Word of the Day
decalcomania
noun
the art or process of transferring pictures or designs from specially prepared paper to wood, metal, glass, etc.
More about decalcomania
Decalcomania, “the art of transferring pictures from paper to another medium,” is adapted from French décalcomanie, equivalent to décalquer, “to transfer a tracing of,” plus English -mania. The verb décalquer is based on Italian calcare, “to stomp, trample,” ultimately from Latin calx, “heel.” From this same source comes calque, also known as a loan translation. One common example of a calque is brainwashing (from Mandarin Chinese xǐ nǎo “to wash the brain”). For other words descended from Latin calx, check out the Words of the Day cantrip and inculcate. Decalcomania was first recorded in English in the early 1860s.
EXAMPLE OF DECALCOMANIA USED IN A SENTENCE
With the right materials, decalcomania can make images leap off the page and onto a variety of other surfaces.
netsuke
noun
a small figure of ivory, wood, metal, or ceramic, originally used as a buttonlike fixture on a man's sash, from which small personal belongings were hung.
More about netsuke
Netsuke “a small figure used on a man’s sash” is a loanword from Japanese that is equivalent to ne, “root,” combined with tsukeru, “to attach.” In English, the Hepburn system is widely used for transliterating Japanese into the Roman alphabet, and one feature of this system is that it romanizes Japanese vowels using their counterparts in Romance languages such as Italian and Spanish. The one Japanese vowel that differs substantially from its closest Romance equivalent is u; Japanese u is pronounced as “oo” in boot but with the lips unrounded—similar to English “oo,” as in book. In certain syllables, the u is voiceless, which sounds in English as if there is no vowel at all. This is why Japanese netsuke is typically pronounced in English variously as “net-skey,” “net-suh-key,” “net-soo-key,” or “net-soo-key.” Netsuke was first recorded in English in the early 1880s.
EXAMPLE OF NETSUKE USED IN A SENTENCE
He had left behind his favorite sash with a two-horned dragon netsuke on it, making everyone worry about his swift departure.
Ganymede
noun
the largest moon of the planet Jupiter.
Why the Museum of Science chose Ganymede
Ganymede is not only the largest of Jupiter's moons, it's also the largest moon in our Solar System! To find out more about Ganymede, watch this video from science communicator, Alex Dainis, PhD.
Learn more fun facts at the Museum of Science.
More about Ganymede
Ganymede is named for a teenage boy in Greek mythology whom the gods chose, because of his beauty, to be their cup-bearer. One possibility is that Ganymede comes from the Greek words gánymai, “to be glad,” and mḗdea, “art, counsel, plans.” The second of these elements is also the origin of numerous names of Greek origin that contain med-, such as Archimedes and Medea. Ganymede was first recorded in English in the 1550s.
EXAMPLE OF GANYMEDE USED IN A SENTENCE
Though Galileo discovered Ganymede, his telescope was far too weak to detect the craters and ice that cover the moon’s surface.
