Word or Words of the Day and Discussion

[tinlizzie]

minyan:
The minimum number of ten adult Jews required for a communal religious
service.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/minyan>

What an interesting thread to check each day -- thank you, PF.

Today's word, which I thought was a new-to-me homonym for minion, turns out to be a subcategory -- a homophone.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

kraal:
1. In Central and Southern Africa, a rural village of huts surrounded by a
stockade.
2. An enclosure for livestock.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kraal>

 

[Addie]

kraal:
1. In Central and Southern Africa, a rural village of huts surrounded by a
stockade.
2. An enclosure for livestock.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kraal>

Now I have seen that word many times over the years. Specially when it has to do with Masai herdsmen building a wall of thorns around their village and animals at night. The show Big Cats Diary uses it at times.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Very close to the word corral.

 

[Addie]

Very close to the word corral.

Probably brought over on the slave boats.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

rory:
1. (obsolete) Covered by dew.
2. (obsolete) Of gaudy, tasteless, or unsubtle colors.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rory>

 

[Addie]

rory:
1. (obsolete) Covered by dew.
2. (obsolete) Of gaudy, tasteless, or unsubtle colors.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rory>

That one is a surprise. I have always used it to mean out of date. No longer acceptable or in use.

 

[GotGarlic]

Probably brought over on the slave boats.

This made me curious, so I checked it out. It originated in the Netherlands and the Dutch colonized South Africa, so they brought it there, and probably to America with Dutch explorers.

corral
verb (corrals, corralling, corralled)
[with object]

1. gather together and confine (a group of people or things):the organizers were corralling the crowd into marching formation

2. chiefly North American put or keep (livestock) in a corral.
historical form (wagons) into a corral.

noun
North American

1. a pen for livestock, especially cattle or horses, on a farm or ranch.
2. historical a defensive enclosure of wagons in an encampment.

Origin:

late 16th century: from Spanish and Old Portuguese (now curral), perhaps based on Latin currere 'to run'. Compare with kraal

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/corral

 

[Addie]

I forgot that the Dutch had a very active colony in South Africa. And the two 'a's' is very typical in the spelling of a lot of Dutch words.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

full circle:
1. Through a rotation or revolution that ends at the starting point.
2. (idiomatic) Through a cycle of transition, returning to where one
started after gaining experience or exploring other things.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/full_circle>

 

[PrincessFiona60]

omega:
1. The final letter of the Greek alphabet.
2. (idiomatic) The end; the final, last or ultimate in a series.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/omega>

 

[GotGarlic]

silk

noun

• a fine, strong, soft, lustrous fiber produced by silkworms in making cocoons and collected to make thread and fabric.
• [often as modifier] thread or fabric made from the fiber produced by the silkworm:a silk shirt
• (silks) garments made from silk, especially as worn by a jockey in the colors of a particular horse owner.
• Riding a cover worn over a riding hat made from a silklike fabric.
• British informal a Queen’s (or King’s) Counsel. [so named because of the right accorded to wear a gown made of this cloth]
• any silklike threads that grow in plants, such as at the end of an ear of corn or in a milkweed pod.

silk: definition of silk in Oxford dictionary - American English (US)

 

[PrincessFiona60]

spoiler:
1. One who spoils; a plunderer, pillager, despoiler.
2. A document, review or comment that discloses the ending or some key
surprise or twist in a story.
3. (automotive) A device to reduce lift and increase downforce.
4. (US, chiefly politics, sports) An individual, unable to win themselves,
who spoils the chances of another's victory.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spoiler>

 

[PrincessFiona60]

yana:
(Buddhism) Any of the three modes or methods of Buddhist spiritual
practice; Mahayana, Hinayana and Vajrayana.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yana>

 

[PrincessFiona60]

zygon:
1. (anatomy) In the cerebrum, the short crossbar or stem that connects the
two pairs of branches of an H-shaped fissure.
2. (music) An affinity or connection in a piece of music between tones,
chords, or phrases, such that one part appears to repeat, to imitate, or
to derive from the other, especially when perceived as an organising
force in the music.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zygon>

 

[PrincessFiona60]

donna:
A lady, especially a noblewoman; the title given to a lady in Italy.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/donna>

 

[PrincessFiona60]

scriptorium:
A room set aside for the copying, writing, or illuminating of
manuscripts and records, especially such a room in a monastery.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scriptorium>

 

[tinlizzie]

That immediately brings to mind "The Name of the Rose," a beautiful 1986 movie starring Sean Connery. It's a should-see for fans of 14th century times. Thanks for the mental poke, PF.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

That immediately brings to mind "The Name of the Rose," a beautiful 1986 movie starring Sean Connery. It's a should-see for fans of 14th century times. Thanks for the mental poke, PF.

It did for me, too Tin. One of my favorite movies.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

rani:
1. The wife of a rajah.
2. A Hindu princess or female ruler in India.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rani>