51吃瓜 of the Day
proceleusmatic
adjective
inciting, animating, or inspiring.
More about proceleusmatic
Unless you like studying ancient Greek metrics, you are not likely ever to see proceleusmatic. The term entered English in the early 18th century as a noun referring to a metrical foot consisting of four short syllables (and also more reasonably called a tetrabrach, literally 鈥渇our shorts鈥�).聽Proceleusmatic comes via Latin proceleu(s)maticus from Greek 辫谤辞办别濒别耻蝉尘补迟颈办贸蝉 (also 辫谤辞办别濒别耻尘补迟颈办贸蝉) the name of the foot, a derivative of the verb (辫谤辞)办别濒别煤别颈苍 鈥渢o give orders.鈥� One of the derivatives of 办别濒别煤别颈苍, the agent noun 办别濒别耻蝉迟岣梥, means 鈥渃oxswain, one who beats time for the rowers,鈥� referring specifically to the very quick rhythm to incite rowers of triremes (light, fast warships) charging into battle to ram enemy ships. Four shorts constantly beating would do the trick.
how is proceleusmatic used?
The strokes of the sickle were timed by the modulation of the harvest-song, in which all their voices were united. … The ancient proceleusmatic song, by which the rowers of galleys were animated, may be supposed to have been of this kind.
Boss had replied that Clinton’s tenure as governor of his state had been “proceleusmatic,” whatever that meant, but he didn’t have any presidential aspirations himself…
proceleusmatic
grubstake
noun
money or other assistance furnished at a time of need or of starting an enterprise.
More about grubstake
Grubstake 鈥渕oney or other assistance furnished at a time of need or of starting an enterprise,鈥� was originally American mining slang that first appeared in the Far West of the U.S. (Montana) in 1863. It originally referred to provisions or gear furnished to a prospector on condition of participating in the profits of any discoveries. The grub in grubstake is British and American slang for food; stake is 鈥渟omething wagered in a game, or race or a monetary or commercial interest or investment in an enterprise in hope of gain.鈥�
how is grubstake used?
In short order, the team turned the partners’ $10 million grubstake into $100 million.
He told Westerberg he planned on staying until April 15, just long enough to put together a grubstake. He needed a pile of new gear, he explained, because he was going to Alaska.
grubstake
confabulate
verb (used without object)
to converse informally; chat.
More about confabulate
Confabulate comes from Latin 肠辞苍蹿腻产耻濒腻迟耻蝉, the past participle of 肠辞苍蹿腻产耻濒腻谤墨 鈥渢o talk together, converse, talk about,鈥� a compound verb formed from the prefix con– 鈥渢ogether, with鈥� and the simple verb 蹿腻产耻濒腻谤墨 鈥渢o talk casually, chat.鈥� Vulgar Latin changed the deponent verb 蹿腻产耻濒腻谤墨 to the active verb 蹿腻产耻濒腻谤别 (a deponent verb is one that is passive in form but active in meaning). Syncope, the loss of an unaccented vowel from the middle of a word, was active at all stages of Latin, and 蹿腻产耻濒腻谤别 regularly becomes 蹿腻产濒腻谤别 鈥渢o speak.鈥� In the Vulgar Latin of Spain and Portugal, on the western fringe of the Roman Empire, 蹿腻产濒腻谤别 becomes hablar in (Castilian) Spanish (with typical Castilian change of f– to h-), and falar in Portuguese. The central part of the empire, however, France and Italy, adopted the Christian Latin term 辫补谤补产辞濒腻谤别 鈥渢o talk in parables, talk using comparisons, talk, speak,鈥� a derivative of Latin parabola, 辫补谤补产辞濒脓 鈥渆xplanatory comparison鈥� (from Greek 辫补谤补产辞濒岣�). The noun parabola, 辫补谤补产辞濒脓 becomes parole in French, parola in Italian, palabra in (Castilian) Spanish, and palavra in Portuguese (the Spanish and Portuguese words show the typical metathesis, or transposition of sounds, of l and r). Confabulate entered English in the early 17th century.
how is confabulate used?
Oh, Ronnie, Ronnie, might you and I confabulate for a moment in the back room? / No, Moira, I’m not falling for that one.
鈥淭he Fog of War鈥� replays telephone conversations between McNamara and President Lyndon Johnson as they confabulate miserably about a war gone wrong …
confabulate