half" + que "and". The same Proto-Indo-European word that produced semi- turned up in Greek as hemi, as in the word English borrowed from Greek, hemisphere. Millennial is the adjective for millennium, a reduction of mille "thousand" + annus "year". (We owe a debt of gratitude to Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira, a Good Word editor for many years, for the creation of today's very appropriate Good Word.)
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George Kovac

Re: Sesquibimillennial

Postby George Kovac » Tue Sep 01, 2015 9:59 am

“Sesquibimillennial” What an excellent word for this day, and such a nicely crafted nonce word. Kudos to Dr. Goodword and Mr. de Oliveira.


<<Dr. Goodword has been working on his word-of-the-day series now for eleven years at alphaDictionary. >> Too bad we let that anniversary slip. We could have celebrated that undecennary.

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Re: Sesquibimillennial

Postby cfz3 » Tue Sep 01, 2015 1:27 pm

I could be wrong, but methinks your math is a bit off. Millennial = 1,000 years. Bi = X2. Therefore, so far we have 2,000 years. Sesqui = one half more, which would be 2,000 + 1,000, which now = 3,000 years, not 2,500. I can see how you possibly derived the 2,500 number by applying the Sesqui to the millennial: (Bi X Millennial) + (Sesqui X Millennial) rather than using properly-ordered mathematical function sequencing (at least as I recall it from "school days"):
Sesqui ((Bi (Millennial)), or 1.5 X (2 X 1,000). If I am in error, please provide me disambiguation (my all-time favorite Good Word).

Chick Freund

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Re: Sesquibimillennial

Postby Dr. Goodword » Wed Sep 02, 2015 3:59 pm

Chuck,

How do you think Romans would have said "2500th"?

Remember sesqui- means "a half AND". I believe Eduardo had it correct in translating "two and a half thousand".

Language is ruled by grammar, not logic or mathematics. A ladybird is not a bird, a silverfish is not a fish, and an earwig is not a wig. Logic doesn't work in language.

--RB
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Re: Sesquibimillennial

Postby bamaboy56 » Mon Sep 07, 2015 12:26 pm

Logic doesn't work in language.
. That's what makes language so interesting! Been away from this site for awhile due to pressing matters at work. It's good to be back!
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I'm going to change myself. -- Rumi

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Re: Sesquibimillennial

Postby LukeJavan8 » Tue Sep 08, 2015 1:08 pm

Glad to have you back!
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

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Re: Sesquibimillennial

Postby bamaboy56 » Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:50 pm

Thankee, Mr. Luke!
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I'm going to change myself. -- Rumi

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Re: Sesquibimillennial

Postby Perry Lassiter » Sat Sep 12, 2015 3:38 pm

Sesquicentennial celebrations are for 150 years.
pl

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Re: Sesquibimillennial

Postby Stargzer » Mon Sep 14, 2015 6:59 pm

Chuck,

How do you think Romans would have said "2500th"?
MMDΘ :D (With an Athenian Lisp)
Remember sesqui- means "a half AND". I believe Eduardo had it correct in translating "two and a half thousand".
...
--RB
I remember the "que: from "SPQR" - "Senatus Populusque Romano," "The Senate and the Roman People," literally, "Senate People and Roman." Sort of using the conjunction "and" as an operator in Reverse Polish Notation with "People."

I guess I can see the "Half and Twice a Thousand," although I don't really see the Romans as capable of factoring (1/2 * 1000 + 2 * 1000) = (1/2 + 2) * 1000 = 2.5 * 1000 = 2500.
Regards//Larry

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