by Dwane | Jun 9, 2023 | English, Vocabulary
Mercurial: Flighty, unpredictable, changeable, full of fire or vigor, lively, quick. You never know your place with mercurial people. They are unpredictable. We can also use mercurial to describe items related to the metal mercury. I like the old name for mercury,...
by Dwane | Jun 8, 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 two: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Two...
by Dwane | Jun 8, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Apotheosis In the old days, the Romans worshipped their political leaders. Thank goodness we don’t do that anymore. Oh, wait a minute… Anyway, their leaders would sometimes become “gods”. There was a verb for the process. Apotheon: to deify, to make someone a god....
by Dwane | Jun 7, 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 two: _______________________________________________________________________________________________...
by Dwane | Jun 7, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Antediluvian Antediluvian is a word we use to describe the period before the Flood described in the book of Genesis. Ur, for example, was a city in antediluvian times. We also use antediluvian as an adjective to describe something hopelessly old-fashioned. For...
by Dwane | Jun 6, 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 two: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Focus...
by Dwane | Jun 2, 2023 | Uncategorized
Ersatz: A shoddy substitute; a replacement of inferior quality. A synthetic material instead of natural material. From the German word for replacement, substitute, or spare: ein Ersatz. Synonyms include counterfeit, phony, false, fake, imitation, and spurious “The...
by Dwane | May 30, 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 two: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ We are...
by Dwane | May 30, 2023 | Uncategorized
Euphoria: a feeling of well-being, elation, intense excitement, or happiness Euphoria comes from the Greek prefix eu (well) and the verb phero (I carry, bring, or bear). In the absence of euphoria, you may be feeling the opposite, dysphoria. Dysphoria, from the Greek...
by Dwane | May 29, 2023 | Uncategorized
Today is Memorial Day in the United States. On Memorial Day, we pause to remember those who have served our country in the armed forces, and in particular, those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Memorial comes from the Latin word Memoria, which is, interestingly...
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...
