Limpid

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Dr. Goodword
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Limpid

Postby Dr. Goodword » Fri Sep 29, 2017 10:53 pm

• limpid •

Pronunciation: lim-pid • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: 1. Clear and bright, sparklingly transparent, when speaking of liquids. 2. Crystal clear or nearly so, easily understandable, or transparent, when speaking of writing style.

Notes: At heart, this word refers to clear pools of liquid. However, following the footsteps of words like lucid and luculent, its meaning has migrated to clarity in general, especially as relates to writing style. We have choices for a noun, either limpidity or, if that sounds too near stupidity for your tastes, we may use the old stand-by limpidness. We have but one adverb: limpidly.

In Play: Today's Good Word is most at home reflecting the character of water: "The limpid apathetic woodland stream mirrored the fawn's composure in its own." However, it is comfortable with any noun referring to clear objects: "Carrie Oakey's limpid voice adds to the beauty of any song."

Word History: Today's Good Word comes from Latin limpidus "clear, bright," a word related to lympha "clear water, stream", the source of our own lymph, the clear liquid produced by lymph nodes. It shares a source with Greek lampein "to shine" and lampas "torch", which Latin borrowed and transmitted to French as lampe, a word that proved to be too much a temptation for English, so we chopped off the final E and borrowed it. No one has any idea where the original root came from. (Let's hope this is a perfectly limpid reflection of our gratitude to Katy Brezger, a Senior Lexiterian in the Alpha Agora, who suggested we explore today's word.)
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Slava
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Re: Limpid

Postby Slava » Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:04 am

Something about saying or writing "limpid writing" feels off. It may exist, but I'm sure I'll never use it.
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LukeJavan8
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Re: Limpid

Postby LukeJavan8 » Sat Sep 30, 2017 12:59 pm

I'll piggyback on that, it's not in my vocab.
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Perry Lassiter
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Re: Limpid

Postby Perry Lassiter » Tue Oct 03, 2017 3:43 pm

Thanks once more for correcting my understanding. The constant example in my mind is, "her eyes were like limpid pools." Almost certainly because of the word limp, I never thought of clear pools, but rather still pools, glass like and untroubled.
pl

George Kovac
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Re: Limpid

Postby George Kovac » Mon Oct 09, 2017 9:55 am

Something about saying or writing "limpid writing" feels off.
I agree. I suspect part of the ickiness of "limpid writing" is that it reminds the ear of the phrase "turgid prose." Or maybe it's the "limp" part. Limp id sounds like something Freud would have diagnosed.

"Limpid" is one of those peculiar words that means something positive but has a sound that is unpleasant. "Pulchritude" is another dissonant word that feels "off" in this same way. Neither word is a keeper.
"Every battle of ideas is fought on the terrain of language." Zia Haider Rahman, New York Times 4/8/2016

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Slava
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Re: Limpid

Postby Slava » Tue Oct 10, 2017 1:30 pm

I'll have to disagree with you on pulchritude. I like that one.
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