Word of the Week: Facsimile

by Naomi L. | August 31, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Robin: Oh, cute dog!

Arthur: No! Tugboat, my other dog, that was a cute dog. This little disappointment is nothing but a cheap facsimile.

– How I Met Your Mother (Season 6, Episode 23 – Landmarks)

How about another unusual word for your list? This week’s vocabulary word is one that I remember hearing only twice in my whole life: once in the indie sci-fi game Transistor and once in the above scene from How I Met Your Mother. I probably should have been familiar with it long ago, though; as I only just learned, I used to hear the abbreviated form of the word all the time: “fax”! To be honest, I feel a little silly for not realizing “fax” was an abbreviation all along, but at least knowing that now should make the full word easier to remember!

A “facsimile” is an exact or highly similar copy of something, usually a written or printed work. Originally spelled fac simile, the word arose in the late 16th century and referred to the making of an exact copy of a written work. This noun is of modern Latin origin and is comprised of the interjection fac (from the verb facere “to make”) and the adjective simile “like”.

Like the shortened form “fax”, “facsimile” can also function as a verb meaning “make a copy of”. The word generally refers to the copying of written materials such as books and manuscripts, though it really applies to anything that can be duplicated. In some contexts, it refers to the reproduction of items of historical value that are as close as possible to the original. So if your characters make a habit of copying things, take note: you may have quite a few good “facsimiles” in your stories!

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

Word of the Week: Paucity

by Naomi L. | August 24, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Continuing from last week’s theme of advanced forms of common words, today’s vocabulary post features another word that you’re much less likely to see than its everyday counterpart. After all, when was the last time you heard someone refer to a lacking amount of something as a “paucity” as opposed to a “scarcity”? It’s another word that came up in a presentation at the scientific conference I attended, but I have yet to see it much in fiction!

A “paucity” of something is a small or insufficient amount or quantity of it. The word arose in late Middle English and can be traced back through the Old French noun paucite to the Latin noun paucitas, meaning “a small number”. This noun comes from the adjective paucus, which means “few”.

Coincidentally, “paucity” is a word that I’ve used very few times myself, if ever. I read it occasionally in academic writing (such as in papers that describe a “paucity” of a particular species in a region), but in the right contexts, I believe it works just as well in fiction. If your characters often encounter lacking quantities or amounts of the things they need (and you’ve already overused more common words like “scarcity”), you may want to consider writing about the “paucity” of their necessities in your stories! Good luck!

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

Word of the Week: Inundate

by Naomi L. | August 17, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Next up on my advanced vocabulary list, here’s another word with dual concrete/abstract meanings. “Inundate” is a word I’ve come across several times, equally in the sense of literal floods of liquid and of metaphorical floods of responsibilities. Of course, being a grad student who studies aquatic ecosystems, it’s no wonder I’m well familiar with this particular uncommon word!

To “inundate” someone is to overwhelm them with people or things to deal with, while to “inundate” a place is to flood it. The word arose in the late 16th century and comes from the Latin verb inundare, meaning “to flood”. This verb is composed of the preposition in “into” and the verb undare “to flow”, the latter of which is derived from the noun unda “wave”.

Because “inundate” is basically an advanced form of the verb “flood”, it may often come off as unnecessarily complex in its literal definition. For fiction, I would recommend using it mostly in the abstract sense of overwhelming someone with obligations, though you needn’t hesitate to use its concrete meaning for a scene involving an actual water flood. If your stories frequently involve floods of liquid, things, or people, “inundate” is a good word to add to your list! Good luck!

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

Word of the Week: Corroborate

by Naomi L. | August 10, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Continuing on the theme of scientific vocabulary, today’s word is one that comes up a lot in academic writing. When proving a hypothesis correct, researchers need to provide evidence that strongly supports their conclusions. Hence, it’s common to read statements in the results/discussion section of research papers claiming that Findings X “corroborate” Hypothesis Y. Because why use a general verb like “support” when you know a more specific term for research?

To “corroborate” a theory or statement is to provide evidence that supports or confirms it. The word arose in the mid 16th century in the sense “to make physically stronger” and comes from the Latin verb corroborare, meaning “to strengthen”. This verb stems from two roots: the adverb com “together” and the noun robur “strength”.

I haven’t encountered the word “corroborate” much outside of scientific contexts, but I still think it could work in fiction. A good example might be when one character needs to “corroborate” another’s story with an additional eyewitness account of events. If your characters often find themselves needing to prove a statement or theory true, you may want to write some evidence into your stories to “corroborate” their claims! Good luck!

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

Word of the Week: Paradigm

by Naomi L. | August 3, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

So I recently attended a scientific conference, and as you can imagine, I came back with quite a few advanced words for my vocabulary list. Since I love words that can apply to both academic and artistic writing, I decided to share some of them in my Word of the Week segment. To start off, here’s a relatively common one that came up in a few of the presentations: “paradigm”. This isn’t surprising, of course; standard models are a necessary foundation for the progression of research!

A “paradigm” is a typical model, example, or pattern of something. The word comes from the Greek noun parádeigma “pattern”, which in turn comes from the verb paradeíknunai, meaning “to compare”. This verb is composed of the preposition pará “beside” and the verb deíknunai “to show”.

Although typically a technical term, “paradigm” can also be used to indicate patterns in everyday life, such as social etiquette. In linguistics, it refers to “a set of linguistic items that form mutually exclusive choices in particular syntactic roles”, while in science it’s “a worldview underlying the theories and methodology of a particular scientific subject”. Being an academic, I’ve read this word most often in scientific texts, but I believe it works equally well in fiction. If you want to draw attention to typical patterns or models in the action of your stories, “paradigm” is a good word to keep in mind! Good luck!

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