Emacitus: The desire to buy things from Latin. The English version of this word ‘Emacity’ fell out of use at the beginning of the 20th Century. This was replaced by less beautiful terms to describe the same thing, such as shopaholic, consumerism and retail therapy. Emacitus derives from the even older Proto-Indo-European word Em YouContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Emacitus”
Tag Archives: language
E Pii, e Paa: A poem by Haare Williams
This week is Māori Language Week/ Te wiki o Te Reo Māori. So I will be sharing some beautiful poems, proverbs and words in Māori and English for you to enjoy. Here is a poem by Haare Williams from his incredible book of wisdom: Words of a Kaumātua. E Pii, e Paa tiny bees swarmingContinue reading “E Pii, e Paa: A poem by Haare Williams”
Ancient Word of the Day: Dam
Dam: To Tame or domesticate from Proto-Indo-European Other words that originate from Dam are: Domesticate: Hunter gatherer tribes needed to be able to trust dogs to watch out for bears, wolves and other carnivores. They had to be safe to keep around children and become domesticated. Tame: The first wolves were domesticated and made tameContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Dam”
Ancient Word of the Day: Thule
Thule or Tile is a legendary island in the North Europe, which was first written about by Ancient Greek Explorer Pytheas of Massalia during his travels between 330-20 BC. Later, a Roman citizen named Strabo wrote about Thule in his treatise named Geographica c. 30 AD. Thule – is the great unknown. The land ofContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Thule”
Ancient Word of the Day: Bhleu
Bhleu: ‘To Blow or to swell’ from Proto-Indo-European Life flows and leaves, wind, clouds, fire and storms bhleu/blow. From this ancient word comes many other beautiful nature words we know and love today, such as: Blossoms Bulbs Bellows Blast Bleat Belly Bells Ball Balloon Bladder Blót, an ancient Norse rite of blood sacrifice, also derivedContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Bhleu”
Ancient Word of the Day: An
An: ‘To breath’ from Proto-Indo-European If you empty your lungs you make an AHHHH sound on the exhale. The Proto-Indo-European word for this onomatopoeic sound is An. The word an remains the same in Anglo-Saxon, Old English, Icelandic, Swedish and Dutch. The ancient sound of an even exists within the word Human and Anmal. AfterContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: An”
Ancient Word of the Day: Serendipitist
Serendipitist: n. A person who benefits from a chance or serendipitous event Serendipity: happenchance or providence. This beautiful term was originally coined by writer Horace Walpole in 1754. Walpole was inspired by the ancient Persian tale The Three Princes of Serendip, about some titular characters who ran around in ancient Persia having some marvellous luckContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Serendipitist”
10 Cool Things I Found on the Internet this week #26
Sometimes you just need a happiness infusion straight into your veins, so here is a little shot of endorphins I hope you enjoy it… A Day in the Life of my favourite artist family The lovely and soulful Bartons in their cosy den of creativity The macabre story of The Sorceress by Jan van deContinue reading “10 Cool Things I Found on the Internet this week #26”
Ancient Word of the Day: Hell Kettle
Hell Kettle: n. A deep abyss or bottomless pool The deep pools in Darlington, Co. Durham in England are a part of fearsome local legend. These mysterious pools are said to have inspired Lewis Carroll’s endless rabbithole, where Alice tumbles into another world – in his classic book Alice in Wonderland. They are known asContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Hell Kettle”
Ancient Word of the Day: Cuneiform
Cuneiform: n. The oldest known writing system that originated in Mesopotamia circa 3400BC. It was etched onto wet clay tablets using a wedge-shaped stylus. Cuneiform is the original ancient written language that underpins all modern forms of written communication. Many languages throughout a vast geographical span over thousands of years were written in cuneiform, includingContinue reading “Ancient Word of the Day: Cuneiform”
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