Word of the Week: Stochastic

by Naomi L. | May 18, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 2 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

How about another scientific word for your list? This week’s vocabulary word jumped out at me while I was reading a paper for an Ecology test, and I realized that although I had already seen it a couple of times, it hadn’t yet occurred to me to include it in my Word of the Week segment. Perhaps that’s because I’ve only ever seen it in academic writing, which makes sense because it’s a statistics term. Still, I think it’s interesting enough to warrant a spot on my vocabulary list. After all, what’s fiction without a few random and unpredictable events?

A “stochastic” event is one that has a random probability of occurring. The word comes from the Greek adjective stokhastikós, which in turn is derived from the verb stokházomai, meaning “to aim at” or “to guess”. This verb stems from the noun stokhós, which means “aim”.

Whenever the word “stochastic” appears in an academic paper I’m reading, it’s always being used to explain a mathematically random pattern observed in the results. Despite its primary use as a statistical term, I believe this adjective could work to describe random non-scientific occurrences as well. If you’re looking for a new and/or advanced word to define the unpredictable events in your stories, “stochastic” may be an interesting alternative to consider! Good luck!

What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?

Word of the Week: Sycophant

by Naomi L. | May 11, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

She turned you into this untrusting, crazy, jealous sycophant! [her friends stare at her] All right, so I don’t know what “sycophant” means, but the rest is right!

– Phoebe Buffay, Friends (Season 4, Episode 18 – The One With Rachel’s New Dress)

Remember that word I wrote about last week? It’s time to put it to good use. The first (and probably only) time I ever heard the word “sycophant” was in an episode of Friends, when the women try to help Ross overcome his irrational fear that he might lose his girlfriend Emily to his ex-wife’s life partner Susan. In an attempt to convince him that he’s being unnecessarily jealous, Phoebe uses an uncommon word that she’s never used before – to humorous effect, as Ross’s jealousy is hardly an indication that he wants to please important people just to get ahead.

A “sycophant” is someone who acts in an excessively obedient or attentive manner toward an important person as a means of gaining an advantage. The word arose in the mid 16th century as a reference to informants, and can be traced back through the French noun sycophante to the Greek noun sukophantēs, meaning “informer”. This noun is comprised of the noun sukon “fig” and the verb phainein “to show”, which may be a reference to the insulting “fig gesture” made toward informers.

To be honest, I have yet to find a good place for the word “sycophant” in my fiction. I do like the sound of it, though, so it would certainly be a good alternative if I were to write a character who relentlessly pleases others for their own gain and wanted to avoid vulgar terms such as “suck-up” and “kiss-ass”. Perhaps I’ll use it in one of my stories someday, but if you tend to create such phonily obsequious characters, you can already start writing a “sycophant” or two into your fiction! Good luck!

What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?