Molon labe
Just happened across the Greek phrase "Μολων λαβε" (not sure how to get the accent marks to appear in HTML), often transliterated "molon labe." Apparently it was King Leonidas's response...
Archive for New-to-me Words
theophory
Sometime around the beginning of March, I came across the word theophory, which Wikipedia says is "the practice of embedding the name of a god or a deity in, usually,...
manugrapher
According to the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, a manugrapher's job is to trace and paint advertising material, including lettering. Which is pretty much what one might expect from the roots...
inanition
MW10 says that inanition is (among other definitions) "the exhausted condition that results from lack of food and water." Useful word! Seems like the adjective form should be "inane" (as...
terroir
According to Wikipedia, "terroir" is "the special characteristics that geography bestow[s] upon particular varieties" of wine, coffee, and tea, based on "the assumption that the land [where] the grapes [or...
quango
Turns out that quango, also spelled qango, is an acronym for "quasi non-governmental organization" or "quasi-autonomous NGO." Looks like the term is fairly common in the UK and elsewhere, but...
pandiculation
Pandiculation is "the act of stretching oneself." The context in which I encountered it indicated that the term is specifically used to refer to the sort of stretching one does...
buckraking
Apparently, "buckraking" refers to a journalist taking a lot of money for a speaking engagement, especially speaking to a group that has a particular agenda; such a payment may cast...
in the wind
Just happened across a remarkably poetic phrase that I've never heard used this way before. I was reading an article about a woman who stabbed an attacker; the woman fled...
axis mundi
The other day, I read a submission that included the phrase "Axis Mundi." There were a lot of other unfamiliar phrases in the story, so I figured it was just...