51吃瓜 of the Day
More about eftsoons
For some of us, our first (and only) encounter with eftsoons is in Samuel Taylor Coleridge鈥檚 Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798), line 12, to be exact (if you get that far): 鈥淗old off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!鈥� Eftsoons his hand dropt he.鈥� Eftsoons (also eftsoon), a very rare word, is a compound of the archaic adverb eft 鈥渁gain, a second time鈥� and the adverb soon, expanded by the adverbial genitive -s (as in backwards and forwards). Eftsoons entered English before 1000.
how is eftsoons used?
Eftsoons he made known his wants to the churl behind the desk, who was named Gogyryan. And thus he spake: 鈥淎ny rooms?鈥�
I am of this mind with Homer, that as the snail that crept out of her shell was turned eftsoons into a toad, and thereby was forced to make a stool to sit on disdaining her own house, so the traveller that straggleth from his own country is in short time transformed into so monstrous a shape that he is fain to alter his mansion with his manners, and to live where he can, not where he would.
eftsoons
indemnity
noun
compensation for damage or loss sustained.
More about indemnity
Indemnity comes from Middle French 颈苍诲别尘苍颈迟茅, from Late Latin 颈苍诲别尘苍颈迟腻蝉 (inflectional stem 颈苍诲别尘苍颈迟腻迟-) 鈥渟ecurity from financial loss.鈥澛� 滨苍诲别尘苍颈迟腻蝉 is first recorded in the writings of the Imperial Roman jurists Sextus Pomponius and Ulpian. The root word of 颈苍诲别尘苍颈迟腻蝉 is the noun damnum 鈥渇inancial loss, deprivation of possessions or property, a sum to be paid in restitution.鈥� Damnum comes from an unrecorded dapnom, a noun derivative of the extended root dap-, from the Proto-Indo-European root 诲腻– 鈥渢o apportion in exchange.鈥� The same root yields Latin daps 鈥渟acrificial meal, banquet,鈥� Old Norse tafn 鈥渟acrificial animal, meal鈥� (also from dapnom), Greek 诲补辫谩苍脓 鈥渃ost, expenditure鈥� and 诲谩辫迟别颈苍 鈥渢o devour, consume,鈥� Sanskrit 诲腻payate 鈥渉e divides,鈥� and Armenian tawn 鈥渇east鈥� (from dapni-). Indemnity entered English in the 15th century.
how is indemnity used?
I promise you indemnity for your loss, and an apology that shall, I trust, satisfy your feelings ….
On his arrival, as an indemnity for alleged insults offered to the flag of his country, he demanded some twenty or thirty thousand dollars to be placed in his hands forthwith ….
indemnity
weal
noun
well-being, prosperity, or happiness: the public weal; weal and woe.
More about weal
The history of weal is complicated and confusing. The Middle English spellings include wele, wel(le), weil(e), weal(le) 鈥渨orldly wealth, riches; possessions, goods; prosperity, good fortune; well-being, welfare; happiness, joy.鈥� These exuberant Middle English spellings come from Old English wela, weola, weala 鈥渨ealth, riches; prosperity.鈥� The English meanings have always been influenced by the related adverb well鈥�wel, wel(l)e in Middle English, and wel, weol, woel in Old English鈥攚hich in general signifies successful accomplishment of the action of the verb. Weal entered English before 900.
how is weal used?
They did not consider a commitment to the public good, the common weal, to be at odds with the desire for prosperity.
I will not arise from this spot, O valorous and redoubtable knight, until your benevolence and courtesy vouchsafe me a boon that will redound to the honor and glory of your person and to the weal of the most disconsolate and aggrieved damsel that ever the sun beheld.
weal