1word1day | Entries tagged with wordsmith: ersatz

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

dovekie or dovekey (dŭv′kē), noun

A small, stout black-and-white seabird with a short bill, living in the Arctic and northern Atlantic Oceans.
Alle alle, the only member of the genus Alle. Also called 'little auk'.

Etymology: diminutive of 'dove'.

The Audobon site says the total population is "undoubtedly in millions".

'Kiviak' is an Inuit dish made by fermenting dovekies in a seal skin; this site has a little more about it. I first heard of kiviak (or kiviar) in the book Ferment & Human Nutrition: "the heat of the birds causes a ferment...and the whole lot is buried below the permafrost...for later partying in winter". Personally, I have no interest in trying that recipe (and not just because it's hard to eat adorable things), but the book is fascinating.

The picture is from the excellent allaboutbirds site.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

orenda /ˈɔːrɛndə/, noun
Spiritual energy

Wikipedia.defines it as "spiritual power inherent in people and their environment".

This site calls orenda "a mystical force present in all people that empowers them to affect the world, or to effect change in their own lives".

If you try to google 'orenda iroquois', you will get pictures of a Canadian turbojet engine (below pic is from Wikipedia).

Etymology: Iroquois

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

argyria (är-jĭr′ē-ə), noun

Discoloration of the skin caused by exposure to silver.

Wikipedia lists some examples of people with argyria from taking silver supplements; even if the supplements are stopped, the blue-gray discoloration is permanent.

The picture below is from the cover of a book Rosemary Jacobs, who developed argyria after being prescribed nasal drops containing silver.

Etymology: Greek argyros, silver

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

ratiocinate (răsh′ē-ŏs′ə-nāt′), verb

To reason or argue logically and methodically.

This word came to me from a friend who was reading a book that used the word "out-ratiocinate". I didn't think to ask for the full sentence.

Etymology: Latin, from ratio, reason or calculation

(Apologies for lateness and skipped week(s); the work-life balance is...not, these days.)

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

curtilage /ˈkərd(ə)lij/, noun
The land immediately surrounding a house or dwelling.

According to Wikipedia, the curtilage delineates the boundary within which a homeowner can have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

I most recently heard the word in this article, which ruled that a curtilage cannot be searched without a warrant.

Etymology: Middle English courtelage (court, yard, garden)

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

viscacha (viskäˈchə), noun
A burrowing South American rodent of one of two genera (Lagidium and Lagostomus).

They look a little bit like rabbits, but are unrelated. (They remind me of Totoro.)

Etymology: Quechua, wiskacha

Image is from Wikipedia. And here is a link to a BBC video of viscachas sunbathing.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

carpel ˈkärpəl/, noun
One of the individual female reproductive organs in a flower.

pistilˈ/pistl/, noun
A discrete organ in a flower, capable of receiving pollen and producing a fruit.
Sometimes used to refer to a single carpel, or to several carpels fused together.

Etymology:
Latin carpellum, from Greek karpos, fruit.
Latin, pistillum, pestle

The pic is a close-up of a magnolia blossom in my yard a couple weeks ago.
The green bit is the pistil, and I believe the yellow spikelets are individual carpels.
(The paler yellow bits with reddish at the base are the pollen-producing stamens.)
Once pollinated, the pistil becomes a brownish spike full of seeds.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

abseil (äp′sīl′), verb

To do a controlled descent using a rope; to rappel.

Etymology: German abseilen, ab (down) + seil (rope).

'Abseil' is Britsh and 'rappel' is American. ('Rappel' derives from French.)
I'm American, so we "rappeled" down the brick wall of the gymnasium in junior high.
I ran across 'abseil' in an episode of Archer ("The Archer Sanction").

The below picture is from Wikipedia.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

gabion (gā′bē-ən), noun

1. A basket filled with earth and stones, used in building fortifications.
2. A metal cage filled with rocks, concrete, sand, stones, etc., and used in constructing dams, embankments, and other structures.

Etymology: Italian gabbione, big cage

There are many example pictures on Wikipedia.
I found the word at a permaculture site, while trying to learn more about creating microclimates (I just bought some Prunus mume, which are not specifically hardy here).
This site talks about gabions being filled with construction debris (and is the source of the below picture). Interesting idea...I could clean out the garage.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

hügelkultur (hoo-gul-culture), noun

A method of raised-bed gardens where decaying wood and other compostable materials are covered with a top layer of soil.

This spring, I plan to try hugelkultur on at least one garden bed (more, if I find time to dig more holes and haul more brush).
Much advice can be found on mound composition, size, steepness of the walls, best plants to grow the first year, etc.

Etymology: German; hügel, hill + culture
(That pronunciation is what I see in English articles - I suspect the actual German pronunciation is a bit different.)

The below drawing is from this article.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

kakidrosis (kak-i-dro'sis), noun

Foul-smelling sweat.

Etymology: Greek, kakos, bad + hidrosis, sweat

This weekend, in the tiny seasonal window between wet/frozen and hot/overgrown, I hope to tackle many yardwork projects. I predict much kakidrosis.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

epistrophe (ə-pĭs′trə-fē), noun
The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences.

One example is from the Gettysburg Address: "...government of the people, by the people, for the people...".

It is a literary and rhetorical device, used to provide emphasis; the cadence of the repetition helps focus the mind on the differences.

Etymology: Greek epistrophe, a turning about.

'Anaphora' is the same thing, but at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.
The Gettysburg Address provides an example of this as well: "...we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground."

(Etymology for anaphora: Greek anapherein, to bring back.)

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

instar (ĭn′stär′), noun
The stage of development of an insect between any two moults (or molts - why I prefer the British spelling, I don't know).

Many insects have multiple instars.
The pictures below are from this site, and are of two instars of the brown marmorated stinkbug (a common pest around here).
The word is also used in a recent episode of Nature, titled "Sex, Lies, and Butterflies" - well worth watching.

Etymology: Latin instar, image, form, likeness.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

galeate (gā′lē-āt′), adj.
1. Having a galea (helmet-or hood-shaped part).
2. Helmet-shaped.

Etymology: Latin, galeare, to cover with a helmet.

A 'galea' was a Roman soldier's helmet.

Some flowers are galeate. The below picture is from this site.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

parergon (pəˈrɛəɡɒn), noun

1. Work undertaken in addition to one's main employment.
2. Something subordinate or accessory; an embellishment to a main subject.

Etymology: Greek para- (near, alongside) + ergon, work

Sounds a little classier than "side gig".

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

jalousie (jăl′ə-sē), noun

1. A window blind or shutter constructed from angled slats.
2. A window made from angled slats of glass.

Etymology: Old French gelosie, jealousy - possibly because such slats allow one to peer through the window without being seen.

Jalousie windows are more common in warmer climates: they provide maximum airflow without obstructing nearby walkways like a casement or awning window might.
One drawback is that they provide little insulation; I've seen them here in Wisconsin, but only on a 3-season sunroom.

The pic is from this company's site.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

bagasse (bə-găs′), noun
The pulp remaining after extraction of juice from sugar cane or similar plants.

Bagasse is used as a source of cellulose for paper products, and is also used as fuel. According to Wikipedia, bagasse is often the primary fuel source for sugar cane mills. And, bagasse is sometimes added to food as "sugar cane fiber".
Paper made from bagasse fibers is called 'megasse'.

The term originally referred to the debris left over after pressing olives, grapes, etc.; in modern use it mainly refers to sugar cane pulp, or sometimes sisal (agave) pulp.

The below pic is from Feedipedia.

Etymology: from Spanish bagazo, dregs.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

solera (səˈlɛərə), noun
A system for aging sherry, other alcoholic beverages, or vinegar, by mixing different ages of the beverage to produce a consistently-aged blend.

Etymology: Spanish solera, bottom, base.

I ran across the word in this local news article. "In one room, 16 French oak barrels had been stacked in four vertical columns to make a solera."

The picture is from the WIkipedia article.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

I missed last week, so two words today.

seiche (sāsh, sēch), noun
An oscillation of water in a lake, bay, or gulf, caused by wind or earthquakes.

I ran across that word in this story about an Alaskan earthquake causing fish to spawn in Death Valley.

Etymology: origin seems obscure, but possibly from German Seiche, sinking (of water).

viviparous (vī-vĭp′ər-ē), adj,
1. (zoology) Giving birth to living offspring that are produced within the mother's body.
2. (botany) a. Germinating before separating from the parent plant.
b. Producing bulbils or young plants instead of flowers.

Most mammals are viviparous.

Vivipary (or viviparity) is not uncommon in plants. If you search on 'vivipary tomatoes', you can see multiple examples of tomato seeds sprouting while still inside the tomato.

Etymology: Latin, vivus, living + parere, to beget

The picture below is from here.

ersatz-read.livejournal.com

inosculate (ĭn-ŏs′kyə-lāt′)
verb, transitive
1. To unite (blood vessels, nerve fibers, or ducts) by small openings
2. To make continuous; blend
verb, intransitive
1. To open into one another
2. To unite so as to be continuous; blend.

I came across this word as the noun 'inosculation'. Inosculation most often refers to the phenomenon of two trees becoming joined at the trunks, branches, or roots.
It can happen naturally, or can be done intentionally.
One of the cooler examples of inosculation is as a tool for building living root bridges (other methods are used as well).
The pic below is from the Wikipedia article on inosculation.

Etymology: Latin osculare, to provide with an opening.

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Word of the Day!

Entries tagged with wordsmith: ersatz_read

Monday-ish word: dovekie

Monday word: orenda

Monday-ish word: argyria

Monday-ish word: ratiocinate

Monday-ish word: curtilage

Monday-ish word: viscacha

Monday words: pistil, carpel

Monday-ish word: abseil

Monday-ish word: gabion

Monday-ish word: hügelkultur

Monday-ish word: kakidrosis

Monday-ish word: epistrophe

Monday-ish word: instar

Monday-ish word: galeate

Monday word: parergon

Monday-ish word: jalousie

Monday word: bagasse

Monday word: solera

Monday-ish words: seiche and viviparous

Monday word: inosculate

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