Word of the Day
personalia
plural noun
biographical data, personal reminiscences, or the like: He could never keep the personalia out of his essays.
More about personalia
Personalia is a noun use of the neuter plural form of the Latin adjective 辫别谤蝉艒苍腻濒颈蝉 鈥减别谤蝉辞苍补濒.鈥� 笔别谤蝉艒苍腻濒颈蝉 is not very common in Latin, being restricted to the law, as in beneficium pers艒n膩le 鈥減ersonal benefit,鈥� and grammar, as in verbum pers艒n膩le 鈥減ersonal verb鈥� (that is, a verb with three persons in both numbers). The modern English sense of personalia is a New Latin sense that first appeared in the 19th century.
how is personalia used?
Simply for its pictures of that old life, for its vivid anecdote, for its riches of personalia, and for its manly tone, the narrative is readable and delightful to a wonderful degree.
But if the show is a bit hard to read (which is which?), the lavish catalog is a pleasure. With texts for each plate slyly sending up our fascination with personality and personalia, it is as engrossing as any new fiction.
personalia
补辫别谤莽耻
noun
French.
an immediate estimate or judgment; understanding; insight.
More about 补辫别谤莽耻
础辫别谤莽耻, 鈥渁 hasty glance or glimpse; an insight; an outline or summary,鈥� is not at all naturalized in English, even retaining its French spelling (the cedilla under the c). 础辫别谤莽耻 is the past participle of the verb apercevoir 鈥渢o perceive, see, catch sight of,鈥� a compound of the prefix a– (from Latin ad– 鈥渢o,鈥� here indicating direction or tendency) and the Old French verb 辫别谤莽辞颈惫谤别 (Middle French, French percevoir), from Latin percipere 鈥渢o obtain, seize, gather (crops), collect (taxes).鈥� Percipere is a compound verb composed of the preposition and prefix per, per– 鈥渢hrough,鈥� here with an intensive meaning, and the simple verb capere 鈥渢o take, take hold of, seize, capture.鈥� 础辫别谤莽耻 entered English in the first half of the 19th century.
how is 补辫别谤莽耻 used?
I once heard an author of young adult fiction being asked what her novel was about, and instead of explaining its adventure plot or sophisticated science- fiction premise, she said: 鈥淜issing鈥�. This was clearly self-deprecation, but it was also an聽补辫别谤莽耻 about the pleasure that draws readers to a huge array of books ….
Kottke has been an engaging, likable omnipresence on the scene for as long as it has existed, serving up a daily blend of clean-crafted personal 补辫别谤莽耻s and fresh, literate links to tech, pop, and political news that is as brisk and cozy as Folgers in your cup.
补辫别谤莽耻
credulous
adjective
willing to believe or trust too readily, especially without proper or adequate evidence; gullible.
More about credulous
Credulous comes from the Latin adjective 肠谤脓诲耻濒耻蝉 鈥渋nclined to believe or trust, trustful, credulous, rash.鈥� The first part of 肠谤脓诲耻濒耻蝉 comes from the verb 肠谤脓诲别谤别 鈥渢o believe, trust, entrust,鈥� most likely a compound of Proto-Indo-European kerd-, kred- (and other variants) 鈥渉eart鈥� and -dere, a combining form meaning 鈥渢o put, place,鈥� from the root 诲丑脓-, 诲丑艒-, with the same meaning. Latin 肠谤脓诲别谤别 鈥渢o place my heart鈥� is a very ancient religious term that has an exact correspondence with Sanskrit 艣谤补诲-诲补诲丑腻迟颈 鈥渉e trusts,鈥� and Old Irish cretim 鈥淚 trust.鈥� The second part of 肠谤脓诲耻濒耻蝉 is the diminutive noun and adjective suffix –ulus, which frequently has a pejorative sense, as in 谤脓驳耻濒耻蝉 鈥減etty king, chieftain.鈥� Credulous entered English in the mid-16th century.
how is credulous used?
When the British news network aired a three-minute segment about Swiss spaghetti farmers plucking long strands of pasta straight from tree branches, hundreds of credulous viewers wrote in asking how they could cultivate their own spaghetti tree.
I did not believe half of what she told me: I pretended to laugh at it all; but I was far more credulous than I myself supposed.
credulous