Four years ago, Jan gave me a word calendar. I love words and
enjoy learning new words. I wasn’t sure what I would do with these new words in
the calendar. I will admit I never used the words in an email or in conversation.
I am a bit of a ‘pack rat’ and I saved the calendar just in case I would
someday need it. That was in my pre-blogging days. When I write blog posts, I
need every bit of help I can find, and was delighted to find my 2008 word
calendar.
I would like to share
some of these wonderful words with you:
1. Hypocorism
Sentence When I was a little girl, my brothers
called me by the hypocorism Sissy.
Definition Hypocorism comes from the Greek word,
hypokorisma, meaning pet names.
2. Millefleur
Sentence A sixteenth century Flemish millefleur unicorn tapestry hangs in
London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
Definition Millefleur came from French into English in the
18th century, meaning a pattern or background of many small flowers and plants.
3. Officinal
Sentence The officinal properties of a recently discovered plant are still being
studied.
Definition Officinal was derived from the Medieval Latin
noun officiana, which means “workshop.” Officinal describes drugs, chemicals,
and medicinal preparations. It is used mostly in the pharmaceutical field.
Now, don’t you feel
smarter?
By Lois Jamieson
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