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Subject: sub rosa - msg#00021List: culture.language.word-of-the-daySpruce up the season with a gift subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged. http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged_gift.pl?choice=MWU&ref=gift_mwol **************************************************************** The Word of the Day for December 22 is: sub rosa \sub-ROH-zuh\ adverb : in confidence : secretly Example sentence: Several military leaders were meeting sub rosa, plotting to overthrow the king. Did you know? "Sub rosa" literally means "under the rose" in New Latin. Since ancient times, the rose has often been associated with secrecy. In ancient mythology, Cupid gave a rose to Harpocrates, the god of silence, to keep him from telling about the indiscretions of Venus. Ceilings of dining rooms have been decorated with carvings of roses, reportedly to remind guests that what was said at the table should be kept confidential. Roses have also been placed over confessionals as a symbol of the confidentiality of confession. "Sub rosa" entered the English language in the 17th century, and even before then, people were using the English version, "under the rose." Earlier still, "unter der Rose" was apparently used in Germany, where the phrase is thought to have originated. Thread at a glance:
Previous Message by Date: click to view message previewzibeline**************************************************************** Spruce up the season with a gift subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged. http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged_gift.pl?choice=MWU&ref=gift_mwol **************************************************************** The Word of the Day for December 21 is: zibeline \ZIB-uh-leen\ noun : a soft lustrous wool fabric with mohair, alpaca, or camel's hair Example sentence: "She tops white zibeline pants with a brown and white check hunting jacket and brandy silk scarf." (_House Beautiful_, October 1, 2000) Did you know? Though zibeline is woven from the hair of alpacas, camels, or Angora goats, its name actually traces back to a Slavic word for the sable, a small mammal related to the weasel. The Slavic term was adopted into Old Italian, and from there it passed to Middle French, then on to English in the late 1600s. English "zibeline" originally referred to the sable or its fur, but in the 1890s it developed a second sense, applying to a soft, smooth, slightly furry material woven from a mixture of animal hairs. It's especially suited to women's suits and coats, or, as a fashion columnist in the December 6, 1894 issue of _Vogue_ observed, "Zibeline ... makes an exceedingly pretty, warm theatre cloak, not too fine to be crushed into the small one-chair space." Next Message by Date: click to view message previewprecatory**************************************************************** Spruce up the season with a gift subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged. http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged_gift.pl?choice=MWU&ref=gift_mwol **************************************************************** The Word of the Day for December 23 : precatory \PREK-uh-tor-ee\ adjective : expressing a wish Example sentence: We here convey our wishes In this precatory phrase: May peace and joy be with you In all the coming days! Did you know? Nowadays, you're most likely to see "precatory" used in legal contexts to distinguish statements that merely express a wish from those that create a legal obligation. For example, if you add a provision to your will asking someone to take care of your pet if you die, that provision is merely precatory. Outside of jurisprudence, you might see references to such things as "precatory dress codes" or "precatory stockholder proposals" -- all of which are non-binding. "Precatory" traces to Latin "precari" ("to pray"), and it has always referred to something in the nature of an entreaty or supplication. For example, a precatory hymn is one that beseeches "from sin and sorrow set us free" -- versus a laudatory hymn (that is, one giving praise). Previous Message by Thread: click to view message previewzibeline**************************************************************** Spruce up the season with a gift subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged. http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged_gift.pl?choice=MWU&ref=gift_mwol **************************************************************** The Word of the Day for December 21 is: zibeline \ZIB-uh-leen\ noun : a soft lustrous wool fabric with mohair, alpaca, or camel's hair Example sentence: "She tops white zibeline pants with a brown and white check hunting jacket and brandy silk scarf." (_House Beautiful_, October 1, 2000) Did you know? Though zibeline is woven from the hair of alpacas, camels, or Angora goats, its name actually traces back to a Slavic word for the sable, a small mammal related to the weasel. The Slavic term was adopted into Old Italian, and from there it passed to Middle French, then on to English in the late 1600s. English "zibeline" originally referred to the sable or its fur, but in the 1890s it developed a second sense, applying to a soft, smooth, slightly furry material woven from a mixture of animal hairs. It's especially suited to women's suits and coats, or, as a fashion columnist in the December 6, 1894 issue of _Vogue_ observed, "Zibeline ... makes an exceedingly pretty, warm theatre cloak, not too fine to be crushed into the small one-chair space." Next Message by Thread: click to view message previewprecatory**************************************************************** Spruce up the season with a gift subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged. http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged_gift.pl?choice=MWU&ref=gift_mwol **************************************************************** The Word of the Day for December 23 : precatory \PREK-uh-tor-ee\ adjective : expressing a wish Example sentence: We here convey our wishes In this precatory phrase: May peace and joy be with you In all the coming days! Did you know? Nowadays, you're most likely to see "precatory" used in legal contexts to distinguish statements that merely express a wish from those that create a legal obligation. For example, if you add a provision to your will asking someone to take care of your pet if you die, that provision is merely precatory. Outside of jurisprudence, you might see references to such things as "precatory dress codes" or "precatory stockholder proposals" -- all of which are non-binding. "Precatory" traces to Latin "precari" ("to pray"), and it has always referred to something in the nature of an entreaty or supplication. For example, a precatory hymn is one that beseeches "from sin and sorrow set us free" -- versus a laudatory hymn (that is, one giving praise). Loading Comments...
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