Word of the Week: Hubris

by Naomi L. | March 21, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 4 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Amy: [while judging her friends’ sandcastle contest] It’s so hard to choose a winner.

Sonic: It probably doesn’t matter, Amy.

Amy: Because the beach is the hourglass of nature, and time will wipe clean what we and our hubris have built as everlasting?

Sonic: No, because of the ginormous storm that’s about to hit.

– Sonic Boom (Season 1, Episode 50 – Cabin Fever)

That’s right, I somehow pulled another vocabulary word out of a Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon! I’m sure there are a dozen other context examples of “hubris” that I could have used instead, but I chose this one for being the funniest. Plus I’m a dork. Anyway…

In the above scene, Amy is judging her friends’ sandcastle contest when Sonic notes that there’s no point in choosing a winner now. Amy then attempts a poetic comment on nature’s power to diminish people’s self-importance, which falls flat when Sonic simply attributes the contest’s futility to the storm clouds that literally just appeared out of nowhere. Though if you think about it, isn’t Sonic basically confirming Amy’s critique of “hubris” in a more immediate and comical light?

A person’s “hubris” is their extreme pride or confidence in themselves. The word dates back as far as Ancient Greek, when it was used in the sense “insolence” or “outrage”. In its ancient context, this noun typically referred to excessive and violent behavior as opposed to an attitude.

Another ancient use of the word “hubris” is as a Greek tragedy term meaning “excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis”. In Ancient Greece, it referred to actions that were deliberately humiliating and shameful to the victim (to a degree too gruesome to be explained in this family-friendly post). Today, the word “hubris” simply denotes overconfidence, and in many contexts tends to border on narcissism. If you write characters who are exaggeratedly proud or full of themselves, you may find yourself having to accommodate some “hubris” in your stories!

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

Word of the Week: Obstreperous

by Naomi L. | March 14, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 2 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Here’s another word I learned from the Elevate – Brain Training app. Though it really only came up in the Pronunciation game, I found the word “obstreperous” interesting enough to look up. As soon as I learned what it meant, I thought it would make a great addition to a writer’s vocabulary. Loud and uncontrollable people often make for interesting characters!

An “obstreperous” person is someone who is uncontrollable and noisy. The word arose in the late 16th century in the sense “clamorous” and comes from the Latin verb obstrepere, meaning “to make a loud noise”. This verb comprises the preposition ob “against” and the verb strepere “to make a noise”.

While I wouldn’t use such an uncommon word too often for fear of sounding pretentious, “obstreperous” would be an interesting description to use occasionally for characters who tend to cause trouble. The only few instances in which I’ve seen it used in context were references to people, but I assume the word can apply equally to animals or even machines. If you’re often inspired by indomitable people who like to make a lot of noise, you should have no problem writing for “obstreperous” characters!

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

Word of the Week: Indolent

by Naomi L. | March 7, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

…and as for Mr. Hurst, by whom Elizabeth sat, he was an indolent man, who lived only to eat, drink, and play at cards…

– Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen, 1813)

Oh yes, I’m learning so many new words from Pride and Prejudice! Similar to last week’s entry, today’s Word of the Week comes from a description of one of the story’s supporting characters, this time Mr. Hurst. While dining with Bingley and company during her stay at Netherfield, Elizabeth finds herself seated next to Mr. Bingley’s brother-in-law, a gentleman so dull and lazy that his interests are limited to dining and playing cards. At one point in the story, when everyone else in the room is too preoccupied with books and conversation to play cards with him, he uses the time to take a nap on the sofa instead! Small wonder such an “indolent” character never made it into the films!

An “indolent” person is someone who likes to avoid activity, that is, who is inherently lazy. The word arose in the mid 17th century and comes from the Latin noun indolentia, meaning “freedom from pain”. This noun is composed of the particle in “not” and the verb dolere “to suffer pain”.

The word “indolent” is primarily used to describe people, but it also serves a function in medical terminology as a definition for a disease condition that causes little or no pain. More specifically, it can also refer to a persistent ulcer that is “slow to develop, progress, or heal”. It shouldn’t be confused with the adjective “insolent”, which means “showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect”, though I suppose in certain cases a person can appear to be both. If you can find inspiration in people who are lazy to the point of actively avoiding activity or exertion, you may have room for some “indolent” 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: Supercilious

by Naomi L. | February 29, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week | 2 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

For though elated by his rank, it did not render him supercilious; on the contrary, he was all attention to every body.

– Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen, 1813)

Today’s vocabulary word is actually overdue to appear in my Word of the Week segment. It was first brought to my attention by Mike from M.C. Tuggle, Writer, but I was only reminded of it recently after I started reading Pride and Prejudice. The above excerpt, part of a description of the Bennets’ good friend Sir William Lucas, is a good example of an unfamiliar word being at least partially clarified in context. Despite being a successful businessman, Sir William does not appear to consider himself above his company and holds a reputation as a friendly and attentive gentleman. This makes sense, of course: the Bennets would hardly agree to maintaining a friendship with a “supercilious” neighbor!

A “supercilious” person is someone who acts like they consider themselves superior to the people around them. The word arose in the early 16th century and comes from the Latin adjective superciliosus, meaning “haughty” or “disdainful”. This adjective derives from the noun supercilium, which means “eyebrow”.

Hearing the word “supercilious” for the first time, some might jump to the image of someone acting “super silly” (or maybe that was just me). Ironically, it means almost the opposite, since an overly arrogant person can only mean “serious business”. Though the use of this word may have declined significantly since the 19th century, I would still use it occasionally as a poetic alternative to common words like “arrogant” and “conceited”. If you write haughty characters who often look down on others, “supercilious” may be the perfect adjective to add to your stories!

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

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?