Rachel Ehrenberg knowablemagazine.org Rachel Ehrenberg is associate editor at Knowable and a big fan of parasitic plants. Some plants are so entwined with tradition that it’s impossible to think of one without the other. Mistletoe is such a plant. But set aside the kissing custom and you’ll
Nilufar Ahmed Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences, CPsychol, FHEA University of Bristol Snowmen, tables groaning with food and families having a wonderful time together – these are the images that probably pop into your head when you think of Christmas. In reality, feelings of loneliness are amplified for many over Christmas.
The word for today is… transmogrify (noun): : to change or alter greatly and often with grotesque or humorous effect Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :We know that the prefix trans-, meaning “across” or “beyond,” appears in many words that evoke change, such as transform and transpire, but mogrify is a bit
Kelly Allen MAPS FCEDP psychlopaedia.org Dr Kelly Allen MAPS FCEDP is an award-winning educational and developmental psychologist, academic and researcher with experience in early childhood, early intervention, primary school, and secondary school settings. How children and their families benefit psychologically from seasonal traditions Each year at Christmas a theme
Ausma Bernot PhD Candidate, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Griffith University A group of researchers studied 15 months of human mobility movement data taken from 1.5 million people and concluded that just four points in space and time were sufficient to identify 95% of them, even when the
The word for today is… decorous (noun): : marked by propriety and good taste Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :One of the earliest recorded uses of decorous appears in a book titled The Rules of Civility (1673): “It is not decorous to look in the Glass, to comb, brush, or do any
The word for today is… rabble (noun, verb): noun 1 : a disorganized or confused collection of things 2a : a disorganized or disorderly crowd of people : mob b : the lowest class of people verb : to insult or assault by or as a mob Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Rabble has been with
Paddy Ross Durham University Paddy Ross is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Durham University (2016-present). He completed his MA in Psychology (2010), MSc in Research Methods of Psychological Science (2011) and PhD in psychology and neuroscience (2011-2015) at the University of Glasgow in the UK. Primarily
The word for today is… avuncular (adjective): 1 : suggestive of an uncle especially in kindliness or geniality 2 : of or relating to an uncle Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Not all uncles are likeable fellows (Hamlet’s villainous Uncle Claudius, for example, isn’t exactly Mr. Nice Guy in Shakespeare’s
Kelly Allen Maps Fcedp psychlopaedia.org Dr Kelly Allen MAPS FCEDP is an award-winning educational and developmental psychologist, academic and researcher with experience in early childhood, early intervention, primary school, and secondary school settings. How children and their families benefit psychologically from seasonal traditions Each year at Christmas a theme
The word for today is… spiel (verb, noun): verb 1 : to play music 2 : to talk volubly or extravagantly noun : a voluble line of often extravagant talk Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Spiel is well-known as a noun, and you may also be aware that spiel can be used as a
The word for today is… disparity (noun): : a noticeable and usually significant difference or dissimilarity Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Disparity contains the Latin dis, meaning “apart” or “non-“, so a disparity is a kind of “nonequality”. The word is often used to describe a social or economic condition that’s
The word for today is… atone (verb): : to make amends : to provide or serve as reparation or compensation for something bad or unwelcome —usually + for Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Atone has its roots in the idea of reconciliation and harmony. It grew out of the Middle English phrase at on
The word for today is… proffer (verb): : to present for acceptance Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :As rhyming synonyms, proffer and offer are quite the pair, and we can proffer an explanation as to why: both come ultimately from Latin offerre, meaning “to present, tender, proffer, offer.” Offer had been part
Egon von Greyerz goldswitzerland.com Egon von Greyerz is the founder and managing partner of Matterhorn Asset Management AG. Born with dual Swiss/Swedish citizenship, Egon’s education was mainly in Sweden. Egon von Greyerz began his professional life in Geneva, Switzerland, as a banker and thereafter spent 17 years
The word for today is… gargantuan (adjective): : tremendous in size, volume, or degree Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Gargantua is the name of a giant king in François Rabelais’s 16th-century satiric novel Gargantua, the second part of a five-volume series about the giant and his son Pantagruel. All of the
