New Words

Not really new, just new to me. Since some who read this are interested in what I'm learning this summer, here's a sample from the instructor's current lesson:


In the meantime, I can't resist passing on two of my favorite words.

* hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian means pertaining to a very, very long word. Etymologically, it is horse (hippo, as in Phillip, which means horse lover) + potamo (which means river--putting the first two parts together gives you hippopotamus, by the way) + monster + one and half feet. The word is considered autological (self + word), which is a word that is what it means.

* callipygian is an adjective which means having beautiful buttocks. Etymologically, it comes from Greek kallos, beauty (as in calliope or calligraphy), + pygos, buttocks. A famous statue of Venus displaying her buttocks is called Venus Kallipygos, Venus of the beautiful buttocks. Some of you can find ways to work this adjective into conversation, I am sure.


I expect everyone to use them both in a sentence by lunchtime.

Glorfindel will award additional bonus points to anyone who manages to get him or cheesecake into the sentence as well.

**I skipped ahead after posting this, and found out that lesson four has a section on Tolkien's runes in it. !GLEE!