by Dwane | May 26, 2023 | Uncategorized
Babeldom – a noisy state of confusion and chaos resembling Babel from the book of Genesis. A confused mix of voices, languages, or words. The first part of this word (and, yes. Babeldom is a real word.) comes from the name of the biblical city, Babel. The...
by Dwane | May 15, 2023 | Uncategorized
Last year I wrote a book on goal setting. I am now in the process of editing that book. As I edit, I will post excerpts here on my blog. This is from chapter one: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Do not...
by Dwane | May 15, 2023 | Tip of the Week
The late Dr. Gary North used to send out a tip of the week every Saturday. In fact, I got the idea from him. Years ago he sent out a tip on budgeting and finance. He said no one had ever told him this stuff. Here’s Dr. North: What is the attitude of...
by Dwane | May 15, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Eucharist: the Christian sacrament of Holy Communion, the bread and wine used in Holy Communion. This word made its way into English after a long journey through Greek, Latin, and French. In Old French, Eucharist was eucariste. Before that, in Latin, it was...
by Dwane | May 13, 2023 | Uncategorized
Debonair: charming and carefree; suave; gracious; urbane; nonchalant; having sophisticated charm Just think of the guy at the desk in the Word Up! series. Man… is that guy debonair! Debonair comes from the old French phrase de bon aire. De bon aire in Old...
by Dwane | May 12, 2023 | Ebook
Last year, I wrote a book on goal setting. I am now in the process of editing that book. As I edit, I will post excerpts here on my blog. This is from chapter one: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Act...
by Dwane | May 12, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Eucatastrophe: a sudden turn of events for good. Eucatastrophe happens when all seems lost, and at the last moment, all is saved. J.R.R. Tolkien came up with this word. He combined the Greek prefix eu (good) with catastrophe. In one of his essays, he called the...
by Dwane | May 11, 2023 | Uncategorized
Last year I wrote a book on goal setting. I am now in the process of editing that book. As I edit, I will post excerpts here on my blog. This is from chapter one: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Trust...
by Dwane | May 11, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Ignite: to start a fire, to light up. In a Latin class today, we learned the Latin word for fire, ignis. From ignis, English derives the words ignite (to start a fire), ignition (this is why some grandpa’s ‘fire’ up the truck), igneous (rock formed via intense, fiery...
by Dwane | May 10, 2023 | Uncategorized
Last year I wrote a book on goal setting. I am now in the process of editing that book. As I edit, I will post excerpts here on my blog. This is from chapter one: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ School...
by Dwane | May 10, 2023 | Uncategorized
Inexorable Relentless, stubborn, unyielding, unrelenting When something is inexorable, it cannot be stopped, such as the inexorable passage of time. Inexorable comes from the Latin word inexorabilis, meaning that which cannot be changed, even by prayer. The Latin...
by Dwane | May 9, 2023 | Uncategorized
Last year I wrote a book on goal setting. I am now in the process of editing that book. As I edit, I will post excerpts here on my blog. This is from chapter one: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ How I...
by Dwane | May 9, 2023 | English, Vocabulary
Nebulous: indistinct, hazy, confused, or cloudy; lacking definition. She didn’t come to the party and she gave nebulous reasons for skipping. Synonyms: vague, indefinite, or uncertain Nebulous comes from Latin nebulosus meaning misty, foggy, or obscure...
by Dwane | May 8, 2023 | English, Vocabulary
Spurious: counterfeit; false; bogus; not proceeding from a true source. Spurious writings are not composed by the authors to whom they are ascribed. With new technologies, it is sometimes difficult to determine authentic writings from spurious writings. Politicians...
by Dwane | May 8, 2023 | Uncategorized
For me, May is allergy season. Since I don’t completely trust pharmaceutical companies, I tend to avoid allergy medicines. Years ago, my wife discovered a DoTerra supplement called TriEase. I take a few every morning before classes start. It seems to do the...
by Dwane | May 6, 2023 | Tip of the Week
For the past few weeks, the church I attend has taken on a new challenge. It’s called “digital detox.” Many of us are addicted to our smartphones these days. That’s no secret. The pastor is calling for a radical rethinking of the way we use our phones. Last...
by Dwane | May 3, 2023 | Uncategorized
It’s allergy season for me. During allergy season, I take quercetin. Thomas at Compass Classroom told me about Quercetin years ago. I’ve been taking it ever since. It really seems to help me. Consider giving quercetin a try if you are currently...
by Dwane | Apr 14, 2023 | Education, Latin, Visual Latin
I received this question a few days ago: Hi. I got the Bible.is app. I’ve memorized part of John 1 with Classical Conversations. The version you like has a few differences in pronunciation. We say ‘prin-kip-io”. The app says...
by Dwane | Apr 8, 2023 | Uncategorized
Git an Editer Last weak, I sent owt an email with a mispeled wurd. Ironikly, I titled the email “Chose your words carefully.” It was suposed to bee “Choose your words carefully.” This week, I am beeng a bit mur karefool. Mispeling wurds can bee humileeating. ...
by Dwane | Apr 1, 2023 | Uncategorized
This may sound a little woo-woo. But, I believe what I am about to write is extremely practical. Call it “practical woo-woo” if you like. Practiwoo, maybe? Anyway, the older I get, the more I believe our words become our reality. We have all heard some variation of...
by Dwane | Mar 29, 2023 | Ebook
Last year I wrote a book on goal setting. I am now in the process of editing that book. As I edit, I will post excerpts here on my blog. This is from chapter one: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ ...
by Dwane | Mar 29, 2023 | Uncategorized
Factotum: Someone who does it all. This word came up in a Latin class a few days ago. A factotum is a handy jack of all trades. A factotum is the kind of person we all need around. Alfred, for example, is Batman’s factotum. He keeps Batman supplied. Would...
by Dwane | Mar 28, 2023 | Uncategorized
Last year I wrote a book on goal setting. I am now in the process of editing that book. As I edit, I will post excerpts here on my blog. This is from chapter one: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ When I...
by Dwane | Mar 27, 2023 | Ebook, Motivation
Last year I wrote a book on goal setting. I am now in the process of editing that book. As I edit, I will post excerpts here on my blog. This is from chapter one: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ How I...
by Dwane | Mar 27, 2023 | Education, Vocabulary
Voilà came up in class this morning as we were reading through Le Français par la Métode Nature. Voilà is a French expression meaning “Here it is”, “See there” or “Look there”. Ultimately, voilà derives from Latin videre (to see)...
