MERRIAM-WEBSTER NEW ENTRIES
I ENJOY TWO EXTREMES IN DETERMINING WORD DEFINITIONS: the online Merriam-Webster and the microprinted Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, 1971. The M-W is only a click away; but … Continue reading
August 25, 2025 · Leave a comment
BUFFOON, BUFFOONISH, BUFFA
NOT ONLY does the word “buffoon” belong in my Etymology for our Times, there’s an operatic connection as well: Opera buffa is literally “comic opera” as opposed to opera seria, … Continue reading
October 1, 2017 · Leave a comment
CHAOS, IN THEORY AND PRACTICE, PART 1
ETYMOLOGY CAN offer good fun as well as therapeutic distraction in times of unease. Consider the word “chaos.” Come to think of it, in a Russell’s Paradox sort of way, … Continue reading
August 15, 2017 · 1 Comment
Simanaitis Says 