by Dwane | Dec 10, 2014 | Education, Latin, Vocabulary
December: the twelfth month of the year. December follows November, and precedes January. In the ancient Roman calendar, December was the tenth month of the year. Naturally, the ancient Romans wanted a creative name for the month, so, they named the month December…...
by Dwane | Sep 22, 2014 | Latin, Vocabulary
Reintarnation – to come back in another life as a hillbilly. From Latin re (back), in (in; on) and tarnation (the favorite phrase of Yosemite Sam).
by Dwane | Sep 20, 2014 | English, Greek, Vocabulary
Acantha: In botany, a prickle; in zoology, a spine or prickly fin. Acantha, in Greek mythology, was a beautiful nymph. Apollo fell in love with her. She resisted his advances. While pushing him away, she scratched his face. In anger, he turned her into a prickly...
by Dwane | Sep 20, 2014 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Acupuncture: a jab well done; a form of medicine that pricks the skin with needles to alleviate pain. I find Noah Webster’s old definition interesting. “Among the Chinese, a surgical operation, performed by pricking the part affected with a needle.” From Latin Latin...
by Dwane | Sep 19, 2014 | Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
Acrolith: a stone head, a statue with a wooden body and head of stone. The U.S. government isn’t the only nation to debase. The “brilliant” powers that be have replaced the silver in our coins with cheaper metals. This official trickery is nothing new. In ancient...
by Dwane | Sep 19, 2014 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Acuminate: ending in a sharp point. Look for this word in Botany books. Acuminate leaves are leaves that get to the point. Acuminate comes from the Latin verb acuminare (to sharpen to a point). It is related to the Latin word for needle,...
