Vocabulary to Spice up Your Writing Pt.3
From Dr. Seuss to Franz Kafka, These 6 words will add a touch of Magic to your writing
Issue #3
Authors Note
In the Words of Wisdom daily notes series, I grow my vocabulary with daily words and share what I learn along the way. I've always been somewhat of a curator, so years of annotations are finally being organized and put to use. On Wednesdays, I will give a word of wisdom roundup with the previous words of the week. Let's expand our vocabulary together, one word at a time.
Words to spice up your writing from the notes series Word of the Day. These 6 words are from the past week all curated here in the second edition of weekly word round up. Enjoy!
[11/06/2024]
Thalassophobia
Noun[ tha·las·so·pho·bi·a]
The morbid fear of big or deep bodies of water; such as the ocean, sea, or large lakes
"The mysteries of the ocean only exemplified her thalassophobia "
Etymology
The word thalassophobia has Greek origin and is derived from the word thalassa, meaning sea, and the word phobos, meaning fear.
[10/06/2024]
Kafkaesque
adjective[kof-ka-esk]
Having a nightmarishly frustrating and confusing experience
"Applying for universities has been a kafkaesque experience "
Etymology
Characteristic of Franz Kafka's work, Kafkaesque was born to describe the oppressively nightmarish situation many of his characters find themselves in, such as navigating a confusing bureaucracy system that neither the workers nor clients understand. Kafka- is derived from the author's name and -eqsue (like, resembling) refers to the author's style.
[09/06/2024]
Numinous
adjective[noom•ee•niss]
Containing a strong spiritual, supernatural, or religious quality; suggesting the presence of a high sense of divinity
"The tour provided us with numinous views and experiences"
Etymology
The word numinous is derived from the Latin, "numen" or "numin" quite literally meaning a "divine will. The suffix -ous was added later.
[08/06/2024]
Idolatry
Noun[I•doll•eh•tree]
The worship of idols, either through physical objects or through deep attachment to something.
“Without intending it, I have put into it some expression of all this curious idolatry, of which, of course, I have never cared to speak to him”-Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Authors note: I first encountered this word in Dracula (when Jonathan Harker was handed a cross) and then again in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (when painting the picture).
Etymology
The word idolatry has run through a long course through Ancient Greek, Old French, and English. The word idol is derived from the Greek word "eidos", meaning shape or form, to the Latin idolum, meaning image or form, to then Old French, idole, finding its way to Middle English as Idol, “for the worshipers to worship god through means of an object, image or some other form of representation.”
'-atry" comes from the Greek, -latreia meaning ‘worship’. Together the two words formed the Greek eidōlolatreia, which then again traveled to Old French as idolatrie, and reached the English as idolatry, what it is now known as today.
[07/06/2024]
Photophobia
Noun[foe•toe•foe•bee•yuh•]
An intolerance of a great painful sensation to viewing light
"I first encountered this word when reading about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the subsequent greatest shark attack in human history. Due to the sun's reflection on the surface of the water, many of the surviving crew members suffered a great deal of photophobia. "
Etymology
The "photo-" comes from the Greek word, φῶς (phōs), meaning "light", and "-phobia" comes from φόβος (phóbos) from the Greek word meaning fear.
[06/06/2024]
Nerd
Noun [nerd]
Someone who is extremely passionate and academically knowledgeable about a particular subject or niche
"The Nerd studied day and night for his math exams"
Etymology
Another American Word! Today's word is often associated with geeks, or dorks, and those who wear glasses and braces. A fairly modern word first used in 1950 in the children's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950) by Dr. Seuss, the word has made history in books, movies, and Halloween costumes!
Letters are primary colours used to construct a variety of words
Words are the rainbow used to paint a canvas of pictures
And pictures are worth a thousand words
I’ve got a bit of Thalassophobia.
I always considered nerds smart in general and geeks are passionate on a subject or hobby. Though “nerding out” or “geeking out” are so similar that it’s practically a synonym.
Here, I ask with honest,
yet with just morals:
why? :)