What word did you just look up?

Debio · Feb 20, 2014

ShaunHorton said:
So, several times the past few months, I've caught myself trying to use words in my writing that I didn't actually know the meaning to. I thought it might be fun/informative/helpful for us to list those words. So, the question is, what word did you last have to look up?

Thrum

1. Noun. A continuous, rhythmic, humming sound.

2. Verb. Make a continuous, rhythmic, humming sound.

Weird. I just looked this word up a few days ago. I was looking for a word for the sound that a steady, heavy rain makes on the roof.

robjvargas · Feb 20, 2014

Debio said:
Weird. I just looked this word up a few days ago. I was looking for a word for the sound that a steady, heavy rain makes on the roof.

Patter, if you still need one. See the last definition. Google's definition works, too.

triceretops · Feb 20, 2014

just checked out "neuropsychologist." It was related to a brain injury article I was doing.

tri

ShaunHorton · Feb 20, 2014

Tonight's word:

Stoic

1. A person that can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining.

2. A member of the ancient philosophical school of Stoicism.

Huh, not what I was expecting considering some of the ways I've seen it used. (As well as how I was trying to use it.)

Ken · Feb 21, 2014

"Canst." It is a word according to MS Word's spell check. As to the definition that'll have to wait. Canst wasn't in my dictionary. I'm hoping it is an antiquated version of "can."

While on the page in my dictionary I made use of the opportunity to check out the meaning of "careen" which was only two pages away. Now I get the joke.

Albedo said:
I'm always getting confused between the verbs 'career' and 'careen'.

Jamesaritchie said:
For writers, they're the same thing.

:-D

Jamesaritchie · Feb 21, 2014

Debio said:
Weird. I just looked this word up a few days ago. I was looking for a word for the sound that a steady, heavy rain makes on the roof.

I don't think I've ever heard the word "thrum", but I have seen thrummed and thrumming many times.

Jamesaritchie · Feb 21, 2014

robjvargas said:
Patter, if you still need one. See the last definition. Google's definition works, too.

Patter is the more common word, but thrum, thrummed or thrumming all work, too.

Debio · Feb 21, 2014

Jamesaritchie said:
Patter is the more common word, but thrum, thrummed or thrumming all work, too.

Patter does work. That is what I used the first time. But I wanted something that had a deeper, more intense sound to it. It's for that really heavy rain that comes just before the storm hits in force.

I wish everyone in the world held the same emotional and/or sensory images about particular words that I do. This writing thing would be so much easier. :tongue

This is why I use my thesaurus. It reminds me of all the cool words that aren't at the tip of my tongue.

benbenberi · Feb 21, 2014

Ken said:
"Canst." It is a word according to MS Word's spell check. As to the definition that'll have to wait. Canst wasn't in my dictionary. I'm hoping it is an antiquated version of "can."

2nd person singular. Thou canst use it to thy heart's content, if thou art among thy friends and it pleaseth thee to speak thus informally.

Ken · Feb 21, 2014

benbenberi said:
2nd person singular. Thou canst use it to thy heart's content, if thou art among thy friends and it pleaseth thee to speak thus informally.

Thnx.
So I guess I wouldn't be able to use canst with "they?"
"They canst sing a tune together."
Is there a antiquated can that'd go with they?
(Not all that up on grammatical terminology.)

robjvargas · Feb 21, 2014

Jamesaritchie said:
I don't think I've ever heard the word "thrum", but I have seen thrummed and thrumming many times.

You need to see a movie called The Incredible Mr. Limpet.

It'll color your vision of Thrum forever.

Lauram6123 · Feb 21, 2014

Ken said:
Thnx.
So I guess I wouldn't be able to use canst with "they?"
"They canst sing a tune together."
Is there a antiquated can that'd go with they?
(Not all that up on grammatical terminology.)

Just copied this out of an internet verb conjugation site.

Present
I canst
you canst
he/she/it cansts
we canst
you canst
they canst

Here's the link
http://conjugator.reverso.net/conjugation-english-verb-canst.html

ShaunHorton · Feb 21, 2014

robjvargas said:
You need to see a movie called The Incredible Mr. Limpet.

It'll color your vision of Thrum forever.

Oh, damn, I can't believe I forgot that. I thought that movie was one of the creepiest things I'd ever seen.

Ken · Feb 22, 2014

Lauram6123 said:
they canst

Thnx.

You canst really supply useful info

BethS · Feb 22, 2014

robjvargas said:
You need to see a movie called The Incredible Mr. Limpet.

Oh my. Now there's a blast from the past. I loved that movie as a kid.

Nina Kaytel · Feb 22, 2014

Efficacious
It sounds so sexy when pronounced.

shakeysix · Feb 22, 2014

assure vs. ensure : I knew it but wanted to ensure that it was used correctly.

benbenberi · Feb 22, 2014

Lauram6123 said:
Just copied this out of an internet verb conjugation site.

Present
I canst
you canst
he/she/it cansts
we canst
you canst
they canst

Here's the link
http://conjugator.reverso.net/conjugation-english-verb-canst.html

No. WRONG. That would work if the verb was "canst", but it's not -- "canst" is the 2nd person singular of "can."

The correct conjugation is:
I can
Thou canst
He/she/it can
We can
You can
They can

In other words, "they canst" is a grammatical solecism. Use it only if you want people to laugh and point at your writing.

The thing that's confusing you is that the 2nd person singular dropped out of ordinary English usage in the 17th century. We don't grow up with "thou/thee/thy/thine" the way we do with "I/me/my/mine", so they get mixed up or used incorrectly. We don't hear the 2nd person singular verb forms, so they sound strange & we don't know what to do with them. They're no different from any other verb form, you just have to recognize them and understand when you need them and when you don't.

Jamesaritchie · Feb 23, 2014

benbenberi said:
No. WRONG. That would work if the verb was "canst", but it's not -- "canst" is the 2nd person singular of "can."

The correct conjugation is:
I can
Thou canst
He/she/it can
We can
You can
They can

In other words, "they canst" is a grammatical solecism. Use it only if you want people to laugh and point at your writing.

The thing that's confusing you is that the 2nd person singular dropped out of ordinary English usage in the 17th century. We don't grow up with "thou/thee/thy/thine" the way we do with "I/me/my/mine", so they get mixed up or used incorrectly. We don't hear the 2nd person singular verb forms, so they sound strange & we don't know what to do with them. They're no different from any other verb form, you just have to recognize them and understand when you need them and when you don't.

I wonder how many had to look up "solecism"?

Lauram6123 · Feb 23, 2014

benbenberi said:
No. WRONG. That would work if the verb was "canst", but it's not -- "canst" is the 2nd person singular of "can."

The correct conjugation is:
I can
Thou canst
He/she/it can
We can
You can
They can

In other words, "they canst" is a grammatical solecism. Use it only if you want people to laugh and point at your writing.

The thing that's confusing you is that the 2nd person singular dropped out of ordinary English usage in the 17th century. We don't grow up with "thou/thee/thy/thine" the way we do with "I/me/my/mine", so they get mixed up or used incorrectly. We don't hear the 2nd person singular verb forms, so they sound strange & we don't know what to do with them. They're no different from any other verb form, you just have to recognize them and understand when you need them and when you don't.

Thank you!

Ken, sorry to have steered you wrong!

Ken · Feb 23, 2014

Thanks for the update. No problem

(It just would've been an added plus. Nothing major.)

Jamesaritchie said:
I wonder how many had to look up "solecism"?

Not me to be sure. Nope. I am completely familiar with solecism. Know the definition thru and thru

lemonhead · Feb 23, 2014

backwater swamp

apparently it's just longhand for "bayou" (slow moving water off a lake or river, NOT a bay or other sea-water). So I used tidal.

kuwisdelu · Feb 23, 2014

The difference between 北東 and 東北.

In English, probably solecism.

Jett. · Feb 24, 2014

weeble

I guess it's better to image-google it...

benbenberi · Feb 24, 2014

Weebles wobble but they don't fall down!

What word did you just look up?

Debio

Back from the land of the dead.

robjvargas

triceretops

ShaunHorton

AW's resident Velociraptor

Ken

Jamesaritchie

Jamesaritchie

Debio

Back from the land of the dead.

benbenberi

practical experience, FTW

Ken

robjvargas

Lauram6123

ShaunHorton

AW's resident Velociraptor

Ken

BethS

Nina Kaytel

I spell Gray with an 'E''

shakeysix

blue eyed floozy

benbenberi

practical experience, FTW

Jamesaritchie

Lauram6123

Ken

lemonhead

Life isn't all beer and skittles.

kuwisdelu

Revolutionize the World

Jett.

House: RumNcoke; Sigil: Jelly Donut

benbenberi

practical experience, FTW