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
Fascinating article by John-Erik Jordan, a writer over at Babble languages. 139 Old Norse Words That Invaded The English Language When I say “Old English” what comes to mind? The ornate, hard-to-read script? Reading Beowulf in your high school English class? The kinds...
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,...
