Seldom-used words - M to A

[AllardChardon]

Carlus, less-ose is so funny. Og, I always love to see Gilbert & Sullivan posted here, with a thanks to Naoko's slight mistake. Lemoncholy sounds like what a child might say inadvertently.

A little etymology on morose from the online dictionary, just for fun;

morose - adj 1530s "gloomy," from Latin morosus "morose, peevish, hypercritical, fastidious," from mos (genitive moris) "habit, custom" (see moral (adj.)). In English, manners by itself means "(good) manners," but here the implication in Latin is "(bad) manners." Related: Morosity.

My dictionary does not list morosity.

 

[Aynmair]

One of my absolute favorites:

idiosyncrasy

From Dictionary.com
1. a characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual

2. the physical constitution peculiar to an individual

3. a peculiarity of the physical or the mental constitution, especially susceptibility toward drugs, food. etc.

From Merriam-Webster:

1. a peculiarity of constitution or temperament: an individualizing characteristic or quality

2. characteristic peculiarity (as of temperament); broadly eccentricity


Google lists the following as synonyms, many of which I find particularly appropriate for here: peculiarity, oddity, eccentricity, trait, singularity, quirk, tic, whim, vagary, caprice, kink

Sentence: S/he had one or two..hundred ... idiosyncrasies.

 

[NaokoSmith]

The collective noun: a murmuration of starlings.

 

[AllardChardon]

Welcome, Aynmair, that is one great word.

Thanks, Naoko, for not only letting me know the word for what starlings love to do, but the lovely video as well. I have spent hours, watching birds do that.

I simply could not resist adding this one, seldom-used or not;

moron - noun 1. a feebleminded person or mental defective with a potential mental age of between eight and twelve years who is capable of doing routine work under supervision 2. a very stupid person

 

[Handley_Page]

Welcome, Aynmair, that is one great word.

Thanks, Naoko, for not only letting me know the word for what starlings love to do, but the lovely video as well. I have spent hours, watching birds do that.

I simply could not resist adding this one, seldom-used or not;

moron - noun 1. a feebleminded person or mental defective with a potential mental age of between eight and twelve years who is capable of doing routine work under supervision 2. a very stupid person

Sadly, the word has a genuine medical meaning.

 

[NaokoSmith]

The sweet Muscat grape - and one of my favourite wines Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, a most delicious dessert wine, produced from the Muscat de Frontignan variety.

Ooooh, and we can have another dessert wine while we are about it! the infamous Madeira, as in Have Some Madeira M'dear - a cautionary tale.

 

[NaokoSmith]

Ooh, and we must have some of Proust's

Madeleines

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRfcZpvZUq-33vXjmBdQv-al0JgWA7s5N5eexWtbhXVp6RSr2Uj

Also perhaps Maid-of-honour cakes?

My Larousse Gastronomique says these were named by Henry VIII, as the recipe was invented by Anne Boleyn when she was one of Catherine of Aragon's maids of honour.

 

[AllardChardon]

Naoko, what a delicious set of M words you have posted in my absence, thanks so much.

I am adding this one, because I was not aware of the definition;

morocco - noun a fine leather from goatskin tanned with sumac


(I didn't know sumac was used for tanning, but then the things that I don't know could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool. LOL)

 

[NaokoSmith]

I have brought in a useful word:

Mnemonic.

We have all sorts of mnemonics littering up the place, cuz Piglet is doing her Music Theory exam soon. There is FACE for the names of the notes in the treble clef, and something about Father and a bomb exploding for the order in which sharps appear in different keys.

I was thinking about miasma, but you don't want horrid odours around. Although there is an interesting thing about the belief that disease was caused by smell (miasma). Judges used to have a bunch of flowers on their table in front of them in court to keep the disease-laden smells of hoi polloi out of their nostrils. For quite a long time after the true cause of disease was tracked down, judges would still have a bunch of flowers, although I think this charming custom is no longer practised.


(something to keep any lingering miasma at bay)

 

[CarlusMagnus]

I have brought in a useful word:

... Judges used to have a bunch of flowers on their table in front of them in court to keep the disease-laden smells of hoi polloi out of their nostrils.

A very nice use of hoi polloi. Altogether too many people think that it refers to the other end of the social scale, and so misuse the phrase.

This will probably be my last post until late June at the earliest. We're off on a long European vacation tomorrow, and I won't have reliable access to the Web. I look forward to a lengthy session of catching up on Seldom-used Words when I return!

 

[NaokoSmith]

A very nice use of hoi polloi. Altogether too many people think that it refers to the other end of the social scale, and so misuse the phrase.

This will probably be my last post until late June at the earliest. We're off on a long European vacation tomorrow, and I won't have reliable access to the Web. I look forward to a lengthy session of catching up on Seldom-used Words when I return!

Thank you! I hadn't realised people misused hoi polloi to mean Upper Crusties. (I know you must have appreciated my not saying: the hoi polloi )

Have a wonderful time in Europe!

 

[NaokoSmith]

I forgot to say how much I enjoyed morocco. I do love those textile sort of words. I always think of morocco leather as red: red morocco leather, although presumably it comes in other colours. I had a red leather earring once, which I bought in Seville. Possibly that was morocco leather?

Muster, as in pass muster or muster up the courage. It means to assemble troops, and by extension, a gathering of troops. It's a nice delicately appropriate simile, to say: muster up the courage. (I mean 'nice' in the proper sense - as in it fits just so.)

 

[AllardChardon]

Yes, indeed, Carlus, have a wonderful vacation in Europe, you lucky devil. We will miss your posts immensely, and will also wait patiently for your return.

Naoko, those are all great M words, thanks for adding them. The information on the flowers in the courtroom is so interesting.

This word has such a pleasing sound to it;

Morisco - noun MOOR; esp: a Spanish Moor

 

[NaokoSmith]

A splendid word!

Meretricious

It means flashy, superficial, having no real value. And it comes from the Latin Meretrix, meaning prostitute.

The Times once published a list of pretentious descriptions for bad wine, including this one: Ah yes, it's a meretricious little paintstripper.

 

[AllardChardon]

Simply wonderful, Naoko. A great find. And so perfect for LIT.

morion(1) - noun a high-crested helmet with no visor

morion(2) - noun a nearly black variety of smoky quartz

 

[NaokoSmith]

What a nice word, with the two different meanings.

(I know, I was very proud of meretricious! )

 

[AllardChardon]

Yes, Naoko, and I never heard of either one. This one I have heard of, and I doubt it is seldom-used, but is too good to pass up;

moribund - adj being in a dying state

 

[NaokoSmith]

Yes, Naoko, and I never heard of either one. This one I have heard of, and I doubt it is seldom-used, but is too good to pass up;

moribund - adj being in a dying state

I like moribund. It sounds like an old book bound in morocco leather! (Possibly red morocco leather, LOL.)

 

[AllardChardon]

Naoko, I hope you enjoy your cup of tea. My day is just beginning and the yard work is waiting on me. Here is my last post this morning and it is one of my favorite characters. Have a lovely evening.

Morgan le Fay - noun a fairy and sister of King Arthur

 

[NaokoSmith]

Naoko, I hope you enjoy your cup of tea. My day is just beginning and the yard work is waiting on me. Here is my last post this morning and it is one of my favorite characters. Have a lovely evening.

Morgan le Fay - noun a fairy and sister of King Arthur

Thank you! that was a welcome brew.

Oooh, Arthurian characters!

Did you see the new tv programme about Merlin? It was for a younger audience but it was an interesting modern re-take on the story. Poor Morgan Le Fay has a good backstory in it, as she is the ward of Uther, who is against all magic, and in her struggles to hide her own growing powers, she becomes distanced from everyone around her.

I think we should have Le Morte d'Arthur, illustrated by Beardsley in here! Here is Morgan Le Fay.

http://rlv.zcache.com/beardsley_sorceress_lefay_post_card-r6ca6a1bd52bb45c582bf43baccba53b9_vgbaq_8byvr_512.jpg

 

[Handley_Page]

Try this one:

 

[oggbashan]

...

Morisco - noun MOOR; esp: a Spanish Moor

Oh dear! We are back to Morris (or Morisco) Dancing.

I keep trying to avoid Morris Dancing, but almost all country events include Morris Dancers.

 

[NaokoSmith]

I'm really on a roll here! This is another lovely one, the people in here all have a mordant wit - from the French mordre, to bite.

 

[AllardChardon]

Lovely pictures of Morgan Le Fay, Naoko and Handley. Yes, Og, the Ms have a lot of Moorish entries.

Here is a most interesting word;

morganatic - adj of or relating to a marriage contracted by a member of a European royal or noble family with a person of inferior rank on the understanding that the rank of the inferior partner remains unchanged and that the children of the marriage do not succeed to the titles, fiefs, or entailed property of the parent of higher rank

 

[oggbashan]

Lovely pictures of Morgan Le Fay, Naoko and Handley. Yes, Og, the Ms have a lot of Moorish entries.

Here is a most interesting word;

morganatic - adj of or relating to a marriage contracted by a member of a European royal or noble family with a person of inferior rank on the understanding that the rank of the inferior partner remains unchanged and that the children of the marriage do not succeed to the titles, fiefs, or entailed property of the parent of higher rank

I came across a Morganatic marriage while I was away this week. The aristocratic owner of Uppark, a stately home, had been a friend of the Prince Regent (an expensive thing to be). He had never married, but one day he heard a Dairy Maid singing as she worked in the Dairy. He proposed to her. If she accepted, she was to carve meat for him at the evening meal - something no Dairy Maid should do.

While being dressed for dinner, he confessed to his valet "I think I have made a fool of myself".

The Dairy Maid carved for him that evening. They married. He was 70. She was 20.

He lived to 91, apparently very happy with his wife. She inherited the house and estate and ran it very well, leaving it to her younger sister, who then left it to a cousin of the nobleman. Both the Dairy Maid and her sister were well regarded by the staff and local community, and renowned for their charitable work.

Marrying one's Dairy Maid was very morganatic. Marrying a Housekeeper or Lady's Maid was much more acceptable, because of their far higher status in Servants' Hall.

http://nttreasurehunt.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/90399.jpg

http://sheelanagigcomedienne.wordpress.com/tag/lady-mary-ann-fetherstonhaugh/