by Dwane | Jul 13, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Anomaly Something differing from the usual pattern. A peculiarity, an abnormality. A deviation from the normal. An outlier. Synonyms include aberration, deviation, oddity, and rarity. Anomaly comes from the Greek words ἀν (an), meaning “not” and ὁμός (homos)...
by Dwane | Jul 11, 2023 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Atavistic An atavistic trait is a trait you picked up from your ancestors. It skipped a generation, or two, though. Your parents did not have this trait. Atavistic traits disappear for a time only to show up later. For example, “He has an atavistic temper. It...
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. ...