Word of the Day
cryptomnesia
noun
the phenomenon of not recognizing the return of an old memory as a product of memory, but instead regarding it as a new or original thought or idea.
More about cryptomnesia
Cryptomnesia, “the phenomenon of regarding an old memory as a new idea,” is based on crypto-, “hidden, secret,” and Ancient Greek mnêsis, “memory.” Crypto-, ultimately from Ancient Greek krýptein, “to hide,” is of unclear origin. Confusing matters further is the resemblance between krýptein and kalýptein, “to cover,” which is the source of eucalyptus (literally “well covered”) and possibly Calypso, a sea nymph in the Odyssey. Mnêsis is also the source of the Word of the Day hypermnesia and is distantly related to a range of thought-related words containing m followed by n, including mantra, mental, mind, and mnemonic. Cryptomnesia was first recorded in English at the turn of the 20th century.
EXAMPLE OF CRYPTOMNESIA USED IN A SENTENCE
One member of the study group, clearly experiencing cryptomnesia, suggested an idea that he didn’t realize he had heard in a news story earlier that day.
chicanery
noun
trickery or deception by quibbling or the use of false arguments.
More about chicanery
Chicanery, “trickery by quibbling,” is an adaptation of French chicanerie, from the verb chicaner, which is typically translated as “to quibble” or “to split hairs” and once referred specifically to legal contexts. Appropriate for its meaning, the origin of French chicaner is controversial. One possible derivation is from a Germanic root meaning “to arrange” that is also the source of chic (via German Schick, “skill”). Alternatively, chicaner may be a merger of chic-, a common Romance element indicating smallness (compare chinchy and Spanish chico, “boy”), and ricaner, “to snicker.” Chicanery was first recorded in English circa 1610.
EXAMPLE OF CHICANERY USED IN A SENTENCE
Though the judge dismissed the lawsuit on a technicality, the prosecutors knew that it was the defense attorney’s chicanery that had successfully distracted from the matter at hand.
More about trachle
Trachle, “to fatigue, tire,” is of uncertain origin, but the leading hypothesis is that the term comes from dialectal Dutch tragelen, “to walk laboriously,” related to standard Dutch traag, “slow, sluggish.” Another option is that trachle is a variant of draggle, “to trail on the ground, follow slowly,” which is formed from drag. English drag is closely related to Dutch dragen and German tragen, both meaning “to carry,” which bear an intriguing resemblance to dialectal Dutch tragelen above, though this is probably a coincidence. Trachle was first recorded in English in the 1540s.
EXAMPLE OF TRACHLE USED IN A SENTENCE
The long walk into town thoroughly trachled the horses as they pulled the carriage through the falling snow.