The Q23 Word of the Day

Aww, my dad spent some time in Australia when I was a kid and when he came back, we were always whinging. Such a good word.

Slowly? Well, I’m not bald, anyway.

Feels good to know we’re going to outlive most of these people, doesn’t it?

Schoolmarm is tomorrow’s Word of the Day.

recursion

-Encarta World English Dictionary:

noun

  1. return of something: the return of something, often repeatedly.
  2. LOGIC MATHEMATICS: repetition of steps to give result: the use of repeated steps, each based on the result of the one before, to define a function or calculate a number.
  3. COMPUT: delegation as programming technique: a programming technique where a routine performs its task by delegating part of it to another instance of itself.

-Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary:

1: RETURN
2: the determination of a succession of elements (as numbers or functions) by operation on one or more preceding elements according to a rule or formula involving a finite number of steps
3: a computer programming technique involving the use of a procedure, subroutine, function, or algorithm that calls itself one or more times until a specified condition is met at which time the rest of each repetition is processed from the last one called to the first — compare ITERATION

-Wiktionary.org:

  1. The act of recurring.
  2. (mathematics) The act of defining an object (usually a function) in terms of that object itself.
    n! = n × (n − 1)! (for n > 0) or 1 (for n = 0) defines the factorial function using recursion.
  3. (computing) The calling of a function from within that same function.
    This function uses recursion to compute factorials.

-The Online Plain Text Dictionary:

(n.)The act of recurring; return.

-Lexicon:

MORPHOLOGY/SYNTAX: process or result of elements recurring in a structure. Recursion allows structure to become of unbounded length. EXAMPLE: compounding in English is recursive as is shown by the examples in (i): the concatenation of nouns can go on forever.

(i) film society
> student film society
> student film society committee
> student film society committee scandal
> student film society committee scandal inquiry > etc.

-Wolfram MathWorld:

A recursive process is one in which objects are defined in terms of other objects of the same type. Using some sort of recurrence relation, the entire class of objects can then be built up from a few initial values and a small number of rules. The Fibonacci numbers are most commonly defined recursively. Care, however, must be taken to avoid self-recursion, in which an object is defined in terms of itself, leading to an infinite nesting.

-Wordcount Ranking: 66976

-Quotes from This Day (yes, they were both from this day):

-Quote from The Outside. I Mean Way Outside. Like Final Frontier Outside:

-xtien

diacope

-The Online Plain Text Dictionary:

Tmesis.

-Dictionary of Difficult Words:

n. deep incision.

-Phrontistery:

deep wound or incision.

-Luciferous Logolepsy:

n. deep incision; the separation of a word by the interpolation of another or others, as in absogoddamlutely.

-American Rhetoric:

Figure of repetition in the same word or phrase occurs on either side of an intervening word or phrase; word/phrase x, …, word/phrase x.

Examples:

“The people everywhere, not just here in Britain, everywhere – they kept faith with Princess Diana.” Tony Blair

Confidence is high – I repeat – confidence is high.” War Games

-Wikipedia.org:

Diacope is a rhetorical term meaning uninterrupted repetition of a word, or repetition with only one or two words between each repeated phrase.

Examples:

[ul]
[li]“All lost! To prayers, to prayers! All lost!” (William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act I, Scene 1).
[/li][li]To the swinging and the ringing
[/li]Of the bells, bells, bells–
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells–

(Edgar Allen Poe, “The Bells”)
[li]“One thing I hate, all the noise, noise, noise, noise!” (The Grinch)
[/li][/ul]

-The Online Dictionary of Language Terminology (ODLT):

Definition: The separation of a compound word into its parts.

Example: Writing nevertheless as never the less.

Etymology: In Greek diacope means “cutting through” (from the Greek diakopto, to cut in two or cut through).

Oxford English Dictionary: The first citation for the word is from 1586:
“Tmesis, or diacope, a division of a word compound into two parts, as, What might be so ever… for, whatsoever might be.”

-Rhetorosaurus:

Definition: repetition using various semantic sense of a word for effect.

Examples: When I put life into the life I led/My life was never so well fed.

-No Wordcount Ranking

-Quote from This Day:

-xtien

I read it and read it and read it, and I just can’t figure what the motherlovingfuck “diacope” means.

Great word, but the Webster 1913/Online Plain Text Dictionary definition is not what I would call extremely useful:

Tmesis.

Yeah, right. What percentage of people who don’t know what a diacope is know what tmesis is? As an aside, I believe tmesis is the only word in English (well, arguably in English) which begins with “tm”.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Fixed :)

fuck, what the fucking fuck?

drivel

-dictionary.com:

noun

  1. saliva flowing from the mouth, or mucus from the nose; slaver.
  2. childish, silly, or meaningless talk or thinking; nonsense; twaddle.

verb (used without object)

  1. to let saliva flow from the mouth or mucus from the nose; slaver.
  2. to talk childishly or idiotically.
  3. Archaic. to issue like spittle.

verb (used with object)

  1. to utter childishly or idiotically.
  2. to waste foolishly.

Related Forms:

driveler; especially British, driveler, noun
drivelingly; especially British, drivelingly, adverb

[pn: I love that word, twaddle.]

-The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language:

verb driveled or drivelled, driveling or drivelling, drivels
verb, intr.

  1. To slobber; drool.
  2. To flow like spittle or saliva.
  3. To talk stupidly or childishly.

verb, tr.

  1. To allow to flow from the mouth.
  2. To say (something) stupidly.

noun

  1. Saliva flowing from the mouth.
  2. Stupid or senseless talk.

-Cambridge Dictionaries Online:

nonsense or boring and unnecessary information. Something written or said that is completely worthless.

-The Online Plain Text Dictionary:

(n) A driveler; a fool; an idiot.
(n) A servant; a drudge.
(n) Inarticulate or unmeaning utterance; foolish talk; babble.
(n) Slaver; saliva flowing from the mouth.
(v.i.) To be weak or foolish; to dote; as a driveling hero; driveling love.
(v.i.) To slaver; to let spittle drop or flow from the mouth, like a child, idiot, or dotard.

[pn: “A drudge.” Heh.]

-Wordnet 3.0 Vocabulary Helper:

Hyponyms of noun drivel:

Sense 1:

drivel, garbage – (worthless message)

[ul]
[li]bunk, bunkum, buncombe, guff, rot, hogwash – (unacceptable behavior (especially ludicriously false statements))
[/li][li]chickenshit – (a false statement that is considered to indicate timidity or fear)
[/li][li]folderol, rubbish, tripe, trumpery, trash, wish-wash, applesauce, codswallop – (nonsensical talk or writing)
[/li][li]pap, pablum – (worthless or oversimplified idea)
[/li][/ul]

-Online Etymology Dictionary:

O.E. dreflian “to dribble or run at the nose,” from P.Gmc. *drablojanan.

drool:
1802, apparently dial. variant or contraction of drivel.

-Wordcount Ranking: 49903

-Quote from This Day:

-xtien

risible

-dictionary.com:

adjective

  1. causing or capable of causing laughter; laughable; ludicrous.
  2. having the ability, disposition, or readiness to laugh.
  3. pertaining to or connected with laughing.

-Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary:

1 a: capable of laughing b: disposed to laugh
2: arousing or provoking laughter; especially: LAUGHABLE
3: associated with, relating to, or used in laughter <risible muscles>

-Cambridge Dictionaries Online:

adjective
FORMAL DISAPPROVING

not effective or useful; stupid
She’s making risible attempts to learn the trumpet.

-The Online Plain Text Dictionary:

[ul]
[li] (a.) Exciting laughter; worthy to be laughed at; amusing.
[/li][li] (a.) Having the faculty or power of laughing; disposed to laugh.
[/li][li] (a.) Used in, or expressing, laughter; as risible muscles.
[/li][/ul]

-Webster’s 1913:

  1. Used in, or expressing, laughter; as risible muscles. &hand; Risible is sometimes used as a noun, in the plural, for the feeling of amusement and for the muscles and other organs used in laughing, collectively; as, unable to control one’s risibles. SYN. – ludicrous; laughable; amusing; ridiculous. Risible differs from ludicrous as species from genus; ludicrous expressing that which is playful and sportive; risible, that which may excite laughter. Risible differs from ridiculous, as the latter implies something contemptuous, and risible does not.

-Online Etymology Dictionary:

1557, “given to laughter,” from L.L. risibilis “laughable, able to laugh”, from L. risus, pp. of ridere “to laugh”. Meaning “capable of exciting laughter, comical” is from 1727.

-Wordcount Ranking: 49649

-Quote from This Day:

-xtien

ludicrous expressing that which is playful and sportive; risible, that which may excite laughter. Risible differs from ridiculous, as the latter implies something contemptuous, and risible does not.

Ludicrous seems more contemptuous than ridiculous. I have never in my life used the word risible.

surreptitious

-dictionary.com:

adjective

  1. obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine: a surreptitious glance.
  2. acting in a stealthy way.
  3. obtained by subreption; subreptitious.

[pn: Wow. I’ve never heard of the words subreption/subreptitious. I like!]

-MSN Encarta:

trying to avoid being noticed: done in a concealed or underhanded way to escape notice, especially disapproval.

-Webster 1913:

a. [L. surreptitius, or subreptitius, fr. surripere, subripere, to snatch away, to withdraw privily; sub- under+rapere to snatch. See Sub- and Ravish.] Done or made by stealth, or without proper authority; made or introduced fraudulently; clandestine; stealthy; as a surreptitious passage in an old manuscript; a surreptitious removal of goods.

[pn: Privily? Whoa. Another one. Sometimes I think I know nothing. I know, I know. Big surprise.]

-RhymeZone:

-adjective: marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed. A surreptitious glance at his watch.

-adjective: conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods. Surreptitious mobilization of troops.

-V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary:

Def: done in quiet secrecy, and making sure not to be observed.

Syn: sneaky, covert, hidden, secret, stealthy, underhanded, undercover, clandestine, furtive

Ant: open, public, forthright

-Online Etymology Dictionary:

1443, from L. surrepticius “stolen, furtive, clandestine,” from surreptus, pp. of surripere “seize secretly,” from sub “from under” (hence, “secretly”) + rapere “to snatch” (see rapid).

-Wordcount Ranking: 37607

-Quote from This Day:

-Quotes of Past Days (that I liked):

-Finally, Favorite Thread Title:

-xtien

What the heck is a surreptitious cobbler, anyway? Is that like a secret shoemaker?

And why would a shoemaker have to go incognito, in the first place?

He killed seven in one blow and now they are after him.

Are you sure it’s not a delicious fruit-filled dessert, eaten in secret?

upbraid

-dictionary.com:

verb (used with object)

  1. to find fault with or reproach severely; censure: The military tribunal upbraided the soldier for his cowardice.
  2. (of things) to bring reproach on; serve as reproach to.

verb (used without object)

  1. Archaic. to utter reproaches.

-Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary:

1: to criticize severely: find fault with
2: to reproach severly: scold vehemently

-Cambridge Dictionaries Online:

to forcefully or angrily tell someone they should not have done a particular thing and criticize them for having done it.
In newspaper articles she consistently upbraided those in authority who overstepped their limits.

-The Online Plain Text English Dictionary:

(n.) The act of reproaching; contumely.
(v.i.) To utter upbraidings.
(v.t.) To charge with something wrong or disgraceful; to reproach; to cast something in the teeth of; --followed by with or for, and formerly of, before the thing imputed.
(v.t.) To object or urge as a matter of reproach; to cast up; --with to before the person.
(v.t.) To reprove severely; to rebuke; to chide.
(v.t.) To treat with contempt.

[pn: I love the word contumely. I first encountered it in my favorite play. I’ll send a Starbucks gift card to the first person who quotes it.]

-Online Etymology Dictionary:

O.E. upbregdan “bring forth as a ground for censure,” from up “up” + bregdan "move quickly, intertwine (see braid). Cf.M.Swed. upbrygdha. Meaning “scold” is first attested late 13c.

-No Wordcount Ranking (!)

-Quote from This Day:

-And A Bit of Q23 History, If You’ll Indulge Me:

-xtien

polyamory

-dictionary.com:

noun

participation in multiple and simultaneous loving or sexual relationships.

-Wiktionary.com:

polyamory (plural polyamories)

  1. any of various practices involving relationships with multiple partners with the knowledge and consent of all involved.

-Wikipedia.com:

Polyamory (from Greek πολυ [poly, meaning many or several] and Latin amor [love]) is the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved.

Polyamory, often abbreviated to poly, is sometimes described as consensual, ethical, or responsible non-monogamy. The word is occasionally used more broadly to refer to any sexual or romantic relationships that are not sexually exclusive, though there is disagreement on how broadly it applies; an emphasis on ethics, honesty, and transparency all around is widely regarded as the crucial defining characteristic.

Polyamory differs from polygamy, which refers to multiple marriage (although the word “polygamy” is often used to refer only to polygyny: one man with several wives.) Traditional polygamy is usually patriarchical and often claims a religious justification. Polyamory, on the other hand, is a more modern outlook grounded in such concepts as gender equality, self-determination, free choice for all involved, mutual trust, equal respect among partners, the intrinsic value of love, the ideal of compersion, and other mostly secular ideals. As of July, 2009 there are estimated to be more than 500,000 polyamorous relationships in the United States.

-Dictionary of Anthropology:

A more or less permanent sexual relationship established between multiple people regardless of gender. Usually refers to a relationship between several people of each gender, including homosexual and bisexual individuals. Polyamorous relationships tend to be more dynamic, gaining or losing individuals, than polygyny, polyandry, or monogamy. (See kinship.)

-No Wordcount Ranking. Duh.

-Quote from This Day:

-And…A Q23 History (aka: RepoMan…Helloooo!):

-Oh, And Bago’s Two Cents:

-xtien