51吃瓜 of the Day
withershins
adverb
Chiefly Scot.
in a direction contrary to the natural one, especially contrary to the apparent course of the sun or counterclockwise: considered as unlucky or causing disaster.
More about withershins
All you have to remember is that withershins (or widdershins) is the exact opposite of deasil, and you鈥檒l get back home all safe and sound. Withershins is an adverb meaning 鈥済oing contrary to the natural direction, contrary to the course of the sun, counterclockwise (and therefore unlucky).鈥� Deasil, from Scots Gaelic and Irish Gaelic deiseal 鈥渢o the right, clockwise, following the sun,鈥� is restricted to Scots. Withershins comes from Middle Low German weddersins, weddersinnes 鈥渁gainst the way, in the opposite direction,鈥� formed from wider 鈥渂ack, again鈥� (cognate with the prefix with– in withstand) and sinnes, the genitive case (used as an adverb) of sin 鈥渨ay, course, direction.鈥� Withershins entered English in the first half of the 16th century.
how is withershins used?
The fishermen, when about to proceed to the fishing, think they would have bad luck, if they were to row the boat 鈥�withershins鈥� about.
Abel had walked slowly around the outside of the building, first clockwise and then withershins, but there was still no sign of his quarry, and the rest of the lower hollow was just as empty.聽
withershins
ad hominem
adjective
attacking an opponent's character or motives rather than answering the argument or claim.
More about ad hominem
The phrase ad hominem, literally 鈥渢o a person,鈥� originally meant in rhetoric and logic 鈥渂y appealing to the audience鈥檚 feelings, emotions, or interests, not to their intelligence or reason.鈥� Nowadays the usual meaning of ad hominem is 鈥渂y attacking an opponent鈥檚 character or motives, not their arguments.” Hominem, the object of the preposition ad “to,” is the accusative singular case of the Latin noun 丑辞尘艒 (inflectional stem homin-) 鈥渉uman being (of either sex), individual, person.鈥�贬辞尘艒 is also used colloquially in Roman comedy (Plautus): M墨 丑辞尘艒 et mea mulier, v艒s sal奴t艒, literally 鈥淢y man and my woman, I greet you.鈥� In the example from Plautus we can clearly see that 丑辞尘艒 鈥渕an鈥� is contrasted with mulier 鈥渨oman.鈥� In fact, all the Romance languages use a form of homin– to mean 鈥渕an鈥� as opposed to woman, e.g., Italian uomo, Spanish hombre (dissimilated from omne, which is contracted from omine), Portuguese homem, Catalan home, French homme, Sardo (Sardinian) omine, and Romanian om. The unpleasant counterpart聽ad f膿minam 鈥渁ppealing to one’s personal feelings about or prejudices against women,鈥� appeared in the 19th century. Ad hominem entered English in the 16th century.
how is ad hominem used?
In the case of online harassment, that instinctive preference for 鈥渇ree speech鈥� may already be shaping the kinds of discussions we have, possibly by discouraging the participation of women, racial and sexual minorities, and anyone else likely to be singled out for ad-hominem abuse.
Greta Thunberg, at age 16, has quickly become one of the most visible climate activists in the world. Her detractors increasingly rely on ad hominem attacks to blunt her influence.
ad hominem
lassitude
noun
weariness of body or mind from strain, oppressive climate, etc.; lack of energy; listlessness.
More about lassitude
The primary meaning of lassitude is 鈥渨eariness of mind or body, listlessness,鈥� but lassitude has a second meaning, 鈥渋ndolent indifference.鈥� The immediate source of the English word is Middle French lassitude, which, as in English, may be pleasant or unpleasant fatigue. French lassitude comes from Latin 濒补蝉蝉颈迟奴诲艒, which in Latin always has an unpleasant sense. 尝补蝉蝉颈迟奴诲艒 is a derivative of the adjective lassus 鈥渢ired, weary, exhausted,鈥� a derivative of the Proto-Indo-European root 濒脓-, 濒蓹– 鈥渢o let go, go slack,鈥� extended with –d (濒脓d-, 濒蓹d-). The same root yields Greek 濒脓de卯n 鈥渢o be tired,鈥� Albanian lodhem 鈥渢o become tired,鈥� and Germanic 濒脓tan, which in Old English becomes 濒牵迟补苍 鈥渢o allow, permit, suffer鈥� and let in English. Lassitude entered English in the 16th century.
how is lassitude used?
it occurred to me, as I ate another astringent chip, that this lassitude, the trouble focusing, the sleep difficulties, my exhaustion: Oh yes, I thought, I remember this. I was grieving.
贬别补惫测听lassitude聽settled upon me as I walked away from Peter Kanarjian. There had been too much excitement in the past eighteen hours, and I had had little sleep.
lassitude