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Seldom-Used Words

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AllardChardon said:
Another reeve for the mix. ...
Click to expand...

And another: Sheriff:

Usually the chief peace officer of a county.

The modern office of sheriff in the United States descends from a one-thousand-year-old English tradition: a "shire-reeve" (shire-keeper) is the oldest appointment of the English crown.
 
Thanks, Harold for the wonderful little piece of information that I will surely use in my old West tales. It does make perfect sense.

reechy - adj archaic FILTHY, RANCID
 

karōshi • n., 1. ( origin, Japanese ) working yourself to death, death caused by overwork or job-related exhaustion, ( 過労死 ) karōshi, which can be translated literally from Japanese as "death from overwork", is occupational sudden death;
2. Karoshi is an operating system designed for schools, it is a Linux distribution based on PCLinuxOS, itself based on Mandriva Linux.







Way back in the late '80s I stumbled across the Japanese word meaning "working yourself to death" and then— because I didn't write it down so I'd remember it— I promptly forgot it. In all the years since, I've been on the lookout for the word and I finally ran across it in a delightful book by Mark McCrum: Going Dutch in Beijing: How To Behave Properly When Far From Home.

I had no idea there was an operating system named after the phenomenon. The O.E.D. folk have given their blessing to the word as a member of the English language alongside kabuki and karaoke.





 
I am adding this one to remind myself to use it in my latest book soon;

redolent - adj 1. exuding fragrance; AROMATIC 2.a. full of specified fragrance; SCENTED b. EVOCATIVE, REMINISCENT
 

prodrome • n., in medicine, a prodrome is an early symptom (or set of symptoms) that might indicate the start of a disease before specific symptoms occur. Prodromes may be non-specific symptoms or, in a few instances, may clearly indicate a a particular disease, such as the prodromal migraine aura.






So, I'm playing in my normal Friday tennis foursome today and, at the end of the set, one of the regulars— a retired physician— beckons us to the net and says, "Before you touch your face or wipe your nose, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly. I had a little malaise and a mild headache last night and, while I don't know, it might have been a prodrome of a cold." The rest of us gave him a blank stare and I immediately blurted out, "What the hell does prodrome mean?"






 
I laughed until I cried over that last one, and it is not in my dictionary;

redivivus - adj brought back to life; REBORN
 
Weird Harold said:
And another: Sheriff:

Usually the chief peace officer of a county.

The modern office of sheriff in the United States descends from a one-thousand-year-old English tradition: a "shire-reeve" (shire-keeper) is the oldest appointment of the English crown.
Click to expand...

Even older than that Harold, In Anglo Saxon times he was the representitive of the crown responsible for the execution of the law. Old English from scir (shire) gerifa (reeve)
 
ishtat said:
Even older than that Harold, In Anglo Saxon times he was the representitive of the crown responsible for the execution of the law. Old English from scir (shire) gerifa (reeve)
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He was frequently the most over-worked official in English local government.

One of my relations by marriage was a Sheriff of the City of London - a ceremonial role but with considerable powers that are rarely used today.

Og
 
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Og, thank you for your kind attention to my English history education, I truly enjoy learning all I can. It is so American of me to think that our Old West Sheriffs were the originals. Does marshal have the same kind of legacy?

rede - verb 1. to give council to; ADVISE 2. INTERPRET, EXPLAIN
 
AllardChardon said:
Does marshal have the same kind of legacy?
Click to expand...

It is from a much more humble origin. :p

Marshal (also sometimes spelled marshall in American English[1][2], but not in British English) is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word derives from Old High German marah "horse" and schalh "servant",[3] and originally meant "stable keeper"[4]. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for the most elevated offices. The American English spelling of the surname ("Marshall") is often confused with the spelling of the title ("Marshal").

It is approximate to the position of Constable, of similar etymology, Latin comes stabuli (Count of the Stable).​


It has risen to more glorius heights than Sheriff, though:

In many countries, the rank of Marshal, i.e. Field Marshal, is the highest Army rank, outranking other general officers. Typically the equivalent navy rank is Admiral of the Fleet.

Marshals are typically appointed only in wartime (although this need not be the case). In many countries, especially in Europe, the special symbol of a Marshal is a baton, and so their insignia often incorporate batons.​

There's more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshal
 
AllardChardon said:
This must be related to reive;

reft - past of reave

reave - verb 1. archaic ROB, DESPOIL 2a. archaic to deprive of b. SEIZE 3. archaic to carry or tear away
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Root of Bereave

be·reave
   /bɪˈriv/ Show Spelled[bih-reev] Show IPA
–verb (used with object), -reaved or -reft, -reav·ing.
1.
to deprive and make desolate, especially by death (usually followed by of ): Illness bereaved them of their mother.
2.
to deprive ruthlessly or by force (usually followed by of ): The war bereaved them of their home.
3.
Obsolete . to take away by violence.
Use bereave in a Sentence
See images of bereave
Search bereave on the Web
Origin:
before 900; Middle English bereven, Old English berēafian; cognate with Dutch berooven, German berauben, Gothic biraubōn. See be-, reave1

—Related forms
be·reave·ment, noun
be·reav·er, noun
 
Thanks, Harold, for the explanation, once again, and everyone else who contributed today. My favorite Marshal happens to be Marshal Dillon on Gunsmoke with Miss Kitty having a major influence on my youthful psyche.

redargue - verb archaic CONFUTE, DISPROVE


P.S. Hi Jack Luis
 
trysail said:

karōshi • n., 1. ( origin, Japanese ) working yourself to death, death caused by overwork or job-related exhaustion, ( 過労死 ) karōshi, which can be translated literally from Japanese as "death from overwork", is occupational sudden death;
2. Karoshi is an operating system designed for schools, it is a Linux distribution based on PCLinuxOS, itself based on Mandriva Linux.




Not to be confused with koro, a medical condition in which the sufferer believes his penis is shrinking and being drawn into his body, leading to loss of vitality and life force, and ultimately death. Koro is generally considered a psychogenic condition (in the West, at least. Traditional Chinese medicine provides an etiology and a series of treatments for koro) and is associated with certain cultural groups, especially the Han Chinese, but it also appears in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia (possibly through Chinese influence) and to a lesser extent in India, Nepal, Jordan, Sudan, and West Africa. Individual cases have also been reported in France, the UK, Canada and the USA.

Women can also get koro as well, and in the female version, the labia and the nipples especially are perceived as being drawn into the body.

Quoting from Wikipedia:

Local official records indicate genital retraction endemics in Hainan Island and Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong, China, as early as the late 19th century. There were a series of epidemic outbursts in 1948, 1955, 1966, and 1974, whenever there was social tension or impending disaster, followed by the last widespread episode in 1984–1985 and a much smaller outbreak in 1987. The 1984–1985 epidemics lasted for over a year and affected over 3,000 persons in 16 cities and counties. A mental health campaign was conducted for the epidemic and since then no further episodes of the epidemic has occurred in China. Improvement in local economic conditions, associated with a better quality of life, is suggested to contribute to the fading of the episodic occurrences of koro.[6][18]

Southeast Asia

A koro epidemic struck Singapore in October 1967 for about ten days. Newspapers initially reported that some people developed koro after eating the meat of pigs inoculated with anti-swine-flu vaccine. Rumours relating eating pork and koro spread after a further report of an inoculated pig dying from penile retraction. The cases reported amounted to 97 in a single hospital unit within one day, at five days after the original news report. Government and medical officials alleviated the outbreak only by public announcements over television and in the newspapers.[33][34]

An epidemic outbreak in November 1976 in Northeast Thailand caused at least 350 cases, most of them Thai and males. Popular opinion and news media echoed the victims' projection of viewing the epidemic as caused by Vietnamese food and tobacco poisoning in a hideous assault against the Thai people.[3][35] Another large-scale epidemic in Thailand occurred in 1982.[3]

In 1982, a koro epidemic episode in Northeast India affected, in majority, poorly educated people from lower socio-economic strata. There was no evidence of significant premorbid or sexual psychopathology in most cases.[36]

Africa

Since late 1996, a small-scale epidemic of genital shrinking was reported in West African nations. Victims in the African outbreaks often interpreted the experience as genital theft, accusing someone with whom they had contact of "stealing" the organ and the spiritual essence, causing impotence. The perceived motive for theft was associated with local occult belief, the witchcraft of juju, to feed the spiritual agency or to hold the genital for ransom. Social representations about juju constitute consensual realities that propose both a means and motivation for genital-shrinking experience.[16] People suffering from Koro usually were found to be diabetic (Poll & Surveys made in DRC, Kinshasa in the 90s by Dr. Samir Mithai Patel & Prof. Vijay Kuthrapoli Vichhi).[Full citation needed]

The epidemic began in Nigeria and Cameroon, and spread to Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal by 1997.[16] Cases were reported in Cotonou, Benin where mobs attacked individuals accused of the penis theft and authorities ordered security forces to curb the violence, following the deaths of five people by vigilantes.[37] Later reports of outbreak suggest a spread beyond West Africa, including the coverage of episodes in Khartoum, Sudan in September 2003;[38] Banjul, Gambia in October 2003;[16] and Kinshasa, DR Congo in 2008.[39]

Comparing West African genital-shrinking epidemics with koro in Southeast Asia, the latter has symptoms emphasized on genital retraction (instead of shrinkage) and fear of death (which is absent in African cases).[16] A study analyzing the West African epidemics from 1997 to 2003 concluded that rather than psychopathology, the episodes were product of normal psychological functioning in undisturbed individuals, who were influenced by the local cultural models or social representations.[16]


I know it's a long-shot, but you have to wonder if maybe the name for the disease in which the genitals shrivel away to uselessness may have been borrowed to provide the root of the word for the loss of spirit caused by modern overwork.
Click to expand...
 
Paphian

This is a rare one, but it might be useful:

Pa·phian (pā′fē ən)

Adjective

1. (literary) Pertaining to love or sexual desire, especially when illicit.  
2. Of or relating to Paphos, the mythical birthplace of the goddess of love on the island of Cyprus.  

Noun

Paphian (plural Paphians)

1. (literary) A prostitute.
2. A resident of Paphos.

(From Wiktionary)


Which brings to mind a question: If the sexual, physical side of love is called erotic, what do you call the other, affectional, emotional side of love? Agapal?
 
Very thought-provoking entries you added, Doc. I had never heard of either one of them. The first was a fascinating read, especially the possible link to diabetes, and the second is a wonderful find, indeed. I will use it in Book Two, I am certain. I am a bit surprised that I am not more familiar with this next one, since I do so much of it;

redact - verb 1. to put in writing: FRAME 2. EDIT
 
AllardChardon said:
Og, thank you for your kind attention to my English history education, I truly enjoy learning all I can. It is so American of me to think that our Old West Sheriffs were the originals. Does marshal have the same kind of legacy?

rede - verb 1. to give council to; ADVISE 2. INTERPRET, EXPLAIN
Click to expand...

It's an inflection of read. Basically "to read to." To read is to counsel or seek advice. Hence, reading a disc in a computer.
 
These two were used often in days past;

recreant - adj 1. crying for mercy: COWARDLY 2. unfaithful to duty or allegiance

recreant - noun 1. COWARD 2. DESERTER, APOSTATE
 
Good morning, everyone. Here is the first entry for today;

recondite - adj 1. archaic hidden from sight: CONCEALED 2. incomprehensible to one's ordinary understanding or knowledge; DEEP 3. of, relating to, or dealing with something little known or obscure
 
The SUN is shining for a change. We must have gotten 10 inches of rain in the last three days.

reck - verb 1. WORRY, CARE 2. MATTER vt 1. to care for: REGARD 2. to matter to: CONCERN
 
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