Word of the Day
xocolatophobia
noun
an irrational or disproportionate fear of chocolate.
More about xocolatophobia
Xocolatophobia “fear of chocolate” is a compound of Nahuatl chocolātl “a drink made from ground, roasted cocoa beans” and the combining form -phobia. The tradition for naming phobias is to use the Ancient Greek translation of the feared word, but because chocolate does not translate into Ancient Greek, the Nahuatl source is used instead. Chocolate comes via Spanish from chocolātl, with the final -tl in Nahuatl replaced with Spanish -te for easier pronunciation; compare Spanish coyote “coyote” and tomate “tomato,” from Nahuatl coyōtl and tomatl. The spelling of xocolatophobia with x instead of ch likely stems from the popular—if unproven—hypothesis that chocolātl comes from Nahuatl xococ “bitter” and ātl “water.” Xocolatophobia was first recorded in English in the late 2000s.
how is xocolatophobia used?
In 2015, the Express shared the story of Andrew Bullock, a man in Berkshire, England, who was living with xocolatophobia. Bullock noted that, while he had no particularly traumatizing experience with chocolate, he thought he inherited his fear from his mother, who ‘had it too.’
Phobias are generally without rationale and form part of human psychology. A number of scientific studies are being conducted to analyze and cure different kinds of phobias. From the countless that exist… : (1) myrmecophobia—fear of ants; (2) amaxophobia—fear of cars/car journeys; (3) xocolatophobia—fear of chocolates…
selenography
noun
the branch of astronomy that deals with the charting of the moon's surface.
More about selenography
Selenography “the branch of astronomy that charts the moon’s surface” is a compound of seleno- and -graphy. The former comes from Ancient Greek selḗnē “moon,” while the latter ultimately comes from Ancient Greek graphḗ “writing.” The noun selḗnē is also the source of Selene, the moon goddess, and comes from sélas “shine,” plus the noun-forming suffix -nē, making selḗnē literally mean “shinier, lighter.” A similar formation appears in Latin with lūna “moon,” contracted from the root luc- “light” and the suffix -na. Take care not to confuse Selene with the name Celine, from either Latin Caelina (from caelum “heaven”) or French Marceline (from Latin Marcus). Selenography was first recorded in English in the 1640s.
how is selenography used?
In the history of Selenography, John Henry Maedler holds a distinguished place. He was the very first to publish a large map of the lunar surface; and his map was a good one, very accurate, and beautifully executed.
The selenography of one side of the moon is much better known to us than the geography of the earth. Our maps of the moon are far more perfect than those of the earth…
gallantly
adverb
in a courageous, spirited, or noble-minded way.
More about gallantly
Gallantly “in a courageous way” is a compound of the adjective gallant and the adverb-forming suffix -ly. The -ant element in gallant is a telltale sign of the word’s origin; -ant is a common marker appearing in both French and Latin that shows that a word was originally a present participle. Just as tenant means “holding” in Middle French and radiant comes from Latin radiāns “shining,” gallant was the Old French present participle, meaning “amusing oneself,” of the verb galer “to amuse oneself, make merry.” Because of the sound change from w to g (or gu) when French borrowed Germanic words (usually from Frankish), gallant is a distant relative of English wealth, well, and will. For another example of this w/g contrast, compare the recent Word of the Day guerdon. Gallantly was first recorded in English in the mid-16th century.
how is gallantly used?
Sen. Daniel Inouye, the second-longest serving senator in U.S. history, was remembered Thursday as a man who gallantly defended his country on the battlefield and gracefully sought to better it during the 50-plus years he represented his beloved state of Hawaii.
Camoëns lost an eye in the service of his king as gallantly as Cervantes lost a hand at Lepanto. It is an undisputed fact that during the siege of Paris there was scarcely a painter or poet or sculptor or musician who did not enlist in the army and do battle for his country at bitter need …