Word of the Week: Omnipotent

by Naomi L. | February 22, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Monica: Hey, Joey, what would you do if you were omnipotent?

Joey: Probably kill myself!

Monica: Excuse me?

Joey: Hey, if Little Joey’s dead, then I got no reason to live.

Ross: Joey, OM-nipotent.

Joey: …You are? Ross, I’m sorry! I had no idea! I thought it was like a theoretical question.

– Friends (Season 1, Episode 4 – The One With George Stephanopoulos)

If you’ve been a fan of Friends since the beginning, you may remember this scene as one of the dirtier jokes in the series. While the gang is hanging out and talking about what they would do if they had unlimited power for a day (like ending world hunger or making themselves all-powerful forever), Monica directs the question at Joey, who just walked in. Joey proceeds to hilariously misunderstand the question (and Ross’s correction), not realizing that “omnipotent” and “impotent” are two very different words!

An “omnipotent” being is one who has unlimited power, particularly a deity. The word arose in Middle English and is originally French. This adjective comes from the Latin adjective omnipotens “all-powerful”, which comprises two roots: the adjective omnis “all” and the adjective potens “powerful”.

Though primarily an adjective, “omnipotent” can also be used as a noun to refer to God (as in “The Omnipotent”). The word doesn’t necessarily have to mean the literally unlimited power of a deity, as it can also refer to a person who has ultimate power and influence, such as an “omnipotent” sovereign. If you write scenes involving people who are capable of absolutely anything, you likely have some “omnipotent” characters in your stories!

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

Word of the Week: Alacrity

by Naomi L. | February 15, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 6 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Today’s Word of the Week was suggested by Mike from M.C. Tuggle, Writer. He claims it’s a word he’s had to look up more than once, and I agree that I’d probably have to look it up every time I read it too. “Alacrity” is not a word I’ve read very often myself, but knowing what it means, I think it could definitely add a cheery note to a story!

To show “alacrity” is to be briskly and cheerfully ready for something. The word arose in late Middle English and comes from the Latin noun alacritas, meaning “cheerfulness”. This noun stems from the adjective alacer, which means “brisk” or “ready”.

Not being overly familiar with the word “alacrity”, I have yet to work it into my fiction. If I were to use it, it would probably be to show a character’s high level of enthusiasm when setting a goal or preparing to carry out a task. If nothing else, it’s a great word for people who are just ready to get up and go for it! So what are you waiting for? Take on that novel or other unfinished goal with “alacrity”! It’ll make the journey all the more enjoyable!

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

Word of the Week: Empyrean

by Naomi L. | February 8, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 4 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

That’s right, it’s yet another word for “heavenly”! I know I’ve already featured several of these synonyms in my Word of the Week segment, but in my opinion, you can never have too broad or poetic a vocabulary when it comes to the heavens. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, what better time is there to learn new words to describe the “empyrean” beauty of love?

“Empyrean” defines what belongs to or comes from heaven. The word arose in late Middle English and can be traced back through the medieval Latin adjective empyreus “fiery” to the Greek adjective empurios “on fire”. This adjective comprises the preposition en “in” and the noun pûr “fire”.

Interestingly, while words like “celestial” and “ethereal” refer to heaven in general, “empyrean” refers to a special part of heaven. According to ancient cosmology, the “Empyrean” was believed to be the highest level of heaven where the purest light and fire existed (hence the Greek root word for “fire”). The word has since been used as a literary term for the divine realm of Paradise or simply the visible sky. So if you like to write about the highest heavens or the perfection of what seems to come from the divine, “empyrean” may be your most poetic choice!

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

Word of the Week: Celestial

by Naomi L. | February 1, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Drawing inspiration from the last Word of the Week of 2015, here’s another beautiful word for what seems to be (or actually is) from the heavens. Humanity has long been fascinated with the sky and space, so it’s only natural that we have so many words to describe the wonders beyond our world. When gazing up at the starry night sky, it’s hard not to fall in love with the “celestial” beauty of space!

“Celestial” describes what is heavenly in nature, whether it’s literally in the sky or outer space or figuratively of divine quality. Originally French, the word arose in late Middle English and comes from the Latin adjective caelestis, meaning “of the heavens”. This adjective stems from the noun caelum, which means “heaven” or “sky”.

I’ve always loved the word “celestial” for how poetic it sounds; one of my favorite uses for it is to describe the shades of blue seen in the sky. I seem to read it equally in the literal sense of astronomical bodies such as planets and stars as in the figurative sense of heavenly figures, and occasionally to refer to something of near perfect quality. Whether you enjoy writing about space, the sky, or divinities, “celestial” is a lovely word that I highly recommend for your stories and/or poetry!

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

Word of the Week: Obtuse

by Naomi L. | January 25, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 4 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Tails: What luck! This rock would make a perfect focusing lens for my hyper-exo-madifier! All I need is a refracting chamber and an influx reflector! Right, Knuckles?

Knuckles: Do you use big words just to make me feel… um… what’s that word that means ‘not smart’?

Tails: Obtuse?

Knuckles: Yeah, see? That’s what I’m talking about.

– Sonic Boom (Season 1, Episode 31 – Closed Door Policy)

Okay, so maybe I watch Cartoon Network once in a while just to unwind, and maybe I’ve gotten a little hooked on the newest Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon. But that’s not really important. The point to focus on now is this week’s vocabulary word in the above dialogue from an episode of Sonic Boom. In this scene, young inventor fox Tails is going on about a complex gadget he plans to build, and the brawny but not-too-bright echidna Knuckles has a hard time keeping up with his friend’s “techno babble”. When Tails offers an uncommon definition for a slowness to understand things, Knuckles hilariously proves yet again that he’s a little too “obtuse” to grasp such big words!

An “obtuse” person is someone who is slow to understand things or is otherwise annoyingly insensitive. The word arose in late Middle English in the sense “blunt” and comes from the Latin adjective obtusus “dull”, which in turn derives from the verb obtundere, meaning “to strike”. This verb comprises the preposition ob “against” and the verb tundere “to beat”.

There are a handful of definitions for the word “obtuse”. Aside from the above meaning used for people, it can also refer to something that is difficult to comprehend or an object that is blunt as opposed to sharp-edged. Of course, anyone who paid attention during trigonometry lessons in Math class remembers that “obtuse” also defines an angle between 90º and 180º. So if you ever find yourself writing about dull people and/or objects (or even about math problems), “obtuse” may be a word you’ll want to work into your stories!

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