by Dwane | Jul 10, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Arachnoleptic fit: The wild fit you throw right after you walk through a spider web. Arachnoleptic fit is a made-up word. My mom sent it to me. It’s a useful made-up word though. I nearly wiped out once after biking through a spider web. I threw an arachnoleptic fit...
by Dwane | Jun 30, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Yesterday, I posted the word Saturnine, meaning gloomy. Oddly enough, today’s word has the exact opposite meaning. Saturnalian: Riotously merry, overindulgent How did these two similar words end up with opposite definitions? Saturnine meaning gloomy, derives...
by Dwane | Jun 29, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Saturnine Gloomy, grave, scowling. In the Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian, Nikabrik refuses to join in the celebration. He stands off to the side with a sullen, saturnine look. From the Roman name for the god of time, Saturn. Yes, the planet is named after...
by Dwane | Jun 28, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
While in France, my students and I visited the Normandy beaches, site of the D-Day landings. We left Paris and crossed into Normandy not long after. Several students kept asking when we would reach Normandy. I realized they thought the beaches were Normandy. ...
by Dwane | Jun 23, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
The Latin verb “plicare” means “to fold.” From plicare, English derives many words. Words like replica, complicate, and duplicate. Duplicate: a copy, something additional of the same kind. She had a duplicate key made before leaving on vacation. Duplicate comes from...
by Dwane | Jun 22, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Replica A reproduction, a duplication, or an accurate copy of a work. A replica is often smaller than the original work. From Latin replicare, “to go over, to repeat.” The Latin prefix “re” means “again”. The Latin verb “plicare” means “to double up, to fold.”...
