Word of the Day
palingenesis
noun
rebirth; regeneration.
More about palingenesis
Palingenesis “rebirth” derives from Ancient Greek pálin “again” and génesis “origin, source.” Pálin appears in several other English words that pertain to doubling or redoing, such as palimpsest “a parchment from which writing has been erased to make room for another text” and palindrome “a word or phrase reading the same backward as forward.” Common palindromes include the words kayak, level, racecar, and rotator as well as phrases such as “Madam, I’m Adam.” Génesis, the source of English genesis, has three important cognates that have also found their way into English. The first is Latin gēns (stem gent-) “race, people,” which gives rise to English gentle and gentry. The second is Sanskrit jāti “birth; class,” which was borrowed into English as jati, another term in Hinduism for “caste.” The third is Old English gecynd “nature, race, origin,” which exists today as kind “a class or group of people.” Palingenesis was first recorded in English circa 1620.
how is palingenesis used?
For my own part, I am delighted to hear the birds again. Spring always reminds me of the Palingenesis, or re-creation, of the old alchemists, who believed that form is indestructible and that out of the ashes of a rose the rose itself could be reconstructed,—if they could only discover the great secret of Nature. It is done every spring beneath our windows and before our eyes; and is always so wonderful and so beautiful!
Nothing but a disagreeable impression was left, and Jane perceived no reason in the nature of things why this peculiar and terrible vision had been re-created and re-enacted for her eye and brain alone—why a palingenesis from this decay and ruin had flung off the mantle of years and restored it at the most terrific moment of its past.
contumacious
adjective
stubbornly perverse or rebellious; willfully and obstinately disobedient.
More about contumacious
Contumacious “stubbornly perverse or rebellious” is derived from the noun contumacy “obstinate resistance to authority,” ultimately from the Latin adjective contumāx “unyielding, stubborn.” The -tum- element in contumāx is of uncertain origin, but there are two hypotheses. The definition-based theory connects -tum- to the verb temnere “to despise,” which is also the source of the stem tempt-, as in contempt, while the spelling-based theory connects -tum- to the verb tumēre “to swell,” the source of tumescent and tumor. Contumacious was first recorded in English in the 1590s.
how is contumacious used?
It is a principle of human nature to hate those whom we have injured; and Domitian was constitutionally inclined to anger, which was the more difficult to be averted, in proportion as it was the more disguised. Yet he was softened by the temper and prudence of Agricola; who did not think it necessary, by a contumacious spirit, or a vain ostentation of liberty, to challenge fame or urge his fate.
yurt
noun
a tentlike dwelling of the Mongol and Turkic peoples of central Asia, consisting of a cylindrical wall of poles in a lattice arrangement with a conical roof of poles, both covered by felt or skins.
More about yurt
Yurt “a tentlike dwelling of the Mongol and Turkic peoples of central Asia” is a borrowing by way of Russian yurta from an uncertain Turkic source meaning “home” or “abode.” The Turkic language family, which includes Turkish as well as Chuvash, Crimean Tatar, Uyghur, and Yakut, is found in pockets throughout Asia, from China and Siberia in the east to Cyprus and Turkey in the west. Turkic languages were once considered to form part of a much larger language family, the Altaic family, along with the Mongolic and Tungusic languages of East Asia—and perhaps even with Japanese and Korean as well. However, the similarities among these five language groups are now believed to be the result of language contact rather than a common ancestry. Yurt was first recorded in English in the late 1880s.
how is yurt used?
Constructing a yurt is a jigsaw puzzle feat requiring several hours. When finished, a yurt from the outside seems unimpressive, a sort of lumpy boiled potato …. Until you step into a Kyrgyz yurt. Move aside the heavy felt door. And suddenly everything changes. The outside world disappears, and you’ve walked into a Kyrgyz wonderland. The blankets and carpets and wall hangings and ceiling coverings are all decorated with ornate designs—paisley, flowered, spangled, psychedelic, kaleidoscopic.
Much like tents and cabins, yurts weren’t—and still aren’t—always cushy affairs. The felt-and-wood homes originated in Mongolia several thousand years ago as mobile lodging for nomadic herders living and working on the Gobi Desert steppes. Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan used gers, the local word for the structure, on his military campaigns. The yurt’s main selling points are its portability, durability and quick assembly …. [A] Mongolian family can break down and erect a yurt in less than an hour.