Word of the Day

[Augustine2004]

cryptesthesia

a term in psychology denoting the various modes of supposed paranormal perception such as clairvoyance.


The professor planned his lecture on cryptesthesia, but many students in his class sensed his thoughts and played hooky.

[Augustine2004]

cryptomeria

essay: The tree Cryptomeria japonica is Japan's national tree. Called Sugi (杉) by the Japanese, the tree has needles and soft, durable, fragrant wood. It's not clear to me why "cryptomeria," which is Latin for "secret" and Greek for "part." There is an interesting story below.

---------- purloined from Wikipedia

Sargent (1894; The Forest Flora of Japan) recorded the instance of a daimyō (feudal lord) who was too poor to donate a stone lantern at the funeral of the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) at Nikkō Tōshō-gū, but requested instead to be allowed to plant an avenue of Sugi, "that future visitors might be protected from the heat of the sun". The offer was accepted; the avenue, which still exists, is over 65 km (40 mi) long, and "has not its equal in stately grandeur".

------- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptom...olism_and_uses

[Augustine2004]

cryptonym

essay: You might already have quickly sussed out the meaning of today's WotD, "A secret name." Likely you saw that it must be "crypto-", secret and "-nym, "name." A reason I made cryptonym today's WotD is that I wondered if it would be useful for some logins.

The professor read the screen: Your cryptonym: He glanced right to Anne and looked inquiringly at her.

Anne said, "Frankstein's Bride." With a ghost of a smile, the professor entered that in the cryptonym entry box.

[Augustine2004]

Cú Chulainn, Cú Chulaind or Cúchulainn

an Irish mythological hero who, at the age of seventeen, defended Ulster single-handedly against the armies of queen Medb of Connacht, as related in the epic áin Bó Cúailnge ("Cattle Raid of Cooley"). He is known as the Hound of Ulster.

The picture below depicts an earlier exploit by Cú Chulainn.
----------- purloined from Wikipedia
Cú Chulainn after slaying the Hound of Culain
(by Stephen Reid)

[Augustine2004]

Cukor, George Dewey

U.S. filmmaker who directed many of Hollywood's finest films, including My Fair Lady.


Cukor's career spanned 50 years, but he got only one Academy Award, for My Fair Lady. Clicking this https://www.google.com/search?q=my+f...w=1430&bih=774 will turn up many scenes and publicity pics from that movie.

[Augustine2004]

-cule

like -cle, suffix that indicates smallness; for example, molecule.


I can't think of a word that has -cule other than molecule. Maybe my brain is really a braincule.

[Augustine2004]

culet

the flat face of a gem cut as a brilliant.
One of the plates of medieval armor covering the back.


I thought today's WotD was an interesting word. First, it has two quite different meanings. Second, I tended to read culet as cutlet.

On checking the Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culet
I see that my dictionary's definition is misleading. The culet as used in gemology is really the bottom of many a gemstone. Some gemstones may be cut so that the bottom is pointed, somewhat like the business end of a pencil. A gemstone, on the other hand, may have the sharp point replaced by . . . you got it, the cutlet. I don't see a suitable diagram that shows the culet clearly, sorry.

Here's the wikipedia entry for the armor part http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culet_(armour).
________________
I should have suspected that there was only a minuscule chance of anyone coming up with a word not molecule that ended in -cule.

[Augustine2004]

Culloden Moor

The site of the Battle of Culloden, fought near the town of Culloden, Scotland, in 1746, between the Jacobite forces led by Charles Edward Stuart (the "Bonnie Prince Charlie" and the "Young Pretender") and the army led by the Duke of Cumberland. The Jacobites were routed, and afterwards the Scottish Highlands were subjected to savage repression. Cumberland was called the "Butcher." The British government passed laws to incorporate Scotland in Britain. The Wikipedia entry has much more information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Culloden

[Augustine2004]

cultigen
cultivar

essay: Today two related words are selected. Cultigen denotes an organism of a kind not known to have a wild or uncultivated counterpart. The second word cultivar denotes a horticulturally or agriculturally derived variety of a plant, as distinguished from a natural variety. It would seem that most cultivars are not cultigens, but I don't know.

[Augustine2004]

cum

together with; plus. Used in combination to indicate a dual nature or function: Rembrandt's attic-cum-studio.

I was surprised that cum is considered an English word. Sally's garden-cum-retreat was easily the most picturesque spot in the city.

[Augustine2004]

cumber

transitive: to weigh down or to hamper/obstruct.
Noun: a hinderance; an encumbrance.


What an economical word is cumber compared to hinderance and encumbrance! Weakened by the kryptonite of the pink color covered with blue polka dots, Superman found the Atlas statue to be a cumber.

[Augustine2004]

cumulo-, cumuli-, cumul-

essay: We should start with the description of a cumulus cloud: A dense, white, flat-based cloud with a multiple rounded top and a well-defined outline. There are many kinds of cloud with that prefix in their names. The illustration is an example out of many possible ones.
------ purloined from Wikipedia
cumulus humilis clouds

You may at least want to scroll through the Wikipedia cumulus entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumulus_cloud

[Augustine2004]

cunctation

delay; procrastination.


You can suss out what a cunctator is.

I made cunctation today's WotD, though you might never use it in the place of delay on a whimsy--I imagined some day one of you would want to be politic and use cunctation instead of procrastination.

Now are you not glad I am no cunctator, at least in keeping this thread up?

[Augustine2004]

cuneal
cuneate
cuneiform

wedge-shaped.


Most of you probably recognize the last word above. I did not know or I forgot that cuneiform means wedge-shaped, when it is not used to denote the wedge-shaped characters used in ancient Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian writing; documents, stone tablets, or inscriptions written or engraved in such characters; or (in anatomy) any of the three wedge-shaped bones in the tarsus of the foot. You notice that cuneal has fewer letters than cuneiform. I guess archaeologists were paid per letter (kidding!) [In case some of you were wondering whether I really remembered all those stuff: Yes, since just a few minutes ago. And, yes, I'll soon forget most of it.]