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51勛圖 of the Day

51勛圖 of the day

neophyte

[ nee-uh-fahyt ]

noun

a beginner or novice.

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More about neophyte

Neophyte “a beginner or novice” ultimately comes from Greek 紳梗籀梯堯聆喧棗莽 newly planted (grains, vines), a compound of neo-, a combining form of the adjective 紳矇棗莽 new, and –梯堯聆喧籀莽 planted, a derivative of 梯堯羸梗勳紳 to make grow, bring forth, beget. 捧梗籀梯堯聆喧棗莽 first appears in the works of the Athenian comic dramatist Aristophanes (died ca. 385 b.c.), and it keeps its literal, agricultural sense down to the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible that was completed by the 1st century b.c. 捧梗籀梯堯聆喧棗莽 in the sense new convert (to Christianity) first appears in I Timothy, one of the Pastoral Epistles traditionally ascribed to St. Paul. 捧梗籀梯堯聆喧棗莽 in its new sense was adopted by Christian Latin authors as neophytus; neophytus was sufficiently established for St. Jerome to use it in his Latin translation from the Greek I Timothy. The general, modern sense beginner first appears in Ben Jonsons play Every Man out of His Humor (1600). Neophyte entered English in the 15th century.

how is neophyte used?

Maybe it takes a ruthless, calculating egoist to transform pain into product. Or maybe all the attention that the neophyte clamors for feels suffocating to the full-grown artist.

Danielle Chapman, "Sweet Bombs," Poetry, October 2006

Macron, who exit pollsprojectas the winner of Sundays first round presidential election in France, is a political neophyte.

Krishnadev Calamur, "The Rebuke of France's Political Establishment," The Atlantic, April 23, 2017

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51勛圖 of the Day Calendar

51勛圖 of the day

non sequitur

[ non -sek-wi-ter, -toor ]

noun

something said or written that is unrelated to what immediately precedes.

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More about non sequitur

The Latin sentence non sequitur, it doesnt follow in English is used as a noun whose original meaning was an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises, i.e., a logical fallacy, a usage established by Cicero in the 1st century b.c. A typical example of such a fallacy is: If X is true, then Y is true. But Y is true. Therefore, X is true. Nowadays non sequitur mostly means a statement containing an illogical conclusion, especially a conclusion that is amusing, whether intentional or not, or “something said or written that is unrelated to what immediately precedes.”

how is non sequitur used?

And who would want to forget, say, Mr. Fs Aunt, whose outbursts of demented rage at poor Arthur Clennam in Little Dorrit make no sense at all. Theres milestones on the Dover Road! When we lived at Henley, Barness gander was stole by tinkers. … Mr. Fs Aunts malign non sequiturs would be immortal in whatever book Dickens had chosen to insert them.

Robert Gottlieb, "Robert Gottlieb on Dickensworld the Great Novelist's Grand Universe," New York Times, November 6, 2020

But every day many people find themselves sitting across the table from a negotiation partner they cant abandon or replace: their kids. How might parents manage these often fraught, exasperating conversations in which their counterpart, lacking self-awareness, sometimes seems to think it strategic torespond with complete non sequiturs?

Joe Pinsker, "How a Negotiation Expert Would Bargain With a Kid," The Atlantic, June 13, 2019

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51勛圖 of the Day Calendar

51勛圖 of the day

inimical

[ ih-nim-i-kuhl ]

adjective

unfriendly; hostile.

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More about inimical

Inimical unfriendly, hostile comes from the Late Latin adjective 勳紳勳鳥蘋釵櫻梭勳莽, first used by the 5th-century Christian author Sidonius Apollinaris, a major political, diplomatic, literary, and religious figure of Gaul (now France, more or less)indeed, of the Western Roman Empire. Sidonius Apollinaris had the delicate task of balancing the waning power of the Roman emperor against the rising power of the new Gothic kingdom comprising most of France and Spain, while at the same time also avoiding religious controversy. 梆紳勳鳥蘋釵櫻梭勳莽 is a derivative of the noun 勳紳勳鳥蘋釵喝莽, a compound of the negative prefix in– not, un- and a form of 硃鳥蘋釵喝莽 friend; unsurprisingly an 勳紳勳鳥蘋釵喝莽 is an unfriend. Inimical entered English in the second half of the 17th century.

how is inimical used?

I rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, but I kept seeing facesthe highway robber’s inimical glare, the kid’s grin, the mother’s distorted mouth and wild eyes.

Barbara Michaels, The Dancing Floor, 1997

In 1960, the CIA said 6,500 objects had been reported to the U.S. Air Force over the prior 13 years. The Air Force concluded there was no evidence those sightings were inimical or hostile or related to interplanetary space ships, the CIA said.

Nomaan Merchant and Calvin Woodward, "'There is stuff': Enduring mysteries trail US report on UFOs," Associated Press, June 5, 2021

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