In 2001, Ted brought us 4 new words "limned", "prevaricate", "Ho scordato", "salsiccia" and  "gaudy" (OK  - 4 plus a free bonus).
In 2002, I promise at least as many new words (can't think of any yet) but I've changed the name of this page to "Word of the Year" to better reflect the rare status of these words:

January 1, 2001. My word of the day is limned. Bruce Cockburn's song "Look How Far" is my source: "And you're limned in light, golden and thin, looks to me like you're lit up from within"

Webster's has:
limn v.t. paint, depict.

Chambers Dictionary has:
limn lim, verb transitive and verb intransitive (archaic) to draw or paint, especially in water-colours; originally to illuminate with ornamental letters, etc:

limning (lim¢ing or lim¢ning) present participle.

limner (lim¢ner) noun a painter on paper or parchment; a portrait-painter.

[Old French luminer or enluminer, from Latin luminare or illuminare to cast light on]

Gage Canadian Dictionary has:
limn  v. Archaic.
1 paint (a picture).
2 portray in words.

ME lymne(n) , var. of lumine(n) <OF luminer <L luminare light up, make bright < lumen light
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Gage Canadian Dictionary. Copyright © 1997 by Gage Educational Publishing Company.

 

January 2, 2001.  My word of the day is prevaricate. Wallace (of Wallace and Gromit fame), in "The Wrong Trousers" says "No need to prevaricate!"

Webster's has:
prevar' icate v.i. make evasive or misleading statements.

Chambers Dictionary has:
prevaricate pri­var¢i­kât,  verb intransitive to avoid stating the truth or coming directly to the point; to quibble; to deviate (obsolete); to shift about from side to side (obsolete); to undertake an enterprise with the object of wrecking it (obsolete); to betray a client by collusion with his or her opponent (law).

verb transitive (obsolete) to pervert, transgress.

prevar'icator noun someone who prevaricates; formerly in Cambridge University, a satirical orator at Commencement.

[Latin praevaricari, -atus to walk straddlingly or crookedly, to act collusively, from prae above, beyond, and varicus straddling, from varus bent]

Brewer, The Dictionary of Phrase & Fable has:

Prevarica' tion. The Latin word varico is to straddle, and praevaricor, to go zigzag or crooked. The verb, says Pliny, was first applied to men who ploughed crooked ridges, and afterwards to men who gave crooked answers in the law courts, or deviated from the straight line of truth

Gage Canadian Dictionary has:
pre·var·i·cate  v. -cat·ed, -cat·ing.
1 turn aside from the truth in speech or act; lie.
2 equivocate; be evasive.

< L praevaricari make a sham accusation, ult. < prae- before + varicus straddling < varus crooked
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Gage Canadian Dictionary. Copyright © 1997 by Gage Educational Publishing Company.

February 7, 2001  

Ho scordato! is the Italian expression for "I forgot!"  For the 4 weeks without posting any word-of-the-day, let me just say "Ho scordato!"

February 9, 2001  Today's word of the day is sausage en Italiano:

salsiccia pronounced (I hope) sal - seech - chee - a   which means sausage (usually pork).
For an Italian recipe that you can make with Dettweiler's Smoked Pork Sausage click here


April 24, 2001  I wrote a reflection on Easter which led to today's word:

gaudy -  see my gaudy Easter reflection


May 1, 2002  A Ben Wiebe review of a book on Julian of Norwich (ChristianWeek Apr 30/02) used today's word of the year:

bowdlerize - To expurgate (take the "hell" out of, ex-purgate?) a book in editing it.  Thomas Bowdler, in 1818, gave to the world an expurgated version of Shakespeare's works. (from Brewer:  The Dictionary of Phrase & Fable; parentheses mine))

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