51吃瓜 of the Day
prothalamion
noun
a song or poem written to celebrate a marriage.
More about prothalamion
Prothalamion, 鈥渁 song or poem written to celebrate a marriage,鈥� is modeled on epithalamion 鈥渁 song or poem in honor of a bride and bridegroom.鈥� Epithalamion is the neuter singular of the Greek adjective 别辫颈迟丑补濒谩尘颈辞蝉 鈥渂ridal, nuptial,鈥� literally 鈥渁t the thalamus,鈥� i.e., the inner chamber at the rear of a house, woman鈥檚 room, bedroom, storeroom. Epithalamia (plural of epithalamion) were traditional features in Greek weddings and were therefore a very ancient custom. The epithalamia of the Lesbian lyric poet Sappho, the Athenian comic playwright Aristophanes, and the tragedian Euripides were famous. Edmund Spenser coined prothalamion in 1597, apparently intending his coinage to mean “a song or poem celebrating an upcoming wedding,” the Greek prefix pro– here meaning 鈥渂efore in time,” not “before in space.”
how is prothalamion used?
He struck a formal pose with the shotgun cradled in his arms and commenced a rawk-voiced prothalamion. It vaguely took the form of song, modal and dark, and the dire jig of its tune grated on the ear.
Every wolf in the world now howled a prothalamion outside the window as she freely gave the kiss she owed him.
prothalamion
manavelins
plural noun
miscellaneous scraps or small items, especially of food or gear.
More about manavelins
Manavelins, 鈥渕iscellaneous pieces of gear and material; odds and ends; leftovers or scraps (of food),鈥� is originally sailors鈥� slang. Like many slang terms, manavelins has no reliable etymology, which helps explain the many variant spellings, such as manavalins, manarvelins, malhavelins. There is a likely connection between manavelins and the verb manarvel, manavel 鈥渢o pilfer from a ship鈥檚 stores,鈥� another item of nautical slang of unknown origin. Herman Melville was by far the most distinguished author to use manavalins (White-jacket, 1850): 鈥淰arious sea-rolls, made dishes, and Mediterranean pies…all of which come under the general denomination of Manavalins.鈥� Melville had served as a common sailor on the frigate USS United States in 1843; his publishers, Harper & Bros., sent copies of White-jacket to every member of Congress in order to show the brutality and arbitrariness of flogging. Congress outlawed flogging in 1850. Manavelins entered English in the first half of the 19th century.
how is manavelins used?
The sailors, however, became his friends. Though he seldom came into contact with them, when he did it was to pass into the forecastle a plate of manavelins鈥揳n unconsumed pudding or some such dainty from the cabin table鈥搃nstead of throwing it overboard, as most deep-water stewards do from sheer laziness.
All around him there was noise鈥攖raders calling wares, seamen slinging shanties as they hauled at cables, gulls cawing as they swooped for manavilins of fish ….
manavelins
terpsichorean
adjective
pertaining to dancing.
More about terpsichorean
The adjective terpsichorean 鈥減ertaining to dancing鈥� is a derivative of the proper name Terpsichore, the muse of dancing and song, especially of dramatic choruses. Terpsichore comes from Greek 罢别谤辫蝉颈肠丑贸谤脓, a noun use of the feminine adjective 迟别谤辫蝉铆肠丑辞谤辞蝉 鈥渄elighting in dancing.鈥� The element terpsi– comes from the verb 迟茅谤辫别颈苍 (also 迟茅谤辫别蝉迟丑补颈) 鈥渢o delight, gladden, cheer鈥�; the second element, –choros, is a combining form of the noun 肠丑辞谤贸蝉 鈥渁 round dance, dancing floor, band of dancers, choir.鈥� The etymology of 肠丑辞谤贸蝉 is uncertain: it may come from a Proto-Indo-European root gher-, ghor– 鈥渢o enclose鈥�; if so, the original meaning of 肠丑辞谤贸蝉 would be 鈥渁n enclosed space (for dancing).鈥� The root gher-, ghor– is also the source of Greek 肠丑贸谤迟辞蝉 鈥渆nclosure, court,鈥� Latin hortus 鈥済arden鈥� (English horticulture), Sanskrit 驳峁沨谩– 鈥渉ouse, dwelling place,鈥� Proto-Slavic 驳辞谤诲怒 鈥渃astle, fortress, town,鈥� source of Russian 驳贸谤辞诲 鈥渃ity, town鈥� (cf. 狈贸惫驳辞谤辞诲 鈥淣ew Town鈥�), Old Church Slavonic and South Slavic grad, as in Russian Stalingrad, Serbo-Croatian Beograd 鈥淏elgrade, White City.鈥� Terpsichorean entered English in the first half of the 19th century.
how is terpsichorean used?
Never has a dance been so much discussed, defended and denounced as has the tango, the extraordinary terpsichorean craze which has swept over the whole of Europe and the United States.
They’re quiet enough in the morning hours, / They’re quiet enough in the afternoon, / Reserving their terpsichorean powers / To dance by the light of the Jellicle Moon.
terpsichorean