Word of the Week: Stochastic

by Naomi L. | May 18, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 2 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

How about another scientific word for your list? This week’s vocabulary word jumped out at me while I was reading a paper for an Ecology test, and I realized that although I had already seen it a couple of times, it hadn’t yet occurred to me to include it in my Word of the Week segment. Perhaps that’s because I’ve only ever seen it in academic writing, which makes sense because it’s a statistics term. Still, I think it’s interesting enough to warrant a spot on my vocabulary list. After all, what’s fiction without a few random and unpredictable events?

A “stochastic” event is one that has a random probability of occurring. The word comes from the Greek adjective stokhastikós, which in turn is derived from the verb stokházomai, meaning “to aim at” or “to guess”. This verb stems from the noun stokhós, which means “aim”.

Whenever the word “stochastic” appears in an academic paper I’m reading, it’s always being used to explain a mathematically random pattern observed in the results. Despite its primary use as a statistical term, I believe this adjective could work to describe random non-scientific occurrences as well. If you’re looking for a new and/or advanced word to define the unpredictable events in your stories, “stochastic” may be an interesting alternative to consider! Good luck!

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

Word of the Week: Sycophant

by Naomi L. | May 11, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

She turned you into this untrusting, crazy, jealous sycophant! [her friends stare at her] All right, so I don’t know what “sycophant” means, but the rest is right!

– Phoebe Buffay, Friends (Season 4, Episode 18 – The One With Rachel’s New Dress)

Remember that word I wrote about last week? It’s time to put it to good use. The first (and probably only) time I ever heard the word “sycophant” was in an episode of Friends, when the women try to help Ross overcome his irrational fear that he might lose his girlfriend Emily to his ex-wife’s life partner Susan. In an attempt to convince him that he’s being unnecessarily jealous, Phoebe uses an uncommon word that she’s never used before – to humorous effect, as Ross’s jealousy is hardly an indication that he wants to please important people just to get ahead.

A “sycophant” is someone who acts in an excessively obedient or attentive manner toward an important person as a means of gaining an advantage. The word arose in the mid 16th century as a reference to informants, and can be traced back through the French noun sycophante to the Greek noun sukophantēs, meaning “informer”. This noun is comprised of the noun sukon “fig” and the verb phainein “to show”, which may be a reference to the insulting “fig gesture” made toward informers.

To be honest, I have yet to find a good place for the word “sycophant” in my fiction. I do like the sound of it, though, so it would certainly be a good alternative if I were to write a character who relentlessly pleases others for their own gain and wanted to avoid vulgar terms such as “suck-up” and “kiss-ass”. Perhaps I’ll use it in one of my stories someday, but if you tend to create such phonily obsequious characters, you can already start writing a “sycophant” or two into your fiction! Good luck!

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

Word of the Week: Obsequious

by Naomi L. | May 4, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Jamie: What do you mean you told him not to go out with me?

Ira: What do I know? I met you one time; you kept showing off your vocabulary!

Jamie: [to Paul] You never told me he didn’t like me.

Paul: Because you were so down on him, I didn’t want to fuel the fire.

Ira: Wait, wait, wait, you didn’t like me?

Jamie: On first impression, you were a little obsequious.

Ira: You see? There, you’re doing it again!

– Mad About You (Season 3, Episode 19 – Money Changes Everything)

The first instance in which I can remember hearing the word “obsequious” was in an episode of Mad About You. During an argument over one of Ira’s bad decisions, Jamie finds out that he initially disliked her for her pretentious use of advanced vocabulary. To make matters worse, she proves his point by calling him out on his overeagerness to please in the most patronizing way possible. But then again, knowing Ira, there’s always the chance Jamie simply used “obsequious” in place of “obnoxious”, either purposely to confuse him or by mistake because her husband’s cousin did have a tendency to be irritating in more ways than one.

An “obsequious” person is someone who is attentive or obedient to the point of excess. The word arose in the late 15th century as a non-depreciatory term and comes from the Latin noun obsequium, meaning “compliance”. This noun is derived from the verb obsequi, which means “to follow” or “to yield to”.

I have yet to work the word “obsequious” into my fiction, but I could definitely see myself using it to describe some of my characters who go out of their way to please others. Although the word didn’t originally have a negative connotation, its modern definition seems to suggest a level of obedience that borders on annoying, which I suppose makes it a sort of formal synonym for “kiss-ass”. If you tend to write characters who are relentless people-pleasers, “obsequious” may be an excellent adjective to use in your stories. With any luck, you may even teach your readers a new word!

Jamie: [muttering] Plenty of people use “obsequious”.

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

Word of the Week: Apocryphal

by Naomi L. | April 27, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 0 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

And we’re back to the flashcards. I’m sure I’ve heard or read the word “apocryphal” elsewhere before, but when I think about it, the only place I can clearly remember seeing it is on a standardized test prep flashcard. Perhaps if I had made a note of it back then, I could have used it in some of my stories. It does, after all, have a lot to do with fiction.

An “apocryphal” story or statement is one that isn’t confirmed to be true, despite being widely considered as such. The word is the adjective form of the noun “apocrypha”, which means “writings or reports not considered genuine”. This noun is originally Latin and comes from the adjective apocryphus “secret writings”, which in turn is derived from the Greek adjective apókruphos, meaning “hidden” or “secret”.

I almost want to say that there was a time when I thought the word “apocryphal” had something to do with the Apocalypse. Despite the mistake, the relation to the Bible wasn’t such a wrong conclusion, since the Apocrypha refers to “biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of Scripture”. In its common sense, I suppose “apocryphal” could be a fancy way of referring to rumors, so if your characters like to gossip, this may be a good word to describe their unauthenticated stories! Good luck!

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

Word of the Week: Circuitous

by Naomi L. | April 20, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 2 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Today’s Word of the Week was suggested by the mother-daughter writing team Inion N. Mathair, who discovered it while writing their novel Nightwalkers: The Secret of Jessup. Although the word did sound vaguely familiar when Inion requested I feature it here, I confess I had to look it up to remember what it meant. I have to say, these lovely ladies have good taste in vocabulary, because as soon as I read the definition, I realized I could have used this word in some of my own stories already! I have written a few characters who like to take the long way around. Thanks for the suggestion, ladies!

A “circuitous” route or journey is one that’s longer than the most direct possible path. The word comes from the Latin adjective circuitosus, which in turn stems from the noun circuitus, meaning “a way around”. This noun is derived from the verb circumire “to go around”, which is comprised of the adverb circum “around” and the verb ire “to go”.

When I think of the word “circuitous”, the first image to come to mind is a literal road that goes around the straightest way, but I assume it works equally well in the metaphorical sense of a journey that takes longer than the most direct route to a goal. If your characters often tend to avoid the short way to a destination, you can no doubt work a few “circuitous” paths into 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: Abysmal

by Naomi L. | April 13, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week | 2 comments

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

Man, this is bad. And I’ve had my share of bad reviews. I still remember my first good one, though. “Everything else in this production of Our Town was simply terrible. Joey Tribbiani was abysmal.”

– Joey Tribbiani, Friends (Season 8, Episode 21 – The One With The Cooking Class)

While we’re on the subject of vocabulary used on Friends, why not take the opportunity to learn another word from Joey? Interestingly, the first time I remember hearing the word “abysmal” was in a case where it was being used incorrectly. While everyone is reading a terrible review of Monica’s restaurant in the newspaper, Joey comments that among all the negative reviews he’s ever received on his acting, he distinctly remembers his first positive one. However, he quickly makes it clear that he has no idea what the critic meant by “abysmal”, for the comment he thinks is that his performance was the best thing in the play is actually that it was the worst.

Anything considered “abysmal” is awful or of extremely poor quality. This informal word dates back to the early 19th century as the adjective form of the noun “abysm”, a literary term for “abyss”. The latter word comes from the Latin noun abyssus “bottomless pit”, which in turn is derived from the Greek adjective abussos, meaning “bottomless” or “without depth”.

Aside from its common meaning, “abysmal” can also be used as a literary term for “very deep”. This definition is relatively rare in modern use, though, so you may not see it much in this sense except in very specific contexts, such as in poetry about the sea. In any case, it’s safe to assume that whatever is described as “abysmal” is being portrayed in a negative light, so be sure to keep that in mind the next time you need to define something horrible in your stories. The important thing is that your readers don’t consider your work itself “abysmal”! Good luck!

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