WordWatch on radio, and sesquipedalian
On 5 April 2005, I wrote about how radio (star) in my house was not killed by video (as in the Buggles' song).
My human and I love listening to the item in the morning called WordWatch. Everyday, Mr Kel Richards explains the etymology of an interesting word.
One of my human's favourites is sesquipedalian. This is what Mr Kel Richards said back in June 2002 (yes my human kept it):
Sesquipedalian means "a word of many syllables". The "pedal" part of this word refers to a "foot" - as in your "pedal extremities". And the "sesqui" prefix basically means "one and a half". (For that reason a "sesquicentenary" is 150 years - that is, one and a half centuries.) Put those ideas together of "feet" and "one and half" - and sesquipedalian is saying that words of many syllables are words that are "one and a half feet long".
The expression seems to have been coined by the Roman poet Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus 65 BC - 8 BC). He coined the expression "sesquipedalia verba" - literally "words a foot and a half long". Interestingly, in the 18th century sesquipedalian was used to mean a measurement of half a yard in height or length. Arbuthnot (writing in 1714) compares the tall Ethiopian with the "sesquipedalian pigmy".
Today the word has reverted from general measurement to a description of language. So, if someone accuses you of having swallowed a dictionary, they are saying that your language tends to be sesquipedalian.
My human told me that the reason why he remembers this word is that one of his teachers in (junior) high school accused him of it in one of his school report cards (assessments).
ABC NewsRadio: WordWatch
(WordWatch is on a few times, earlier than 08.29)
* Please visit Cooper and Camilla who are good at finding out about things and sharing it with us.
........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo........
Nothing to report today. I had cooked chicken again for dinner. I also have to get used to being left alone during the day again.
Tonight is also the alien abduction night on tv. We'll have to tape Taken as this finishes way past my human's bedtime.
keisercat@wildmail.com
My human and I love listening to the item in the morning called WordWatch. Everyday, Mr Kel Richards explains the etymology of an interesting word.
One of my human's favourites is sesquipedalian. This is what Mr Kel Richards said back in June 2002 (yes my human kept it):
Sesquipedalian means "a word of many syllables". The "pedal" part of this word refers to a "foot" - as in your "pedal extremities". And the "sesqui" prefix basically means "one and a half". (For that reason a "sesquicentenary" is 150 years - that is, one and a half centuries.) Put those ideas together of "feet" and "one and half" - and sesquipedalian is saying that words of many syllables are words that are "one and a half feet long".
The expression seems to have been coined by the Roman poet Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus 65 BC - 8 BC). He coined the expression "sesquipedalia verba" - literally "words a foot and a half long". Interestingly, in the 18th century sesquipedalian was used to mean a measurement of half a yard in height or length. Arbuthnot (writing in 1714) compares the tall Ethiopian with the "sesquipedalian pigmy".
Today the word has reverted from general measurement to a description of language. So, if someone accuses you of having swallowed a dictionary, they are saying that your language tends to be sesquipedalian.
My human told me that the reason why he remembers this word is that one of his teachers in (junior) high school accused him of it in one of his school report cards (assessments).
ABC NewsRadio: WordWatch
(WordWatch is on a few times, earlier than 08.29)
* Please visit Cooper and Camilla who are good at finding out about things and sharing it with us.
........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo........
Nothing to report today. I had cooked chicken again for dinner. I also have to get used to being left alone during the day again.
Tonight is also the alien abduction night on tv. We'll have to tape Taken as this finishes way past my human's bedtime.
keisercat@wildmail.com
posted by Keiser at 20:30
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