The longer I live, the more I realize that I am not nearly as well-read as I once thought.
I love words and their origins, though ~ a "semi-Logophile", if you will ~ but today, on Facebook, someone used a word that I don't recall ever seeing in print (or heard, to my knowledge) before ~ "quotidian". And they used it in a very "quotidian" manner, too (wait for it, if you are as uninformed as I was) ~ they were not being intentionally pompous or anything.
I don't think.
Anyway, I felt kind of dumb (and I am willing to bet I'm not the only one who did, after reading that comment), and I immediately Googled it. (Because that's what I have to do...you would not believe how often I Google things.)
I found the neatest site called "The Every Girl" ( theeverygirl.com ), and the subject was "Using Fancy Words" ~ it made me feel better about the whole thing,
I tell you...so I borrowed the following information ~ (totally THEIRS, not mine ~ hope I am crediting correctly!) ~ (Also, the list of Fancy Words at the bottom must have been discussed at some point, and I was pleased to discover that I knew (and had correctly used) most ~ though not all ~ of them.)
Soooo....I will probably, at least, remember "quotidian"...how about you? Have you discovered and "new" words lately?
(All definitions via dictionary.reference.com )
Fancy Word *EveryGirl*s should know: quotidian
Why we chose this fancy word:
One of our writing interns, Clarissa Fidler,
stumbled upon this word while reading a New York Times article by David Carr.
She found the well-known writer's unique, poignant perspective on the topic of
plagiarism to be anything but quotidian.
Definition: quotidian (adj.) pronunciation: kwoh-tid-ee-uhn
1. daily
2. usual or customary; everyday
3. ordinary; commonplace
Use this word in a sentence: Martha's quotidian looks and shy demeanor were no match for Zoe's breathtaking beauty and charismatic personality.
Have you been using past fancy words?
insouciant = free from concern,
worry, or anxiety; carefree
picayune = of little value or account; small;
trifling
risible = causing or capable of causing laughter;
laughable; ludicrous.
parvenu = someone who has recently acquired wealth
or importance but has not yet developed the appropriate manners
usurious = charging illegal or exorbitant rates of
interest for the use of money
fruition = attainment of anything desired;
realization; accomplishment
libation = a pouring out
of wine or other liquid in honor of a deity
ubiquitous = existing or
being everywhere, especially at the same time
pithy = brief or forceful
euphemism = nice way of saying something
unpleasant
pedantic = ostentatious in one’s
learning
I am pleased to say that at least I pronounced it properly!
ReplyDelete