I bought a MacBook last Monday, and have spent the past week exploring its many awesome features. The dictionary application is one of my favorites by far, because when I start typing in letters it pulls up hundreds of words that were either previously unknown or unappreciated. Here are a few:
billet-doux |ˈbilā ˈdoō; ˈbēyā-|
noun ( pl. billets-doux pronunc. same or |-ˈdoōz|) dated or humorous
a love letter.
ORIGIN late 17th cent.: French, literally ‘sweet note.’
pulchritude |ˈpəlkrəˌt(y)oōd|
noun poetic/literary
beauty.
DERIVATIVES
pulchritudinous |ˌpəlkrəˈt(y)oōdn-əs| adjective
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin pulchritudo, from pulcher, pulchr- ‘beautiful.’
Deo volente |ˈdāō vəˈlentē|
adverb
God willing; if nothing prevents it.
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: Latin.v
bereave |biˈrēv|
verb ( be bereaved)
be deprived of a loved one through ade profound absence, esp. due to the loved one's death : the year after they had been bereaved | [as adj. ] ( bereaved) bereaved families | [as plural n. ] ( the bereaved) those who counsel the bereaved.
DERIVATIVES
bereavement noun
ORIGIN Old English berēafian (see be- , reave ). The original sense was [deprive of] in general.
Oh, the dictionary also identifies various people, places, and objects as well... Pretty exciting!
Tocqueville |ˈtōkˌvil|
Tocqueville, Alexis de, (1805–59) French politician and historian; full name Alexis Charles Henri Maurice Clérel de Tocqueville. He is best known for his classic work of political analysis, Democracy in America (1835–40), which he wrote after a visit to the U.S. to study the American penal system.
Grant 1 |grant|
Grant, Cary (1904–86), U.S. actor; born in Britain; born Alexander Archibald Leach. He made his Hollywood screen debut in This Is the Night (1932) after appearing in Broadway musicals. He acted in more than 70 movies usually as the debonair male lead, including Holiday (1938) and The Philadelphia Story (1940).
Veda |ˈvādə; ˈvēdə|
noun [treated as sing. or pl. ]
the most ancient Hindu scriptures, written in early Sanskrit and containing hymns, philosophy, and guidance on ritual for the priests of Vedic religion. Believed to have been directly revealed to seers among the early Aryans in India, and preserved by oral tradition, the four chief collections are the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda.
ORIGIN Sanskrit, literally ‘(sacred) knowledge.’
Mohammed
noun
variant spelling of Muhammad 1 .
Muhammad 1 |moŏˈhäməd; -ˈham-; -ˈ kh äm-; mō-| (also Mohammed)
( c. 570–632), Arab prophet and founder of Islam. In c. 610, in Mecca, he received the first of a series of revelations that, as the Koran, became the doctrinal and legislative basis of Islam. In the face of opposition to his preaching, he and his small group of supporters were forced to flee to Medina in 622 (the Hegira). Muhammad led his followers into a series of battles against the Meccans. In 630, Mecca capitulated and by his death Muhammad had united most of Arabia.
Hepburn 1 |ˈhepˌbərn|
Hepburn, Audrey (1929–93), U.S. actress; born in Belgium; born Edda Kathleen van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston. After pursuing a career as a stage and movie actress in Britain, she moved to
Hollywood, where she starred in such movies as Roman Holiday (1953), for which she won an Academy Award; Sabrina (1954); Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961); and My Fair Lady (1964).
Farsi |ˈfärsē|
noun
the modern Persian language that is the official language of Iran.
ORIGIN from Arabic fārsī, from Fārs, from Persian Pārs ‘Persia.’ Compare with Parsee .
Samarkand |ˈsamərˌkand; səmərˈkänt| (also Samarqand)
a city in eastern Uzbekistan; pop. 370,000. One of the oldest cities in Asia, it was founded in the 3rd or 4th millennium bc. It was a prosperous center on the Silk Road and, in the 14th century, became the capital of Tamerlane's Mongol empire.
And so, I shall explain why I loved stumbling upon these definitions/identifications.
billet-doux: I like this word because I think it's so silly and cute... Definitely an adorable French word that I think should be used all the time. The billet-doux should be used more often between people who love each other.
pulchritude: I had no clue what this word meant until Saturday. But I heard it from a boy (actually A from the post below) on Thursday... It means beauty, and I can't quite remember what context he used it in but now I'm really wondering. What a disguise; it's not such a beautiful sound but the meaning is revealed and voil
à, it's romantic and spectacular.
Deo volente: "God willing." I think it's interesting how so much European culture revolves around God. Since I love Europe and the people who live there, I just love the power of this phrase.
bereave: This word reminds me of a beaver because of its spelling. Obviously, the meaning is considerably different. The idea of being deprived of love is pretty scary to me, and I hope that if I ever experience it I can survive it.
Tocqueville: Just learned about him in my AP United States History course. I love that his views of America show the country through a completely different lens, not only because of the time period but because of the natural comparisons he made between his own country and mine.
Cary Grant: Most beautiful man alive (or dead)?
Veda: I learned about the Vedas of Hinduism last year in AP World History. They're fascinating because they provided knowledge, hymns, etc. to the people of the area.
Muhammed: A few months ago, I discovered that this is the most common name in the world. I was astounded! And everyone that I told already knew. Looked up Muhammed because my/my brother's dear friend Julie, who goes to Brown, has the last name Mohamed. I look up to her more than she knows.
Hepburn: I've never been obsessed with Audrey Hepburn. However, I'd like to be. My Fair Lady is incredible.
Farsi: In the eighth grade, my vocation was to: marry a charming British man, gain dual citizenship, and be an agent for both MI6 & the CIA. Not sure that'll work out, but I really wanted to learn Farsi (thought I have yet to do so). I'm feeling a job in Communications now (journalist, executive producer).
Samarkand: Like the Vedas, I learned about Samarkand in AP World History last year. However, until reading the definition I didn't really care about the civilization. Now I do!
I just love words
