rflong: (Default)
2009-02-12 01:16 pm
Entry tags:

Odd word of the day

From my Dictionary.com daily email -

froward \FROH-werd\, adjective:

not easily managed; contrary

The mule is a froward animal.

c. 1300, Old English fromweard "turned from or away," from from + -weard. The opposite of toward, it was Latin pervertus in early translations of the Psalms, and also meant "about to depart, departing," and "doomed to die."

The "doomed to die" bit intrigues me.

Anyone else got any unusual new words recently?
 



rflong: (Plotbunny)
2008-10-29 09:10 am
Entry tags:

Language

I'm sure you've all heard this quote before but I'm posting it for 2 reasons - so I know where it is when I want it in the future, and because it made me laugh:

"English: A language that lurks in dark alleys, beats up other languages and rifles through their pockets for spare vocabulary"
— James D. Nicoll

We now return you to your scheduled programming...