Words of the Day; the $10/100/1000/10000 Word

I need to explain this practice and the concept of a $10/100/1000/10000 word, etc.

Selection of the "Word of the Day"

I pick "Words of the Day" by several methods.

A. From my large word card file, I pick cards randomly or by groups and think about sentences I can use. If they seem fun or apporpriate, I use them that day as a "Word of the Day".

B. From my current readings or audio or video courses, I might come across a word that is interesting, either a new $10 word or more or one I haven't seen/heard recently. I might use that word for the same or next day.

C. I accept some suggestions from comments to the blog or my email from friends who know my email address.

Word "Value"

I have written and explained this concept in two other blogs. See my post of July 18, 2007 and post of February 5, 2008.

Word Promotions

Now there is some confusion about how a word becomes a $10 word.

First, one person's $10 word might be another's $0 word.

Second, a $0 word might have an old, now archaic/uncommon usage or meaning that will promote it to a $10 word.

Third, I might just have forgotten its precise meaning(s) and upon hearing or reading its use, I need to consult a dictionary to be sure about the concept. In this situation, I add it to my card file. My recent promotion of "felicitous" is an example of that. I heard it used in a DVD of an English murder mystery and wasn't quite sure of its meaning as used (although I had certainly read and used it many times in the past as it is not uncommon), so I went to my card file. Lo and behold, that word was not in it ! So I promoted it.

Here is an extreme example of the first complication. I wrote about "ingerence" which is a $1000 word. After that blog post, a friend wrote me a humorous quip that it was a $0 word, being known. That same friend also knew "latifundium" which is a $100 word to me.

Here is an example of the second complication - "conjure". Now that word is known to most, meaning "to perform tricks by sleight of hand" or "perform marvels", among other similar meanings and is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable. But I was reading "All Cloudless Glory", which is a fine biography of George Washington, and read the sentence below today.

[Page 225, vol I, from a cited letter by George Washinton to a disaffected officer] "... in this great cause, I conjure you to banish from your mind every suggestion of anger ..."

Now obviously the common meaning doesn't fit. From the dictionary, I found this as meaning #5: [con 'jure - accent on second syllable] appeal solemnly to (to a person). That meaning fits ! So "conjure" is promoted to a $10 word.

In fact, this meaning fits neatly with the related "-jure" words such as "abjure", "adjure", etc. which are all $10 words. In some other blog, I intend to compare their meanings.

Words of the Day

Today's words of the day also come from "All Cloudless Glory" on page 218, from a proclamation of Gen. Burgoyne to the American "rebels" [ hehe :-) ]. First the clause:

"[leniency promised to all] ... excepting only ... Samuel Adams and John Hancock, whose offenses are of too flagitious a nature to admit any other consideration than that of condign punishment."

"Flagitious" - adjective [$10]
"Flagitious" means criminal,; utterly villanous

"Condign" - adjective [$10]
"Condign" means deserved, adequate.

Now isn't that clause from Burgoyne's proclamation just perfect usage ?