51吃瓜 of the Day
More about gloaming
Gloaming, 鈥渢wilight, dusk,鈥� ultimately comes from Old English 驳濒艒尘耻苍驳, which occurs once as a translation of Latin crepusculum 鈥渄usk, twilight.鈥� 骋濒艒尘耻苍驳 is a derivative of 驳濒艒尘 鈥渢wilight, darkness,鈥� from the same root as the verb 驳濒艒飞补苍 鈥渢o glow like a coal or fire鈥� (gloaming being the glow of sunrise or sunset). It is tempting to include gloom and its variant glum in this group, but the philological evidence is against it. Gloaming entered English before 1000.
how is gloaming used?
During the workweek, when we are earning the money to pay for all those expensive gardening implements, it’s not possible to do much outside until dusk. Then, with the fireflies, we emerge into the gloaming armed with an arsenal of rakes, pitchforks and spades, like some medieval rabble on its way to battle.
Fortunately, at certain times and places Mercury is more removed from this all-obliterating influence than he is at others, and at such times he may be very distinctly seen, shortly after sunset, twinkling through the gloaming in the west.
gloaming
extramundane
adjective
beyond our world or the material universe.
More about extramundane
Extramundane, 鈥渂eyond the physical universe,鈥� comes from Late Latin 别虫迟谤腻尘耻苍诲腻苍耻蝉 鈥渂eyond, outside the world,鈥� a compound of the preposition and combining form extra, extra– 鈥渙utside, beyond鈥� and the adjective 尘耻苍诲腻苍耻蝉 鈥減ertaining to the world, the physical universe鈥� and also 鈥渋nhabiting the world, cosmopolite,鈥� a step beyond urbane, so to speak, and also quite different from the current sense of mundane: 鈥渃ommon, ordinary.鈥� Cicero even has Socrates claiming 肠墨惫颈迟腻迟别尘鈥� 尘耻苍诲腻苍耻尘 鈥渨orld citizenship.鈥� 惭耻苍诲腻苍耻蝉 is a derivative of the noun mundus 鈥渢he heavens, sky, firmament; the universe; the earth, the world, our world,鈥� a loan translation of Greek 办贸蝉尘辞蝉. Extramundane entered English in the second half of the 17th century.
how is extramundane used?
One of the subordinate bodies or bureaus or the British Astronomical Association, a company of learned and industrious men who find more pleasure and profit in the investigation of extramundane affairs than in the study of politics or art or other trivial earthly things, is devoted exclusively to the observation of Mars.
I know that there are extramundane occurrences, and I’ve had my share of experiences that can only be explained as ‘supernatural,’ but they have always been the exception.
extramundane
prescient
adjective
having knowledge of things or events before they exist or happen; having foresight.
More about prescient
Prescient comes from Old French from Late Latin praescient-, the present participle stem of the verb 辫谤补别蝉肠墨谤别, 鈥渢o know beforehand, know in advance.鈥� The verb is used mostly by the Latin church fathers (Tertullian, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine) to refer to God鈥檚 foreknowledge. 笔谤补别蝉肠墨谤别 is a derivative of Latin praesciscere, 鈥渢o get to know beforehand,鈥� a relatively rare compound verb made up of the inceptive verb sciscere 鈥渢o get to know鈥� (an inceptive verb is one that shows the beginning of an action), formed from the simple verb 蝉肠墨谤别 鈥渢o know鈥� and the inceptive infix –sc-; prae– is the Latin preposition and prefix prae, prae– 鈥渋n front, ahead, before.” Prescient entered English at the end of the 16th century.
how is prescient used?
He was known to have had prescient visions that were accurate, penetrating, and defied four-dimensional explanation.
Seen now, 鈥淭he Social Network,鈥� about the founding of Facebook and the lawsuits that followed, feels grimly prescient and perhaps representative of how the past few years since the movie premiered鈥攁nd the past few months of the pandemic鈥攈ave changed our relationship to social media and each other.
prescient