Archive for the ‘ definitions ’ Category

Definition of the Moment: eschatology

es·cha·tol·o·gy

[es-kuh-tol-uh-jee] noun

  1. any system of doctrines concerning last, or final, matters, asdeath, the Judgment, the future state, etc.
  2. the branch of theology dealing with such matters.

Definition of the Moment: dendritic

den·drit·ic

[den-drit-ik] – adj.

1. formed or marked like a dendrite.

2. of a branching form; arborescent.

Moreson Welles

This is, in all hopefullhood (and likelihood) of execution, the next computrain, not to mention the loose slack from the Magic! section. Have you ever scanned through those? I gotta start separating by crazy magic from confluence magic from beautiful magic from magic that comes in horrorscoping swoops of stupifying comprehension. Speaking of which -

Definition: casuistry

n pl -ries

1. (Philosophy) Philosophy the resolution of particular moral dilemmas, esp those arising from conflicting general moral rules, by careful distinction of the cases to which these rules apply
2. reasoning that is specious, misleading, or oversubtle

Definition: venal

ve⋅nal

–adjective

1. willing to sell one’s influence, esp. in return for a bribe; open to bribery; mercenary: a venal judge.

Definition: bathos

ba⋅thos

-n, [bey-thos, -thaws, -thohs]

1. a ludicrous descent from the exalted or lofty to the commonplace; anticlimax.
2. insincere pathos; sentimentality; mawkishness.
3. triteness or triviality in style.

Definition: tumescent

tu⋅mes⋅cent

adj [too-mes-uhnt, tyoo-]

1. swollen or becoming swollen, esp. as a response to sexual arousal
2. exhibiting or affected with many ideas or emotions; teeming.
3. pompous and pretentious, esp. in the use of language

Web 2.0 is the 1,000,000th English Word

Ugh. We should be tremendously proud (though it certainly could have been worse; could have been “tweeting”). From the Global Language Monitor:

“Austin, Texas June 10, 2009 – The Global Language Monitor today announced that Web 2.0 has bested Jai Ho, N00b and Slumdog as the 1,000,000th English word or phrase. added to the codex of fourteen hundred-year-old language. Web 2.0 is a technical term meaning the next generation of World Wide Web products and services. It has crossed from technical jargon into far wider circulation in the last six months. Two terms from India, Jai Ho! and slumdog finished No. 2 and 4. Jai Ho! Is a Hindi exclamation signifying victory or accomplishment; Slumdog is an impolite term for children living in the slums. Just missing the top spot was n00b, a mixture of letters and numbers that is a derisive term for newcomer. It is also the only mainstream English word that contains within itself two numerals. Rounding out the final five were another technical term, cloud computing, meaning services that are delivered via the cloud (or Internet), and a term from the Climate Change debate, carbon neutral. At its current rate, English generates about 14.7 words a day or one every 98 minutes.”

Definition: pathos, ethos, logos

pa·thos

noun (pā’thŏs’, -thôs’)

  1. A quality, as of an experience or a work of art, that arouses feelings of pity, sympathy, tenderness, or sorrow.
  2. The feeling, as of sympathy or pity, so aroused.

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e⋅thos

noun (ee-thos, ee-thohs, eth-os, -ohs)

  1. The fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period: In the Greek ethos the individual was highly valued.
  2. The character or disposition of a community, group, person, etc. the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character’s action rather than his or her thought or emotion.

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lo⋅gos

noun (loh-gos, -gohs, log-os)

  1. The rational principle that governs and develops the universe.

Definition: conventicle

con⋅ven⋅ti⋅cle

noun [kuhn-ven-ti-kuhl]

1. a secret or unauthorized meeting, esp. for religious worship, as those held by Protestant dissenters in England in the 16th and 17th centuries.
2. a place of meeting or assembly, esp. a Nonconformist meeting house.