Word of the Week: Epiphany

Word: epiphany

Pronunciation: ə-PI-fə-nee

Part of Speech: noun

Definition: a moment of sudden revelation or insight

Source: Oxford Dictionaries


Homer: [while throat singing with the medicine woman] How long are we doing this?

Medicine Woman: Until you have an epiphany.

Homer: Okay. [they continue throat singing; he pauses and taps her on the shoulder] What’s an epiphany?

Medicine Woman: Sudden realization of great truth.

Homer: …Okay.

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

Barney: Guys, I was sitting at home last night, and all of a sudden, I had a piphany! And my piphany was this–

Ted: Actually, it’s e-piphany.

Barney: No, Ted, this is the piphany.

How I Met Your Mother (Season 7, Episode 21 – Now We’re Even)

I know, I don’t usually use two examples in one vocabulary post, but I had such a hard time choosing between these two that I just decided to go with both! In the former scene from The Simpsons Movie, an Inuit medicine woman is teaching Homer throat singing to help him come to the revelation that will save his family and his town. Meanwhile, in the latter scene from How I Met Your Mother, Barney tells his friends about his own revelation without knowing how to properly pronounce the word for it. Whether it’s “In order to save myself, I have to save Springfield!” or “Make every night legendary!”, Homer and Barney have something in common: they each claim to have had an “epiphany”!

An “epiphany” is a moment of sudden insight or revelation. The word arose in Middle English and comes from the Greek noun epipháneia, meaning “manifestation”. This noun stems from the verb epiphaínō “I appear”, which comprises the preposition epí “upon” and the verb phaínō “I bring to light”.

While its meaning as a revelation seems to be the most common use of the word, the primary definition of “epiphany” actually refers to “the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1–12)”. In Christianity, the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings’ Day, is a festival celebrating the revelation of God in human form as His Son, Jesus Christ. According to the American English edition of Oxford Dictionaries, the word can also be used in the general sense of “a manifestation of a divine or supernatural being”. If your stories call for your characters experiencing “Eureka!” moments or sightings of divine beings, you may soon find yourself writing about an “epiphany”!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjfHnCjy3Pc

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

What If? Writing Prompts: Fantasy / Science Fiction V

Okay, so this is a little embarrassing, but it seems I’m having trouble keeping up with blogging again. It’s hard to manage so many things at once, so for now I’ll have to tide over my creative writing topics with some “What If?” Writing Prompts. Thanks for understanding! Since I haven’t featured some in a while, now may be a good time to share a few more fantasy and science fiction prompts. See what stories you can create from these ideas! Enjoy!

What If - Parchment and QuillWhat if… you and your pet switched bodies for a day?

What if… you had the power to rewind time at will?

What if… you found a portal to another dimension hidden in your own basement?

What if… all humans were naturally born with different magical abilities?

What if… you discovered that your computer had the ability to think for itself?

Have fun writing more fantasy and science fiction tales!

If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!

Word of the Week: Epitome

Word: epitome

Pronunciation: ə-PI-tə-mee

Part of Speech: noun

Definition:

  1. a person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type
  2. a summary of a written work; an abstract

Source: Oxford Dictionaries


Here’s another word that’s quite common but that’s tripped me up in the past. Funnily enough, I had both heard it spoken often and read it a few times before, yet I didn’t realize at first that it was the same word because I expected it to have a different pronunciation based on its spelling. It didn’t help that I’d heard other people incorrectly pronounce it “E-pi-tohm”, but when you think about, that just seems to make this word an “epitome” of the challenges of learning English!

An “epitome” of a given quality or type is a perfect example of it. In literature, “epitome” refers to an abstract or summary of a written work. The word arose in the early 16th century and traces back to the Greek noun epitomḗ ,meaning “abridgment”. This noun stems from the verb epitémnō “to abridge”, which in turn consists of the prefix epi “upon” and the verb témnō “to cut”.

Much like the word “hyperbole“, I find “epitome” interesting for the apparent discrepancy between its spelling and pronunciation, though this should hardly be surprising given that both these words come from Greek. Similar to its meaning as an abstract of a written work, this word also has an archaic sub-definition: “a thing representing something else in miniature”. If you ever find yourself needing to perfectly exemplify an idea in your stories, an “epitome” would be an excellent device to deploy!

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

Word of the Week: Evanescent

Word: evanescent

Pronunciation: e-və-NE-s(ə)nt

Part of Speech: adjective

Definition: soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing

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?

What If? Writing Prompts: Mythology III

While work keeps me busy these next several weeks, why not help yourself to some more “What If?” Writing Prompts? Since the last set was about history, I thought today I’d continue on a similar theme and share some mythology-themed prompts. See what mythical tales you can create from these ideas! Enjoy!

What If - Parchment and QuillWhat if… you were descended from a long line of legendary heroes?

What if… your best friend were a mythical creature?

What if… you discovered you had the divine power to harness the elements?

What if… you found out you were the reincarnation of an ancient hero?

What if… a god or goddess granted you a blessing of your choice?

Good luck writing more stories about mythology!

If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!

Word of the Week: Nepotism

Word: nepotism

Pronunciation: NE-pə-ti-zəm

Part of Speech: noun

Definition: the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs

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?

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