Words about Words

T
oday if you spell the word catalog instead of catalogue you
can thank an erudite but fun-loving man for saving the wear on
your fingers, not to mention saving on paper and those obscenely
expensive ink-jet printer cartridges. October 16 marks the birthday
of Noah Webster (1758–1843), who compiled the 1828 American
Dictionary of the English Language, the first authoritative lexicon of
American English.
Webster believed in establishing cultural independence from
Britain, including a distinct American spelling and pronunciation.
His dictionary listed various unusual and shortened spellings. He
never could have imagined how the tide would turn one day.
According to reports, more British and Australian children spell
color instead of colour, for example.Webster’s suggestion of using tung
instead of tongue didn’t stick, though. As he said,“The process of a
living language is like the motion of a broad river which flows with
a slow, silent, irresistible current.”
Webster’s name is now synonymous with dictionaries in the
United States, and the date of his birth is observed as Dictionary
Day. In his honor, this chapter explores words about words.
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CHAPTER 26
Words about Words
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hapax legomenon (HAY-paks li-GOM-uh-non),
plural hapax legomena
noun A word or form that has only one recorded use.
From Greek hapax (once) + legomenon,from legein (to say).
● “Linda Tripp, the faithless friend, says to Monica Lewinsky
about the President,‘Right now I think he’s a schwonk.’ This
qualifies as what biblical exegetes call a hapax legomenon, the

only known use in print, which makes it difficult to define.”
—New York Times
metaphor (MET-uh-for)
noun 1. A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that is not
literally applicable is used in place of another to suggest an analogy.
2. Something used to represent another; a symbol.
From Latin metaphora,from Greek metaphora, from metapherein (to
transfer), from pherein (to carry).
● “As any serious scholar of popular culture knows, God put the
lower primates on this planet for one purpose: to make people
look silly. And what a good job they do. When it comes to
metaphors for human folly, nothing beats a monkey.”
—To r onto Star
108
ANOTHER WORD A DAY
The beginnings and endings of all human undertakings are untidy.
—
J
OHN
G
ALSWORTHY
,author and Nobel laureate (1867–1933)
Hapax Legooglemenon
A recent variant on finding singularity in a large corpus,
namely the sport, pastime, and occasional obsession of
Googlewhacking. You challenge the awesome indexing
capabilities of Google.com to find that elusive query (two
words—no quotation marks) with a single, solitary result!
—Mike Pope, Seattle,Washington
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vulgate (VUL-GAYT)
noun 1. The everyday, informal speech of a people. 2. Any widely
accepted text of a work. 3. The Latin version of the Bible made by
Saint Jerome at the end of the fourth century.
From Late Latin vulgata editio (popular edition), past participle of
vulgare (to make public or common), from vulgus (the public).
● “
A failure to communicate. That phrase, which wormed its way
into the vulgate via the great Paul Newman movie,‘Cool Hand
Luke,’ perfectly describes some of the recent imbroglios in
which prominent public figures have lately found themselves.”
—Barron’s
hyperbole (hy-PUHR-buh-lee)
noun A figure of speech in which obvious exaggeration is used for
effect.
From Latin, from Greek hyperbole (excess), from hyperballein,from
hyper- (beyond) + ballein (to throw). When you employ hyperbole
in your discourse, you are doing what a devil does (to throw),
etymologically speaking. The word devil ultimately comes from
Greek diaballein (to throw across, slander). Some other words that
share the same root are ballistic, emblem, metabolism, parable, problem,
parabola, and symbol. What an unlikely bunch of words to claim the
same parentage!
● “He once made the mistake of pumping up the volume in a
letter sent to a university in Britain, where hyperbole is not the
norm. The student was excellent; he called her ‘outstanding.’
The next thing he knew, he was the one getting called—by the
search committee. They wanted to know if the letter had been
forged.”
—Australian (Sydney)

W ORDS ABOUT WORDS
109
A great war leaves the country with three armies—
an army of cripples, an army of mourners, and an army of thieves.
—
G
ERMAN PROVERB
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metaplasm (MET-uh-plaz-uhm)
noun A change in a word, for example by the addition, omission,
inversion, or transposition of its letters, syllables, or sounds.
From Middle English metaplasmus,from Latin, from Greek meta-
plasmos (remodeling), from metaplassein (to remold) from meta- +
plassein (to mold).
Metaplasm is a generic term for almost any kind of alteration in
a word. It can be intentional—to produce a poetic effect, to fit a
meter or rhyme. Or it can be unintentional—one we hear quite often
nowadays is “nucular” for “nuclear.” Some other examples are “rith-
metic” for “arithmetic,”“libary” for “library,”“sherbert” for “sherbet.”
● “It is a kind of metaplasm, in this case the addition of a medial
syllable, as in people who say ‘realator’ instead of ‘realtor.’”
—Chicago Sun-Times
110
ANOTHER WORD A DAY
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
—
A
RTHUR
C. C
LARKE

, science fiction author (1917–)
Hyper
In the book The Rest of Us,by Stephen Birmingham, which
chronicles the achievements in America of certain famous
Russian Jewish immigrants of the early twentieth century,
there is a story about Samuel Goldwyn of Goldwyn pictures.
Mr. Goldwyn had a notorious temper as well as a flair for
linguistic butchery that has come to be called Goldwynism
(e.g.,“Include me out”). One day he was ranting and raving
about an exaggerated claim made by his archrival, Louis B.
Mayer. Mayer had said that his studio, MGM, had more stars
than the sky. Goldwyn demanded to know if he could sue
Mayer for false advertising. One of his aides tried to calm him
down by telling him,“Don’t worry, boss; it’s just hyperbole.”
Mr. Goldwyn slammed his fist on his desk and shouted his
angry agreement:“That’s what he is, all right! A hyper bully!”
—Steve Benko, Southport, Connecticut
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Y
ou won’t find words like facilitate in many poems. While such
Latin words give a touch of formality to diction, words from
Old English (also known as Anglo-Saxon) convey a feeling of
directness. On one side we have polysyllabic Latinate terms and on
the other short, plain words that quickly get the idea across. Com-
pare the verbosity of interrogate with the brevity of ask. Or perspira-
tion versus sweat. This chapter features words from Old English.
meed (meed)
noun A reward, recompense, or wage.
From Middle English mede,from Old English med.
● “He saw that at once; he took that also as the meed due his oil

wells and his Yale nimbus, since three years at New Haven, lead-
ing no classes and winning no football games, had done noth-
ing to dispossess him of the belief that he was the natural prey
of all mothers of daughters.”
—William Faulkner, Collected Stories
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CHAPTER 27
Anglo-Saxon
Words
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fen (fen)
noun 1. Low land covered with water. 2. A marsh.
From Middle English, from Old English fen or fenn.
● “In the Netherlands, large tracts of former intensively culti-
vated arable land has been returned to fen.”
—Independent (London)
lief (leef)
adverb Willingly; gladly; readily.
adjective 1. Dear, beloved. 2. Willing.
From Old English leof.
● “Lord Salisbury would have as lief taken advice from his party
conference as from his valet.”
—Guardian (London)
fain (fayn)
adverb 1. Willingly; gladly. 2. Rather.
adjective 1. Pleased. 2. Obliged. 3. Eager.
From Middle English, from Old English faegen (glad).
● “For Europe was where they fain all would be.”
—Katherine Anne Porter, The Days Before
wight (wyt)

noun 1. A living being. 2. A supernatural being.
From Middle English, from Old English wiht.
adjective Strong and valiant, especially in war.
From Middle English, from Old Norse vigt.
112
ANOTHER WORD A DAY
People rarely win wars; governments rarely lose them.
—
A
RUNDHATI
R
OY
, author and activist (1961–)
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