The Dictionary and Me: I love Words

Follow me, as I wander through my dictionary and offer up to you words just happened to catch my fancy. Of course I have no words in mind at this moment, but I will have once I start clicking on my KIndle dictionary or browse through The Origins of Words. The idea is to see what each has to say for itself as it passes through my fingers. (Should I have said Me and the dictionary? Or should I say, The dictionary and I? Or should I just stop nit-picking about good grammar and just enjoy the words? )

Silly and time wasting? Of course, but Isn't it fun? It will be even more fun when the feedback comes in with more interesting and unusual words. All words are welcome as long as they aren't malicious or are ones that polite individuals would not utter.

Circumnavigate begins the tour! What's so unusual about this verb? It brings up the idea of going all round something and then back again. Well that about what the Kindle Dictionary says "sail all the way around (something, esp. the world)". Would the lexicographers have known that if Magellan had not sailed around the world? I doubt it.

In the context I'm using here is I'm circumnavigating the world of words and its so much safer than actually getting into a wobbly and untrustworthy ship with an unappreciative rebellious crew and sailing around the world. That's what Magellan did. Lets get off that rickety boat and land land on solid ground. I'm getting a little seasick from all that splashing around.

Gaggle is up next. It's a Middle English word, and means a gaggle of geese or at least a gaggle of noisy somethings. In other words it sound like what geese do when they're disturbed. (It is not something that we gaggle on. When we do that we only gag.)

We can babble on though and we will next playtime up. (Or better still, suggest your own word and thoughts about it in the comment section and I will add it in the next paragraph along with your name. Game time is more when it's done with others.) Did I spell that sound alike word right? It looks a little wierd.

Amazing is the word of the day for October 28, 2010. I stayed around Hubpages longer today and instead of building another hub, read some amazing hub by others. A talented bunch of writers can certainly amaze and wow readers.

My hubs relate to writing, living life fully and have been somewhat thrown together, but I have been inspired and amazed by the efforts of others.

ZigZag is a likable word and you can almost see the two Zs doing almost that, zigzagging. And to prove I like that word it took me several clicking on my Kindle before the dictionary landed on that word. And it was found not in the Z section but as a descriptive word elsewhere. It makes you think of Zumba, and possibly that's the fascination it holds for me. Without even looking further I know that Zig Zag means first this way and then that way. Put to music it's easy to see how fascinating that is.

Incredible is the word of choice when I read Hubs dedicated to other people. Learning to appreciate others is something that must be learned, it just doesn't happen. How to do that? Just type in a descriptive work in Hub's box and watch how incredibly fast your taken to Hubs of delightful reading.

Faille has always fascinated me as a word and as a fabric. It sounds like file, cabinet for holding alphabetical information or a tool for filing nails, or rough edges, but it's spelling has fabrics. And as fabric it rustles and makes sounds, it's a type of taffeta, but it has shimmering lines and other visual delights.

Persistence is necessary if anything is to be accomplished. You must go back day after day and add a little more to the work started. Mistakes may have been made and these will be corrected to the best of one's ability. This word although tenacious is not hard headed. In other words a persistent person may or may not be obstinate and hard to get along with, but if there are wise, they will be teachable. They won't know it all thus having no need for further learning.

Baffled are we when unknown theories and suggestions float our way, or are thrown in our directon. To manage we either flip the page to the familiar and rid our minds of whatever disturbs. But isn't it great to once in a while linger over the different, the unusual, the uncalled for? How might this word be used in a sentence without it stumbling all over the place making it's self the laughing stock of the dictionary?

That might be nigh impossible if its one of those archaic words that's been long forgotten. Research the word and discover it's heyday might prove an interesting jaunt backward into antiquity. (When I find post that interesting old-timer I will present it here, I promise.)

Frugal comes to mind now that Christmas is now over and thoughts of bills rolling in occupies part of the brain functions. Suddenly we start smoothing out used wrapping paper and saving ribbon and planning on using them for next year. We begin to thaw out left-overs from Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts instead of buying more food. Frugal is a good word to become acquainted with all during the year, however. It means going a step or two beyond budgeting. It means getting our money's worth on our purchases and buying only what's needed. Here's to a frugal New Year for 2012.

January means plain old cold weather. I don't have to consult the dictionary, I just look out the window and see people rushing by hurriedly with overcoats, scarfs and mittens. What I find interesting it that January is named for a mythological Janus that looked backward and forward at the same time. How did he do it? He had two faces, each one facing in different directions.

Until I turn the next page. . .