sciolist (SAI-uh-list) noun One who engages in a pretentious display of superficial knowledge. From Late Latin sciolus (smatterer), diminutive of Latin scius (know- ing), from scire (to know). Another example of this type of word formation is the name of the bird oriole, which is derived from the diminutive form of Latin aureus (golden). ● “[A] still greater diffusion of literature shall produce an increase of sciolists.” —Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Biographia Literaria 146 ANOTHER WORD A DAY Perfect love is rare indeed—for to be a lover will require that you continually have the subtlety of the very wise, the flexibility of the child, the sensitivity of the artist, the understanding of the philosopher, the acceptance of the saint, the tolerance of the scholar and the fortitude of the certain. — LEO BUSCAGLIA, author, speaker, and professor (1924–1998) cmp04.qxd 7/21/05 12:27 PM Page 146 W e all collected stamps or something else as children. There are collectors for almost everything under the sun (as a quick peek at eBay would show),and there are specific words for many of these forms of collecting: coins (numismatics), autographs (philog- raphy), matchbox covers (phillumeny), you name it. Do you have a hobby of collecting something unusual? In this chapter we collect some of the words to describe these pursuits. scripophily (skri-POF-uh-lee) noun The hobby of collecting historic stock and bond certificates. Also, such a collection. From scrip, short for subscription + Greek -phily (love). ● “A sought-after category right now is Confederate bonds, many of which were sold in Britain. Keith Hollender, a Lon- don-based scripophily specialist with Herzog Hollender Phillips & Co., said British clothing makers purchased them because they needed the American South’s cotton.” —International Herald Tribune 147 CHAPTER 35 Words about Collecting and the Study of Things cmp04.qxd 7/21/05 12:27 PM Page 147 deltiology (del-tee-OL-uh-jee) noun The study or collecting of postcards. From Greek deltion, diminutive of deltos (writing tablet) + -logy. ● “[David] Brown, founder of the Institute of Deltiology, 300 W. Main Ave., has one of the largest postcard collections in North America.” —Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot-News exonumia (ek-suh-NOO-mee-uh, -NYOO-) noun Objects that resemble money but do not circulate as does coin or paper money. For example, tokens, coupons, medals, etc. From Greek exo- (outside) + num (as in numismatic:related to currency). ● “Objects such as savings bonds, gas-ration coupons and meat- and butter-ration coupons are indeed collectible I have seen coin dealers, primarily at shows, handle exonumia on these and other subjects.” —Los Angeles Times 148 ANOTHER WORD A DAY Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race. —H. G.W ELLS, author (1866–1946) Post Age I have been collecting postcards for about twenty years now. My collection has suffered, though, since the advent of e-mail. Alas! —Laura A. Fernandez, Niedergladbach, Germany I’m so glad that my passion for postcards from all over the world is much more than a simple “phily” and has the status of a “logy!” It’s a boost to my ego. —Camila Falco, Buenos Aires,Argentina cmp04.qxd 7/21/05 12:27 PM Page 148 notaphily (noh-TAF-uh-lee) noun The collecting of paper currency as a hobby. From Latin nota (note) + Greek -phily (love). ● “A sister branch of numismatics is notaphily viz. the collection and study of paper currency.” —The Hindu (Chennai, India) vexillology (vek-si-LOL-uh-jee) noun The study of flags. From Latin vexillum (flag), diminutive of velum (covering) + -logy. Can you identify three words that are related to this word in the following sentence? “The bride removed the voile veil to reveal her lovely face.” The words are voile, veil, and reveal, all of which are descendants of Latin velum and involve the idea of cov- ering (or uncovering, in the case of “reveal”). WORDS ABOUT COLLECTING AND THE STUDY OF THINGS 149 Impiety, n.Your irreverence toward my deity. — AMBROSE BIERCE, author (1842?–1914) What Do You Call a Collection of Collectors? I know people who collect those little stickers that often are adhered to fresh fruits and vegetables. —Tom Jennings,Washington, D.C. When I was growing up, the fellow who lived next door to me collected motion sickness bags from different airlines. The key criteria was that they had to contain the logo of the airline. —Paul Edwards, Melbourne,Australia I collect dryer lint and probably have more than anybody. —Eddie Floyd,Waynesboro,Virginia I collect doorstops and antique dental floss containers. —Gary Roma, Boston, Massachusetts For many years, I have collected Koshin monkeys—Hear No-, Speak No-, See-No-Evil. —Christine Cole, Mount Dora, Florida cmp04.qxd 7/21/05 12:27 PM Page 149 M y grandfather was a lawyer. When he and my grandmother had a little tiff, she would sometimes say,“Go tell your lies in the court.”They would soon make up, but being on the receiving end of a statement like that is perhaps an occupational hazard for any married lawyer. The reputation lawyers have for fine analysis of words, how- ever, is well-deserved. The outcome of a case often depends on the precise meaning of a single word, so it’s no wonder that lawyers are deeply interested in language. Several famous novelists and authors of books on language usage began their careers as lawyers. When we think of lawyers, we think of dense legalese, but they are not without humor; visit the Web site http://ppbfh.com to see for yourself. Let’s review a few terms from the world of law. voir dire (vwar-DEER) noun The preliminary examination of prospective witnesses or jurors to determine their competence. Also, the oath administered for this purpose. From Old French, from voir (true) + dire (to speak). 150 CHAPTER 36 Words from the World of Law II cmp04.qxd 7/21/05 12:27 PM Page 150 ● “Even jury duty in Los Angeles is glamorous. During jury selection at the shoplifting trial of actress Winona Ryder, at least half a dozen people connected to the film industry went through voir dire. At the end of the process, Peter Guber, for- mer chairman of Sony Pictures, ended up being impaneled. Guber revealed that while he was head of the studio, his com- pany made a film with Ryder, but after promising he could be objective, he was selected to serve.” —Time en banc (ahn-BAHNK) adjective, adverb Having all the judges of a court present in a hearing. From French, literally, at the bench. ● “The Seattle School District plans to ask the court for an en banc rehearing of the case by 11 appellate judges.” —Seattle Times parol (puh-ROL) noun A spoken statement. adjective Expressed orally. From Middle English parole,from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin paraula,from paravola,from Latin parabola,from Greek parabole,from para- (beside) + bole (throwing), from ballein (to throw). The word parol is often mistakenly used in the sense of parole. WORDS FROM THE WORLD OF LAW II 151 A bit beyond perception’s reach / I sometimes believe I see / that life is two locked boxes / each containing the other’s key. — PIET HEIN, poet and scientist (1905–1996) Judge Mint This should not be confused with en banque, meaning that you have all the judges “in the bank,” that is,you’ve paid them to be on your side! —E. Mahoney, Fort Lauderdale, Florida cmp04.qxd 7/21/05 12:27 PM Page 151 Both are legal terms.The former is derived from the latter,but parole has a more specific meaning.When a prisoner is released on parole, he is literally being let go on his word of honor (parole d’honneur). ● “The Appellate Court went on to say that ‘. . . in general title to real estate cannot be transferred by parol but can only be transferred by a writing.’” —Water Engineering & Management depone (di-POHN) verb tr., intr. To declare under oath. From Medieval Latin deponere (to testify), from Latin (to put down), from de- + ponere (to put). The word depone is often used in another form (depose). But the noun form of the word is clear:deponent. ● “Byamugisha dismissed Besigye’s reasons proving he is AIDS- free on the basis that he has never broken down or been bed- ridden, with a reference to an affidavit deponed by Maj. Rubaramira Ruranga to the general effect that he has managed to live a normal life for 16 years.” —The Monitor (Kampala, Uganda) distrain (di-STRAYN) verb tr., intr To seize property in order to force payment for dam- ages, debt, etc. From Middle English distreinen,from Old French destreindre,from Latin distringere, (to draw asunder), from dis- (apart) + stringere (to draw tight). Some other words that derive from the same root are strain, strict, stringent, constrain, and restrict. ● “The bailiffs, who distrained the property of Most-Bank on Wednesday, violated the law, which has allowed bank managers to launch a counterattack against them.” —The Moscow Times 152 ANOTHER WORD A DAY Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is . . . impossible. — RICHARD BACH, author (1936–) cmp04.qxd 7/21/05 12:27 PM Page 152 A fter the 2003 U.S. attack on Iraq, when anti-French sentiment ran high in the United States, I received this note from a reader:“I propose you no longer feature words which have a base or stem from the French language.” During such times, it’s understandable why someone would say that, why U.S. lawmakers would rename French fries and French toast on their cafeteria menus. Or why some German professors think they need to exclude English terms from their vocabulary.This is not the first time linguistic revisionism has been attempted. Dur- ing World War I, some people in the United States tried to rename sauerkraut “liberty cabbage,” for example. But we’re all so intercon- nected, as are our languages, that such attempts quickly fall flat. “Freedom fries,” they say? Well,there’s still some French remain- ing, as the word fry comes from Old French frire. “Freedom toast”? What about toast, which comes from Middle French toster. Think- ing along these lines,we may even have to rename the United States (the word state comes from Old French estat). Estimates vary, but at least one-quarter of words in the English language have a French influence. In the line that the above-mentioned reader sent us, at least four words have French connections (propose,feature, base, and language). A language isn’t owned by a country. French belongs as 153 CHAPTER 37 Words Derived from Other Languages cmp04.qxd 7/21/05 12:27 PM Page 153 much to the Senegalese or Canadians or anyone else who speaks it as it does to France. To celebrate the diversity of the English language,in this chap- ter we look at five words that have come into English from five different languages. sangfroid (san-FRWA), also sang-froid noun Calmness, especially under stress. From French sang-froid (literally, cold blood). ● “Lemony Snicket’s approach is wholly different, featuring the offhand sang-froid of a standup comedian.” —The Horn Book dragoman (DRAG-uh-man), plural dragomans or dragomen noun An interpreter or guide. The word took a scenic route to its present form via French, Ital- ian,and medieval Latin/Greek, from Arabic tarjuman,from Aramaic turgemana,from Akkadian targumanu (interpreter). ● “Soon, [Art] Buchwald set himself up as the laughing drago- man to American celebrities. The foster home boy became Our Man in Paris. He took Elvis Presley to the Lido.” —Time hinterland (HIN-tuhr-land) noun 1. An area behind the coastal region. 2. The remote part of a region, away from the cultural influence of a city; back country. From German hinterland,from hinter (hinder, behind) + land (land). ● “Though some Singapore developers are making money in China’s real estate market, Singapore can’t rely on a vast Chinese hinterland for future markets and growth.” —Far Eastern Economic Review 154 ANOTHER WORD A DAY Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning. — IGOR STRAVINSKY, composer (1882–1971) cmp04.qxd 7/21/05 12:27 PM Page 154 apparat (ap-uh-RAT, ah-puh-RAT) noun The structure, mechanism, etc. of an organization,especially a political one. From Russian apparat,from German, from Latin apparatus (equipment). ● “That seemed destined to change after the Second Vatican Council of 1962–65, which relaxed the grip of the papal appa- rat and elevated the importance of individual conscience.” —New York Times Blighty (BLY-tee), also blighty noun 1. England as one’s home. 2. Military leave. 3.Wounds that secure a soldier his return home. From Hindi vilayati (foreign, European), from vilayet (foreign country), from Arabic wilaya (province). ● “Parents in Blighty have complained a TV ad showing electric eels slithering out of taps and toilets is making their kids afraid to go to the bathroom.” —Edmonton Sun (Canada) WORDS DERIVED FROM OTHER LANGUAGES 155 One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important. — BERTRAND RUSSELL, philosopher, mathematician, author, and Nobel laureate (1872–1970) There Is More to Life There’s a new meaning of “hinterland” that is gaining cur- rency. It’s being used a lot in the UK to describe politicians and other determinedly career-oriented persons who have a wide scope of interests outside their direct careers (as opposed to those who are too single-minded for their own good). Introduced by British politician Denis Healey a couple of decades ago, it’s in occasional use in the Kingdom these days. —Andrew Denny, Norfolk, United Kingdom cmp04.qxd 7/21/05 12:27 PM Page 155 . 12:27 PM Page 154 apparat (ap-uh-RAT, ah-puh-RAT) noun The structure, mechanism, etc. of an organization,especially a political one. From Russian apparat,from German, from Latin apparatus (equipment). ●. affidavit deponed by Maj. Rubaramira Ruranga to the general effect that he has managed to live a normal life for 16 years.” —The Monitor (Kampala, Uganda) distrain (di-STRAYN) verb tr., intr To. receiving end of a statement like that is perhaps an occupational hazard for any married lawyer. The reputation lawyers have for fine analysis of words, how- ever, is well-deserved. The outcome of a case often