New Words and Etymologies

Newly discovered words

4/20/2009

Gendarme – Military unit that functions as police. OLD FRENCH: gens d’armes, “men-at-arms”

Enceinte adj. - Carrying an unborn child; pregnant. LATIN: inciens, “pregnant”

4/21/09

Besot – To muddle or stupefy, as with alcoholic liquor or infatuation. LATE OLD ENGLISH: sott, “stupid person, fool,”

Liminal – Relating to a threshold. LATIN: limen, “threshold”. Consider: subliminal.

Peccadillo - a slight offense; a petty fault. LATIN: peccatum, “a sin, fault, error”

Noviate – the period of training and preparation that a novice member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows. Consider: novice - “probationer in a religious order,” from LATIN: novicius “newly imported, inexperienced” (of slaves), from novus “new”

Catabolism – (chemistry) destructive metabolism, usually including the release of energy and breakdown of materials. GREEK. Kata, “down” + ballein, “to throw”

Parturition – childbirth. LATIN: parturīre, “to be in labor”

Atavism - The return of a trait or recurrence of previous behavior after a period of absence. LATIN: atavus “ancestor,”

Apotropaic – Intended to ward off evil. GREEK: apo-, “from” + trepein, “to turn”. Consider: apostrophe

Apostate – one who forsakes his religion or faith. GREEK: apostasia “defection, desertion, rebellion,”; apo-, “away from” + stenai, “stand”

Wapper-jawed/Whopper-jawed – Askew.

Wapper – “to blink the eyes, to move tremulously”. DUTCH: wapperen, “to swing, oscillate, or waver.”

Anagoge /Anagogic - A mystical interpretation of a word, passage, or text, especially scriptural exegesis that detects allusions to heaven or the afterlife. GREEK: anagein, “to lift up”

Chthonic - Of or relating to the underworld, lit. “belonging to the earth”. GREEK: khthōn, earth

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Etymological origins discovered

4/20/2009

Sine Qua Non - “(a condition) without which it could not be”. LATIN

Chattel - Slave. OLD FRENCH: chatel, property or goods. Application to slaves (1649) is a rhetorical figure of abolitionists, etc.

Taliban - Student PASHTO, ARABIC.

Felicity – Great happiness. LATIN: Felix, “happiness”

Demur - To voice opposition, object; delay, linger. LATIN: de- + morari “to delay,” from mora “a pause, delay.”

Ameliorate – To make better. LATIN: melior “better,”

Etiology - Science of causes or causation. GREEK: aitia “cause” + -logia “speaking.”

Pith - The essential or central part. OLD ENGLISH: piþa “pith of plants,” also “essential part,”

Apartheid – S. African policy of racial segregation. AFRIKAANS: apartheid (1929 in a S.African socio-political context), lit. “separateness,” DUTCH: apart “separate” (from Fr. àpart) + suffix -heid, cognate of Eng. -hood.

Betwixt and between - In an intermediate position; neither wholly one thing nor another. OLD ENGLISH: betweox, from bi- “by” + tweox “for two,”

4/21/09

Neophyte – new convert. GREEK: neophytos, lit. “newly planted,” from neos “new” + -phytos “planted,”

Isomorphism – GREEK. isos, “equal” + morphē, “shape”

Neologism – practice of innovation in language; new word or expression. GREEK: neo + logo

Antinomian – The belief that moral laws are relative in meaning and application as opposed to fixed or universal. GREEK: anti- “opposite, against” + nomos “rule, law”

Gall – bile. OLD ENGLISH: galla