Word of the Day!

syncrisis [sin-cri-sis] n. Greek (syn 'with,' krinein 'to separate') In rhetoric, a compare/contrast statement usually given in parallel clauses.

Examples:

I do the work, you take the credit.

I say 'po-tay-to', you say 'po-tah-to.'

Give him an inch, he takes a mile.


Usage:

The political speech writer effectively used syncrisis to undermine the opposing candidate's platform while improving his own candidate's image.

hypnopompic [hip-no-POM-pik] Greek. (hypno-, relating to sleep + pompe, a sending forth)
adj. of or relating to the state of existence between that of sleep and of wakefulness, characterized by a lingering dreamlike state.

This term is specific to the time leading out of sleep. The corresponding state leading into sleep is a hypnagogic state (from hypno-, sleep + agogos, inducing)

Usage:

John, in a hypnopompic state, seemed to be dreaming that his car alarm was going off again and again, but upon further waking, he realized it was only his alarm clock.

Or

"Hypnopompic imagery is often incredibly vivid and sometimes even terribly frightening. For instance, people experiencing the phenomenon of awareness during sleep paralysis often have episodes, in which they awake unable to move, while they simultaneously experience nightmarish hypnopompic hallucinations."
I cannot cite this as it was text on a handout for a seminar I took in sleep disorders but I think it was an excerpt from a psychology textbook.

I must apologize for missing last week and for very nearly missing this week as well. I could cite dentist appointments and family obligations, but those are just excuses. It really comes down to my simply forgetting that it was Tuesday, twice. I will try to be more aware of the day in the future. I have two words today. I hope neither of them are too common.



commination Latin. (from comminari, to threaten) n. a promise of punishment

I believe that while this word is usually used to describe divine retribution (as some CoE liturgies have a long Ash Wednesday reading of biblical comminations) , it can actually be any type of punishment, heavenly or otherwise.


enucleation Latin. (from enucleare, to remove the pit as from a fruit) n. removal of the nucleus, often specifically used to removal of the eyeball

The use of this word with respect specifically to eye removal is common across criminal forensic fields as well as in taxidermy and butchery. It was completely new to me when I saw it years ago on an episode of Criminal Minds (a crime/mystery drama, if you are not familiar with it) and have since discussed the term with people in each of these professions and was surprised to find that it is so commonly used among them.


Usage:

When the contributor proved consistently unreliable, her fellows made comminations of enucleation should the problem persist.

terpsichorean [turp-si-KOHR-ee-uhn] Greek (Terpsichore [turp-SIK-o-ree], Muse of dancing and choral song)
1. adj. relating to dance, (if capitalized) relating to Terpsichore
2. n. a dancer

Although dictionaries list the second definition and I have included an example of usage below, I have never seen this work used this way in practice. It seems somewhat uncommon to me. Please let me know if you have encountered it being used this way before!


Usage:

Come one, come all to the Greater Metropolitan Dance Festival! It's a veritable feast of terpsichorean delights!

Or

Even off-stage, the prima ballerina moved with terpsichorean grace through the throngs of adoring ballet fans.

Or

I went to see Cirque du Soleil's Ka show last night but I couldn't tell you how most of it was because I couldn't take my eyes off of the tall, green terpsichorean with the glittering red body paint.

jocose adj. Latin (jocus, joke) given to or characterized by joking Also Jocosely adv., jocosity n.

I was thinking that this is a synonym for jocund, but it seems to be more specifically used for joking as opposed to jocund, which I believe can be used more generally to describe any sort of jollity or merriment.

Usage:

The authorities may like to pretend that hacking is hacking and therefore all prosecutable offenses but there seems to be a clear difference between the jocose redirection of a business homepage to something humorously ironic and the deliberate alteration of evidence in an investigation.

Or

Little Stella shrieked and stomped off in a huff because she failed to see the jocosity in the neighborhood boys' remarks about her pink dress and pigtails making her look like a piglet.

Sorry about missing last week! We had some terrible storms and power/internet outages in my area. I hope this week's word is interesting enough to make up for it!

therianthropy n. Greek (therion, beast; anthropos, human or man): the metamorphosis of humans into animals, of which lycanthropy (werewolf-ism, if you will) is a subset.

Also, therianthrope n., one who has the ability to metamorphose into an animal.

Or, therianthropic adj., being partially bestial and partially human in form, especially used in discussion of deities such as those in the Egyptian pantheon.

The word can also be used in literature to describe figurative language describing humans in animal terms in almost the exact opposite way that 'personification' is used to describe figurative language attributing human qualities to non-human things.

Example of therianthropy as a literary device: "Come closer, darling," she purred.

(As opposed to personification: With its glaring, red 3:00AM, the clock mocked my inability to sleep.)

Usage:

I am certain that Professor McGonagall was not born being able to turn into a cat, so I am sure that therianthropy can be learned.

Or

I fail to see why a story about blood-suckers and therianthropes is so compelling for so many teenage girls.

orogeny n. Greek (oro-, mountain; -geneia, origin): the process of mountain making or upheaval, also called orogenesis

Usage:

Many people are worried about radiation poisoning in Tokyo but others say they are perpetrating orogeny on what are merely the protuberances of burrowing animals, that is to say, making mountains out of molehills.

Or

"If all is grounded you should [use it for orogenesis]." -paraphrased from Jason Mraz' 'Sleep All Day'

On dictionary.com and m-w.com.