I came up just a hair shy of my goal of finishing the letter L by the end of the month. With the NHL playoffs in full swing, May probably won’t be a very productive month. I’m closing in on the halfway mark, so that is what’s keeping me going right now. I don’t know that I can reach page 800 by the end of May but I’ll do my darndest.Interesting words of the month:
LAMARCKISM- This is an evolutional theory that suggests that environmental changes cause changes to animal and plant DNA that is then passed on to future generations. Years ago I probably wouldn’t have questioned this but now I find it harder to swallow. Maybe it’s because I can only think in short-term levels of time but I haven’t seen environmental changes cause evolutionary genetic changes in my lifetime nor does there appear to be any over the course of the 20th century. I’m starting to view the reality of evolution less as survival of the fittest and genetic changes to help future generations and more as a sheet probability outcome of one member of a species living long enough to reproduce.
LAMMERGEIER- This word just sounds awesome and not just because it is of German origin. It’s a huge falcon capable of making off with a lamb in its clutches. Even the word itself sounds intimidating.
LAWN MOWER- MW traces this term back to 1869, which raise some questions with me. I looked up when lawn mowers were first invented. Turns out it was in 1830 in England, so the term took a while to catch on. It probably took those 39 years for mowing a lawn to become popular enough for the term to enter common usage. Other questions that come to mind are as follows:
What did people use to trim their lawns prior to lawn mowers? Sheep? Scythes?
When did mowing the lawn become a socially accepted and expected thing?
LEAF SCAR- I never heard of this before but it makes sense. We always look at the leaves when they are either on the tree or on the ground. When on the ground, we just look at the leaves. The next time I’m up in a tree after the leaves have fallen, I’ll see if I can’t find leaf scars on the tree branches. Or I’ll just look for them on low-lying branches. That’s probably safer.
LEAGUE- Jules Verne is lucky his titular unit of measure is for distance and not depth. Going 20,000 leagues beneath the surface of the ocean is impossible. Travelling 20,000 leagues while under the surface is possible.
LILITH- Did the organizers of Lilith Fair realize that rabbinic legend not only lists Lilith as the first wife of Adam but also as a demon? If so, does that say anything about what Lilith Fair promoted?
LUDDITE- This one brings back memories of college. I had a professor in my major who’s faculty website had “Luddites and Technology” either as its title or at the top of the page. The term comes from a man named Ned Luddite who allegedly destroyed two pieces of textile equipment in a fit of rage. A few decades later, a group of textile workers began destroying textile equipment in protest of technological advancements that they viewed as a threat to their livelihoods as cheaper, unskilled laborers could run the machines instead of skilled artisans doing everything by hand. The named themselves the Luddites. Now the term means anyone leery of new technology but it has its origins in revolt.
LUGGAGE- It makes perfect sense but I never put two and two together. This word comes from the verb lug- to carry, drag, or push something around. It’s so simple that I overlooked the obvious.
LUNACY- This word has luna in it because this sort of mania was once believed to be associated with the phases of the moon. Oh how silly people once were! I wonder how many documented cases it took to make that association?
LYME DISEASE- My dictionary dates the term to 1980 but MW online now dates it to 1979. First of all, I am shocked that what is now such a common concern went so long without being a scientifically identifiable disease. It’s also named after a town in Connecticut where the disease was first reported. Did people just not get Lyme disease until the 1970s or were people just horribly unobservant about it until then? This one is just frustrating to me.
LYNCH / LYNCH LAW- Named after William Lynch and/or Charles Lynch, men connected to the American Revolution. William and some of his associates allegedly formed a pact to carry out their own brand of law enforcement to protect their properties. Charles Lynch, a Virginia judge went above and beyond his jurisdiction to suppress a supposed uprising by Loyalists to Britain that included all sorts of nasty punishments and penalties that would without question be an abuse of power. Two guys, one last name, and a lot of dirty deeds. History is fascinating.
Page Count: 733/1600 (45.81%)
Countdown to the Letter M: 0.5 pages
