Shakespearean Imagination

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ETA: I apologise for missing my Wednesday post. A very close friend passed on Wednesday, unexpectedly, and I'm afraid everything fell by the wayside as we tried to deal with that. We're still dealing with it, of course, but it finally dawned on me that I hadn't gotten this posted.

Friends, what cheer?

It's another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

I know that the non-sports-minded folks among you are probably getting tired of my Olympic-themed posts, but I promise that as the Games draw to a close, so will the theme. ;)

The Athletics portion of the Games has started, which encompasses some of the oldest events in the competition; events such as track and field, discus throwing, etc., which date back to the birth of the modern Olympics in 1896. In honor of that, today’s word is:

vaulting : vault•ing /ˈvôltiNG/ (noun)(verb) :
noun
- Ornamental work in a vaulted roof or ceiling.
- The action of vaulting over obstacles as a gymnastic or athletic exercise.

verb
-Provide (a building or room) with an arched roof or roofs.
-Leap or spring while supporting oneself with one or both hands or with the help of a pole.


Synonym as a noun: arch - vault
Synonym as a verb: leap - spring - skip - hop - bound - arch


First seen in Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part II (written 1590-1591). The full text of the play may be found here.

Friday word: Polyglot

[med_cat]

Polyglot (adj): speaking or writing several languages, multilingual

Polyglot (n.): one who is a polyglot

Etymology: Greek polyglōttos, from poly- (many) + glōtta (language)

First known use: 1656

My mother had a schoolteacher who was quite a polyglot--he knew 37 languages!