Kludge

Word of the Day

kludge \ KLOOJ \ noun

: a system and especially a computer system made up of poorly matched components

EXAMPLES

Ralph was extremely pleased when his employer purchased a new computer system to replace the kludge that had continually crashed at critical moments.

"Many biologists, from Darwin to Crick, have pointed out that evolution is frequently a kludge: Bits are added on to other bits, organs originally selected for one function assume another, and so on."

— John Staddon, The New Behaviorism, Second Edition, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

The first recorded use of the word "kludge" is attributed to Jackson W. Granholm, who defined the word in a 1962 issue of the magazine Datamation as: "an ill-assorted collection of poorly-matching parts, forming a distressing whole." He further explained that it was derived from the German word "klug," meaning "smart" or "witty." Why Granholm included a "d" in his spelling is not known. What we do know is that speakers of American English have agreed to keep it silent, making the vowel pronunciation of "kludge" reflect the pronunciation of German "klug" (KLOOK). We can also tell you that not everyone agrees with Granholm on the "d" matter: the spelling "kluge" is also popularly used.

Selfie

Word of the Day

selfie \ SEL-fee \ noun

: an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks

EXAMPLES

Before the game started, David had a chance to take several selfies of himself posing with his favorite players.

"Still, results of a survey by the Pew Research Center released in March show that 55 percent of millennials—those ages 18 to 33—have posted a selfie on a social media site—compared with 26 percent of all Americans."

— Doug Moore, Chicago Tribune, June 29, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

The first-known appearance of "selfie" in written form occurred in 2002 on an Australian news website, but the word didn't see much use until 2012. By November 2013, "selfie" was appearing frequently enough in print and electronic media that the Oxford English Dictionary chose the word as its Word of the Year. This announcement itself led to a significant increase in the use of the word by news organizations, an increase that was further boosted following the December 10, 2013, memorial service for Nelson Mandela, at which American President Barack Obama was caught taking a selfie with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and British Prime Minister David Cameron. The word "selfie," with its suggestions of self-centeredness and self-involvement, was particularly popular with critics who saw this moment as a reflection of the President's character.

Tweep

Word of the Day

tweep \ TWEEP \ noun

: a person who uses the Twitter online message service to send and receive tweets

EXAMPLES

"Rapper Snoop Dogg changed his name to Snoop Lion. Know how I found out? My tweeps told me."

— Marc Munroe Dion, The Messenger (Madisonville, Kentucky), August 12, 2012

"More than two million people tweeted their elation and frustration during the game between Australia and Chile yesterday. A whopping 2,223,143 tweets were posted on Twitter as tweeps used the hashtag #CHIAUS during the 90-minute match."

— The Advertiser (Australia), June 15, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

Twitter and "tweeting" began in 2006, and two years later folks were referring to those who tweet as "tweeps." (The word "tweep" persisted despite a reproach by one blogger in 2008: "Do not post Good morning Twitter peeps! the second you wake up. Or some even more annoying variation like Yo Tweeps!") Today, the portmanteau "tweep" is easy to accept with the omnipresence of Twitter: it's a blend of Twitter's "tweet" and slang's "peeps." The slang use of "peeps" for "people" became common sometime around the mid-20th century. In a 1951 article in the Chicago Tribune, for example, it was reported that "high schoolers are greeting each other with 'Hi, peeps' (short for 'hello, people,' of course)."

Numismatic

Word of the Day

numismatic \noo-muz-MAT-ik \ adjective

1: of or relating to the study or collection of coins, tokens, and money

2: of or relating to currency : monetary

EXAMPLES

Jasmine was disappointed to learn that the 1936 buffalo nickel she owned had virtually no numismatic value.

"Steve is well-known in the numismatic community as a specialist in National Currency and is very passionate in his teachings and publications…."
— Lake Sun Leader (Camdenton, Missouri), March 21, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

The first metal coins are believed to have been used as currency by the Lydians, a people of Asia Minor, during the 7th century B.C.E., and it is likely that folks began collecting coins not long after that. The name that we give to the collection of coins today is "numismatics," a word that also encompasses the collection of paper money and of medals.
The noun "numismatics" and the adjective "numismatic" came to English (via French "numismatique") from Latin and Greek "nomisma," meaning "coin." "Nomisma" in turn derives from the Greek verb "nomizein" ("to use") and ultimately from the noun "nomos" ("custom" or "usage"). From these roots we also get "numismatist," referring to a person who collects coins, medals, or paper money.

Celerity

WORD OF THE DAY

• celerity
• \ suh-LAIR-uh-tee \ 
noun

: rapidity of motion or action : swiftness

• EXAMPLES

Monica was impressed by the ease and celerity with which the new waiter she had hired could wipe down and set up a table.

"The Common Core entered public discourse suddenly this year, due in large part to the celerity with which the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation financed and coordinated its implementation in 2010." 

— Micah Meadowcroft, The American Spectator, June 9, 2014

• DID YOU KNOW?

In the novel Of Human Bondage, W. Somerset Maugham tells of an undertaker's shop that used the words "Economy, Celerity, Propriety" as part of a window display involving "silver lettering on a black cloth" and "two model coffins." But "celerity" isn't dead in English writing, where it has proven its vitality since the Middle Ages. Shakespeare used it in Henry V when the chorus recited, 

"Thus with imagin'd wing our swift scene flies, / In motion of no less celerity / Than that of thought." 

Benjamin Franklin used it as a synonym of "velocity." And the speedy term (which can be traced back to "celer," a Latin word meaning "swift") is still keeping pace today.

Requisite

Word of the Day

requisite \REK-wuh-zut \ adjective

: essential, necessary

EXAMPLES

The application will not be considered until all of the requisite forms have been submitted.

"This smaller, slightly more upscale pizza shop … has all the requisite Wicker Park trappings: chalkboard menu, exposed brick, communal seating."

— Kate Bernot, Chicago Tribune, June 20, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

Acquiring an understanding of where today's word comes from won't require a formal inquiry. Without question, the quest begins with Latin "quaerere," which means "to ask" and is an ancestor of a number of English words, including "acquire," "require," "inquiry," "question," "quest," and, of course, "requisite." From "quaerere" came "requirere," meaning "to ask again." Repeated requests can express a need, and the past participle of "requirere," which is "requisitus," came to mean "needed" or "necessary." The English language acquired "requisite" when it was adopted into Middle English back in the 1400s.

Silhouette

Word of the Day

silhouette \ sil-uh-WET \ noun

1a : a picture (as a drawing or cutout) of the outline of an object filled in with a solid usually black color

1b : a profile portrait done in silhouette

 

2: the shape or outline of something; especially : the outline of an object seen or as if seen against the light

EXAMPLES

"The tree-tops rose against the luminous blue sky in inky silhouette, and all below that outline melted into one formless blackness."

— H. G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau, 1896

"This is not a season for shoehorning yourself into your pants. Painted-on is out, and loose, slouchy silhouettes are in."

— Christine Whitney and Jessica Prince, Harper's Bazaar, April 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

Before the age of the photograph, the silhouette, either cut from paper or painted, was the most affordable portrait that could be made. The art enjoyed a golden age in the second half of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries, when many people collected them. Although silhouettes were well-loved, the man for whom they were named was not: Étienne de Silhouette was France's finance minister under Louis XV and was notorious for both his frugality and his hobby of making cut-paper shadow portraits. The phrase "à la Silhouette" came to mean "on the cheap," and portraits like the ones he produced were (satirically) bestowed with his name as well.

Interpolate

Word of the Day

interpolate \ in-TER-puh-layt \ verb

 

1a : to change (as a text) by inserting new or foreign matter

1b : to insert (words) into a text or into a conversation

 

2: to insert (something) between other things or parts : to make insertions

3: to estimate values of (data or a function) between two known values

EXAMPLES

"Ellis nicely interpolated a harpsichord solo between Bach's two movements…."

— Tom Aldridge, NUVO (Indiana), May 18, 2013

"Most scanners can scan at higher resolutions than their maximum optical resolutions by using software to interpolate more dots per inch, but you really aren't getting any better quality."

— Jim Rossman, The Virginian-Pilot, June 23, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

"Interpolate" comes from Latin "interpolare," a verb with various meanings, among them "to refurbish," "to alter," and "to falsify." "Interpolate" entered English in the 17th century and was applied early on to the alteration (and in many cases corruption) of texts by insertion of additional material. Modern use of "interpolate" still sometimes suggests the insertion of something extraneous or spurious, as in "she interpolated her own comments into the report."

Yooper

Word of the Day: YOOPER

Yooper \ YOO-per \ noun

 

: a native or resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan — used as a nickname

EXAMPLES

The land of the Yoopers—the Upper Peninsula, or U.P.—is connected to Michigan's Lower Peninsula by means of the Mackinac Bridge.

"Every Yooper I've ever met was an uncommonly unique character—a real salt-of-the-earth townie, skilled at mechanics, deer hunting, and/or ice fishing."

— Kelly O, The Stranger, January 29, 2014 – February 4, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

The word "Yooper" comes from the common nickname of Michigan's Upper Peninsula—the "U.P."—and the etymology requires the same follow-up question that a challenging joke does: "Get it?" If you're not there yet, try saying them both out loud: Yooper, U.P. Yoopers have been saying both out loud now for about 40 years, but it's only in recent years that those beyond the U.P. and its geographical neighbors have begun to encounter "Yooper" in use. Yoopers refer to people who live in the Lower Peninsula as "trolls" (they live "under" the Mackinac Bridge, after all), but that nickname is still at this point too regional for entry in our dictionaries.

Fiduciary

• Fiduciary \ fuh-DOO-shee-air-ee \ 
adjective

1

: involving a confidence or trust

2

: held or holding in trust for another

• EXAMPLES

"While bank trust departments have a fiduciary duty to file claims on behalf of their clients, many are overworked and understaffed."

 — Business Wire, September 17, 2010

"The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decided a case in which it addressed a variety of fiduciary breaches alleged by employees participating in an employer’s 401(k) plans."

 — Peter K. Bradley, Anita Costello Greer, Michael J. Flanagan, Richard W. Kaiser, Arthur A. Marrapese III and Ryan M. Murphy, Lexology.com, May 30, 2014

• DID YOU KNOW?

Fiduciary relationships often concern money, but the word "fiduciary" does not, in and of itself, suggest financial matters. Rather, "fiduciary" applies to any situation in which one person justifiably places confidence and trust in someone else and seeks that person's help or advice in some matter. The attorney-client relationship is a fiduciary one, for example, because the client trusts the attorney to act in the best interest of the client at all times. "Fiduciary" can also be used as a noun for the person who acts in a fiduciary capacity, and "fiduciarily" or "fiducially" can be called upon if you are in need of an adverb. The words are all faithful to their origin: Latin "fidere," which means "to trust."

Lèse-majesté

Word of the Day

lèse-majesté \ layz-MAJ-uh-stee \ noun

 

1: an offense violating the dignity of sovereign

 

2: a detraction from or affront to dignity or importance

EXAMPLES

"That kind of suppression actually harkens back … to the 1976 coup, when the penalty for lèse majesté was increased to a maximum of 15 years in prison per count.…"

—David Streckfuss, Vice News, June 3, 2014

"You can look it up, but every man who beat Roger Federer this year lost his next match. Maybe there is a psychic price to pay for lèse-majesté."

— Roger Kaplan, The American Spectator, June 4, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

"Lèse-majesté" (or "lese majesty," as it is also styled in English publications) came into English by way of Middle French, from Latin "laesa majestas," which literally means "injured majesty." The English term can conceivably cover any offense against a sovereign power or its ruler, from treason to a simple breach of etiquette. "Lèse-majesté" has also acquired a more lighthearted or ironic meaning, that of an insult or impudence to a particularly pompous or self-important person or organization. As such, it may be applied to a relatively inoffensive act that has been exaggeratedly treated as if it were a great affront.

Walleyed

Word of the Day

• Walleyed \ WAWL-EYED \ 
adjective

1

: having walleyes or affected with walleye

2

: marked by a wild irrational staring of the eyes

• EXAMPLES

After getting beaned by the pitcher, the walleyed batter was immediately checked by the paramedics for signs of a concussion.

"And then after that, there's a picture with 10-year-old me holding a dog toy, staring at the viewer, sort of walleyed.…" 

— Allie Brosh, NPR (Fresh Air) interview, November 12, 2013

• DID YOU KNOW?

The noun "walleye" has several meanings. It can refer to an eye with a whitish or bluish-white iris or to one with an opaque white cornea. It can also refer to a condition in which the eye turns outward away from the nose. The extended second sense of the adjective "walleyed" came from the appearance of eyes affected with the condition of walleye. You might guess that "walleyed" has an etymological connection with "wall," but that's not the case. Rather, it is derived from "wawil-eghed," a Middle English translation of the Old Norse word "vagl-eygr," from "vagl" ("beam") and "eygr" ("eyed").

Steampunk

Word of the Day: Steampunk

• steampunk \ STEEM-punk \ noun

1: science fiction dealing with 19th-century societies dominated by historical or imagined steam-powered technology

EXAMPLES

"The multiroom bar and restaurant is now decked out with steampunk-ish exposed ducts, geometric light fixtures, and rustic barn doors."
— Anna Roth, SF Weekly, June 18, 2014

"It is also the vision of steampunk, a subculture that is the aesthetic expression of a time-traveling fantasy world, one that embraces music, film, design and now fashion, all inspired by the extravagantly inventive age of dirigibles and steam locomotives, brass diving bells and jar-shaped protosubmarines."

— Ruth La Ferla, New York Times, May 8, 2008

DID YOU KNOW?

"I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for [Tim] Powers, [James] Blaylock and myself." So wrote the science-fiction author K. W. Jeter, credited with coining the term "steampunk" in 1987 to describe a wave of fantasy novels set in Victorian times and celebrating the technology of the era, much of which was powered by steam. In both name and subject, "steampunk" is an antithesis to "cyberpunk," a genre often noted for featuring computerized, futuristic, or unearthly settings. The popularity of steampunk has since carried over to motion pictures, fashion, and even things like restaurant décor

Instigate

Word of the Day:

Instigate \ IN-stuh-gayt \ verb

1: to cause to happen or begin : to goad or urge forward : provoke

EXAMPLES

"The catcher instigated the collision by blocking home plate without the ball."

— Ryne Sandberg, quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 8, 2014

"U.S. and European Union officials accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of instigating the insurgency against Kiev…."

— Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times, June 3, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

"Instigate" is often used as a synonym of "incite" (as in "hoodlums instigating violence"), but the two words differ slightly in their overall usage. "Incite" usually stresses an act of stirring something up that one did not necessarily initiate ("the court's decision incited riots"). "Instigate" implies responsibility for initiating or encouraging someone else's action and usually suggests dubious or underhanded intent ("he was charged with instigating a conspiracy"). Another similar word, "foment," implies causing something by means of persistent goading ("the leader's speeches fomented a rebellion"). Deriving from the past participle of the Latin verb "instigare," "instigate" first appeared in English in the mid-16th century, approximately 60 years after "incite" and about 70 years before "foment."

Undertaker

Word of the Day:

undertaker \ UN-der-tay-ker \ noun

1: one that undertakes : one that takes the risk and management of business : entrepreneur

2: one whose business is to prepare the dead for burial and to arrange and manage funerals

3: an Englishman taking over forfeited lands in Ireland in the 16th and 17th centuries

EXAMPLES

The undertaker offered the family several choices of coffin for the burial service.

"An undertaker has admitted selling uninsured funeral plans in order to support himself and his struggling business."

— Manchester Evening News, May 28, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

You may wonder how the word "undertaker" made the transition from "one who undertakes" to "one who makes a living in the funeral business." The latter meaning descends from the use of the word to mean "one who takes on business responsibilities." In the 18th century, a funeral-undertaker was someone who undertook, or managed, a funeral business. There were many undertakers in those days, undertaking all sorts of businesses, but as time went on "undertaker" became specifically identified with the profession of arranging burial. Today, "funeral director" is more commonly used, but "undertaker" still appears.

Unregenerate

Word of the Day

unregenerate\ un-rih-JEN-uh-rut \ adjective

1:    not spiritually reborn or converted

2a : not reformed : unreconstructed
2b : obstinate, stubborn

EXAMPLES

"She sings … in a voice that could melt the heart of the most unregenerate musical hater."
— Charles Isherwood, The New York Times, May 18, 2008

"A string of revivals later known as the Great Awakening blazed up and down the eastern seaboard—although scholars suspect that many of these new converts soon backslid into their unregenerate ways."
— Molly Worthen, The Daily Beast, June 1, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

One long-standing meaning of the adjective "regenerate" is "spiritually reborn or converted." By the late 1500s, English speakers had added "un-" to "regenerate" to describe someone who refused to accept spiritual reformation.

Since then, "unregenerate" has taken on a life of its own, gaining the extended specific meanings of "unconverted to a particular doctrinaire viewpoint," "persisting in a reactionary stand," or just plain "stubborn."

"Regenerate" and "unregenerate" trace back to the Latin word "genus," meaning "birth" or "descent."

Pho

pho / FUH \ noun    (SO VERY TASTY!)

 

: a soup made of beef or chicken broth and rice noodles

EXAMPLES

Joan and Rob decided they were too tired to cook, and ordered pho with an assortment of other Vietnamese food.

"As a first-generation Vietnamese-American growing up in Stillwater, I enjoyed my family's Sunday tradition that paid tribute to both cultures near and far: We read the local newspaper together, ate pho and watched the Minnesota Vikings game or any other sporting event that was on at the time."

— Nancy Ngo, St. Paul Pioneer Press, January 28, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

"Pho," which first appeared in print in English in 1935, was borrowed from a Vietnamese word which was spelled "phở." English speakers replaced the vowel with "o" but preserved the pronunciation as "fuh," rather than "foh." Another Vietnamese food word that was borrowed into English is "nuoc mam," which refers to a type of fish sauce that is fermented in brine. In that case as well, the original Vietnamese word had accent marks that were lost on the journey into English. "Nuoc mam" was recorded in English just a few years before "pho" arrived.

Vaunted

Word of the Day: VAUNTED

vaunted \ VAWN-tud \ adjective

: highly or widely praised or boasted about
EXAMPLES:
We were able to overcome our opponents' vaunted defense and achieve an upset victory which will take us to the finals.

"The vaunted school for years has sent its best students to the nation's top conservatories." — Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle, June 8, 2014
DID YOU KNOW?
The verb "vaunt" has been used since the 15th century with the meaning "to make a vain display of one's own worth or attainments"—in other words, "to brag or boast." Over time, "vaunt" developed the meaning "to boast of (something)," as in "the promotional flier vaunts the natural beauty of the area," and gave rise to the adjectival form "vaunted."

The history of "vaunt" and "vaunted" leads back to the Latin word "vanus," meaning "vain" or "empty." (The word "vain" itself is also a descendant of "vanus.")

Misbegotten

Misbegotten \miss-bih-GAH-tun\ adjective

1: unlawfully conceived : illegitimate

2: having a disreputable or improper origin

3: not worthy of respect or approval

EXAMPLES

Many hoped that the newly-elected administration would focus on ending what they perceived to be a misbegotten war.

"The annals of medical history are strewn with wrongheaded theories, misbegotten paradigms and woefully ill-conceived treatments. U.S. physicians no longer prescribe heroin to children afflicted by coughs—common practice in 1912. Lobotomies, all the rage into the 1950s, too, are passé."

— Chase Olivarius-Mcallister, The Durango Herald (Colorado), May 18, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

In the beginning, there was "bigietan," and "bigietan" begot "beyeten"; then in the days of Middle English "beyeten" begot "begeten," and from thence sprung "misbegotten." That description may be a bit flowery, but it accurately traces the path that led to "misbegotten."
 

All of the Old English and Middle English ancestors listed above basically meant the same thing as the modern "beget"—that is, "to father" or "to produce as an effect or outgrowth." That linguistic line brought forth "misbegotten" by adding the prefix "mis-" (meaning "wrong," "bad," or "not") in the mid-1500s.

Catfish

catfish \ KAT-fish \ noun

1: any of numerous usually freshwater stout-bodied fishes with large heads and long thin feelers about the mouth
2: a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes

EXAMPLES

Mariah's mother worried that anyone her daughter interacted with via online dating sites would turn out to be... a catfish with ulterior motives.

"There's also a lot more cyber-bullying this season as well, and people who are using catfish profiles for a lot of different motives, not just to seduce people and fall in love with people, but also to use them and to turn people against each other."

— Nev Schulman, quoted in The Huffington Post, April 2, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

For centuries, a catfish was merely a type of fish with a distinctive face. Then, in 2010, Ariel Schulman released Catfish, a documentary about his brother Nev's experiences with a woman who pretended to be someone else online. (The movie was popular enough to spawn a television show by the same title.) In the documentary, the woman's husband explained the title with an anecdote about how fishermen transporting live cod used to put catfish in with the cod on long-haul shipments to keep the desirable cod active and alert until arrival. The man implied that his wife was like those catfish, keeping the lives of others fresh and interesting.

Germane

germane \ jer-MAYN \ adjective

: being at once relevant and appropriate
: fitting

EXAMPLES

While his comments were witty and entertaining, they weren't particularly germane to the overall discussion.

"They contend the Senate did not merely 'amend' the original House bill because the health care reform amendment was not germane to the original bill." — The New York Times, May 19, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

"Wert thou a Leopard, thou wert Germane to the Lion." So wrote Shakespeare in Timon of Athens (circa 1607), using an old (and now obsolete) sense of "germane" meaning "closely akin."

"Germane" derives from the Latin word "germen," meaning "bud" or "sprout," which is also at the root of our verb "germinate," meaning "to sprout" or "begin to develop." An early sense of "germane" referred specifically to children of the same parents, who were perhaps seen as being like buds on a single tree.