Right about now, I’ll
bet you could go for a cool winter day with a hint of rain or light, snowy dustup.
Stunning snowflake |
Winter
will certainly be here before you know it, along with all the holidays. Ugh and
yea at the same time, and if the El Niño predictions are right, more “weather” than we might desire.
But
today, as you brush the stream of sweat from your brow, you’ll just have
daydream of a frosty, hiemal day …
HIEMAL (hīʹi mɘl): – adj.
of winter; wintry. [Is your honey in a hiemal mood? Give her / him a warm hug.]
So,
Wordsmiths … a question … hiemal is
not listed as an archaic word, yet it is rarely seen in common language.
Considering this, why in heaven’s name do we have so many words that mean the
same thing? Why didn’t we stop at “winter” and “wintry” and leave it at that?
(Or whichever came first.) If you’re waiting for an answer …
… you’re gonna keep waiting. In addition to winter | wintry | hiemal … enters the word, “brumal.” Yep again – it means the same thing! (Although this one is labeled “archaic.”)
Who texted me?! |
Oh, let’s not forget,
we have “hibernus” a form of hibernate,
which also translates to hiemal ... where
does the madness end?
This
begs a question about the thesaurus.
Why do we need it? Why are there so many words all meaning the same
thing?
We live in a convoluted
world; couldn’t we at least have a simple language? Sigh. Trust me, that’s the
least of my
worries today, but the safest thing I can bitch about. And, I’ve
always said, “Life’s no fun unless you can bitch.”
... whine with a lot of wine! |
Light
whining is fine – especially with wine.
Heehee. (Still too early though; sipping the last vestiges of my butterscotch
toffee coffee. Mmmmm.)
BTW, the Wolf’s classic hits station on my vintage radio
is a great mood lifter. Highly recommended if you like good ol’ Rock & Roll.
Why
is it relevant? The lyrics are a nostalgic reminder that without all the
different words to sing about love, and heartbreak, and ways of the world, our lives
would be pretty boring.
Hope
your week is full of smiles and the simple life … and learning new words. Me? I’m
going to seclude myself in a hiemal
attitude until the java (another word for coffee ☺) thaws my mood.
#
# #
No comments:
Post a Comment
Only intelligent, non-abusive comments (preferably with humor), will be published. Thank you for your interest!