The word for today is… pseudonym (noun) - : a fictitious name, especially pen name Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Pseudonym has its origins in the Greek adjective pseudōnymos, which means “bearing a false name.” French speakers adopted the Greek word as the noun pseudonyme, and English speakers later modified the French word
The word for today is… cajole (verb) - 1a: to persuade with flattery or gentle urging especially in the face of reluctance : coax b: to obtain from someone by gentle persuasion 2: to deceive with soothing words or false promises Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : However hard we try, we can’t
The word for today is… propriety (noun) - 1: the quality or state of being proper or suitable : appropriateness 2a: conformity to what is socially acceptable in conduct or speech b: proprieties plural : the customs and manners of polite society c: fear of offending against conventional rules of behavior especially
The word for today is… sparge (verb) - 1: sprinkle, bespatter, especially : spray 2: to agitate (a liquid) by means of compressed air or gas entering through a pipe Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Etymologists think that "sparge" likely came to English by way of the Middle French word espargier,
The word for today is… longevity (noun) - 1a: a long duration of individual life b: length of life 2: long continuance : permanence, durability Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : As living conditions improve and the science of medicine advances, the longevity of the average Western European has increased greatly, from about 45
Kleck and Strenta’s research suggests that what we expect from others often shapes how we think they see us.
The word for today is… tergiversation (noun) - 1: evasion of straightforward action or clear-cut statement : equivocation 2: desertion of a cause, position, party, or faith Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The roots of tergiversation are about an unwillingness to pick a course and stay on it. The Latin verb tergiversari means
The word for today is… rhomboid (noun, adjective) - noun : a parallelogram with no right angles and with adjacent sides of unequal length adjective : shaped somewhat like a rhombus or rhomboid Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Rhomboids, like triangles, may take various different shapes, but they always look like a lopsided diamond
The word for today is… plaintive (adjective) - : expressive of suffering or woe : melancholy Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : “The people are drifting from door to door / Can’t find no heaven I don’t care where they go.” So sang Nehemiah Curtis “Skip” James on a Depression-era recording of his song
The word for today is… perdition (noun) - 1a: eternal damnation b: hell 2a archaic : utter destruction b obsolete : loss Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Not a word very suitable for the festive season, but them's the breaks. Perdition is a word that was borrowed into English in the 14th
Dimitris Xygalatas University of Connecticut The mere thought of holiday traditions brings smiles to most people’s faces and elicits feelings of sweet anticipation and nostalgia. We can almost smell those candles, taste those special meals, and hear those familiar songs in our minds. Ritual marks some of the most
Joan Fitzpatrick Loughborough University Charles Dickens popularised the traditional, English Christmas in 1843 in his novel A Christmas Carol, when Bob Cratchit and his family sit down on Christmas Day to eat a dinner of goose with mashed potatoes and apple sauce accompanied by sage and onion stuffing and followed
William Keylor Boston University The Christmas Truce is no stranger to popular entertainment – 2014 more than any other as its 100th anniversary is marked. The famous moment when British and German soldiers climbed out of the trenches in peace on Christmas Day 1914 has been replicated and ruminated upon in
The word for today is… nativity (noun) - 1: the process or circumstances of being born : birth, especially, Nativity : the birth of Jesus 2: a horoscope at or of the time of one's birth 3: the place of origin Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Happy Christmas to all. Nativity is
A few quick reflections on the year that has been, including my most popular Substacks, as well as a heartfelt thanks to all who have been part of On Point.
