READING UPDATE: The Dictionary, Part 9: Closeout – Consecrate

With both hockey and the World Cup are over, a new distraction has taken hold and hampered my reading: watching season 2 of 24 on DVD. Despite this, I knocked out a number of pages and came across a number of interesting words in the last few weeks.

I am definitely getting tired of the letter C. Fortunately, I am not far from reaching a new letter, and I am getting close to hitting the 300-page mark. It may not seem like much but I keep telling myself that the last 200 pages of the dictionary are supplemental material and not definitions, which means I should be able to make up some lost time there. But I have 1,100 pages before I can get to that, so…

Interesting words worth noting:

CLOTHES- If you know anyone who ever corrected you for not pronouncing the ‘th’ in this word, you can tell them to back off. The primary pronunciation of ‘clothes’ is identical to ‘close.’ Pronouncing the ‘th’ is still a correct way to say it but it is a secondary pronunciation.

CLOUD- The folks at MW speculate that the Old English word that ‘cloud’ derives from may have come from the Greek word gloutos, which means buttocks. Not sure why those Anglo-Saxons thought those fluffy white things in the sky looked like butts but it stuck!

CLYDESDALE- I didn’t know that the horses were named after a region in Scotland where they were originated. These sorts of things make sense when you hear them but they still take you by surprise.

COACH- Here is another item named after a location. This used to refer to a specific kind of carriage that originated in Kocs, Hungary. Perhaps you knew about Clydesdale but did you know about coach?

COBALT- Oh, those Germans! The silvery-white element that can be found streaking through iron and nickel deposits were thought to be put there by goblins. The Middle High German word for goblin was ‘kobold,’ which became ‘kobalt’ in later German, and finally ‘cobalt.’

COLLIER- The definition means a coal miner, which isn’t all that interesting. What makes this word interesting is that a graduated from high school with someone whose last name was Collier.

COLUMN- I was fascinated to discover that the writing usage of the word (as in a column of text) is older than the architectural usage of the word.

COMPLEMENT vs. COMPLIMENT- Somewhere deep inside I’m pretty sure that my dual-status as a math nerd and a writing nerd knew that there were two different spellings. I must confess that I did a double take when I got to ‘complement’ because my brain wanted to auto-correct it to have an ‘I.’

COMPLICACY- It means the quality or state of being complicated. This word is going into my bag of tricks for later use because it is simple yet unique. Finding the right time to do so may be a complicacy.

COMPOUND- MW’s fourth entry for this word is the one that means a walled-in group of buildings or village. The other three forms of ‘compound’ come from Middle English. This one comes from a Malaysian word.

CONCENTRATION CAMP- This word is most commonly associated with the prison facilities constructed by the Nazis during World War II. MW traces the usage of the word back to 1901. I wonder which war or conflict was the one that saw this term rise to prominence. A cursory search provided me with no insight.

CONDOM- The word is older than I thought, going back to 1706. Amusingly, its origin is also completely unknown. Like many common words of unknown origin, I am baffled as to how these words come out of nowhere.

CONESTOGA WAGON- This particular type of covered wagon gets its name from Conestoga, Pennsylvania. As a native of Central Pennsylvania, I think it’s cool that this common term comes from my home region. The town I grew up in, Mechanicsburg, got its name because the town was one of the last stopping points for westward travelers. A large number of mechanics settled there to provide repair services to wagons heading out into the frontier.

CONFLICTED- This term is much younger than I expected. My dictionary can only trace its getting tossed around back to 1967. MW online, however can date it back to 1914, making it 100. Just another instance of why dictionaries lose their value over time. Mine is only 18 years old, but my what those MW folk can learn in two decades!

CONNIPTION- It may not be as commonly used by the general population but I like to toss this one around every so often. As normal as it is for me, it’s yet another word with an unknown origin. MW can trace a year but why don’t they just list its origin as the country or language that the earliest-found appearance comes from? So what if it doesn’t have traceable root words. That doesn’t mean you can’t pin it to a place or language.

Page Count: 283/1600 (16.79%)
Countdown to the Letter D: 45 pages

READING UPDATE: The Dictionary, Part 8: Chelicera – Close Order

I can only blame hockey (and now the World Cup) so much for my lack of progress since last post. This has to be the slowest stretch yet. I am disappointed but I soldier on when I find the time and will. At this point, I need to be firm with myself set some firm goals or the first book on my quest may drag out said quest forever. It’s already been half a year and I am far behind where I thought I could be.

The letter B was great. There were a plethora of interesting words and I felt like I was getting somewhere. The letter C is similar to the letter A. Not as many interesting words and it is a very long section, so I’ve grown tired of seeing C-words. I should have some time for large blocks of uninterrupted reading soon, so we’ll see where that takes me.

Interesting words worth noting:

CHESTNUT- The definition refers to a blight that eliminated most of a certain species of chestnut trees in America. Considering I grew up down the road from a large chestnut tree, I had no idea that the native American species was so rare. Maybe all the chestnut trees I see are descendants of foreign seeds.

CHILL OUT- My dictionary dates this phrase to 1983. MW online now dates it to 1980, but I had no idea this common phrase was so young!

CHRISTMAS CARD- Now for the opposite of the last word- MW dates this term to 1883! Hard to believe people have been sending each other pretty pieces of soon-to-be trash since Rutherford B. Hayes was president! Yowzer.

CHRONOLOGICAL- Happy quadricentennial chronological! This word goes back almost to when Columbus ‘discovered’ the New World. Maybe they just never bothered to arrange things by date before then?

CIAO- I laughed good and hard at this one. Before hipsters were called hipsters there were wannabe hip types who would use this term (knew a few peers and professors in college who used it). Bet they don’t know that it originates as a way of declaring that you are someone’s slave. And it only dates back to 1929. Hmm, what were those Italians up to?

CINEMA- Its original definition as a motion picture goes back 105 years. It makes sense if you figure that motion pictures are a 20th Century product. Still, it feels both old and not old enough for some reason.

CIRCUMLOCUTION- It’s a big word that means you use too many words when describing or explaining something. So, you can use it to show off, as long as you don’t become a victim off. Oh how ironic that would be. If Congress tried to pass a bill banning this wordiness, would they be able to keep the bill brief? I doubt it.

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE- Here is another surprisingly old word. MW dates it back to 1866. Considering Gandhi and MLK are most famous for practicing it, I wouldn’t have pegged it for being so old.

CLAY PIGEON- I grew up shooting them and setting traps that throw them for people to shoot at. Very surprised to see how old it is. I wonder how their construction and formation has changed over the years.

CLINK- This slang term for jail is actually named after a real jail! Anglophiles may scoff at the majority of the world who never knew this before but fortunately Anglophiles don’t really count for much because of their anglophilia. It was a real jail for centuries in London.

Page Count: 254/1600 (15.88%)
Countdown to the Letter D: 74 pages

READING UPDATE: The Dictionary, Part 7: Carbonara – Chelate

Progress is as slow as it has ever been since I began my quest in January.  I am frustrated because I know this is going to take me far longer than I hoped.  I’ve found myself craving a quick and easy read at times, knowing that I can tear through numerous books in the time it’s taken me to get to where I am at.  Then again, I am the one who decides to watch playoff hockey instead of reading.  No offense to bibliophiles, but you don’t know what you’re missing if hockey is not in your life.

Instead of wallowing in how much longer I have until I finish the dictionary, I have come up with a system for measuring my progress.  Beginning with this post, I am going to include a page count that shows the percentage of a book that I have read.  For the dictionary, though, I will also include a running countdown to the next letter.  In my case, that means counting down to the letter D.  By breaking this mission down into chunks, the end goal will seem much more manageable.

Interesting words of note:

CARPE DIEM- Everyone always say it means ‘seize the day’ but I was amused to learn that it literally means ‘pluck the day.’  I wonder if any poultry farms have that slogan posted somewhere.

CASHMERE- How many of you honestly knew that cashmere wool comes from goats?  Somehow that knowledge has eluded me for 30 years.  Goats are often overlooked, so I guess it’s cool that such an expensive fabric comes from them.

CATFIGHT- MW dates this term back to 1919, so it is 95 years old.  Interestingly enough, the only definition for the term is a violent spat between two women.  Its origins have nothing whatsoever to do with a duel between two felines.  If I find this amusing, does that make me sexist?

CATGUT- The ‘gut’ part is accurate but the ‘cat’ part is not.  A cord historically used (but not so much anymore) for musical instrument strings was made from sheep intestines.  Look up the process if you don’t mind a little icky.

CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT- I passed on becoming a CPA and don’t feel bad about it.  What fascinates me is that the designation dates back to 1896.  Lots of professions require certification and have been around for much longer, but it is neat to me that something relating to my degree was important that long ago.

CESAREAN SECTION- No, the process was not made popular by a doctor named Cesarean.  It comes from the legends that Julius Caesar was born this way.  Really?  Not feels like a silly anticlimax for such an important term/procedure.

CHAUVINISM- Here is another well-known term that is named after someone.  In this case, it is named after a fictitious character from a play.  The character, Nicolas Chauvin, was a sycophantic supporter of Napoleon.  So a term that now mostly means a man who believes women are inferior used to mean someone who is pro-French (Napoleonic French) to a nauseating degree.  Something tells me that someone took great liberties to make the jump between pro-Frenchy and anti-women.

Page Count:  233/1600 (14.56%)

Pages to Next Letter:  95

READING UPDATE: The Dictionary, Part 6: Bovine – Carbonado

My posting schedule would have had me writing something up for Easter weekend, so I pushed it out an extra week.  As you can see, I have finished the letter B, which feels great but the letter C is quite extensive and will probably keep me tied up for about two months unless my pace picks up.  I’m not sure if that will happen, as it is NHL playoff time, so most of my evenings have been committed to watching hockey lately.

Every time I walk into our spare room, I see the two bookshelves of mine that are overflowing with interesting reads.  It’s starting to wear on me, because reading the dictionary no longer even carries the faintest bit of fun.  Sure, it’s interesting from time to time, but it’s starting to feel more like work.  This will ultimately factor into the final rating for the dictionary.  There are many books that I want to get to and at times I catch myself wanting to give up on the dictionary but I have to soldier on.  I just tell myself how glad I will be to have gotten this beast out of the way first.

As far as interesting words go, they tapered off a little bit.  Only nine struck my fancy these past three weeks.  Here they are:

BOYCOTT- Did you know this term comes from someone’s last name?  Charles C. Boycott was a cutthroat land agent in Ireland and refused to play ball with anyone who could pay their rent.  Fascinating stuff, I think.

BREAK- One hundred fourteen lines of background and definitions exist for this one word alone.  That’s over half of a page!  Considering how itty-bitty the print is in a dictionary, that’s serious stuff.  Check out the multitude of uses and meanings for this surprisingly small word.

BUDDY- I was surprised to learn how old this word is.  MW dates it to 1850.  That’s pretty cool.

BUG- Used to refer to an insect or other kinds of creepy-crawlies, the origin is unknown.  How does that happen?  Is it just the letter B or will I find that many common words are of an unknown origin?

BULLY- An archaic use of the term as a noun means ‘sweetheart’ and ‘a fine chap.’  There is also an adjective form that means ‘excellent’ or ‘first rate.’  My how words change over time!

BUS- Is it wrong that I never knew this word was short for omnibus?  Please say no.

CAJOLE- Look this one up and let me know if you hear people using this word incorrectly quite often.  I oftentimes hear it being used spurring to action or nudging, without the flattery angle.

CANUCK- Ah, the first notable C-word of unknown origin.  How can we possibly not know where this comes from?  A professional hockey team uses this as their name for crying out loud!

CAPLETS- I see where it is a hybrid between capsule and tablet; that’s pretty obvious.  I never knew that it was a trademarked term though.  Trademark applications were filed in 1936 by SmithKline Beecham, which is now GlaxoSmithKline, who makes pretty much every pharmaceutical and home product that Proctor & Gamble doesn’t.

READING UPDATE: The Dictionary, Part 5: Betel Nut – Bovid

Another two weeks, another stretch of hot-and-cold reading.  I still feel that the letter B has been much more enjoyable to read.  Maybe the words are really just more interesting and maybe it’s because there are fewer B-words than A-words, so I feel like I’m making more progress.

Nothing really worth noting aside from my interesting words.  I am closing in on hitting the 200-page mark.  That will mean I am 1/8^th of the way through.  At this point, I don’t know that that milestone will mean as much as beginning the letter C, which is fast approaching.

Notable words:

BÊTE NOIRE- Literally, it means the black or dark beast.  Literarily, it means something detested or shunned.  It’s a little on the fancy side of the spectrum, but I like it and hope to be able to use it my something I write someday.  It feels like a simple but powerful way to describe something a protagonist clashes with.

BETTA- It’s what a lot of people think are called Beta Fish but it is pronounced bet-uh, not bay-tuh.  Nice to have my ignorance erased.

BILL OF HEALTH- Interesting how we have turned something that was at once a vitally important document into a common, largely meaningless term.  It used to be a document given to a ship’s captain detailing any ailments with his crew before setting sail.  Now it means the doctor didn’t find anything overly concerning with you at a check-up.

BIMONTHLY- Oh how irritating!  It can mean both twice a month AND every two months.  Thanks a lot English language.

BIRTH CONTROL- The first documented use of the term was a century ago.  I was surprised to discover how old the term is.  Are you?

BLIGHT- Here is another widely used word with no known origin.  I don’t understand how this happens.

BLUE- Two of its many definitions are quite contradictory.  One means puritanical and another means indecent or crude.  I wonder when and where those meanings originated because it seems strange to think that the same word could stand for polar opposites.

BON TON- It means fashionable, proper, or high society.  I included this word because a regional department store headquartered in my neck of the woods is named The Bon Ton.  Despite the definition of the word, the store caters mostly toward older women.  Maybe clients of The Bon Ton think the name is still apt, but I have my doubts.

BOOSTER SHOT- This word, typically thought of as a childish thing, as more than reached maturity.  It’s first documented usage was 70 years ago.  Way to have staying power, you old codger.

BORBORYGMUS- Yet another word that proves I am a dork.  It the technical term for the rumbling sound your insides make when gas is shifted in you intestinal tract.  Is that a rumbly in my tumbly?  No, it’s a borborygmus!

BOTHER- It really bothers me that the word bother is of an unknown origin.  Bother!

BOURGEOISIE- It means the middle class, which shocked me.  I always understood it to mean the upper class, or aristocrats, who ruled back in the day.  Maybe my understanding of middle class is vastly different from the middle ages.  If not, what a scary thought of the proletariat rising up against the middle class!  Scarier yet are those who are calling for similar class revolts now.  I will have to look into this one more closely to determine to how the definition changed culturally and socioeconomically over the years.

READING UPDATE: The Dictionary, Part 4: Ascension Day – Betelgeuse

It’s been three weeks since my last post.  I’ve crossed the 150-page mark, which is both good and bad.  It’s good to see that kind of progress, but it also means that my progress is lagging in its pace.  I figured out that I need to read three pages a day in order to wrap this thing up by next March.  If you do the math, that still leaves me a few hundred pages from the end.  Some days will see more than three pages getting read (especially over the summer).  The last 200+ pages are also less laborious to read through (abbreviations, geographical names, and more full-sentence reference type stuff).

A funny thing happened after completing the letter A- reading the dictionary doesn’t seem as difficult now.  B-words seem to be more interesting than A-words.  Maybe that’s just a mental thing.  Perhaps my brain is just excited about a new starting letter.  Will I get as frustrated with B as I did with A?  Only time will tell.

Here are the interesting words I came across in the last three weeks:

ASPECT RATIO- MW dates this word’s popular usage to 1907, which surprised me.  The term has been thrown about very casually since flat-screen TVs rose to prominence last decade.  I’ve seen it used while reading about changes in motion pictures over the years but I never realized just how far back the term went.  Cool stuff.

ASSASSIN- The oldest usage of this term is for a Muslim group from the age of the Crusades who struck fear into their enemies (mostly Christians) via random secret murders.  Members of this group were prepared to commit suicide if caught or if necessary to carry out their kill.  Wow.

ASSAULT RIFLE- “Any of various automatic or semiautomatic rifles designed for military use with large capacity magazines.”  Please note just how vague this definition is, tuck it away in your brain and pull it back out the next time you hear someone harping about making these kinds of weapons illegal in America.  Lots of room for interpretation here folks.

ASSEMBLY LINE- This term is 100 years old.  No surprise, considering Henry Ford basically put this term and process on the map around that same time.  Still, happy centennial assembly line!

AUSCULATION- I love finding words like this that explain a process that is very routine but few could actually tell you the name of.  It’s the act of listening to body organs to help diagnose health problems.  Next time the doctor comes at you with a stethoscope, you’ll know just what’s going on.

AVANT- Literally, it means “culturally or stylistically advanced.”  This begs the question- according to whom?  Who gets to make that call?  Some of the avant-garde art that I’ve seen looks far from ‘art’ to me.  This is one of those horribly subjective terms that pseudo-intellectuals like to use to help set themselves apart.  Is the subject really advanced or just different?  Just because something is different from everything we’ve ever known doesn’t make it advanced.

AXEL-Not the car part (that’s spelled axle).  I’m talking about the axel jump in figure skating.  You know, double- or triple axel?  Did you know that it is named after the person who came up with it?  He was a Norwegian figure skater named Axel Paulsen and he first performed it in competition in 1882.

BACITRACIN- Another item that is actually named for someone. The –tracin part comes from Margaret Tracy, and American child in whom the root compounds were discovered.

BACK-SCRATCHING- My dictionary dates it to 1924.  MW online says 1904.  Either way, this term for less than scrupulous reciprocation celebrates an divisible-by-ten anniversary this year.

BANE-  I just wrote a review for The Dark Knight Rises recently (yes, movie reviews are in fact coming soon).  The main villain is named Bane and it is clear that DC Comics picked his name well.  Its various definitions include: killer, slayer, poison, death, and destruction.

BANJAX- This is the first word in the dictionary that I can recall coming across that does not have a known origin.  No traceable word roots?  I wonder if it was a gibberish word or a gross mispronunciation that found traction.  Names aren’t the only things people make up!

BASENJI-The word originally made me think of Benji.  Upon reading the definition, I learned that it is a breed of African dogs that do not bark.  The basenji breed, however, looks nothing like Benji from the movies.  That would have been pretty awesome.

BATTLESHIP- Did you know that it’s short for line-of-battle ship?  You do now!  Good thing it stuck too, because ‘You sunk my line-of-battle ship’ is a mouthful.

BEACH- Here is another word with an unknown origin, though this one is vastly more common than basenji.  Amazing how such a common word managed to come out of nowhere.

BELLY-UP- My dictionary dates this word’s documentation to 1939, which makes it 75 years old.  It is also as old as the films Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.

BEST BOY- I always thought this film crew member had a funny title.  They are an assistant to the equally strange sounding gaffer or key grip.

READING UPDATE: The Dictionary, Part 3: Ancestor - Ascensional

All the snow and ice hitting the Mid-Atlantic region the past two weeks prevented me from making much progress since my last post.  It is difficult to stay awake to read tin print containing very little wow factor when you are exhausted from shoveling snow and ice that same day.  I’m still trucking right along but it’s been slower than I’d like.

Despite all the potential for disappointment, I am happy to report that I have surpassed one milestone and am nearing another.  I passed the 100-page mark since my last post and I am just a few pages away from finishing the letter A.  Hitting 100 pages subconsciously tells me that I am really doing this.  Starting the B-words will be a mental boost for me as well.  I think a sense of relief and freshness will come each time I start a new letter.

Now then, here are my notable words this time around:

ANCHORMAN- This word can mean someone who holds a broadcast together, someone who runs the last parts of a race, or someone who graduates last in his class.  I find it interesting that it can mean either someone very important or someone of little value.

ANNO DOMINI- My dictionary lists its first written use as occurring in 1530.  I know the term is older than that, but I have to wonder, what did the Western World use to track years before this system came about?  And how do we really know that Anno Domini years are really accurate.  These are the things that I think of.  :-p

ANOREXIA NERVOSA- M-W dates the written use of this term back to 1873.  It’s been 141 years and we still can’t nip this one in the bud?  Wow.

ANTIHERO- This word dates back to 1714 but it took over 100 more years for ANTIHEROINE to catch on.  Likeable bad guys have been popular for 300 years.  Likeable bad girls?  Only 200.

ANTILOCK- We take this system for granted in our cars now, but my dictionary says it’s only been in common use for 40 years.  (M-W online says 51 years- another instance that highlights subtle inaccuracies of an old book)

ANTINOMIAN- The definition is “one who holds that under the gospel dispensation of grace the moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation.”  This bugs me when applied to Judeo-Christian principles because it misses the point entirely.  The Hebrew moral laws in the Torah did not earn one salvation.  Rather, they were to be followed in appreciation of Jehovah’s covenant with the Hebrew people.  Salvation was never something to be earned, only something to be given. 

I also don’t like this philosophy because “faith without works is dead.”  My interpretation and understanding of scripture is that we cannot just believe and sit back and do nothing.  Works are not required for salvation (again, it cannot be earned) but one’s faith can be revealed to others through their works.  That doesn’t mean everyone claiming faith needs to go out and do something drastic, but you should feel led to do something.

ANTIPARTICLE- Maybe one of my physics friends can help me on this one.  When an anti-particle is brought together with its counterpart particle, mutual annihilation occurs.  If matter cannot be created or destroyed based on our understanding of physics, how does that work?

ANTIQUE- I can accept this term as a measure of age (M-W suggests something made 100 or more years ago) but it’s hard to swallow as a measure of value.  Just because something is old means bubkes about its value.  Value is not intrinsic.  It must be imparted upon an object by an outside observer.  Think about all the old stuff our grandparents and great-grandparents passed down through the family.  How much of that is actually worth anything?  It all depends on the buyer.  The Millennial generation doesn’t seem to appreciate, let alone care for, anything ‘old.’  What’s going to happen to Baby Boomer-era and older ‘antiques’ when those generations start dying off?  My guess is they’ll show up on Pawn Stars and be sold for pocket change.

APHAERESIS- It’s an old word that few of us probably know but we see it in action all the time.  It’s the dropping of a syllable sound at the beginning of a word.  People have been lazy speakers for centuries!  I like finding words like these that explain everyday phenomena.

APOLOGY/APOLOGETICS- Here is another word I’ve been misunderstanding for quite some time.  I though apologetics in a religious sense was a way to make amends with the world, as if trying to find a mutual agreement between theology and the common culture of the day.  Nope!  Apologetics can mean making a defense for something too.  How did I not learn the true meaning of this term as a Religious Studies minor in college?  Thanks a lot professors.

APRIL FOOL- Which came first- the April Fool or April Fool’s Day?  According to M-W, April Fool came first, even though their definition is the person who gets tricked on April Fool’s Day. 

ARISTOCRACY- We like to think that America is egalitarian when it comes to opportunity.  Are we really though?  While there are plenty of self-made men and women in this country, this is not the land of opportunity we like to think it is.  More and more, I think we are a land of multiple aristocracies hiding behind the guise of egalitarianism.

Think of all the ways we try to stratify our society.  When I was growing up my peers and I made fun of a neighboring school district that was more rural than us.  We also made fun of the county to the north of us as a whole because of stereotypes about its inhabitants passed on through the generations.  Try as we might to put up a good front of Americans all being equal, many of us try to make ourselves out to be better than some other group for one reason or another- money, material possessions, or education.

Take the Ivy League schools for instance.  They think they’re better than everyone else.  They claim to provide superior education and connections for their alumni.  In reality, they only have those reputations because they are old and didn’t go under over time.  For every best-and-brightest they enroll, I guarantee you they enroll a trust fund brat who is only going because of a family history at the school or because they’re rich enough to get in the door.

Any time someone looks down on someone else because they didn’t go to the ‘right school’ or come from the ‘right town’ or wear the ‘right clothes,’ they are tearing down American egalitarianism and raising up an aristocracy.  It is evident in politics, the business world, and especially in the land of higher education.

Okay, enough ranting for one day.  I will see you in two weeks with words beginning with A and B!