Word of the Week: Evanescent

by Naomi L. | May 30, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Why are there so many poetic ways to say “short-lived”? Are artists simply fascinated by the things in life that don’t last? I know I am, which is why I find today’s Word of the Week so intriguing. Maybe it’s the way it sounds, maybe it’s the images of fading flowers and vanishing bubbles it calls to my mind, or maybe it’s just because it reminds me of a certain gothic rock band I used to listen to all the time as a teenager. Whatever the reason, whenever I write need a word for something fleeting, “evanescent” may be one of my favorite words to consider!

Anything that is “evanescent” quickly fades or disappears, passing out of sight, memory, or existence. The word arose in the early 18th century in the sense “almost imperceptible” and comes from the Latin verb evanescere, meaning “to disappear”. This verb stems from two roots: the preposition ex “out of” and the adjective vanus “empty”.

“Evanescent” is another good example of a word with an adjective, a verb, and a noun form; the verb “evanesce” means to “pass out of sight, memory, or existence”, while the noun “evanescence” refers to the event of disappearing or the quality of being fleeting. According to Oxford Dictionaries, “evanescent” also has a specific definition in physics: “denoting a field or wave that extends into a region where it cannot propagate and whose amplitude therefore decreases with distance”. Similar to “ephemeral“, “evanescent” seems to be a chiefly literary term, so if you ever need to poetically describe the short-lived things or ideas in your stories, this is an excellent 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: Nepotism

by Naomi L. | May 23, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 2 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Amy: I’m Amy Rose, and I’ll be auditioning for the part of “Sidekick”.

Sonic: Amy, I know who you are.

Amy: Great, because I am fine with nepotism.

– Sonic Boom (Season 1, Episode 1 – The Sidekick)

Here’s another word I picked up from the Sonic Boom cartoon. After firing Tails as his sidekick (in an attempt to protect him from harm), Sonic holds interviews for potential replacements, the first of which to show up is another of his closest friends, Amy Rose. When Sonic reminds her that she doesn’t need to introduce herself to him, she hopefully infers that he’ll simply give her the job because of their friendship. It seems you can find “nepotism” even among heroes!

“Nepotism” is the practice of showing favor to friends or relatives, particularly by powerful or influential people. The word arose in the mid 17th century and traces back through the French noun népotisme to the Italian noun nepotismo. This noun stems from the noun nipote “nephew”, which in turn derives from the Latin noun nepos, meaning “descendant”.

If you’re wondering why “nepotism” originates from a word meaning “nephew”, there’s an interesting history behind it. From the Middle Ages to the late 17th century, it was common practice for popes to appoint their nephews to positions of preference and elevate them to the cardinalate, usually as a way to continue a papal dynasty. From this, it can be concluded that the word “nepotism” originally referred exclusively to favor for relatives and only later became applicable to friends as well. In modern times, it’s become a practice mainly associated with political power, though it can also be commonly seen in organizations. If you write powerful characters who like to favor their friends and family with job opportunities and the like, there’s definitely some “nepotism” going on in your stories!

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

Word of the Week: Adumbrate

by Naomi L. | May 16, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 2 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Is it ironic to learn a word with four different meanings without seeing it used in any of them? Well, that’s how I came across today’s Word of the Week, another one picked up from the Elevate – Brain Training app. It sounds like a word I could have gotten familiar with sooner if I read more poetry, but as it happens, I’ve only ever seen it in the Spelling game. Still, with four definitions, I’d definitely take on this word as a writing challenge: to find as many ways as possible to “adumbrate” something in my stories!

To “adumbrate” something is to either represent or report it in outline, indicate it faintly, foreshadow or symbolize it, or overshadow it. The word arose in the late 16th century and comes from the Latin verb adumbrare, meaning “to shade”. This verb stems from the verb umbrare “to cast a shadow”, which in turn derives from the noun umbra “shadow”.

Though I only just learned the word “adumbrate”, I admit I already find it intriguing, not just for its multiple definitions but for how they’re all connected by the root word “shadow”: creating or perceiving a shadow of a larger picture, foreshadowing future events, or overshadowing one idea with another. While Oxford Dictionaries emphasize representation in outline as its primary definition (especially in American English), it should work equally well in any of the others. The real challenge is finding a way to work all four meanings into one written work! So if you ever find yourself needing to summarize, evidence, signify, or obscure anything in your stories, “adumbrate” is an excellent 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?