Word of the Week: Putative

by Naomi L. | September 19, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 3 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Okay, so this is a little embarrassing to admit, but I learned today’s Word of the Week from a minor mistake I made in an early draft of my thesis. While citing references for cases of transatlantic larval dispersal in reef fish, I included a species that had only been speculated – but not confirmed – to display this trait. I didn’t notice the mistake until my professor told me to double-check the reference, at which point I realized that I had missed the single word that changed the entire meaning of the sentence. Lesson learned: there’s a world of difference between a confirmed quality and a “putative” quality!

A “putative” person, place, thing, or idea is reputed or generally considered to be said person, place, thing, or idea. The word arose in late Middle English and comes from the Old French adjective putatif, which in turn derives from the Latin adjective putativus, meaning “thought” or “supposed”. This adjective stems from the verb putare, which means “to think”.

As the above example demonstrates, the word “putative” is useful for defining what is generally thought to be something without any hard proof to support the claim. I assume it works best in the context of an idea that at least can easily be accepted as truth based on evidence, though this might not always be the case. If your stories include details that aren’t confirmed to be true (at least by your characters), “putative” may be a good word to keep on your list!

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

Word of the Week: Clandestine

by Naomi L. | September 12, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

While I’m on the subject of words I keep forgetting to add to my vocabulary list, here’s another Word of the Week that somehow kept getting pushed back in my memory before I finally dug it up last month. If I really tried, I could probably recall at least half a dozen instances when I heard or read this word somewhere and thought, “Oh yeah, I should make a note to blog about it,” only to forget again within the hour. Funny how words sometimes grow into their own definitions; it’s almost as if this secretive term is being purposely “clandestine” in my memory!

A “clandestine” act is one that’s done in secret, usually due to being illicit. The word arose in the mid 16th century and comes from the French adjective clandestin, which in turn derives from the Latin adjective clandestinus, meaning “secret” or “concealed”. This adjective stems from the adverb clam, which means “secretly”.

Sure enough, as its definition suggests, most instances in which I’ve read or heard the word “clandestine” were in the context of an illicit action (such as a meeting between parties who shouldn’t be seen together in public), though I’m fairly certain that needn’t always be the case. For those interested in a more obscure meaning, the word is also a freemasonry term for someone who isn’t recognized as a regular member. If your characters tend to engage in secretive and even illegitimate acts, you may have fun writing about the “clandestine” events in your stories!

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

Word of the Week: Obfuscate

by Naomi L. | September 5, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 2 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Today’s Word of the Week is one that I’ve actually been familiar with for a long time, but that for some reason keeps slipping in and out of my memory. I read it most recently in a blog post about pen names, and it suddenly occurred to me that even though I had already read this word several times before in articles and flashcards, I always kept forgetting to add it to my vocabulary list. Given this word’s definition, I suppose you could consider this a humorous coincidence. Isn’t it funny how a word that means “to make obscure” has been repeatedly “obfuscated” in my memory?

To “obfuscate” something is to render it unclear, unintelligible, or obscure. The word arose in late Middle English and comes from the Latin verb obfuscare, meaning “to darken”. This verb stems from the adjective fuscus, which means “dark”.

Perhaps it’s silly that I need to keep looking up the word “obfuscate”, since I realize that a good way to remember what it means is noticing that it contains almost all the letters of the word “obscure”. Note that aside from its main definition, which applies to objects and ideas, “obfuscate” can also be used in relation to people to mean “bewilder”. If you write mystery fiction or characters who tend to hide things, you may have fun trying to “obfuscate” some of the details in your stories!

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

Word of the Week: Bucolic

by Naomi L. | August 29, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

If you find much of your creative inspiration in nature, then today’s Word of the Week is for you. I’ve most often come across this word while reading poetic descriptions of the countryside or stories that take place in rustic settings, and I admit that while I didn’t really care for it at first, it’s been growing on me the more I’ve read and heard it. You could say it’s one of those adjectives that says it all; whenever a writer mentions the “bucolic” scenery in their work, you know to envision lovely images of country life!

Anything described as “bucolic” refers to the pleasant aspects of country life and the countryside. The word arose in the early 16th century and traces back through the Latin adjective bucolicus to the Greek adjective boukolikós, both of which mean “pastoral”. The latter adjective stems from the noun boukólos “herdsman”, which in turn derives from the noun bous, meaning “ox” or “cow”.

Interestingly, the original use of “bucolic” was as a poetic term to refer to a pastoral poem, and can still be used as a noun today in the same sense. “Bucolic” as a type of poetry is also another word for “eclogue”; the Eclogues of the Latin poet Virgil, for example, are also known as the Bucolics. Note that the adjective’s definition specifically mentions pleasant aspects of the countryside, so I would recommend using this word exclusively with a positive connotation. For those of you who write stories or scenes set in more rural areas, “bucolic” is a perfect word to describe the beauty found in the country!

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

Word of the Week: Prestige

by Naomi L. | August 22, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 4 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

But you wouldn’t clap yet. Because making something disappear isn’t enough; you have to bring it back. That’s why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call “The Prestige”.

– Cutter, The Prestige (2006)

Since I covered magic in last week’s vocabulary post, why not continue on that theme with a related word this week? The above excerpt may seem like an odd choice of example for the given definition of today’s Word of the Week, but I promise there is a connection. The Prestige, a 2006 mystery/thriller film about a dangerous rivalry between two magicians, takes its title from the original usage of the word, which was not so much about reputation as it was about illusion. So perhaps it does make sense that this archaic meaning morphed into the definition we know today; it is, after all, only our perceptions (and in some cases, delusions) of quality that give others their “prestige”!

“Prestige” is admiration and respect felt for something or someone based on a perception of their quality or achievements. The word arose in the mid 17th century in the sense “illusion” or “conjuring trick” and is originally a French noun, also meaning “illusion” or “enchantment”. This noun may stem from the Latin noun praestigium (“a delusion”, “an illusion”) or the verb praestringere (“to blind(fold)”, “to dazzle”).

As hinted above, the word “prestige” has undergone an interesting transformation. What started out as a word for magic tricks and illusions eventually underwent a transference of meaning through the sense “dazzling influence” or “glamour” to become the term for respect and admiration that we know today. The original definition has since become obsolete (read: appropriate for historical writing), while the modern definition seems to appear most often in the adjective form “prestigious”. It’s worth noting that despite their similarities in meaning and phonetics, “prestige” actually has a different root than “prestidigitation”, though at least you could use the latter to remember the old definition for the former. If your characters are revered for their (supposed) merits or are simply masters of illusion, there may be room for plenty of “prestige” in your stories!

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