Understand The Difference Between Ethos, Pathos, And Logos To Make Your Point During an argument, people will often say whatever is necessary to win. If that is the case, they would certainly need to understand the three modes of persuasion, also commonly known as the three rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. In short, these three words refer to three main methods that a person can use to speak or write persuasively. As you’re about to find out, the modes of persuasion are important because a speaker who knows how to effectively use them will have a significant advantage over someone who doesn’t. The terms ethos, pathos, and logos and the theory of their use can be traced back to ancient Greece to the philosophy of Aristotle. Aristotle used these three concepts in his explanations of rhetoric, or the art of influencing the thought and conduct of an audience. For Aristotle, the three modes of persuasion specifically referred to the three major parts of an argument: the speaker (ethos), the argument itself (logos), and the audience (pathos). In particular, Aristotle focused on the speaker’s character, the logic and reason presented by an argument, and the emotional impact the argument had on an audience. While they have ancient roots, these modes of persuasion are alive and well today. Put simply, ethos refers to persuasion based on the credibility or authority of the speaker, pathos refers to persuasion based on emotion, and logos refers to persuasion based on logic or reason. By effectively using the three modes of persuasion with a large supply of rhetorical devices, a speaker or writer can become a master of rhetoric and win nearly any argument or win over any audience. Before they can do that, though, they must know exactly what ethos, pathos, and logos mean. Fortunately, we are going to look closely at each of these three ideas and see if they are really as effective as they are said to be. Quick summary Ethos, pathos, and logos are the three classical modes of persuasion that a person can use to speak or write persuasively. Specifically: ethos (character): known as “the appeal to authority” or “the appeal to credibility.” This is the method in which a person relies on their credibility or character when making an appeal or an argument. pathos (emotions): known as “the appeal to emotion.” Pathos refers to the method of trying to persuade an audience by eliciting some kind of emotional reaction. logos (logic): known as “the appeal to reason.” This method involves using facts and logical reasoning to support an argument and persuade an audience. What is ethos? The word ethos comes straight from Greek. In Greek, ethos literally translates to “habit,” “custom,” or “character.” Ethos is related to the words ethic and ethical, which are typically used to refer to behavior that is or isn’t acceptable for a particular person. In rhetoric, the word ethos is used to refer to the character or reputation of the speaker. As a rhetorical appeal, ethos is known as “the appeal to authority” or “the appeal to credibility.” When it comes to ethos, one important consideration is how the speaker carries themself and how they present themselves to the audience: Does it seem like they know what they are talking about? Do they even believe the words they are saying? Are they an expert? Do they have some experience or skills that tell us we should listen to them? Ethos is important in rhetoric because it often influences the opinion or mood of the audience. If a speaker seems unenthusiastic, unprepared, or inexperienced, the audience is more likely to discount the speaker’s argument regardless of what it even is. On the other hand, a knowledgeable, authoritative, confident speaker is much more likely to win an audience over. Ethos often depends on more than just the argument itself. For example, a speaker’s word choice, grammar, and diction also contribute to ethos; an audience may react more favorably toward a professional speaker who has a good grasp of industry jargon and enunciates clearly versus a speaker who lacks the necessary vocabulary and fails to enunciate. Ethos can also be influenced by nonverbal factors as well, such as posture, body language, eye contact, and even the speaker’s choice of clothing. For example, a military officer proudly wearing their uniform bedecked with medals will go a long way to establishing ethos without them saying a single word. Here as a simple example of ethos: “As a former mayor of this city, I believe we can solve this crisis if we band together.” The speaker uses ethos by alerting the audience of their credentials and experience. By doing so, they rely on their reputation to be more persuasive. This “as a…” method of establishing ethos is common, and you have probably seen it used in many persuasive advertisements and speeches. What is pathos? In Greek, pathos literally translates to “suffering, experience, or sensation.” The word pathos is related to the words pathetic, sympathy, and empathy, which all have to do with emotions or emotional connections. Aristotle used the word pathos to refer to the emotional impact that an argument had on an audience; this usage is still mainly how pathos is used in rhetoric today. As a rhetorical appeal, pathos is referred to as “the appeal to emotion.” Generally speaking, an author or speaker is using pathos when they are trying to persuade an audience by causing some kind of emotional reaction. When it comes to pathos, any and all emotions are on the table: sadness, fear, hope, joy, anger, lust, pity, etc. As you probably know from your own life, emotions are a powerful motivating factor. For this reason, relying on pathos is often a smart and effective strategy for persuading an audience. Both positive and negative emotions can heavily influence an audience: for example, an audience will want to support a speaker whose position will make them happy, a speaker who wants to end their sadness, or a speaker who is opposed to something that makes them angry. Here is a simple example of pathos: “Every day, the rainforests shrink and innocent animals are killed. We must do something about this calamitous trend before the planet we call our home is damaged beyond repair.” Here, the author is trying to win over an audience by making them feel sad, concerned, or afraid. The author’s choice of words like “innocent” and “calamitous” enforce the fact that they are trying to rely on pathos. What is logos? In Greek, the word logos literally translates to “word, reason, or discourse.” The word logos is related to many different words that have to do with reason, discourse, or knowledge, such as logic, logical, and any words that end in the suffixes -logy or -logue. As a mode of persuasion and rhetorical appeal, logos is often referred to as “the appeal to reason.” If a speaker or author is relying on logos, they are typically reciting facts or providing data and statistics that support their argument. In a manner of speaking, logos does away with all of the bells and whistles of ethos and pathos and cuts to the chase by trying to present a rational argument. Logos can be effective in arguments because, in theory, it is impossible to argue against truth and facts. An audience is more likely to agree with a speaker who can provide strong, factual evidence that shows their position is correct. On the flip side, an audience is less likely to support an argument that is flawed or entirely wrong. Going further, a speaker that presents a lot of supporting evidence and data to the audience is likely to come across as knowledgeable and someone to be listened to, which earns bonus points in ethos as well. While Aristotle clearly valued an argument based on reason very highly, we know that logos alone doesn’t always effectively persuade an audience. In your own life, you have likely seen a rational, correct speaker lose an argument to a charismatic, authoritative speaker who may not have the facts right. Here is a simple example of logos: “According to market research, sales of computer chips have increased by 300% in the last five years. Analysis of the industry tells us that the market share of computer chips is dominated by Asian manufacturers. It is clear that the Asian technology sector will continue to experience rapid growth for the foreseeable future.” In this paragraph, the author is using data, statistics, and logical reasoning to make their argument. They clearly hope to use logos to try to convince an audience to agree with them. Examples of ethos, pathos, and logos Ethos, pathos, and logos can all be employed to deliver compelling and persuasive arguments or to win over an audience. Let’s look at a variety of examples to see how different speakers and authors have turned to these modes of persuasion over the years. ethos “Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me […] You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?” —Marc Antony, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare In this scene, Marc Antony is trying to win over the Roman people, so Shakespeare has Antony rely on ethos. Antony is establishing himself as both a person of authority in Rome (having the power to offer Caesar a crown) and an expert on Caesar’s true character (Antony was Caesar’s close friend and advisor). “During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world’s first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance.” —Steve Jobs, 2005 Here, Steve Jobs is providing his background–via humblebrag– of being a major figure in several different highly successful tech companies. Jobs is using ethos to provide substance to his words and make it clear to the audience that he knows what he is talking about and they should listen to him. pathos “Moreover, though you hate both him and his gifts with all your heart, yet pity the rest of the Achaeans who are being harassed in all their host; they will honour you as a god, and you will earn great glory at their hands. You might even kill Hector; he will come within your reach, for he is infatuated, and declares that not a Danaan whom the ships have brought can hold his own against him.” —Ulysses to Achilles, The Iliad by Homer In this plea, Ulysses is doing his best to pile on the pathos. In one paragraph, Ulysses is attempting to appeal to several of Achilles’s emotions: his hatred of Hector, his infamous stubborn pride, his sympathy for civilians, and his desire for vengeance. “I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest—quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.” —Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1963 In this excerpt from his “I Have A Dream” speech, King is using pathos to accomplish two goals at once. First, he is connecting with his audience by making it clear is aware of their plight and suffering. Second, he is citing these examples to cause sadness or outrage in the audience. Both of these effects will make an audience interested in what he has to say and more likely to support his position. logos “Let it be remembered how powerful the influence of a single introduced tree or mammal has been shown to be. But in the case of an island, or of a country partly surrounded by barriers, into which new and better adapted forms could not freely enter, we should then have places in the economy of nature which would assuredly be better filled up if some of the original inhabitants were in some manner modified; for, had the area been open to immigration, these same places would have been seized on by intruders. In such case, every slight modification, which in the course of ages chanced to arise, and which in any way favoured the individuals of any of the species, by better adapting them to their altered conditions, would tend to be preserved; and natural selection would have free scope for the work of improvement.” —Charles Darwin, On the Origin of the Species, 1859 In this passage, Darwin is using logos by presenting a rational argument in support of natural selection. Darwin connects natural selection to established scientific knowledge to argue that it makes logical sense that animals would adapt to better survive in their environment. “I often echo the point made by the climate scientist James Hansen: The accumulation of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases—some of which will envelop the planet for hundreds and possibly thousands of years—is now trapping as much extra energy daily as 500,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs would release every 24 hours. This is the crisis we face.” —Al Gore, “The Climate Crisis Is the Battle of Our Time, and We Can Win,” 2019 In this call to action, Al Gore uses logos to attempt to convince his audience of the significance of climate change. In order to do this, Gore both cites an expert in the field and provides a scientifically accurate simile to explain the scale of the effect that greenhouse gases have on Earth’s atmosphere. What are mythos and kairos? Some modern scholars may also use terms mythos and kairos when discussing modes of persuasion or rhetoric in general. Aristotle used the term mythos to refer to the plot or story structure of Greek tragedies, i.e., how a playwright ordered the events of the story to affect the audience. Today, mythos is most often discussed as a literary or poetic term rather than a rhetorical one. However, mythos may rarely be referred to as the “appeal to culture” or the “appeal to myth” if it is treated as an additional mode of persuasion. According to this viewpoint, a speaker/writer is using mythos if they try to persuade an audience using shared cultural customs or societal values. A commonly cited example of mythos is King’s “I Have a Dream” speech quoted earlier. King says: “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men—yes, black men as well as white men—would be guaranteed the ‘unalienable rights’ of ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ ” Throughout the speech, King repeatedly uses American symbols and American history (mythos) to argue that all Americans should be outraged that Black Americans have been denied freedom and civil rights. Some modern scholars may also consider kairos as an additional mode of persuasion. Kairos is usually defined as referring to the specific time and place that a speaker chooses to deliver their speech. For written rhetoric, the “place” instead refers to the specific medium or publication in which a piece of writing appears. Unlike the other modes of persuasion, kairos relates to the context of a speech and how the appropriateness (or not) of a setting affects how effective a speaker is. Once again, King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is a great example of the use of kairos. This speech was delivered at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation at the end of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Clearly, King intended to use kairos to enhance the importance and timeliness of this landmark speech. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

Greek Words For Love That Will Make Your Heart Soar What is love? People have had a hard time answering that question for a lot longer than you might think. In Ancient Greece, love was a concept pondered over by some of history’s most famous philosophers, including Plato and Aristotle. Greek philosophers attempted to explain love rationally and often categorized the different kinds of love people could feel. Because we love them so much, we brought together some Greek words—and a Latin one, for good measure—for the different kinds of love you might find out there. eros Original Greek: ἔρως (érōs) Eros is physical love or sexual desire. Eros is the type of love that involves passion, lust, and/or romance. Examples of eros would be the love felt between, well, lovers. Eros is the sensual love between people who are sexually attracted to each other. In the Bible, eros was synonymous with “marital love” because husbands and wives were supposed to be the only people having sex. Eros was also the name of a love god in Greek mythology—better known by his Roman name, Cupid—and was the guy responsible for shooting magic arrows at people to make them fall in love. The word eros is still used in psychology today to refer to sexual desire or the libido. The words erotic and erogenous, which both have to do with sexual desire or arousal, are derived from eros. philia Original Greek: ϕιλία (philía) Philia is affectionate love. Philia is the type of love that involves friendship. Philia is the kind of love that strong friends feel toward each other. However, it doesn’t stop there. The Greek philosopher Plato thought that philia was an even greater love than eros and that the strongest loving relationships were ones where philia led to eros: a “friends become lovers” situation. Our concept of platonic love—love that isn’t based on physical attraction—comes from this Platonic philosophy. The word philia is related to the word philosophy through the combining form philo-. Philia itself is the source of the combining forms -philia, -phile, and -phily, all three of which are used to indicate a figurative love or affinity for something. agape Original Greek: ἀγάπη (agápē) Agape is often defined as unconditional, sacrificial love. Agape is the kind of love that is felt by a person willing to do anything for another, including sacrificing themselves, without expecting anything in return. Philosophically, agape has also been defined as the selfless love that a person feels for strangers and humanity as a whole. Agape is the love that allows heroic people to sacrifice themselves to save strangers they have never met. Did you know ... ? Agape is a major term in the Christian Bible, which is why it is often defined as “Christian love.” In the New Testament, agape is the word used to describe the love that God has for humanity and the love humanity has for God. Agape was also the love that Jesus Christ felt for humanity, which explains why he was willing to sacrifice himself. storge Original Greek: στοργή (storgé) Storge is familial love. Storge is the natural love that family members have for one another. Of all of the types of love, storge might be the easiest to understand. It is the type of love that parents feel toward their children and vice versa. Storge also describes the love that siblings feel towards each other, and the love felt by even more distant kin relationships, such as a grandparent for a grandchild or an uncle toward a niece. mania Original Greek: μανία (manía) Mania is obsessive love. Mania is the kind of “love” that a stalker feels toward their victim. As a type of love, mania is not good, and the Greeks knew this as well as we do. Mania is excessive love that reaches the point of obsession or madness. Mania describes what a jilted lover feels when they are extremely jealous of a rival or the unhealthy obsession that can result from mental illness. The Greek mania is the source of the English word mania and similar words like maniac and manic. It is also the source of the combining form -mania, which is often used in words that refer to obsessive behavior such as pyromania and egomania. ludus Original Latin: Bucking the trend, the word ludus comes from Latin rather than Greek. In Latin, lūdus means “game” or “play,” which fits with the type of love it refers to. One possible Greek equivalent is the word ερωτοτροπία, meaning “courtship.” Ludus is playful, noncommittal love. Ludus covers things like flirting, seduction, and casual sex. Ludus means “play” or “game” in Latin, and that pretty much explains what ludus is: love as a game. When it comes to ludus, a person is not looking for a committed relationship. People who are after ludus are just looking to have fun or view sex as a prize to be won. A “friends with benefits” situation would be an example of a relationship built on ludus: neither partner is interested in commitment. Of course, ludus may eventually result in eros—and hopefully not mania—if feelings of passion or romance emerge during the relationship. The Latin lūdus is related to the playful words ludic and ludicrous. pragma Original Greek: πράγμα (prágma) Pragma is practical love. Pragma is love based on duty, obligation, or logic. Pragma is the unsexy love that you might find in the political, arranged marriages throughout history. This businesslike love is seen in relationships where practicality takes precedence over sex and romance. For example, two people may be in a relationship because of financial reasons or because they have more to lose by breaking up than staying together. Pragma may even involve a person tolerating or ignoring their partner’s infidelity, as was common in politically motivated royal marriages in much of world history. Pragma may not sound all that great to many, but it is possible for pragma to coexist alongside other types of love, such as ludus or even eros. As you might have guessed, pragma is related to pragmatic, a word that is all about practicality. philautia Original Greek: ϕιλαυτία (philautía) Philautia is self-love. No, not that kind. Philautia refers to how a person views themselves and how they feel about their own body and mind. The modern equivalent of philautia would be something like self-esteem (good) or hubris (bad). People with high self-esteem, pride in themselves, or a positive body image practice a healthy version of philautia. Of course, philautia has a dark side, too. Egomaniacal narcissists who think they are better than everybody else are also an example of philautia, but not in a healthy way. The duality of philautia just goes to show that love, even self-love, can often get pretty complicated. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

Why Roman Numerals Are The Super Bowl’s Signature Sure, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events in the world (World Cup fans, feel free to weigh in here), and an unofficial national holiday in the United States. On February 13, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams will face off at the California home field of the Rams, SoFi Stadium, in Super Bowl LVI (56). While sports fans are waiting to see if the Bengals will clinch their first Super Bowl title, the word (and number) lovers of us (you know, those of us watching the Superb Owl) are wondering about the Roman numerals themselves. Do you know how the Super Bowl got its name? Or why it uses Roman numerals? How did the Super Bowl get its name? In the 1960s, American pro football was divided into two leagues, the established NFL and the newly-formed AFL (American Football League). Eventually, the two would merge into one league comprised of two conferences, and shortly after the announcement of said merger, a new competitive event was announced pitting the best of both conferences against each other. The first best-of-the-best game between the Packers and Chiefs in January 1967 ended up carrying the rather straightforward name of AFL-NFL Championship Game. Catchy? Not very. The subsequent three games used the equally bland World Championship Game. So, when did the term Super Bowl finally come into the picture? The standard mythology holds that Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt coined the term Super Bowl as a phonetic riff on his daughter’s toy Super Ball. But, numerous newspapers were commonly using the term Super Bowl as early as 1967—years before the first officially named Super Bowl game took place. Why let that get in the way of a good origin myth, right? What does the bowl in Super Bowl mean? Glad you asked. In the early 1900s, bowl began to be used to describe bowl-like stadiums. The first of these stadiums was built for Yale in 1914 and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena was soon to follow. Soon enough, football games held in similarly designed stadiums were called bowl games. What number Super Bowl is this year? This year’s 2022 Super Bowl is number 56. That means it would be represented in Roman numerals as LVI. Do you know why? Roman numerals are an ancient numeric system where numbers are represented by the symbols I, V, X, L, C, D, and M. I represents the number 1, V represents 5, X is 10, L is 50, C is 100, D is 500, and M is 1,000. Different arrangements of these seven symbols represent different numbers. To create numbers, you arrange the symbols in descending order from left to right. So the number 56 would be represented as 50 + 5 + 1 or LVI. Why do the Super Bowl games have Roman numerals? Lamar Hunt is also credited for introducing Roman numerals to keep track of the championship title bowls. Super Bowl V was the first such bowl to be numbered using this system. An excerpt from the NFL media guide explains further: The Roman numerals were adopted to clarify any confusion that may occur because the NFL Championship Game—the Super Bowl—is played in the year following a chronologically recorded season. Numerals I through IV were added later for the first four Super Bowls. Controversially, the only Super Bowl game to not use Roman numerals was Super Bowl 50. The Roman numeral for 50 is L, and, because NFL ad designers felt that the Super Bowl L title was too unattractive and unmarketable, they opted to use the number 50 instead. Many football fans were very miffed by this. Chris Chase of USA Today summed up the “controversy” nicely: “Foregoing the use of Super Bowl L drew some early criticism that the league was dumbing things down for America, as if clinging to an archaic counting system that was obviously created without any foresight means we’re a nation of dunces. That’s nonsense. Roman numerals are like cursive: meaningless in the real world and not as pretty to look at as people think.” That said: we’re now back to the Roman numeral system for the foreseeable future, so everything is in its right place. Go team! Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

What Is Cyber Monday? Discover The Origin Of This Day For many, Cyber Monday provides the perfect shopping solution: all the holiday deals with none of the holiday crowds. But, where did the name Cyber Monday come from? What and when is Cyber Monday? Cyber Monday is an annual event during the holiday shopping season that’s devoted to online shopping. Online retailers are known for offering deals and discounts on the day. The annual Cyber Monday takes place on the Monday after Thanksgiving (which is the fourth Thursday in November). In 2021, Cyber Monday is November 29. In 2022, it will fall on November 28. Cyber Monday is part of a series of unofficial holidays focused on shopping opportunities at what’s considered the beginning of the holiday season. This period begins with Black Friday, the oldest and most established of such days. Cyber Monday is a more recent addition, along with Small Business Saturday (the day for buying from small businesses). The yearly charitable giving campaign known as Giving Tuesday takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Giving Tuesday is an annual event devoted to encouraging people to donate to charitable causes or to volunteer. What is the origin of the name Cyber Monday? Cyber Monday was first used in 2005 by the National Retail Federation to encourage people to shop online. Cyber Monday is often considered to be the online shopping equivalent of Black Friday, which dates back to at least the 1950s and has historically been one of the busiest shopping days of the year. What does cyber mean? Prior to the advent of the internet, cyber was used in the formation of words relating to computers, computer networks, or virtual reality. This usage can be traced to the word cybernetics, which was ushered into English in the 1940s by the scientist Norbert Wiener. Cybernetics refers to “the study of mechanical and electronic systems designed to replace human systems.” It comes from the Greek term kybernḗtēs meaning “helmsman” or “steersman.” The first instance on record of cyber as a combining form is from 1961 in the Wall Street Journal: “A major difference between the Cybertron and conventional computers … is the ability of the Cybertron to make use of raw data and signals.” The Cybertron was used for commercial and military use at the time, and it was touted as a machine that could learn as it solved problems. Also in the 1960s, fans of the popular sci-fi show Doctor Who heard another cyber combining form: cybermen. These deathly cyborgs have been frequent visitors throughout the show’s run. Other words that use cyber Today, cyber- is largely used in terms relating to the internet, and it appears in many commonly used words. One notable coinage in the evolution of this term is the word cyberspace by novelist William Gibson. He used it first in his 1982 story “Burning Chrome.” He used the word again in his 1984 novel Neuromancer in a passage that predated the introduction of the internet to mainstream culture (but captured its mystery surprisingly accurately): “Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts … A graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding …” Cyber- is also part of these frequently used terms: cyberattack cybersecurity cyberterrorism cyberwarfare cyberpunk cyberpet cybercafé cyberbully Whether you love or loathe the idea of a day of online shopping, Cyber Monday has already been with us for more than 15 years. As technologies continue to change, the ways we use the word cyber are likely to adjust, too! What will the next wave of cyber-realities bring? Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

“Persons” vs. “People” vs. “Peoples”: Which Word Is The Right Choice? Persons, people, and peoples: we know what they mean, but the relationship between them can be confusing. What’s the correct plural of person—persons or people? Why does people have its own plural? Some of these questions have easy answers. But there are a number of nuanced aspects to their use, including those related to legal language, personal identity, and decisions about whether to emphasize individuals or groups. Then there are questions about capitalization, particularly for terms like people of color and Indigenous Peoples. In this article, we’ll address the frequently asked questions surrounding persons, people, and peoples, including: - When should persons be used instead of people? - When should peoples be used instead of people? - When should peoples be capitalized? - What are the possessive forms of persons, people, and peoples? Quick summary Both persons and people can be used as plural forms of person. Persons is often used in formal, legal contexts to emphasize individuals as opposed to a group. People is the plural of person that’s most commonly used in everyday communication to simply refer to multiple humans. But people can also be used as a singular noun to refer to a population or particular community. The plural of this sense of people is peoples, and it’s often used in terms like Indigenous Peoples (in which it’s often capitalized since it refers to specific communities). What is the plural of person? Persons or people? Both persons and people are acceptable plural forms of person. They’re not necessarily always interchangeable, but there is some overlap. The plural form people is more common. That’s because it can be used in any context to refer to multiple individuals—one person, two people (or 100 people or 8 billion people, etc.). Usually, you’ll see persons in more formal contexts, especially in legal and technical text, as well as a few other situations. When to use persons vs. people Persons is especially associated with its use in legal language, in which it’s often used rather than people to ensure clarity by emphasizing that the text is referring to multiple individuals, as opposed to a group as a whole, as in Occupancy is limited to 200 persons or Any person or persons found to be in violation of these rules shall be prohibited from participating. When persons is used in this way outside of legal texts, it has historically been regarded as overly formal or stilted—it wouldn’t be natural to say I invited 10 persons to the party, for example. Increasingly, however, there are cases in which persons is thought to be more appropriate than people for other reasons. This is especially the case in situations when you want to talk about individuals within a group, rather than the group as a whole. In this way, persons is sometimes used with terms related to identity to emphasize individuality, such as saying Jewish persons instead of Jewish people. Regardless of intent, though, statements that are about individuals with a common identity can lead to overgeneralizations or stereotyping, so it’s always best to consider whether the individuals’ common identity is an essential part of what you’re trying to say. Choosing how to refer to people can also be informed by preferences around language that’s person-first (as in person with autism) or identity-first (as in autistic person). More generally, the word people can also be a collective noun that refers to a specific group, nation, tribe, or community, as in We are a resilient people or The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the American people. When to use peoples The word peoples is specifically used as the plural of people in its sense as a collective singular noun referring to a nation, or tribe, or other community, as in Indigenous Peoples or the many peoples of the world. This usage emphasizes that you’re talking about several different specific groups that share a commonality. This can be important for clarity—the many people of the world means something different than the many peoples of the world. In practical terms, using peoples in this way can help to prevent erasure and homogenization of groups that are often lumped together in ways that obscure their specific, complex identities. In this way, the term Indigenous Peoples emphasizes the vast diversity among the world’s Indigenous groups while also implying that there are, in fact, separate and distinct groups. When should People and Peoples be capitalized? You may have noticed that Peoples is capitalized in Indigenous Peoples in this article (and in other articles that use the term). Capitalization is increasingly used as a form of respect and distinction for terms that relate to identity. (capitalizes Indigenous across the dictionary when it relates to identity in this way, just as we do for the word Black.) The word Peoples is most often capitalized when it follows a specific modifier, as in Hispanic Peoples and Indigenous Peoples. In cases when it’s capitalized, it is often due to the fact that it refers not to people in general but to specific, distinct communities. Similarly, the term People of Color is also sometimes capitalized, though not always, likely because it is typically used as a broad term that encompasses more specific identities, including Black and Indigenous people, for example (relatedly, this is what’s represented in the first part of the the abbreviation BIPOC). - What are the possessive forms of person, persons, people and peoples? Where should I put the apostrophe? - Is it people’s or peoples’? Person’s or persons’? All of these are valid possessives, but they indicate different things. Here is a breakdown of each possessive form, along with examples of their use. Person Possessive form: person’s (singular possessive) Example: One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Persons Possessive form: persons’ (plural possessive) Example: The suspect confessed to the theft of several persons’ social security numbers. People Possessive form: people’s (plural and singular possessive) Plural example: Tech support should be able to fix all six people’s issues by the end of the day. Singular example: The French people’s love of fine food is well known. Peoples Possessive form: peoples’ (plural possessive) Example: The goal of the festival is to celebrate many different peoples’ cultures. Examples of persons, people, and peoples used in a sentence Here are some examples of the ways that each word is commonly used. - We were hoping that at least one person would apply for the job, but we received applications from 60 people! - The person or persons who may have witnessed the incident are being sought by police. - My partner and I, as persons with autism, have a unique perspective on the issue. - The class will be focused on the history, peoples, and cultures of the region. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a time to honor Indigenous Peoples in the Americas and around the world. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

English Words That Came From Hindi And Urdu How many words from Hindi and Urdu do you know? Well, if you’re one of the approximately 70 million speakers of Urdu and 425 million of Hindi, then, well, you know a lot—and that’s only counting native speakers. Millions more speak Urdu and Hindi as a second language all around the globe, making them, combined, one of the most spoken languages. But even if you don’t speak Hindi or Urdu, you actually use more words that derive, along one route or another, from these sister languages than you realize! So put down your your cup of chai (which means “tea,” so you really don’t need to say “chai tea”!) and read on. What are Urdu and Hindi? Many English speakers may not know they are using words that come from Hindi and Urdu. Many—let’s be honest—may not know, exactly, what these languages are. Modern Hindi and Urdu both derive from a common language called Hindustani, a language of South Asia used as what’s known as a lingua franca in Northern India and Pakistan. Both Hindi and Urdu (and their parent, Hindustani) are what linguists call Indic or Indo-Aryan languages, which are part of a larger language family known as Indo-European. That means languages ranging from Irish to Greek to, yes, English all share a common ancestor, as unrelated as they may seem. The development of modern Hindi and Urdu are complex, their differences developing in large part based on religion. When colonial British India was split into India and Pakistan in 1947, Hindi became an official language of India (a majority Hindu country) and Urdu, of Pakistan (majority Muslim). Other major differences between Hindi and Urdu are that Hindi is written in a script called Devanagari with many words from Sanskrit while Urdu is written in a modified Arabic script with many words from Persian and Arabic. Another major commonality of Hindi and Urdu is that a lot of the words English borrowed from these languages were the result, lest we forget, of British colonialism and imperialism. But for all the complexity, past and present, of Hindi and Urdu, many of the words that made their way into English are, well, surprisingly common and everyday. Here are the English words that derive from Hindi and Urdu. (Keep in mind that the two languages are so closely intertwined, there may exist a version of each word in both.) shampoo Yep, that shower staple that keeps your hair and scalp clean has Hindi–Urdu origins. First evidence of the word shampoo can be found around 1755–65. It comes from the word champo, meaning “to massage,” which is a form of the Hindi word cāmpnā, “to press.” jungle This word, which we use to describe “a wild land overgrown with dense vegetation” stems from the Hindi word jaṅgal. That word in turn came from the Sanskrit word jaṅgala meaning “rough, waterless place.” First evidence of it in the English language dates back to 1770–80. thug While the term thug has evolved over the years in use and meaning, first evidence of the word is found around 1800–10. It comes from the Hindi word thag, which means “rogue, cheat.” pajamas While these days you may stay in them all day, this word typically used to refer to night clothes. First evidence of it in the English language can be found around 1870–75. It’s a variant of the Urdu and Hindi word pāyjāma, which stems from the Persian words pāy, meaning “leg” and jāma, meaning “garment.” veranda Sipping a little something (sweet tea, perhaps) on a veranda seems like such a Southern thing, but the origins of the word aren’t. It, in fact, comes from the Hindi words baraṇḍā and barāmdā, which stem from the Persian phrase bar āmadaḥ, meaning “coming out.” It may ultimately derive from the Spanish word baranda, which means “railing, balustrade.” pundit These days, there are self-proclaimed pundits aplenty, particularly in the political arena. The term, which dates back to 1665–75, stems from the Hindi word paṇḍit, which comes from the Sanskrit word paṇḍita meaning “learned man.” How learned some of our pundits today are is up for debate. juggernaut Today, we use this word meaning “any large, overpowering, destructive force” to describe everything from COVID-19 to an opposing football team. Marvel Comics even bestowed it as the name of one of its characters. First evidence of the word, however, dates back to around 1630–40. It stems from the Hindi word Jagannāth, which comes from the Sanskrit word Jagannātha, meaning “lord of the world.” loot While it can be used in various forms, at its root, the word loot is used to describe “spoils or plunder taken by pillaging.” Looters loot during times of chaos, such as after a natural disaster or during war, but we also use the word in a more positive sense, such as when we refer to the candy kids get on Halloween as their loot … though dentists may disagree with how positive that really is. First evidence of the word is found in the 1780s. It stems from the Hindi word lūṭ, which is equivalent to the Sanskrit word lotra, loptra meaning “booty, spoil.” khaki The noun (and adjective) khaki also entered the English from Persian via Urdu. In Persian, khākī means “dusty.” Khaki, of course, can refer to both a color and a fabric in English. punch Here’s a fun party fact to pack away for the next time you want to make conversation around the punch bowl. The word for this festive drink is said to stem from the Hindi word panch, which means “five,” as it was originally made up of five ingredients, probably alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. First evidence of the word dates back to 1625–35. cushy If something involves “little effort for ample rewards” or is “soft and comfortable,” it’s cushy. This word is partly a borrowing from Urdu (ḵušī) and partly from Persian. It is first recorded in English relatively recently: 1900–15. And now that you’ve added some word origin facts to your vocab (not always a cushy task), it’s time to give yourself a break. Go ahead and sip a little punch on your veranda; we’ll be lounging in pajamas! Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

Happy Lunar New Year – Learn All About This Celebration! For millions of Asian Americans and Asian peoples around the world, the Lunar New Year is a time to gather with family, start the year off right, and eat a lot of delicious food. Like, a lot. One of the biggest holidays in East Asia, the Lunar New Year will fall on February 1, 2022 in 2022. Because it’s based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar, it’s also often called Chinese New Year. While you may be familiar with Lunar New Year parades on TV, did you know the holiday encompasses a wide variety of unique traditions—from gifts exchanged to lucky fruit? Here’s a quick look at some of the things that happen behind the scenes. How do people prepare for Lunar New Year? There’s a lot to do leading up to the holiday. The general spirit of this preparation is to clean away the residue of the old year and start fresh, personally and financially. You can do this by giving your entire home a good deep cleaning and settling your debts and grudges. Clear away all the lingering bad luck of the old year, making room for the good luck of the new year. It’s also important to visit your family’s gravesites before the new year. It’s bad luck to visit a cemetery during the New Year’s celebration because it’s ill-advised to mix interactions with death and celebrations of life. It’s a chance to touch base with your ancestors and remember them fondly. Some believe that ancestral spirits help bring good fortune in the new year. What do people eat during Lunar New Year? During the Lunar New Year, families get together to eat lucky foods, exchange gifts, and bond with one another. These gatherings are the highlight of the season. Many people travel far and wide to visit all of their family in the new year. So you live in San Francisco, but your family’s in New York? Have fun on your road trip! Of course, as soon as you get through the door all your relatives will ask, “你食飯未呀” (“Have you eaten yet?”). What would family gatherings be without loads of food? But it’s considered bad luck to touch knives during the New Year’s season, so a lot of families take time to prep and store food ahead of time. Some traditional foods have symbolic meanings: fish Fish is the centerpiece of many New Year’s feasts. In some Chinese dialects, the word for fish (鱼 or yú) is a homophone with the word for surplus (余, also yú). Thanks to this, eating seafood is believed to symbolize a bountiful new year. dumplings Dumplings symbolize wealth because they look like little Chinese-style gold ingots (or like little purses). Some believe eating a lot of them will lead to wealth in the new year (which sounds like a great excuse to eat more dumplings). long noodles Long noodles symbolize longevity and happiness. They can be served fried, boiled, or as part of a soup. Cutting or breaking the noodles is seen to symbolize cutting your lifespan short. So if you have a habit of breaking your pasta before cooking it, you might want to rethink that. 10-course banquets Some restaurants will host 10-course banquets for the occasion. The pricing for these banquets will usually end in the number eight, which is considered lucky in Chinese numerology. In both Mandarin and Cantonese, the word for eight (八, pronounced bā or bat) sounds similar to the word for prosperity (發 pronounced fā or fat). You might actually recognize 發 from a common Chinese New Year greeting: “恭禧發財”. (You can say gong she fa tsai in Mandarin or gong hey fat choi in Cantonese.) So if you see a feast for $888, you know that’s extra lucky. Lunar New Year celebrations and traditions Lunar New Year is a time to wish each other luck and prosperity in the year to come—while warding off any potential bad spirits. red envelopes When families gather, they’ll also exchange red envelopes. These are known as lai see (Cantonese) or hóng bāo (Mandarin). They’re gifts from adults (elders and married people) to children and unmarried young adults. They usually contain a few coins or small bills of “lucky money.” This symbolizes a wish for prosperity and plenty in the new year. At the end of the New Year’s celebration period, you’re supposed to spend the lucky money on something sweet (for a sweet new year). lucky words Many families also decorate their homes with bright red lanterns and signs for the holiday. These typically have lucky words written on them in gold lettering. One word used is fú (福), which means good fortune. You might see this character hung upside down on or near someone’s front door. This is because in some dialects, the word for upside down, dào (倒) is a homonym with the word for to arrive (到, also pronounced dào). Hanging the sign upside down symbolizes arrival of good fortune. Yay for wordplay. firecrackers One Chinese legend says that there was once a monster, called the nián, that terrorized a certain village every Lunar New Year. Then one day, the villagers learned that the nián was afraid of a bright shade of red, as well as loud noises. The villagers all wore red and set off firecrackers and fireworks. The nián was terrified and fled the village for good. Mulan would be proud. Today, you’ll still see plenty of red and hear plenty of fireworks. It’s all still meant to scare away evil spirits (the nián included). tangerines You might also see arrangements of tangerines or other citrus fruits. These are also meant to symbolize prosperity thanks to their golden color. Tangerines that still have leaves and stems symbolize fertility. It’s traditional to give tangerines as gifts when you visit someone’s home during the New Year’s celebration. Lunar New Year is an important time for many people in Asia, as well as for Asian communities worldwide. You probably know at least one person who celebrates it, and the traditions they observe won’t be the exact same as people of other families, regions, ethnicities, or religions. What are zodiac animals? The Chinese New Year specifically marks the end and beginning of a year of the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese zodiac consists of a cycle of 12 years, all named for animals. These animals are, in order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar. Just like the Western zodiac, the Chinese zodiac says that a person’s personality and horoscope can be determined by their personal zodiac sign—in this case, the one of their birth year. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. To celebrate the occasion, Chinese New Year festivals, parties, and parades will be held around the world, and most will be adorned with tigers in the form of decorations, art, and toys. The occasion also motivated some organizations to raise awareness of tiger conservation as tigers are a critically endangered species. In 2002, you can also celebrate and share your support for tigers with the Tiger Face emoji 🐯 and Tiger emoji 🐅. ⚡️Chinese zodiac chart Starting in year 2020, here is a chart of the next 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac: Year Animal Emoji representation 2020 rat 🐀 2021 ox 🐂, 2022 tiger 🐅, 🐯 2023 rabbit 🐇, 🐰 2024 dragon 🐉, 🐲 2025 snake 🐍 2026 horse 🐎, 🐴 2027 goat 🐐 2028 monkey 🐒, 🐵 2029 rooster 🐓, 🐔 2030 dog 🐕, 🐶 2031 pig 🐖, 🐷 Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

Words That Come From Mandarin Or Cantonese Think you only speak English? Think again. While you may not be fluent or able to write in another language, the fact is that English consists largely of words we’ve borrowed from other languages. In fact, about 80 percent of the English language is made up of these loanwords. It’s amazing really to think of how many languages you speak on a daily basis without even realizing it. Take Chinese, for example. While China may seem a world away in terms of distance, there are plenty of words we use from the country’s languages regularly. In China, two of the major forms of Chinese spoken are Mandarin and Cantonese. Mandarin is the official language of mainland China, spoken primarily in the north as well as in Singapore and Taiwan. Cantonese, on the other hand, is spoken primarily in southern China, including Hong Kong. Not surprisingly, the English language borrows from both. Let’s take a look at some of the words English ultimately owes to Chinese, along one etymological pathway or another. ketchup As American as this condiment may seem, the word apparently comes from the Chinese language. Via the Malay kəchap (“fish sauce”), ketchup is believed to derive from two Chinese forms: kéjāp (Guangdong) and ke-tsiap (Xiamen). The literal Chinese translation is “eggplant juice.” Hmm, so when did tomato get mixed up in it? tofu Whether or not ketchup on tofu sounds tasty is up to you, but the word for this healthy, soybean-based food also comes to us from China. It comes into English from Japanese (tōfu), which is itself heavily indebted to the Chinese language. The old Chinese word dòufu combines dòu, meaning “bean” and fǔ, meaning “turn sour, ferment.” Shih Tzu Sweet little Shih Tzu puppies are a popular breed in the United States now, but they used to be considered pets of nobility in China. Their name is shīzi gǒu, which comes from shīzi meaning “lion” and gǒu, meaning “dog.” They are Shih Tzus, hear them roar … or bark. gung-ho You may say you’re gung-ho about something—be it for the latest Netflix series or a new project at work—if you’re really excited about it. While the term was used as a Marine training slogan in the mid–1900s in the United States, it stems from the Mandarin phrase gōng hé, which is the abbreviated name of the Chinese Cooperative Society, meaning “work together.” kowtow If you kowtow to your boss or your bossy sister-in-law, you’re deferring to them or letting them have their way. The word stems from the Cantonese word kòutóu, which means to “ knock (one’s) head,” but we don’t recommend ever kowtowing to anyone that hard. tycoon Ah, if only we could all be tycoons. Defined as “a person of great wealth, influence, or power,” the word tycoon comes from the Japanese word taikun, which is equivalent to the Chinese words dà, meaning “great” and jūn, meaning “prince.” Similar in sound, but less enviable, is the word typhoon, which also ultimately comes from Chinese. It’s akin to the word dàfēng meaning, “great wind,” which, in turn, was altered by association with the Greek word tȳphôn, meaning “violent wind.” yen Yes, a yen is a Japanese coin, whose name comes from the name of the Chinese currency, yuan. But in this case we’re talking about the definition that refers to “a desire or craving” for something, which comes from Chinese. As in, I have a yen for some ice cream. It comes from the Chinese word yáhn, which is akin to yǐn, meaning “craving, addiction.” yin and yang You may tell your soulmate, “You are the yin to my yang,” which, to take a line from the movie Jerry Mcguire, means they complete you. Yin and yang stem from the word yīn-yáng, which combines yin meaning “feminine” and yang, meaning “male genitals.” It describes the Chinese belief that two principles—one related to the moon, shade, and femininity, and the other to daylight, sun, and male genitals— interact with one another to determine destinies. chin-chin You probably hear this phrase most often used as a toast these days, as drinkers clink glasses and proclaim, “Chin, chin!” But it’s also a noun for all that lighthearted party prattle, defined as “polite and ceremonious speech” or “light conversation; chitchat.” However you choose to use it, know that it comes from the Chinese word qǐng-qǐng, meaning “please-please,” which was itself used as a toast and greeting. So, the next time you put some ketchup on your hot dog, or get gung-ho about eating healthy and buy some tofu in bulk, take a second to recognize how these words came to be. Maybe it will make you hungry to learn more about these languages … or just hungry for some Chinese food. In any case, digging into the origins of the words that make up the English language is endlessly fascinating and gives us a better understanding of what we’re saying. How many of these words did you know had Chinese origins? Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

New Words We Created Because Of Coronavirus We’re rounding out 2020, and the coronavirus continues to shape our lives and language. While we once hoped we could toss the year’s coronacoinages out the door, that’s clearly not going to be the case right now: the coronavirus continues to surge to new levels. It seems like years (not months) ago that we learned our first COVID-19 terms, like social distancing and flatten the curve. We had to process so much, in so little time; we had to become experts about important differences: epidemic vs. pandemic, quarantine vs. isolation, and respirator vs. ventilators. The conversation continued with contagious vs. infectious and what antibodies do. Many of the words we’ve continued to add to our vocabularies address the ongoing nature of our situation. Maybe we long for the Before Times or have embraced cluttercore as we cope. The ups and downs of this life haven’t been easy (it’s a coronacoaster, to be honest), but the new vocabulary has helped us stay safe and informed during these scary times. And what better way to bring some welcome humor and humility to our lives in the bunker than some wordplay? Here’s our ongoing roundup of some of the new slang terms born of this unique, unprecedented time in modern life—a time of upheaval that some more jokingly call the coronapocalypse (corona apocalypse) or coronageddon (corona armageddon). the Before Times Are you walking around in a constant state of nostalgia? Then the term Before Times is for you. This humorous (and yes, dark) take on life pre-pandemic makes it clear that we’ve lived through an apocalyptic rupture point that separates old and new. The Before Times has long been a trope in science fiction, and linguist Ben Zimmer traces this specific phrase back to 1960s Star Trek, though some variations (beforetime) appear in early texts like the Bible. Example: Remember in the Before Times, when we packed together in movie theaters for a fun time? Seems like a different world now! rona Rona—often in the phrase the rona—is an informal shortening of coronavirus. Coronavirus is popularly shortened to corona, which was apparently further clipped to rona. Rona is often used as a playful or ironic way to refer to COVID-19, especially when commenting on more relatable, humorous challenges of social distancing during the pandemic. It is generally not meant, however, to be flippant about the very serious loss and disruption COVID-19 has wreaked—nor diminish the life-saving service of so many essential workers, from grocery clerks to nurses. It’s a bit of gallows humor. Some people have personified the virus as Miss Rona or Aunt Rona. And la rona (meant as “the rona”) has emerged in some Spanish-language contexts. Other informal shortenings? Just as coronavirus has been shortened to corona and rona, so quarantine has been shortened to quar—and even pandemic to panny. Example: Yeah, I don’t know about you, but homeschooling my kids during the rona ends up in a lot of Frozen 2. cornteen Cornteen is an intentional misspelling of quarantine, often used in ironic commentary on what it’s like to be at home during the coronavirus pandemic. It may have originated as an actual misspelling of quarantine. (Hey, quarantine wasn’t exactly a word most of us used every day until COVID-19.) Cornteen is occasionally used to joke about how quarantine is pronounced in various regional accents. Some people visually pun on cornteen by substituting the corn emoji, 🌽, for the corn- part of the word; others pun on the -teen to mean “teenager.” doomscrolling Life under the rona has meant that it’s even harder to peel our eyes away from our phones and computers, constantly refreshing our feeds for the latest news about the pandemic. At least there’s a word for that: doomscrolling, also doomscrolling. The term has been notably used—and popularized in part by her exhortations to a take a break from doing it—by Quartz reporter Karen K. Ho. Scrolling refers to scrolling down on our smartphones for the latest posts on social media. And doom … well, a lot of the news we’re seeing online feels full of gloom and doom. Example: I was up to 2 a.m. last night doomscrolling about coronavirus news in my state. A related slang term is doomsurfing, or compulsively surfing the internet for upsetting news. coronasomnia Staying up late, again? Waking up at 4am to doomscroll? Can’t remember your last good night of sleep? You’re not the only one. The term coronasomnia refers to—what else?—the insomnia that’s afflicting so many of us during the pandemic. Doctors and pharmacists have seen a measurable increase in the number of people suffering symptoms of insomnia or whose symptoms have worsened since the quarantine began. Some estimates suggest some 20 to 30 percent of the population—including children—may be impacted. One doctor coined the term “FED UP” to describe the worries of this stressful time. It stands for “financial stress, emotional stress, distance from others, unpredictability, and personal and professional concerns.” Yikes. Sounds like that’s another term for the dictionary. coronacoaster If you’re suffering from coronasomnia, you’ll likely understand this next word without much of an explanation. Coronacoaster is one of the many new COVID-inspired coinages that use corona (short for coronavirus) as a kind of combining form. It blends corona and rollercoaster to describe the emotional experience of life during the pandemic. Did you bake cookies and then sob like a baby while masking up for the 10,000th time? You’re on the coaster! Example: The coronacoaster has been exhausting this week. I started crying during my weekly family Zoom and couldn’t stop. coronacut The hilariously bad haircut we give ourselves under lockdown. This was one of the first coronacoinages out there—proving that sometimes we worry most about the little things … or that we’re all pretty vain. It feels like so long ago since we first heard this term, which only goes to show how slang changes as our experience of the pandemic changes. cluttercore A “messy aesthetic,” especially in terms of embracing one’s books, knickknacks, and other stuff at home and sharing it on social media. While coronacut reminds us of our struggles during the earliest days of the pandemic, this term reflects the ongoing evolution of quarantine life. Cluttercore emerged as a maximalist, anti-Kondo approach in early 2020 before any lockdowns, but the pandemic really helped popularize the term. (As of October, videos with the hashtag #cluttercore had more than two million views.) This combining form blends clutter (“a disorderly heap or assemblage”) with -core, which names a kind of aesthetic, social movement, or lifestyle. Cluttercore is similar to terms like cottagecore, normcore, and gorpcore. “The pandemic has forced us to reevaluate what we have, make better use of objects and space … and also see their value, often for the first time,” says Jennifer Howard, author of Clutter: An Untidy History. covidiot A blend of COVID-19 and idiot, covidiot is a slang insult for someone who disregards healthy and safety guidelines about the novel coronavirus. Some signs of covidiocy are: not washing your hands regularly, hanging out in groups of people, standing within six feet of a stranger at the grocery, hoarding items like toilet paper and hand sanitizer all to yourself. Example: Don’t be a covidiot by visiting the beach today! It’s super crowded. quaranteam The (very limited) group of people you see during self-isolation; one of the many slang terms that plays on quarantine. Whether you call it a germ pod, a COVID bubble, or your quaranteam, this is the group of people you voluntarily choose to socialize with or even live with during the quarantine. Basically, your pod chooses to isolate together, promising not to have close contact (within six feet) with anyone outside the pod. This form of contact clustering (yet another term used by epidemiologists to describe the situation) allows you to socialize while also staying safe. Quaranteam is a blend of quarantine and team, and sounds like quarantine—it’s a punning blend, as we’ve seen throughout this slideshow Example: Our quaranteam is going camping next weekend. We’re tired of all the binge-watching and baking. moronavirus Another term for a covidiot. The wordplay, here, centers on the word moron. Example: My roommate is being such a moronavirus. He went down to the beach with a huge group of friends. Calling someone a covidiot or moronavirus is a form of quarantine shaming. That’s slang for publicly criticizing someone for not following health and safety guidelines (quarantine being a shorthand for policies in place requiring people to stay at home except where necessary in many places across the country and world). quarantini How do you take your quarantini? Dirty, dry? Shaken, stirred? Vodka, gin? Quarantini is a slang term for a cocktail people drink at home while under quarantine during—and because of—the coronavirus. The term is a blend of quarantine and martini, a cocktail made with gin or vodka and dry vermouth, usually served with a green olive or a twist of lemon peel. The original quarantini referred to a martini-like cocktail mixed with vitamin C-based dietary supplements—a concoction that predates the novel coronavirus. Quarantini has spread as a more general term for alcoholic beverages consumed at home during the pandemic. Example: Frozen pizza in the oven? Paw Patrol queued up? Think it’s time for a quarantini. coronarita The margarita answer to a quarantini—served with, what else, a Corona-brand beer. A margarita is a cocktail made of tequila, lime or lemon juice, and an orange-flavored liqueur, usually served in a salt-rimmed glass. virtual happy hour When someone might drink a quarantini or coronarita. Because many people are working from home to help, they are letting off steam at the end of a long day of doomscrolling by holding virtual happy hours over Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, and other video conferencing or chat applications. Happy hour is a cocktail hour or longer period at a bar, during which drinks are served at reduced prices or with free snacks. It’s also used as a shorthand for drinks, generally with colleagues or friends, at the end of the workday, especially near the end of the work week. walktail When you want to take your quarantini or coronita outside on a walk (not that we’re condoning that), then you’d have a walktail. With so many quarantining at home with nothing to do—and nowhere to drink with the bars closed—some people have taken to swigging while sauntering, according to a New York Times article that identified this new trend. A walktail combines the words walk and cocktail, and bar owners are reporting increased alcohol to-go sales as a result. People are drinking and walking their neighborhoods, walking their pets, or just hosting happy hours in the backyard. Now, readers, do keep in mind: almost everywhere in the US it’s illegal to carry an “open container,” so most people disguise their walktails in discreet containers. Or you can also go bold, like the woman who dressed up in her bridal gown to dance in the street. Zoom-bombing This one’s a more serious entry. When using Zoom or similar services, be wary of Zoom-bombing. This is when uninvited guests to a virtual meeting disrupt it with various obscene, violent, or offensive images or words. Bombing, here, is based on photobombing, or when people ruin a photograph by appearing in the image without the photographer’s knowledge, often in some dramatic or comical way. Zoom mom A demographic of moms who are constantly using Zoom. They used to be called soccer moms, but COVID-19 changed that. Now, these so-called Zoom moms are described as spending a lot of time using Zoom for work, their children’s schooling, or simply to chat with their friends who are also stuck at home. In a May 22 article, Zoom moms were identified as a potentially powerful voting bloc that could influence the 2020 elections. Example: If the updated back to school plans aren’t released soon, the Zoom moms may revolt. Zoom fatigue The exhaustion that sets in while living life over Zoom. Fatigue is a “weariness from bodily or mental exertion,” and people began to cling to the term Zoom fatigue pretty quickly in April. Experts note that this sense of exhaustion is a real phenomenon caused by the amount of information processed face-to-face on Zoom without any non-verbal cues. Conversations and meetings cause conflicting emotions, without allowing people to relax as they would in person. Zoom fatigue ties into the larger phenomenon of “pandemic fatigue”: months into the pandemic and we are feeling the emotional, social, and psychological toll even as we try to grasp the loss of our lives and livelihood. Zoom town A place where housing sales are booming due to buyers who work remotely and are willing to live farther from the office. Example: The realtor convinced us to look at several homes in a nearby Zoom town, and I couldn’t help but imagine an idyllic life in the suburbs—complete with backyard barbecues and a two-car garage. Competition for homes in Zoom towns in suburbs and areas surrounding city centers is heating up as workers embrace remote work and ditch their commutes. Prices in these areas are often lower than in tighter urban markets. Zoom town is a play on Zoom (which of course, can also mean “to move quickly”) and boom town, a noun meaning “a town that has grown very rapidly as a result of sudden prosperity.” quarantine and chill Netflix and chill, but for the coronavirus era. Quarantine and chill is used for various ways people are hunkering down and spending free time at home during the coronavirus, especially with a romantic partner while marathoning streaming services. Be careful when you search for quarantine and chill on social media, though: some people use the phrase when posting revealing selfies. Example: My hubby and I are in an epic tournament of Rummy 500. Winner each night gets to pick the movie. #Quarantineandchill coronials, quaranteens, coronababies When two people get really cozy while quarantine-and-chilling, they may, you know … Babies being conceived while people are cooped up at home during the coronavirus have been dubbed coronababies. And when these babies get older, they will become the quaranteens, a pun on quarantine and teen(ager). The hypothetical new generation of children conceived during COVID-19 has cleverly been crowned the coronials, a play on corona(virus) and millennials. covidivorce The experience for other couples under COVID-19 quarantine may not be so snuggly. Being in extended isolation with loved ones can strain a relationship. Enter covidivorce, or divorces filed as a result of a couple’s experience during COVID-19. zumping The experience of COVID-19 isn’t just taxing on couples who live together. People who are dating are also reconsidering their relationships during the pandemic—and sometimes zumping each other. A blend of dump and Zoom (the popular video service), zumping is when you break up with someone over a video conferencing service. At least they didn’t just text? (Hey, you can do better, anyways). turbo relationship While some people are breaking up over Zoom due to quarantining, sheltering in place means others are turbocharging their relationship. The quarantine required couples to face a tough choice: break up or, er, shack up. According to some therapists, many couples who sped up the traditional courtship to live together during these conditions are reporting positive relationships and strong levels of commitment. Turbo ultimately derives from a Latin word meaning “whirlwind”—and turbo relationships may certainly get people’s minds, and hearts, spinning? COVID-10 For some, quarantining at home during COVID-19 may result in a less movement—and more snacking—than they are used to. COVID-10, also referred to as the COVID-15 or even the COVID-19, is a riff on the numerals of COVID-19 and the freshman 15, an expression for the weight some people (are said to) gain during their first year of college. (Hey, gotta stock up on some supplies to help flatten the curve. And gotta take up delicious hobbies to stay engaged!) See also the German Coronaspeck, weight gained during the coronavirus pandemic, a play on Kummerspeck, or weight gained as a result of emotional eating. coronacation Coronavirus-compelled staycations, due to cancelled classes, shifts, and the like. It’s usually an ironic term—just ask parents working from home while teaching their kids. Example: My teen thinks he’s getting a coronacation since his school has moved online. Oh, wait until he sees how I am going to keep him busy with the Learning At Home resources. drive-by, drive-in So if you can’t take that dream vacation you’d always wanted … how about a drive-by birthday party instead? Social distancing has inspired a lot of creative adaptations for our celebrations—and equally unique terms for them. We’ve been introduced to drive-by graduations, weddings, and birthdays, as well as drive-in concerts and campaign rallies during the lead up to the election. Generally drive-in refers to “a place of business or public facility designed to accommodate patrons who sit in their automobiles.” The adjective is “relating to, or characteristic of such an establishment.” Drive-by is “occurring while driving past a person, object, etc.” Example: The four friends jumped in the car and barely made it to the drive-in concert on time. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

Other Ways To Say “Thank You” Is a “thank you” in order? On a daily basis, we’re inundated with reasons to thank the people around us. Maybe someone held the elevator for you while you were running late, the barista was kind despite the huge crowd in the coffee shop, or your colleague lets you know they did the legwork to help you get started on a particularly tricky project. We’re lucky to have so many reasons to say “thanks” every day, but sometimes we need some new words and expressions to adequately express the gratitude we feel. If you’re stuck in a rut of “thank you so much” and “thanks a lot,” here are 25 alternatives that are perfect for sharing your thanks and appreciation in every kind of setting. 1. I’m so grateful. Thanks is an expression of gratitude, so cut to the chase. Tell someone you’re grateful for whatever way in which they’ve helped you, and go into detail about exactly what they did to personalize your message. 2. I appreciate it. It’s always nice to feel appreciated. When someone does something to help you out or make your life easier, be sure to say how much it means to you that they went out of their way to help. 3. Thanks for your hard work on this. Don’t just offer colleagues and collaborators a run-of-the-mill thanks. Letting them know how much you appreciate the specific efforts they’ve made will help them feel seen and create a positive working relationship. 4. I couldn’t have done it without you. If you couldn’t have made something happen without another person’s help, then they should definitely know that! Don’t hold back in telling them how vital they are. 5. I owe you one. Sometimes the only way to truly appreciate a favor is by returning it. This “thank you” alternative lets them know you plan to do just that. 6. Much obliged. Obliged means “appreciative or grateful.” It’s especially handy for a quick but courteous email or text sign-off that still expresses thanks in a meaningful way. 7. Thanks for having my back. Sometimes the best thing someone else can do for you is be in your corner when you need support. Thanking them for being there is a way to let them know how much it means to you. 8. Please accept my deepest gratitude. Giving thanks in a more formal setting? This one is perfect for a professional letter, important speech, or in a thank-you note. 9. I have to give credit where it’s due. Let’s be honest: we all love getting credit for the good things we do. Credit is “commendation or honor given for some action, quality, etc.” When we thank someone, we’re giving them their earned credit for something they did, and it’s a gesture we should make often. 10. This has been such a blessing. We tend to think of a blessing as a favor or gift bestowed by God, but a blessing can also be “a special favor, mercy, or benefit.” Letting someone know their kind gesture or effort was a blessing is a way of letting them know you are thankful for the gift of their time, energy, and thoughtfulness. 11. I can’t thank you enough. Sometimes a simple “thanks” won’t cut it. In those instances, let them know the words may be inadequate, but the depth of your gratitude is not. 12. Cheers. Cheers isn’t just something we say when we’re giving a toast. It’s also a unique and quick way of saying “thanks.” Try it next time you’re at a party or other social event where a lighthearted expression of gratitude is needed. 13. That’s so kind of you. One way of thanking someone is telling them how their gesture felt to you: kind. By telling someone how kind they’ve been, you let them know you see their favors as coming from the heart. 14. Much appreciated. If you need to say thanks in a big way but on a small scale, go with “much appreciated.” This one is perfect for a quick email, text, or even a brief conversation. 15. Thank you for taking the time to do this. When people go out of their way to do something nice or help out, they’re also giving the gift of their time. We only get so much of that, so thank them for using some of their time to make your life easier. 16. Your support means the world. Support means “to bear or hold up (a load, mass, structure, part, etc.); serve as a foundation for.” The people who do that for us deserve to know how much we appreciate it. 17. Many thanks. One thanks? We don’t think so. If you’re shooting off a quick email, text, or call to say thank you, let them know your gratitude could be expressed many times over. 18. I’m beyond grateful. Go big or go home. Grateful means “warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful.” And sometimes, well, you just feel all of that and beyond. 19. I sincerely applaud you. A true “thank you” should be sincere. That means “genuine; real.” The best expressions of gratitude are usually the ones that come from the heart. 20. I’m forever indebted. Sometimes one act of kindness inspires another. Indebted means “obligated for favors or kindness received,” and it’s a way of saying you plan to pay the kind act forward. 21. I stand in recognition. Giving thanks is about shining a spotlight on someone’s thoughtfulness, kindness, hard work, care, or effort. Carving out space specifically to recognize their efforts is a powerful way of saying thanks. 22. I’m blown away by your kindness. If you’re blown away by something, that usually means it was unexpectedly inspiring, moving, or touching. Use this one for gestures and acts of kindness that truly make a difference. 23. It means the world to me. It’s not always easy to explain how important or valuable someone’s contributions are. Saying “it means the world” to you is a pretty good place to start. 24. I want to acknowledge how much you’ve done. Sometimes the “thanks” people crave is just knowing that their efforts aren’t going unnoticed. Whether it’s a colleague, a friend, or a partner, acknowledgment is always a welcome expression of gratitude. 25. Thanks in advance. It’s possible to thank people even before they’ve done you a favor. If someone offers up a future kindness or promises to go out of their way for you, thanking them in advance lets them know they’re appreciated even before they’ve lifted a finger. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

Hard Words To Spell As any participant in a spelling bee can tell you, correctly spelling words in the English language is not always easy. In most languages, the way words are spelled (graphemes) consistently relate to the way they sound (phonemes). But the English language uses a mix of spellings and pronunciations from Latin, Greek, French, German, and many others. To further confuse matters, words in English have different spellings in different countries. No wonder English is practically the only language spelling competitions are held in! If you struggle spelling some of these challenging words, just know you are not alone. They are some of the trickiest words to spell in English. 1. necessary One of the things that makes English hard to spell is that there are letters that can—but don’t always—make the same sounds, such as c and s. This, combined with the use of double consonants that don’t change how the word is pronounced, makes necessary tricky to spell. How do you remember where and how many c or s letters you need? Well, take a look at the word. Do you “c” two s‘s? Ask yourself this to make sure there is first one c and then a double s in necessary. 2. narcissistic Similar to necessary, narcissistic is challenging to spell because of the c and s letters that make the same sound. It can also be hard to remember where to place the double s. It might help you to know that the word narcissistic ultimately comes from the Greek nárkissos, a plant name associated with narcotics. 3. occasion The word occasion also features the letters c and s, but here they are not making the same s sound. Part of what makes spelling this word challenging are the hard c (like a k) sounds, spelled with a double c. This double c comes from the Latin origin of the word, the equivalent of the prefix oc- combined with the verb cāsus, meaning roughly “to have befallen.” Also, you may be tempted to add another s, but there is only one in occasion. 4. accommodate The word accommodate also uses a double c … and throws in a double m for good measure. But what makes spelling this word tricky isn’t the consonants, but rather the vowels. The word accommodate [ uh–kom–uh-deyt ] sounds as if it could be spelled with three o‘s, or maybe there is a u in there? But no, there are no u‘s and the first letter is an a, of all things. 5. vacuum Speaking of words with double c, one word you might expect to have such a spelling but does not is vacuum. Instead of a double c, vacuum features the rare double u (continuum and muumuu are others with this strange combination). The word comes from the Latin vacuus, meaning “empty.” 6. accessory The word accessory breaks the pattern we have seen so far (remember what we said about the rules of English spelling being inconsistent?). Unlike accommodate, where the double c makes a single k sound, in accessory, the first c makes a k sound, and the second c makes an s sound. Throw in a double s, and accessory is a real challenge to spell correctly. 7. broccoli Broccoli also features a double c to make a k sound. Besides this complication, you may be tempted to spell the ending with a y or ee to make the lee sound. However, broccoli is a word that comes from Italian, where the ee sound is represented with the letter i. 8. zucchini Similar to broccoli, zucchini is a word from Italian that uses an i at the end to make an ee sound and has a double c that makes a k sound. If this spelling trips you up too much, you could try the British English word for zucchini instead, which comes from French: courgette [ koor-zhet ]. 9. spaghetti Another word with Italian origins that is a challenge to spell is spaghetti. The letter i at the end of a word in Italian indicates that it is plural. (Technically, a single spaghetti is a spaghetto.) The nearly-silent h might also throw you off when spelling this word. 10. embarrass Another word we aren’t embarrassed to admit can be hard to spell is, well, embarrass. One thing that might trip you up is the ending—it sounds like uhs, but is spelled, well, ass. Another thing that makes spelling embarrass difficult is the double r and double s. What explains both of these tricky elements is that embarrass was adopted into English from the Portuguese embaraçar via the French verb embarrasser. 11. bourbon Speaking of words that come from French throwing us curveballs, another tricky one is bourbon. In English, we use an anglicized pronunciation of this word: [ bur-buhn ], but we have kept the French spelling. The difference between these two is what makes spelling this word hard—just try to remember there are two o‘s, not just one. 12. charcuterie The French have a very different system of spelling, which can make it confusing when we adopt their words into English. One example of this is charcuterie. In French, the letters char are pronounced shahr. That’s why this fancy word for “cooked, processed, or cured cold meats” (like sausage and pâté) is spelled with a ch instead of the sh you might expect. 13. entrepreneur Yet another word whose French spelling makes it a challenge for English speakers is entrepreneur [ ahn-truh-pruh–nur ]. Because it starts with an ah sound, you may think it includes an a, but that’s not the case. Next time you write this word, remind yourself that most of the vowel sounds are e‘s, except for the eu at the very end for the oor sound. 14. liaison The word liaison also has French origins. You may be tempted to spell it phonetically: lee-ay-zon. However, much like the i at the end of Italian words, the i in French can make an ee sound. That might help you remember that liaison has two i‘s. 15. Connecticut Of course, French and Italian are not the only foreign languages whose words have been adopted into English. Many place names in the United States come from the Indigenous languages of those areas, and these spellings can be difficult. One example is Connecticut, which is pronounced [ kuh–net-i-kuht ], but is spelled “Connect I Cut.” The word comes from the Mohegan-Pequot language and means “upon the long river.” 16. Massachusetts Another example of this is Massachusetts, named for the tribe of Algonquin people who lived there, whose name means “at the large hill.” This word is particularly challenging to spell because you may be tempted to double the second s … especially because there is a double t at the end. 17. epitome Words that come originally from Greek are also challenging to spell. One example is epitome [ ih-pit–uh-mee ]. The word sounds like it ends in a y or ee, but it doesn’t. One reason for this is because, similar to Italian, all of the vowels from Greek words are pronounced—no silent e here. 18. asthma Speaking of silent letters, English has a remarkable number of them we use when spelling. There is no way to know these letters ought to be there unless you are familiar with the word. One example of this is asthma, which has a silent th. That’s right, English sometimes will throw in a silent th, just to keep you on your toes. 19. indict Another word with a deceptive silent letter is indict [ in-dahyt ]. You don’t pronounce the letter c in this word, so you may forget to include it when spelling. The c is a holdover from its late Latin origins, indictāre, related to the English verb dictate. 20. gnaw We have seen silent th and silent c, but we would be remiss not to mention the silent g that pops up from time-to-time in English. One example of a word with a silent g is gnaw [ naw ]. 21. phlegm Silent g‘s do not only appear at the beginning of words; they can show up in endings as well. One example of this is phlegm [ flem ]. This word is also tricky because it uses the letters ph to make a ff sound. This way of writing the ff sound can be found in words from Greek, such as phlegm and phone. 22. paradigm Another example of a word from Greek with a silent g is paradigm, from the Greek parádeigma. Based on the way this word is pronounced, you would expect the ending to be spelled dime, not digm. 23. pneumonia Another silent letter you may come across sometimes is a silent p, as in pneumonia [ noo–mohn-yuh ]. Even if you remember that silent p, the word pneumonia is still tricky because of the oo sound, spelled with an eu. 24. island The letter s is also occasionally silent in English. One word you have likely come across that uses a silent s is island. The s was added to the word via isle, a word ultimately derived from Latin and meaning “a small island.” 25. rhythm The word rhythm is particularly challenging to spell. It has two h‘s, but one is silent and the other is used in the diphthong th. It also sounds as if it should have a u [ rith–uhm ], but it doesn’t. Rhythm comes from the Greek rhythmós, a clue that might help you remember its spelling in English. 26. Wednesday The word Wednesday [ wenz-dey ] is particularly challenging to spell because the d is silent. Wednesday comes from the Old English for “Woden’s day”; Woden is what the pagan Anglo-Saxons called the Norse god Odin. Keeping Woden—or Odin—in mind is a good way to remember that pesky d. 27. eight The word eight is a homophone of the past participle of “to eat,” ate. That’s not the only thing confusing about this old word. The ending is spelled ight which we associate with words like bright and tight. Here, however, this combination of letters is pronounced [ eyt ] instead. 28. acquiesce Another word that contains some confusing letter combinations related to how it is pronounced is acquiesce [ ak-wee-es ], a verb meaning “to assent tacitly; agree.” The word comes from the Latin acquiēscere, meaning “to find rest in.” One thing to keep in mind when spelling this word is that ac- is a prefix meaning “toward” or “to.” That means the word breaks down as ac-qui-esce, which may help you spell it correctly. 29. nauseous The word nauseous [ naw-shuhs ] appears to have just way too many vowels. Like the tricky acquiesce, nauseous comes from Latin. Nauseous means you suffer from nausea, a word that looks practically nautical (nau and sea). If you take the a off of nausea and add the common adjectival ending -ous, you have the correct spelling of nauseous. 30. conscious A word with the same ending as nauseous that is also tricky to spell is conscious [ kon-shuhs ]. It may help you to spell it if you remember that it comes from the Latin conscius, meaning “sharing knowledge with,” equivalent to con-(with) + sci- (know) + -us (-ous, indicating an adjective). 31. grateful One of the biggest challenges when it comes to spelling words in English are the number of homophones, or words that sound the same but are spelled differently. That’s why you may be tempted to spell the word grateful with an ea, as in great. However, grateful comes from the obsolete grate, meaning “pleasing,” not the word great, as in “large.” 32. separate The word separate is tricky because the second vowel sound is spelled with an a and not a u or e, even though in many accents it sounds as if it should be. 33. lightning Finally, there are some words in English that seem as if they should have more letters than they do. One example of this is lightning [ lahyt-ning ]. The unusual combination of tn may throw you off here. However, adding an e would make the word lightening, which has another meaning altogether. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

Words To Use Instead Of “Interesting” When it comes to overused words, it may be of interest to you that interesting is right up there at the top of the well-worn confab crop. It’s not an inherently bad word, and there are times when it will do just fine, but far too frequently it’s a lazy linguistic choice. First evidence of the word dates back to 1705–15. Its stem comes from the much older word interest, which appeared around 1225–75 and derives from the Latin word interesse, meaning “to concern, literally, to be between.” Over time, its implied meaning has become nebulous, though. The first definition of the word is “engaging or exciting and holding the attention or curiosity,” and, in some cases, it works as such. For example, I find this book incredibly interesting. But it can also be used as a verbal cloak to imply something less positive without outright saying it. For example, someone might say, “His choice of outfit was interesting … to say the least.” In most cases, there’s a better word out there to complete your thought. Here are some to consider the next time you’re about to proclaim someone or something interesting. riveting If something truly piques your interest, then riveting revs things up more than interesting. It’s defined as “absolutely fascinating; enthralling.” Think about it—would you rather the audience describe the speech you just gave as riveting or interesting? quirky If by interesting, you mean “unusual or unexpected,” then quirky may be a better choice. Quirk means “a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; mannerism.” For example, you may describe the person you went out with on a blind date as quirky, which paints a much different picture than if you describe them as interesting. provocative Another word that packs a bit more punch is provocative, which is defined as “tending or serving to provoke; inciting, stimulating, irritating, or vexing.” Provoke stems from the Latin word pr?voc?re, meaning “to call forth, challenge, provoke.” It’s equivalent to the prefix pr?- plus voc?re, meaning “to call.” enthralling If someone recommends a movie saying it’s interesting, you may put it on your list. If they say it’s enthralling, however, you’re more likely to bump it to the top of said list. Defined as “holding the attention completely; fascinating; spellbinding,” the word stems from the verb enthrall, which dates back to 1570–80. It combines the prefix en- with the word thrall, which means “a person who is in bondage; slave.” As a verb, thrall is now archaic, but it meant “to put or hold in thralldom; enslave.” alluring It something piques your interest, you may say you find it alluring. Defined as “very attractive or tempting; enticing; seductive,” it says a whole lot more than interesting. It comes from the French word alurer, which is equivalent to a- plus lurer, meaning “to lure.” bewitching A sexy substitute for interesting may be bewitching, which means “enchanting; charming; fascinating.” It’s the adjective form of the verb bewitch, meaning “to affect by witchcraft or magic; cast a spell over,” which stems from the Middle English word biwicchen. peculiar Something may catch your interest because it’s peculiar. That something may also be described with synonyms such as strange, queer, and odd, all of which paint a more vivid image. It stems from the Latin word pec?li?ris, meaning “as one’s own.” fascinating Would you rather your kids described their homework as interesting or fascinating? Okay, if we’re being honest, most of us would be thrilled if they used either word to describe homework, but you get the point. Interestingly enough, the word fascinate comes from the Latin word fascin?re, which means “to bewitch, cast a spell on.” It’s a verbal derivative of fascinum, meaning “ evil spell, bewitchment.” momentous If what you really mean is that something is “of great or far-reaching importance or consequence,” then momentous may be your word. It conveys much more magnitude. An interesting event in history is one thing, but a momentous one is sure to be on the test. bad It’s not the fanciest word, but saying someone or something is bad does make it clearer what you mean, as do lousy, crummy, unpalatable and other words people mean when they say interesting. Wouldn’t you rather have someone let you know that the restaurant they ate at (where they got food poisoning) was bad instead of interesting? While first evidence of the word can be found around 1200–1250, no one is sure of its exact origin. There’s some thought that it may be akin to the Old English word bæddel, meaning “hermaphrodite” or bædling meaning “womanish man”—neither of which, as we know today, are bad. As we said, you don’t need to eliminate interesting from your vocabulary altogether. To keep things more interesting—i.e., compelling/engaging/impressive—however, the next time you go to use it, take a second to consider if there may be a better choice. It’s a small step that’s in your best—what else?—interest. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

What Are Open-Ended Questions? Learn How To Use Them Effectively We ask a lot of important questions: What is love? What time does the bus get here? Doesn’t the Golden Snitch make the whole rest of the game pointless and unnecessary? All of the questions that we ask fall into two major categories: open-ended questions and closed-ended questions. What do these names really mean? What is the difference between the types of questions? We are going to answer those questions and explore how the type of question you ask often impacts the type of answer you’ll get. What is an open-ended question? An open-ended question is any question that can’t be answered with a single word or doesn’t have a specific correct answer. Typically, a person will need to stop and think about how to answer an open-ended question. Open-ended questions can and often do have long answers and may also ask a person to answer with an opinion or personal interpretation rather than ask them to recite a fact. Examples of open-ended questions The following questions are examples of open-ended questions; they can’t be answered with a single word and/or don’t have a single correct answer. - Why do you like pop music? - What were you doing on the night of March 5? - What effects did the Industrial Revolution have on society? - Who was the best player to play for the Denver Broncos and why? - What is your most precious childhood memory? What is a closed-ended question? A closed-ended or closed question is, simply put, any question that isn’t an open-ended question. A closed-ended question either has a person choose from a selection of answers, can be answered with a single word, or has a fixed correct answer. Often, closed-ended questions are referred to using terms that specifically describe what kind of question it is. For example, you have probably heard closed-ended questions referred to by names such as “multiple-choice questions,” “yes or no questions,” “true-false questions,” or “fixed-choice questions.” Closed-ended questions often have short answers that a person may only need a second to figure out. Closed-ended questions often require facts as answers and often only have a single correct answer. They may ask a person’s opinion, but rarely ask a person to explain their opinion or to elaborate further on it. Examples of close-ended questions The following questions are examples of close-ended questions. They either have a fixed answer, can be answered with a single word or short phrase, or ask a person to select from a choice of specific answers. - Is an apple a fruit? (The only logical answers are “Yes” or “No.” The question also has a single correct answer: Yes.) - True or False? Penguins can swim. (A person is asked to choose between two answers. The question also has a fixed answer: True.) - Who was America’s first president? (This question has a fixed, short answer: George Washington.) - What time is it? (This question has a single correct answer.) - Which country do you live in? (Although this question has many possible answers, a person can and probably will answer it with a single word or phrase.) What is a leading question? A leading question is a question that is worded in a way so as to lead to an answer that the asker wants. A leading question could be either an open-ended or closed-ended question. An example of a leading question would be We all know that Colonel Mustard is the culprit, right? By the way that this question is worded, the asker clearly expects the answer to be “Yes.” By framing the question this way, the asker is trying to lead someone to an answer they want: that Colonel Mustard is the guilty person. Here are two more examples of leading questions: - Closed-ended: Should we really continue to listen to this obvious liar? (The asker of this question clearly wants someone to answer “No.”) - Open-ended: What do you think about the abominable act of declawing cats? (The asker of this question has used biased language to make it clear that they expect the answer to be a negative opinion of something they personally dislike.) When to use open-ended vs. closed-ended questions Generally speaking, the choice of whether to ask an open-ended or closed-ended question will depend entirely on what the point of the question is. If a person wants a quick, simple answer they will probably ask a closed-ended question. On the other hand, if they want to know every detail of a person’s thoughts, they are much more likely to ask an open-ended question. Often, an asker will use both open-ended and closed-ended questions to test someone or to try and find the answers they are looking for. Let’s look at some specific situations where different types of questions might be used. Surveys Often, the point of surveys is to try and learn people’s opinions or feelings about something. Depending on how much detail is wanted, a survey constructor may decide to use either open-ended or closed-ended questions. For example, national surveys are often interested in gathering information or opinions of very large groups of people. Because they may not have the time or resources to review thousands or millions of lengthy responses, these surveys will often only have multiple choice questions (closed-ended) with short answers such as What is your age? or Who do you plan to vote for in the election? Because the answers are short, the survey taker can quickly and accurately review them and discover the information they were after. Even when using closed-ended questions, though, a survey maker may first use a data collection survey that uses open-ended questions to try and figure out what the answer choices for closed-ended questions should be. However, a survey maker might instead want long, detailed opinions. For example, a company might survey its customers to get feedback on their products or services. In this case, the company specifically needs detailed answers so they can learn exactly what people like and don’t like. For a survey like this, they will probably ask open-ended questions such as What is your least favorite ride in the amusement park and why? or How can we better address the needs of our younger audience members? Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

“Turtle” vs. “Tortoise”: What’s The Difference? Those who attended the University of Maryland or are familiar with this institution know to “fear the turtle.” Thanks to their trusty mascot, Testudo, this slogan is a favorite of students and fans. But is Testudo the terrapin actually a turtle or a tortoise? And is there even a difference between them? Let’s take a closer look. What is a turtle? Turtles and tortoises are both reptiles that belong to the order Testudines. This order is comprised of aquatic and terrestrial species that have their trunk enclosed in a shell. To be specific, that shell consists of a dorsal carapace—or shell covering—and a ventral plastron (the bottom part of the shell). The architecture of this shell that houses the skeleton is unique to turtles. Turtles cannot leave their shell or shed it for a new one. The word turtle dates back to around 1625–35. It originated from an alteration of the French tortue, which is itself derived from the Latin word for this animal, tortūca. To use the word correctly, you might say: - Her family refers to her as “The Turtle” because she is quick to retreat into her “shell” instead of getting to know people. - Out of all of the animals he grew up with, Gabe’s favorite pet was his beloved turtle, Shelly, whose shell patterns inspired his artwork. - Since turtle, or the order Testudines, refers to reptiles who have their bodies protected or encased within a shell, it’s no surprise that there are many species of turtles: 356 of them to be exact. Some of these types of turtles include sea turtle, box turtle, green turtle, and snapping turtle. However, an aquatic turtle can be distinguished from a terrestrial one, known as a tortoise. What is a tortoise? A tortoise is a noun that refers to a terrestrial turtle or a slow-moving person. This type of turtle belongs to the family Testudinidae and typically spends its time on land. Tortoise was first recorded in English around 1350–1400. It originated as a variant of the earlier words tortuse, tortose, and tortuce. The word tortoise may be related to the Latin for “twisted” (tortus). The Latin word testudo comes from testa (“shell”). You might use the word like so: - After Tamara broke her leg, she felt like a tortoise: only able to inch along on her crutches at an excruciatingly slow pace. - While his family was visiting the desert, Lucas came across a tortoise eating a piece of cactus. She opted for tortoiseshell glasses in honor of her favorite reptile: the tortoise. How to tell the difference between a turtle and tortoise Although tortoises are a type of turtle and belong to the order Testudines, they have distinct differences from aquatic turtles who spend their time in the water. Firstly, terrestrial turtles or tortoises are land-dwellers that eat vegetation and typically live in hot, dry areas. There are also physical differences, according to the San Diego Zoo, and these make it much easier to tell them apart. In order to accommodate their time in the water, turtles have webbed feet. Some turtles have flippers and spend their entire lives swimming while others hang out on the shore, rocks, or beaches on occasion and burrow in the mud when they get cold. Instead of webbed feet, tortoises have round feet that look like stumps and help them walk on land. They live in dry and hot habitats, and some even eat cactus. To avoid the sun, some dig burrows and head underground. Most tortoises have shells that are higher with more of a domed shape. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

“Ocean” vs. “Sea”: Coast Through The Differences  Most of us landlubbers live out our dry lives on solid ground, so it can be easy to forget that Earth is primarily an ocean planet that’s 71% covered in water—most of which connects in a giant blue mass around our little green islands. Ocean, sea, it’s all the same salt water, right? Yes and no. In general use, it’s extremely common for the two words to be used interchangeably. But cartographers and geographers (or, more precisely, hydrographers) have good reason to use the terms differently, especially when referring to specific, named bodies of water. Join us as we wade into the differences and dive into the deeper distinctions between ocean and sea. We’ll discover gulfs and bays that are seas in disguise, and we’ll even see some lakes that are called seas but aren’t. Quick summary The most general senses of the words ocean and sea are often used interchangeably to refer to the big body of salt water that covers most of Earth. But technically speaking, an ocean is one of the big five (or seven) divisions of this expanse (like the Atlantic and the Pacific), while a sea is a smaller portion of this (like the Mediterranean and the Caribbean), typically one that is bounded in some way by smaller landmasses. What is an ocean? When people say the ocean, they usually mean “the vast body of salt water that covers almost three fourths of Earth’s surface.” You can think of this as one big, unbounded body of water in which the continents are islands. We’ve divided this vast expanse—the world ocean, as it’s sometimes called—into sections, roughly based on the position of each section between continents. We also call each of these sections an ocean, and each has a specific name: the Pacific Ocean (from the east coasts of Asia and Australia to west coasts of the Americas), the Atlantic Ocean (from the east coasts of the Americas to the west coasts of Europe and Africa), the Indian Ocean (between the east coast of Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the west coast of Australia), the Arctic Ocean (in the extreme global north), and the Antarctic Ocean (in the extreme global south). The Pacific and the Atlantic are the biggest and are further divided into the North Atlantic and South Atlantic; and the North Pacific and South Pacific. So if you count these divisions, you’ll end up with a list of seven oceans (instead of five). What is a sea? In general, when people say the sea, they often mean the same thing as the ocean—the enormous, connected body of salt water that covers most of the planet. More specifically, though, a sea is “a division of these waters, of considerable extent, more or less definitely marked off by land boundaries.” In this sense, the distinguishing feature of a sea is often that it’s a portion of the ocean bounded by land in some way—typically smaller landmasses, as opposed to entire continents. Some large and well-known seas that fit this definition include the Mediterranean Sea, the Caribbean Sea, the Arabian Sea, the South China Sea, and the Red Sea, among many others. Some bodies of water are entirely surrounded by land, but are big enough to be considered seas, such as the Black Sea. Not every body of water is easily categorizable, and there are exceptions and outliers. The relatively calm portion of the Atlantic Ocean known as the Sargasso Sea is not bounded by any land but is instead defined by its location between ocean currents. Not every body of water that’s technically considered a sea has the word sea in its name. The Gulf of Mexico and the Bay of Bengal fit the criteria to be considered seas. Hudson Bay is considered an inland sea. And, confusingly, not every body of water with sea in its name is actually a sea. The Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea are both saltwater lakes. The Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake. There are more than 50 seas in the world. So why are we so used to hearing that there are seven? What are the seven seas? Today, the term seven seas typically refers to the seven divisions of ocean: the North Pacific Ocean, the South Pacific Ocean, the North Atlantic Ocean, the South Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the Antarctic Ocean. However, it has meant different things throughout history. Many geographers and historians believe that, in the ancient world, it most commonly referred to the Indian Ocean, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Adriatic Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea. But this likely varied in different parts of the world where different bodies of water were known. How to use ocean vs. sea In the most general sense, sea and ocean are often used interchangeably to refer to the massive body of salt water that covers most of the planet. The technical distinction used for the purposes of geography is that an ocean is one of the five (or seven) divisions of these waters, while a sea is a smaller portion of the ocean, most often one bounded by land in some way. It’s much more likely for people to refer to a specific ocean as the sea than for them to refer to a specific sea as the ocean. Both terms are commonly used in phrases and compound words like seaside, oceanside, seawater, ocean liner, seascape, and many more. These terms are typically used in the general sense of the words, or refer specifically to whatever body of water is nearby. Both ocean and sea can also be used in similar figurative ways to refer to a large expanse, as in a sea of people, or a great amount, as in an ocean of possibilities. Sea is perhaps more commonly used in poetic ways. Examples of ocean and sea used in a sentence   - The Indian Ocean is the smallest of the world’s oceans. - The Coral Sea is part of the Pacific Ocean and is one of the largest seas in the world. - I love swimming in the sea and floating on the waves. - I hope we get a chance to visit the ocean this summer. - We’re driving to the coast to see the Pacific Ocean and stay at a seaside resort. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

“Sale” vs. “Sell”: It Pays To Know The Difference Sale and sell sound pretty similar and they’re used in all the same contexts. Adding to the potential confusion is that sell can be both a verb and a noun—a noun whose meaning can be very similar to sale. In this article, we’ll define many of the different senses of sale and sell, break down their differences, explain where their meanings can overlap, and provide example sentences showing the several ways each word is used. Not to oversell it, but this is your one-stop shop for all things sale and sell. Quick summary Sale is always a noun. It most commonly refers to the act of or an instance of offering things for purchase, a discounting of such things, or a completed transaction. It’s used in phrases like on sale and for sale. Sell is most commonly a verb, but it can also be a noun whose meaning is sometimes very similar to sale, as in It was a tough sell, but we convinced him to buy. What’s the difference between sale and sell? Sale is always used as a noun. It has several common meanings: - The act of offering things (goods or services) for purchase: the sale of merchandise - A specific instance of doing so: bake sale; yard sale - A completed transaction: I made my first sale. - A quantity sold (often used in the plural): Sales are down this quarter. - A price reduction event: They’re having a 20% off sale. The phrase on sale most commonly means “being sold at a reduced price,” but it can also be used more generally to simply mean “available for purchase,” which is what the phrase for sale means. Sell is most commonly used as a verb (past tense sold), and it also has a few different meanings: - To offer something for sale—to offer it in exchange for money: a store that sells only hats; I might sell my car. The person or business doing the selling is called the seller. - To be sold (as in, to be bought): sell a million copies; These always sell well. - To persuade or induce someone to buy something: Don’t try to sell me on a more expensive model. Or, more generally, to persuade someone to accept some proposal or idea: She really tried to sell me on the plan. These last two senses are the ones that are sometimes used in noun form, meaning an act or method of selling, as in It was a tough sell, but in the end I convinced him to upgrade. A noun sense of sell is used in terms like hard sell. Sell or sale: when to use each one To summarize, sale is always a noun. If you want a verb, always use sell. When you want to refer to an act or method of selling, especially one that involves persuasion and is described by a word like tough, hard, difficult, or easy, use sell. Examples of sale and sell used in a sentence Check out these real-world examples of sale and sell used in context. - The retail economy is based on the sale of goods. - The sale of the car will be finalized as soon as you transfer the money. - The annual sale starts tomorrow. - Our ice cream sales are up due to the heat wave. - We’ve sold six copies already, and we’re likely to sell more. - She sells insurance for a living. - Bread, milk, and eggs sell well anytime there’s snow in the forecast. - This will be a hard sell, but I have faith in our marketing and sales teams. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

What Are The Different Names For Our Moon? Over the moons The English word moon is very old and dates back to before the year 900. It originally comes from the Old English word mona and is related to the Latin mēnsis, meaning “month.” As you’ll soon see, this isn’t the only link between the moon and calendar months. In fact, different cultures had different nicknames for the moon to go with each month of the year, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. These nicknames were used to refer to the moon during an entire lunar phase cycle starting at either a full or new moon. For example, January’s moon might generally be called the Wolf Moon or the Full Wolf Moon, when specifically referring to the January full moon. When looking at lunar calendars, you will often find these common folk names still used to refer to the full moons throughout the year. full moon Before we get to that, though, let’s look at some terms that people have used to refer to the moon through the years. - full moon: The full moon is the phase of the moon in which the entire moon is visible thanks to sunlight. During this time, the moon looks like a bright, full circle in the night sky. - supermoon: A supermoon is a full moon that occurs when the moon is at or near its closest distance to Earth. Astronomers scientifically refer to this event as a perigean full moon. - micromoon: The term micromoon (or minimoon) is informally used as the opposite of a supermoon. Micromoon refers to a full moon that occurs when the moon is at its furthest point from Earth. In 2022, none of the full moons will be micromoons. - blood moon: The term blood moon is used to refer to the moon during a total lunar eclipse. During this time, the moon appears blood red or reddish-brown because the only light that hits the moon is reflected light from the Earth’s atmosphere. - blue moon: The term blue moon is informally used to refer to a second full moon that occurs during a single calendar month. This event is very rare—sadly, it won’t occur in 2022—and so the phrase once in a blue moon is used to refer to events that rarely happen. - harvest moon: The harvest moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. The autumnal equinox occurs around September 22 or 23, so the harvest moon will fall in either September or October. The moon has always fascinated us and has inspired a lot of different words and phrases that we use to refer to a wide variety of things. Now that we’ve covered this terminology, follow along for a list of unique names for each month’s full moon, starting with January’s Wolf Moon (or Frost Exploding Moon). January | Wolf Moon Full Moon Date in 2022: January 17 The Old Farmer’s Almanac, a reference full of weather predictions and advice, has been published continuously since 1792 and has captured the old names used to refer to the different full moons throughout the year. According to the almanac, January’s Wolf Moon was named for the howling of wolves that was often heard during the month. People once thought wolves howled because they were hungry and on the hunt for prey–such as foolish moon gazers. Now, we know that wolves howl as a general form of communication, which means those howling wolves could have been talking about anything. Other traditional names for January’s moon are related to the harsh, cold winter weather one experiences in the Northern Hemisphere during January. These include names such as the Cold Moon, Frost Exploding Moon, Hard Moon, and Severe Moon. February | Snow Moon Full Moon Date in 2022: February 16 Which leads us to February’s Snow Moon. This name was inspired by the snowfalls of February, which is statistically the snowiest month of the year on average in the United States. Besides the weather, other traditional names for the February Moon were inspired by animals or the difficulty of finding food during the winter. Some other traditional names include Bear Moon, Eagle Moon, Hungry Moon, and Raccoon Moon. March | Worm Moon Full Moon Date in 2022: March 18 Worms? Yay! Yay? Worm Moon, the traditional name for the March moon was inspired by the emergence of earthworms and bugs from the soil and trees during the beginning of spring. Other traditional names for the March moon were typically inspired by the changing of the season or nature in general. Some of these names include the Crow Comes Back Moon, Sugar Moon, Strong Winds Moon, and Sore Eyes Moon. April | Pink Moon Full Moon Date in 2022: April 16 Sadly, the moon doesn’t turn pink in April. No, this traditional name was inspired by the plant Phlox subulata, also known as moss pink, which is native to the central and eastern United States. The plant’s pink flowers usually bloom during April, which explains the nickname. Like the names of the March moon, the traditional names of April’s moon were often inspired by the transition from winter to spring. Some other traditional names of the April moon include the Breaking Ice Moon, Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs, and Moon When the Ducks Come Back. May | Flower Moon Full Moon Date in 2022: May 16 April showers bring May flowers and a flowery moon to go along with them! This traditional name for May’s moon was inspired by the many flowers that bud during the month. Even today, the month of May is still associated with flowers. Other traditional names for the May moon often reference flowers or the warm weather that allows them to grow. These names include Budding Moon, Leaf Budding Moon, Planting Moon, and Egg Laying Moon. In 2022, the first of two lunar eclipses will occur in May. Depending on where you live, it may be possible to see a blood moon when the lunar eclipse is visible during the night of May 15/May 16. June | Strawberry Moon Full Moon Date in 2022: June 14 The tasty traditional name of June’s moon recognizes the fact that June was the time to harvest strawberries for many of the Indigenous Peoples of North America. This is still true even today as strawberries typically ripen during the transition from spring to summer, so June is the peak time to harvest strawberries in North America. Some traditional names for the June moon were based on the natural events associated with the spring-summer transition, such as Blooming Moon, Birth Moon, and Hatching Moon. Other traditional names were inspired by things people would eat and drink during the June marriage season, such as Mead Moon and Honey Moon. According to most metrics, June’s full moon will be the first of two supermoons that occur in 2022. July | Buck Moon Full Moon Date in 2022: July 13 The traditional name of Buck Moon for the July moon was inspired by the word buck (“male deer”), because it had been observed that bucks’ antlers grow largest during this month. Modern research of the deer antler growth cycle supports this observation. Other traditional names of July’s moon were inspired by animals and plants commonly found in North America during the summer. These names include Salmon Moon, Berry Moon, and Raspberry Moon. According to most metrics, July’s full moon will be the second and last supermoon of 2022. August | Sturgeon Moon Full Moon Date in 2022: August 12 The fishy name of August’s moon is named after the sturgeon, a general name for different types of large fish that can be found in North American lakes and rivers. August’s moon was named after sturgeon because these fish were most easily caught in August following their typical mating season. Today, many types of sturgeon are considered endangered, and sturgeon fishing is often prohibited or strictly regulated. Other traditional names for the August moon, such as Corn Moon, Ricing Moon, and Black Cherries Moon, are based on the harvesting of summer crops. September | Harvest Moon or Corn Moon Full Moon Date in 2022: September 10 The traditional name of Harvest Moon is given to either the September or October moon, depending on which full moon occurs closer to the autumnal equinox. Because the September full moon is usually the closer one, it is more often referred to as the Harvest Moon. If it isn’t, then the name Corn Moon is used to refer to September’s moon. Either way, Harvest Moon and Corn Moon both refer to the fact that the late summer/early fall was the time when North American peoples would harvest important crops, like corn, that would get them through the winter. Other traditional names for the September moon such as Autumn Moon, Moon of Brown Leaves, and Falling Leaves Moon, reference the fact that September is the time when summer gives way to fall. In 2022, the September full moon is this year’s Harvest Moon, as it is the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox, which will occur on September 22. October | Hunter’s Moon or Harvest Moon Full Moon Date in 2022: October 9 Traditionally, the full moon that follows the Harvest Moon is called the Hunter’s Moon. Because the harvest moon usually happens in September, the October moon is typically called the Hunter’s Moon. The name of this moon is thought to come from the practice of North American peoples engaging in hunting after the fields had been harvested and before the winter came. You can never be too prepared for winter, so hunters would gather meat before the winter weather would force animals (and the hunters) to seek shelter. Other traditional names for the October moon include Migrating Moon, Freezing Moon, and Ice Moon. These names reference the fact that October soon leads to winter and temperatures start to drop. November | Beaver Moon Full Moon Date in 2022: November 8 The traditional name of the November moon comes from the beaver, a large rodent famous for building natural dams. November’s moon was named after this busy animal because November was a good time for North America peoples to hunt and trap beavers as they normally retreat to their lodges during this time. Other traditional names for the November moon, such as Digging Moon, Deer Rutting Moon, and Whitefish Moon, were inspired by other animals who are busy during November as they prepare for winter. The traditional names Frost Moon and Freezing Moon were also used to indicate that this moon often signaled that winter was fast approaching. In 2022, the second lunar eclipse will happen in November. Depending on where you live, the eclipse may appear as a blood moon when it occurs on the night of November 7/November 8. December | Cold Moon Full Moon Date in 2022: December 7 Winter is in full swing—in the Northern Hemisphere, at least—by the time that December’s Cold Moon graces the sky. The explanation behind the traditional name for December’s moon shouldn’t be hard to figure out if you live in Canada or the northern United States and have had the “pleasure” of experiencing a frigid winter. Many other traditional names for the December moon reference the freezing winter weather, such as Hoar Frost Moon, Snow Moon, Moon of the Popping Trees, and Winter Maker Moon. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

“Supposedly” vs. “Supposably”: Yes, There Is A Difference Recently, we added the word supposably to our dictionary. And, what do you suppose happened? For one thing, we discovered how strongly people feel about this word—which many assume to be a recently invented term or a mispronunciation. Others quite reasonably think it’s a synonym of supposedly. After all, even Joey from Friends famously and hilariously couldn’t figure out if supposedly and supposably were different words. Here’s the shocking truth: supposably is, in fact, a real word and has been used since at least the 1700s. However, it may not mean quite what you (or Joey) think it does. To celebrate supposably’s new entry in our dictionary, let’s break down the difference between the words supposably and supposedly. What does supposedly mean? Let’s start with the word most people know. The word supposedly means “according to what is accepted or believed, without positive knowledge.” Supposedly is an adverb based on the word supposed. Supposedly is used to express doubt that something is what people say it is. It is a synonym of the word allegedly. The word supposedly is used when a person has heard information about something, such as from the news or the rumors going around town. At the same time, they aren’t sure if the information is actually true. For example, a person may say that the dinosaurs are supposedly extinct if they don’t believe the dinosaurs are really gone. Maybe they’re hiding in a theme park somewhere? What does supposably mean? Supposably means “as may be assumed, imagined, or supposed.” Supposably is an adverb based on the word supposable. If something is supposable, it means that it is possible or conceivable. Therefore, supposably is a synonym of the adverbs possibly and conceivably. If something can supposably happen, it means it is within the realm of possibility that it can happen. It is often used with words such as might, may, or could. For example, it is correct to say that a dog may supposably be friends with a cat. Although they usually don’t get along, there is plenty of evidence of cats tolerating dogs. On the other hand, it would be incorrect to say that pigs could supposably fly. Pigs do not have wings nor the money to pay for flight school. Because a pig flying is impossible, logically you wouldn’t say that a pig may supposably fly—unless you fitted them with wings. How to use supposedly and supposably The easiest way to know which word you should use is to see if you want to say that something is supposed to be a certain way or if it is possible for something to be a certain way. For example, if someone says that a particular bug spray supposedly kills mosquitoes, they are doubtful of the truth of this advertised claim—and are probably being munched on by mosquitoes! On the other hand, if someone says that a particular bug spray supposably kills mosquitoes, they are saying that it is possible that the bug spray could kill mosquitoes—it is made from a chemical that can be lethal to mosquitoes. Here are some more examples of correct uses of supposedly and supposably: - My son supposedly bathed the dog but she smells like a dumpster! - Although it is very unlikely, a skydiver could supposably survive jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. - “Supposedly, the Egyptians built the pyramids,” Stan said. “If you ask me, it was time-traveling robots!” - They set the betting odds at a million to one, which means that they believe that the celebrity chef might supposably defeat the professional boxer in a boxing match somehow. So, here’s the big idea: While supposably is a real (if rare) word, most people will opt for synonyms such as possibly or conceivably. Because many mistakenly believe others using supposably is a mistake, a lot of people avoid supposably so as not to invoke the wrath of people who are supposedly grammar snobs. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

Contronyms You’ve Been Using Without Realizing It Are these words two-faced? There are four people at a dinner party. By midnight, two people had left. How many people are left at the party? Left is just one of many words or expressions known as a contronym—or contranym—a word that has two meanings that are opposite or nearly opposite. In this example, left means both “leave” (two people had left) and “remain” (How many people are left?), which are antonyms. An antonym is a word that is opposite in meaning to another. Contronyms are also known as Janus words. Janus was an ancient Roman god with two faces that looked in opposite directions, so you can see how he came to be associated with contronyms. And that makes January, which is ultimately derived from the word Janus, a perfect month for learning about contronyms. Another term for these words is auto-antonym, or a word that means the opposite of itself. Technical terms for this phenomenon are enantiosemy, enantionymy, or antilogy. You’re likely familiar with many of these contronyms, even if you don’t realize it. So check out some of the most common ones, before you check out. cleave A classic example of a contronym is cleave. Cleave actually comes from two different Old English words, clēofan and cleofian, which is how it got these two opposite meanings. cleave: to split, to separate Owen swung the axe down hard in order to cleave the log into two even pieces. cleave: to adhere closely, to stick Young beaver pups cleave to their mother in the water until they are strong enough to swim on their own. dust Dust, when used as a verb, is a contronym. dust: to wipe the dust from Every Saturday, he would dust the nicknacks on the bookshelves to keep them clean. dust: to sprinkle with a powder or dust The baker liked to dust their pumpkin bread with just a sprinkle of cinnamon. overlook We recommend you don’t overlook this next contronym. overlook: to fail to notice, perceive, or consider I hadn’t finished the last two homework questions, but I hoped my teacher would overlook it and give me full marks anyway. overlook: to look after, oversee, or supervise The manager was required to personally overlook the transfer of valuable materials every evening. sanction Will the government sanction sanctions? That’s right, sanction is another common contronym. sanction: to authorize, approve, or allow My parents wouldn’t sanction video games in our home because they thought they were too violent. sanction: to penalize The school said they were going to sanction the students for arriving late to class. weather The word weather is a contronym, but only when used as a verb. We aren’t talking about the noun meaning of this term, “the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, etc.” weather: to expose to the weather, to disintegrate The paint on the house was chipped and weathered from the decades of rain and snow. weather: to endure We weren’t sure that we would be able to weather the storm if we didn’t find shelter. back up The expression back up has two meanings that are close, if not exact, antonyms. back up: to support Ultimately, the scientists were unable to back up their claims with hard evidence. back up: to retreat The zebras backed up when they spotted the alligators in the water. fine The adjective fine has the potential to lead to some real misunderstandings about just how excellent (or not) something is. fine: of superior or best quality To prepare for the Queen’s visit, the household staff cleaned the fine linens and polished the best silver. fine (informal): satisfactorily, acceptably Sandra thought her performance was fine, but nothing special, so she was surprised when she won second place. original The adjective original, like the expression back up, is an example of a contronym with two definitions that are near-antonyms. original: belonging to the beginning of something Despite being hundreds of years old, the painting was still in its original frame. original: new, fresh, inventive While sitting in the bathtub, the inventor was struck with an original idea. pitted The contronym pitted often causes confusion at the grocery store. pitted: having pits (in the sense of “mark or indent”) The sailor’s face was pitted and craggy from the wind and salt water. pitted: having the pit removed (in the sense of “stone of a fruit”) My mom reminded me to buy the pitted cherries, because she didn’t want to take out the stones herself. bound Bound is an example of a contronym like cleave that has two different meanings because it actually has two different etymologies. The first meaning comes from the Old English bindan. The second meaning comes from the Old Norse būinn, “to get ready.” bound: tied, fastened or secured with a band or bond The Mountie rushed to save the woman who was bound to the railroad tracks. bound: going or intending to go, destined (for) With all of their talents, the band was bound to be a success. rent The verb rent is one of the clearest examples of a contronym. rent: to lease property I was relieved to find an apartment in the city to rent that I could afford. rent: to be leased or let for rent Every landlord is hoping to quickly rent their properties to reliable tenants. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

Piblings & Niblings: Do You Know These Words For Aunts, Uncles, Nieces, & Nephews? For many of us, our parents’ siblings are a big part of our life—from providing love and support to, let’s be honest, spoiling us. National Aunts and Uncles Day on July 26 is a time to honor and show our appreciation for these family members (and not just because they let us do the stuff our parents wouldn’t). But, perhaps because they’re so under-appreciated, there isn’t a common, single term to refer to them all at once. Think about it: we can refer to moms and dads as parents and brothers and sisters as siblings. Each word can also be used in the singular to refer to such a relative without specifying their gender—which is also the case for cousin. But what about aunts and uncles—or their counterparts, nieces and nephews? Well, it turns out there are some terms we can use to refer to these important relatives when we’re talking about more than one. Not only that, these terms are great examples of gender-neutral and gender-inclusive language that can make it easier to refer to and address the relatives we love—regardless of their gender. Aunt and uncle You’re familiar with the terms aunt and uncle, but do you know where they come from? The word aunt ultimately comes from the Latin amita, meaning “father’s sister.” In modern use, aunt can refer to the sister of one’s parent or to the female partner of a parent’s sibling (your mom’s sister’s wife, for example). The word uncle is the male equivalent, referring to the brother of one’s parent or the male partner of a parent’s sibling (your dad’s sister’s husband, for example). It ultimately comes from the Latin avunculus, meaning “mother’s brother.” If that Latin root looks familiar, it might be because you’ve heard the adjective avuncular. It literally means “of or relating to an uncle,” but we most commonly use it in a figurative way to describe someone, usually a man, as “kind, patient, and generous, especially to younger people—like a good uncle is.” The less commonly known adjective materteral is specifically used to describe things relating to a maternal aunt (the sister of one’s mother). Many languages have specific words for aunts or uncles depending on what side of the family they come from. Old English, for example, had two words for uncle: fædera, for the paternal uncle, and ēam, for the maternal uncle. In Swedish, the word for a paternal uncle is farbror (“father’s brother”) and the word for a maternal uncle is morbror (“mother’s brother”). Similar distinctions exist in many other languages, including Tamil and Ukrainian. Gender-neutral and nonbinary terms for aunt and uncle When it comes to referring to a mixed group of aunts and uncles (like we can do with parents or siblings when referring to those relatives), the language is far from settled. That said, one term that has become increasingly popular is pibling. Pibling can refer to either an aunt or an uncle and is modeled on sibling, blended with the P from parent. For example: - My piblings Alex, Jo, and Alice took me to the baseball game last week. Pibling can also be used as a gender-neutral or nonbinary term to refer to the sibling of a parent regardless of their gender identity. There are also other gender-neutral or nonbinary terms for aunt and uncle that some people use or have proposed, including: - titi: modeled on terms for aunt and uncle in Spanish (tía and tío) - zizi: modeled on terms for aunt and uncle in Italian (zia and zio) - bibi: modeled on titi and zizi, with the B from nonbinary (which is often abbreviated as nb) - nini: similarly modeled on titi and zizi, with the N from nonbinary Some terms are used by those who identify as gender-fluid or in other ways, including: - auncle [ ahn-kuhl ]: a combination of aunt and uncle - unty/untie: a combination of uncle and aunty/auntie When it comes to using these words, the key is, as always, respect. Use the term your relative prefers. If you’re considering what term to use for yourself, this resource from the organization known as A Gender Agenda lists several options. Niece, nephew, and nibling The terms for niece and nephew are also gendered in the way that aunt and uncle are. Niece ultimately comes from the Latin neptis, meaning “granddaughter.” Of course, in English a niece is not a granddaughter—she’s “the daughter of one’s sibling.” Nephew (“the son of one’s sibling”) ultimately comes from the Latin nepōs, meaning “nephew, grandson.” The linguist Samuel Martin is credited with coining the gender-neutral nibling in the 1950s. Nibling, like pibling, is modeled on sibling, with the addition of the letter N from niece and nephew. Other proposed nonbinary or gender-inclusive terms for niece and nephew include: - niephling: a combination of niece, nephew, and sibling - neiph/nephiece/niephew: combinations of niece and nephew - chibling: a combination of child and sibling - sibkid: a shortening of sibling’s kid Gender-neutral and gender-inclusive terminology for aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews is relatively new and continues to evolve. If none of the terms mentioned here suit you (or your relative), there is always an option to create your own, just like we do with other kinship terms. For example, rather than use traditional terms like Grandma or Grandpa, some grandparents prefer to create their own titles, like Pipp or Birdy. The same creativity can be used to create your own alternative terms for aunt, uncle, niece, and nephew. The word you come up with might even become the one that everyone starts to use. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

“Epidemic” vs. “Pandemic” vs. “Endemic”: What Do These Terms Mean? COVID-19 has provided a consistent vocabulary lesson in epidemiology. Among the most important distinctions it has highlighted are the differences between the terms epidemic, pandemic, and endemic. These words have major similarities—all three end in -demic and deal with the spread of disease. But there are key differences, including those related to scale and duration. In this article, we’ll sort out the differences and answer these questions and others: How is a pandemic different from an epidemic? What does endemic mean? Is COVID-19 endemic? For more COVID-related vocabulary, see our COVID-19 glossary. For health, safety, and medical emergencies or updates on the novel coronavirus pandemic, please visit the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and WHO (World Health Organization). Quick summary An epidemic involves the wide-ranging spread of a disease throughout an entire area or particular community where it’s not permanently prevalent. A pandemic involves an even wider spread, often reaching across the entire world. The word endemic is used to describe a disease that persistently and regularly spreads within a particular area or region (that is, it never fully goes away)—for example, the flu is considered endemic in many places. The COVID-19 virus is not yet considered endemic, but medical experts expect that it eventually will become endemic. What is an epidemic? An epidemic disease is one “affecting many persons at the same time, and spreading from person to person in a locality where the disease is not permanently prevalent.” The World Health Organization (WHO) further specifies epidemic as occurring at the level of a region or community. Epidemic is commonly used all on its own as a noun, meaning “a temporary prevalence of a disease.” For example: The city was able to stop the flu epidemic before it spread across the state. Metaphorically, epidemic is “a rapid spread or increase in the occurrence of something,” usually with a negative or humorous connotation: An epidemic of gentrification was affecting low-income communities or The hipster look gave way to an epidemic of 1990s fashion. The -demic part of epidemic (and pandemic) comes from the Greek dêmos, “people of a district.” This root also ultimately gives English the word democracy. More on the prefix epi– later. What is a pandemic? Compared to an epidemic disease, a pandemic disease is an epidemic that has spread over a large area, that is, it’s “prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world.” Pandemic is also used as a noun, meaning “a pandemic disease.” The WHO more specifically defines a pandemic as “a worldwide spread of a new disease.” In March 2020, the WHO officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic due to the global spread and severity of the disease. While pandemic can be used for a disease that has spread across an entire country or other large landmass, the word is generally reserved for diseases that have spread across continents or the entire world. For instance: After documenting cases in all continents except Antarctica, scientists declared the disease a pandemic. As an adjective, pandemic can also mean “general” and “universal,” also often with a negative connotation. However, pandemic appears to be most commonly used in the context of epidemiology, which is concerned with infectious diseases. Pandemic also entered English, through Latin, in the 1600s. Like epidemic, pandemic ultimately derives from the Greek pándēmos, “common, public.” Also like epidemic, pandemic was originally used of diseases when in came into English. What does endemic mean? Endemic is an adjective that means natural to, native to, confined to, or widespread within a place or population of people. Endemic is perhaps most commonly used to describe a disease that is prevalent in or restricted to a particular location, region, or population. For example, malaria is said to be endemic to tropical regions. In this context, it can also be used as a noun: an endemic disease can simply be called an endemic. When used to describe species of plants or animals that are found only within a specific place, it has the same meaning as native or indigenous, as in This plant is endemic to this region. It can also be applied to characteristics of a people, place, or situation, as in Corruption was endemic in that organization when I worked there. The first records of endemic in English come from the mid-1600s. It comes from the Greek éndēm(os). The prefix en- means “in or within” and the Greek root dēm(os) means “people.” So the basic meaning of endemic is “within a certain people” (or “within a certain area”). Is COVID-19 endemic? The short answer is “not yet.” Currently, COVID-19 is not endemic and is still classified as a worldwide pandemic. The COVID-19 virus is still mutating into variant strains and widespread immunity to COVID-19 will likely take a long time to achieve. However, most experts predict that COVID-19 will become an endemic disease after its pandemic phase, once enough people have developed immunity to COVID-19 (through vaccination or infection). In other words, COVID-19 is expected to become a recurring disease like the flu. When this will happen is hard to predict—and it will most likely vary from place to place. For more info on need-to-know coronavirus words, see our explainer on the flu vs. COVID-19. Epidemic vs. pandemic As we mentioned, it’s unsurprisingly easy to confuse these two words. For one, they both feature -demic, which can make it difficult to suss out which word should be used in which situation. But, here’s a handy rule of thumb for using the prefixes of these two words: epi- and pan-. The prefix epi- is Greek and variously means “on, upon, near, at,” while pan-, also a Greek prefix, means “all.” Knowing this, think of an epidemic as the start of something—whether a disease or a trend—spreading rapidly within a community or region, whereas a pandemic is what an epidemic becomes once it reaches a far wider swath of people, especially across continents or the entire world. If something is spreading like wildfire, it’s an epidemic. If something has already spread like wildfire and is currently massive in its reach and impact, it’s a pandemic. For good measure, here’s an example of each in a sentence: - The city had to close schools to contain a measles epidemic. Although it isn’t exactly known where the disease first originated, the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic is estimated to have affected one-third of people across the entire globe. Pandemic vs. endemic Classifying a disease as endemic indicates a level of permanence, whereas a pandemic has a defined end (even if it seems like the COVID-19 pandemic will last forever). Due to its worldwide reach, a pandemic can lead to a disease becoming endemic (as opposed to being largely contained or eradicated through the use of vaccines, for example). Here are examples of each word used in a sentence. - Medical experts feared that the new virus would spread beyond the country’s borders and cause a worldwide pandemic. - Polio is endemic in a few countries where its spread has not been contained. What is the difference between an epidemic, pandemic, and an outbreak? An outbreak is a “sudden breaking out or occurrence” or “eruption.” When referring to an infectious disease, an outbreak is specifically a sudden rise in cases, especially when it is only or so far affecting a relatively localized area. That makes a disease outbreak roughly synonymous with an epidemic. In everyday speech and writing, people may more generally refer to the major spread of an infectious disease as an outbreak. In official, medical, and scientific communication, however, it’s important not to confuse a local epidemic (such as a disease affecting just a city) with a pandemic, because pandemic implies the outbreak spread all over the world. What is an epicenter? An epicenter is a “focal point, as of activity.” If a country or region is called the epicenter of a pandemic disease, that means more or an accelerating number of cases are being confirmed there than anywhere else in the world. Sometimes an epicenter is called a hotspot. A particular site, such as a nursing home, where there is a sudden spate of new cases is also sometimes called a hotspot or even hot zone. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

Learn The Birthstones That Make Each Month Sparkle Birthstones are precious or semiprecious gemstones that are associated with a particular month or sign of the Zodiac. Going back to ancient times, certain gems were believed to bring good fortune if worn during specific months. The origin of this belief is often traced back to the story of the Breastplate of Aaron in the book of Exodus from the Bible. The legendary breastplate was said to be decorated with 12 differently colored gems. The breastplate inspired the original lists of birthstones that would change over the many following centuries. In 1912, the American National Retail Jeweler’s Association would popularize the word birthstone after making an “official” list of birthstones that is still used today with new additions to it. Modern lists often have multiple birthstones tied to certain months. All of that being said, you might be curious as to what your birthstone is and which gemstone goes with each month. We’ve gathered up a—sadly, metaphorical—treasure trove of gemstones along with some details about each one. 💎Birthstones chart Month - Birthstone January - Garnet February - Amethyst March - Aquamarine, Bloodstone April - Diamond, Rock Crystal May - Emerald, Chrysoprase June - Pearl, Alexandrite, Moonstone July - Ruby, Carnelian, Onyx August - Peridot, Spinel, Sardonyx September - Sapphire October - Opal, Tourmaline November - Topaz, Citrine December - Turquoise, Blue Zircon, Tanzanite, Lapis Lazuli January | garnet Garnets are a group of minerals commonly found in certain types of sedimentary and igneous rocks. The name garnet is most often used to specifically refer to red minerals used as semiprecious gemstones. Garnets come in many different colors, but dark red garnets are the ones most often used as birthstones. The word garnet originally comes from the Latin word grānātum, meaning “granular.” This word was specifically referring to the shape of the red seeds found in a pomegranate, which resemble red garnets. February | amethyst Amethyst is a variety of purple quartz. The intensity of amethyst’s color (and thus its value) depends on how much iron is in the amethyst when it crystallizes. Amethysts come in different shades of purple. The word amethyst comes from the Greek améthystos, meaning “not intoxicating.” Its name comes from many ancient legends and superstitions that claimed wearing an amethyst would prevent drunkenness. March | aquamarine, bloodstone aquamarine Aquamarine is a blue or greenish-blue variety of the mineral beryl used as a semiprecious gemstone. Aquamarine crystals typically form in hot, open spaces underground that have a good supply of space and beryllium. Aquamarines are usually pale or light blue in color. Aquamarine’s name comes from the Latin aqua marīna, meaning “sea water.” The name is a reference to aquamarine’s blue color. bloodstone Bloodstone, also known as heliotrope, is a green variety of the mineral chalcedony with spots of jasper scattered across it. It is considered to be a semiprecious gemstone. Bloodstone gemstones are usually dark green with dabs of red. Bloodstone is a combination of the words blood and stone. Bloodstone features spots of red jasper that resemble blood drops or blood splatter. April | diamond, rock crystal diamond A diamond is an extremely hard form of carbon which is considered a precious gem. Diamonds form underground when carbon is exposed to extreme amounts of pressure and heat. Diamonds come in many different colors, but colorless or clear diamonds are the ones most preferred as gems. The word diamond is thought to come from the Latin adamas, meaning “hard metal.” Diamond’s name was inspired by its famous hardness and shares an origin with the word adamant, an adjective that can accurately describe a diamond. Diamonds are one of the most culturally significant gems, including in slang like diamond hands. Learn what that means here. rock crystal Rock crystal is a transparent variety of quartz. Quartz is one of the most common minerals, and it is naturally colourless. Quartz will change colors if the crystal has impurities. Rock crystal is colorless and transparent. Rock crystal’s name is simply a combination of the words rock and crystal. Rock crystal is a crystal of quartz, a mineral that is commonly found in rocks. May | emerald, chrysoprase emerald An emerald is a green variety of beryl that is considered a precious gem. The green color of emeralds is caused by chromium mixing with the beryllium needed to form beryl. Beryllium and chromium are rarely found in significant amounts in the same place, which is why emeralds are so rare and valuable. Emeralds have a rich green color. The intensity of the green color is a major factor of determining an emerald’s value. The word emerald comes through Old French from the Greek word smáragdos, which means “green gem.” chrysoprase Chrysoprase is a green variety of chalcedony, which is yet another type of quartz. Unlike emeralds, chrysoprase’s green color comes from nickel rather than chromium. Chrysoprase comes in different shades of green. The name chrysoprase comes from the Greek khrusoprasos, which translates to “golden leek.” Chrysoprase is a gem (“golden”) that is green (like a leek). June | pearl, alexandrite, moonstone pearl Unlike all other gemstones, pearls are made by animals, specifically mollusks. Pearls are formed when a mollusk is irritated by something in its shell and secretes substances onto it. Over time, the secretion layers will build up to form a pearl. Pearls come in many colors, but usually white or cream-colored pearls are used in jewelry. The word pearl can be traced back to the Latin perna, meaning “sea mussel.” alexandrite Alexandrite is a rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl. Similarly to emeralds, alexandrite is formed when chromium mixes with beryllium and aluminum. Because this rarely happens, alexandrite is extremely rare and valuable. Alexandrite is famous for its ability to change color from bluish green to purplish red under different types of light. Alexandrite is named after Czar Alexander II of Russia. moonstone Moonstone gems are a variety of adularia, which is a type of the mineral feldspar. Moonstone is formed from minerals mixing together and layering on top of each other. Moonstone is colorless but is famous for its adularescence, its ability to “shine blue.” This effect is caused by the mineral layers of the moonstone refracting light. Moonstone is a combination of the words moon and stone. Moonstone was said to resemble the moon, and many legends claimed it either came from the moon or had magical abilities linked to the moon. July | ruby, carnelian, onyx ruby A ruby is a precious gem that is a red variety of the mineral corundum. A ruby’s red color is caused by chromium mixing with the corundum. Rubies come in different shades of red. Pure red rubies are considered the most valuable. The word ruby comes from the Medieval Latin rubīnus, meaning “red.” carnelian Carnelian or cornelian is a type of chalcedony that is considered a semiprecious gemstone. Carnelian’s red or orange color comes from iron oxide. Carnelian gemstones are often heated or dyed in order to change their colors. Carnelians come in different shades of red, orange, or brown. The various spellings of carnelian/cornelian are thought to come from the Old French word cornele, meaning “cherry,” in reference to the gem’s reddish color. onyx Onyx is another type of chalcedony considered to be a semiprecious gemstone. Onyx is a layered chalcedony that is formed from quartz being heated by lava. Onyx comes in different colors but black onyx is used as a July birthstone. The word onyx comes from the Greek ónyx, meaning “nail” or “claw.” The white or flesh-colored bands found in onyx can make the stone appear like a fingernail. August | peridot, sardonyx, spinel peridot Peridot is a green variety of the mineral olivine. Olivine crystals form deep in the Earth’s mantle and are typically brought to the surface via volcanoes. Peridot gemstones have a lime green color. The exact origins of the name peridot are unknown, but it can be traced to the French French péridot, a name for a “green gem.” sardonyx Sardonyx is another type of chalcedony. It is formed by layering of sard and onyx, which explains the name. The color of sardonyx depends on the sard and onyx within it. Sard comes in shades of yellowish-red or reddish-brown, and the bands of onyx are usually white in color. The name sardonyx is a combination of sard and onyx, the two types of chalcedony that combine to make it. spinel Spinel is both the name of a group of minerals and a gemstone made from a particular type of spinel. Spinel is often more resistant to erosion than the rock around it, so spinel crystals are often gathered up in flowing water and deposited in places where miners will eventually find them. Spinel comes in many colors, but red or pink spinel are the colors used for birthstones The word spinel can be traced back to the Latin spina (“thorn”), which referenced the thorny shape of spinel crystals. September | sapphire The term sapphire is used to refer to any variety of the mineral corundum that isn’t red. Typically, the name sapphire is used to refer specifically to blue corundum that is classified as a precious gem. This sapphire’s blue color is caused by small amounts of iron and titanium mixing with the conundrum. Sapphires come in all colors besides red, but blue sapphires are used as the September birthstone. The word sapphire comes from the Greek sáppheiros, a word that may have referred to blue gems, such as sapphire or lapis lazuli. October | opal, tourmaline opal Opal is a mineral that is similar to quartz but has water in it. The presence of the water makes opal brittle, and opal gemstones are usually quite fragile. The “precious opals” used as birthstones come in different colors but often have a kaleidoscopic effect where they shine in a range of colors. The word opal comes from the Greek opállios, meaning “opal” or “gem.” It may also be related to the Sanskrit upala, meaning “precious stone.” tourmaline Tourmaline is a general name for a group of minerals and gemstones that come from said minerals. Large tourmaline crystals typically form after a mixture of many different elements is heated by hot water and water vapor. The color of the tourmaline will depend on which specific elements are used to make it. Tourmaline comes in every color, but pink is typically used as the birthstone color. Tourmaline comes from the Sinhalese tōramalliya, which means “carnelian.” You might remember that carnelian is the name of another gem that is one of July’s birthstones. November | topaz, citrine topaz Topaz is a mineral used as a semiprecious gemstone. Topaz is a very hard mineral that needs fluorine from magma to mix with other elements in order to form crystals. Topaz comes in many colors, but yellow topaz is used as the November birthstone. Topaz comes from the Greek tópazos. This word was used to refer to an island where yellow gems were often found. citrine Citrine is yet another one of the many varieties of quartz. Any yellow or yellowish quartz is called citrine, and it is possible to turn amethyst (purple quartz) into citrine by heating it until it changes color. Citrine comes in shades of yellow. The “inexpensive” (for a gem) citrine is often confused for more expensive yellow gems, such as topaz. The word citrine is formed from a combination of the word citrus and the suffix -ine, which means “like” or “of the nature of.” Citrine is yellow like a citrusy lemon. December | turquoise, tanzanite, blue zircon, lapis lazuli turquoise Turquoise is a blue or greenish-blue mineral used as a semiprecious gem. Turquoise grows best in arid areas where rainfall can help bring underground the copper that turquoise needs to form. Blue and greenish-blue turquoise are most prized as gemstones. Turquoise comes from an Old French word that meant “Turkish stone.” This name referred to the Turkish peoples of the Middle Ages and the lands they inhabited. tanzanite Tanzanite is a variety of the mineral zoisite. Tanzanite’s color is caused by bits of vanadium mixing with zoisite and getting very hot until it turns a blue color. Tanzanite has a purplish-blue color. Tanzanite is named after the country of Tanzania, the only place in the world where tanzanite is naturally found. blue zircon Zircon is an incredibly common mineral that is found in rocks all over the world. Zircon is highly resistant to erosion, so zircon crystals often outlast the rocks around them. Zircon comes in many colors but blue zircon is used as a December birthstone. The word zircon is an alteration of the older word jargon, which was used to refer to colorless zircon gemstones. lapis lazuli Lapis lazuli is a rock made of multiple minerals. Lapis lazuli’s deep blue color comes from lazurite, which is the “main ingredient” of lapis lazuli. Lapis lazuli comes in shades of blue. The name lapis lazuli comes from a combination of the Latin words lapis, meaning “stone,” and lazulī, from the word lazulum used to refer to an azure blue color. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

“Conservatorship” vs. “Guardianship”: What’s The Difference? The widespread attention on the conservatorship case involving pop star Britney Spears has a lot of people who aren’t lawyers wondering: What is a conservatorship? What does it entail? And how is a conservatorship different from guardianship? It’s difficult to provide a short answer. That’s because, in the US, conservatorships and guardianships are both governed by state law, and the specific definition varies from state to state. In some cases, the terms are used much in the same way. In this article, we’ll provide simple, general definitions of conservatorship and guardianship, explain how they often differ, and discuss the ways they can overlap—as well as examine the difference between conservatorship and power of attorney. Note: None of what you read here should be considered legal advice. Always consult a lawyer before getting involved in a conservatorship or guardianship—or any other legal arrangement. Quick summary In many states, a conservatorship involves a person (the conservator) being legally in charge of making financial (and sometimes also personal) decisions on behalf of someone else. Guardianship, on the other hand, usually involves a person (the guardian) being legally in charge of making personal (but sometimes also financial) decisions on behalf of someone else. Conservatorships most often apply to adults, while guardianship most commonly applies to minors. However, the specifics of such legal agreements are determined by state law and vary widely from state to state. What is a conservatorship? In the context of law, a conservatorship is “an agreement or order under which one person or entity controls the personal and financial affairs of another, such as a minor or someone who is considered legally incapable of managing their own affairs.” In a conservatorship, the person controlling the personal and financial affairs of another is called a conservator. The conservator may be in charge of things like paying bills, taking out loans, or purchasing real estate—all on behalf of the person whom the conservatorship applies to (sometimes called the conservatee). In such an arrangement, the conservatee does not have the legal ability to make these decisions themselves. Which decisions or actions the conservator is legally allowed to make depends on state law and the specifics of the conservatorship agreement. In some cases, a conservator is only able to make decisions regarding the conservatee’s estate. When it comes to laws and rules, do you use evoke or invoke? Learn the difference here. A conservatorship must be approved by a state court via a petition from the potential conservator. In many cases, a conservatorship is only granted if the state determines the conservatee to be “incapapacitated” or “incompotent” (in the legal senses of the words—due to a mental condition, for example). For this reason, the consent of the conservatee is not required—under the understanding that they cannot give consent, in a legal sense, due to such incapacitation or incompetence. However, a conservatee can petition the court to end the conservatorship. In practice, conservatorships are usually pursued by family members of a person who has a serious disorder or has some major impediment to making their own legal decisions, such as being in prison. In the case of Britney Spears, her father and lawyer were granted temporary and then permanent conservatorship over her assets after she was placed under temporary psychiatric care in 2008. As part of the agreement, the court also gave Spears’s father legal power to make personal decisions on behalf of Spears as well. While many conservatorships are not so controversial, the practice has faced criticism, particularly because of the potential of conservators to take advantage of conservatees and the difficulty that conservatees can have trying to end the conservatorship. What is a guardianship? In a legal context, a guardianship (sometimes called a legal guardianship) is a relationship in which one person (called the guardian) can legally make decisions, usually personal but sometimes also financial, on behalf of another person (often called the ward). In such an arrangement, the guardian is defined as “a person who is entrusted by law with the care of the person or property, or both, of another, as a minor or someone legally incapable of managing their own affairs.” Like conservatorships, guardianships must be approved by a state court, do not require the ward’s consent, and involve the ward losing the ability to make their own legal decisions. Personal decisions that can be made by a guardian involve things such as healthcare, housing, and education. Many guardianship agreements involve children (minors) whose parents have died, are in prison, or have serious medical disorders. In cases involving adults, guardianships are usually granted to family members or others who seek to care for a person who has a severe mental condition or other disability that prohibits them from making their own personal decisions—often specifically those involving medical care. What’s the difference between conservatorship vs. guardianship? There is a lot of overlap between conservatorships and guardianships and how these terms and arrangements are defined under state law. Both involve someone making legal decisions on behalf of another person under an arrangement approved by a state court. In some states, there isn’t much of a legal distinction between the two. In other states, it is possible for the same person to be both a conservator and a guardian for someone—allowing them to make both financial and personal decisions for that person. In states where the legal definitions of the terms differ, the most common difference is that a conservatorship usually only involves legal responsibility for financial decisions, while a guardianship usually only involves legal responsibility for personal decisions. In general, guardianship most commonly applies to minors, while conservatorships most often apply to adults. Still, the specifics of such arrangements vary widely from state to state. Conservatorship vs. Power of Attorney A person (often called the agent) is said to have power of attorney when they have the legal authority to make decisions on behalf of another person (often called the principal) who has authorized the arrangement. This can include financial decisions, personal decisions, or both. The big difference between power of attorney and a conservatorship is that power of attorney requires the consent of everyone involved and does not involve any loss of legal rights on the part of the one on whose behalf decisions are being made. In other words, granting power of attorney never limits someone’s ability to act on their own behalf. Unlike a conservatorship, a person with power of attorney is typically only given legal authority in very specific situations, which are detailed in the power of attorney agreement. For example, a person might give a spouse or other family member temporary power of attorney in order to make certain payments while they are in recovery from a medical procedure. A common use involves a person assigning an agent power of attorney to manage investments on their behalf. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

“Jealousy” vs. “Envy”: Can You Feel The Difference? Your coworker has gotten a raise, and it bothers you because you really wish you’d gotten one, too. Is what you’re feeling jealousy or envy? The two feelings are similar, but the words are often used to convey slightly different things, mainly involving whether the feeling is hostile or malicious. In this article, we’ll discuss the similarities and differences between jealousy and envy, including the subtle implications of both words, their adjective forms jealous and envious, and some examples of how you can tell when envy has turned to jealousy. Quick summary Jealousy and envy both involve a feeling of desire for what another person has, but jealousy is usually thought to be more negative—it often involves resentment toward the other person. Envy is also a negative feeling—like a mix of admiration and discontent—but the word doesn’t usually imply hostility. Another difference is that envy can be used as both a noun and a verb. What is jealousy? Jealousy is a feeling of resentment, bitterness, or hostility toward someone who has something that you don’t. This could be general success, an achievement, a trait, a social advantage, a material possession, or a relationship, among other things. What matters is that the other person has the thing, you want it, and this makes you resentful of them. The adjective form of jealousy is jealous. When used in the context of romantic relationships, jealousy more specifically refers to a feeling of suspicion or uneasiness that often comes from one’s partner giving or being given positive attention by others. What is envy? Envy is a negative feeling of desire centered on someone who has something that you do not. Envy can also be a verb meaning to feel this way toward someone. Both the noun and the verb imply that you want to be in the other person’s position—to have what they have. Like jealousy, envy can be centered on any number of things, tangible or intangible. Envy can be described as a mix of admiration and discontent. But it’s not necessarily malicious. It can even be used as part of a compliment, as in You’ve worked so hard to achieve your success—I really envy you. The adjective form is envious, and you could also call someone’s advantage or trait enviable. Green with envy and the green-eyed monster Thanks to Shakespeare, there is a strong association between jealousy, envy, and the color green. The phrase green with envy means feeling a strong sense of covetousness for what someone else has. Shakespeare described envy as the green sickness in the play Anthony and Cleopatra. The term green-eyed monster is a way of referring to jealousy. The first written record of the phrase comes from Shakespeare’s Othello, which is known for its themes of jealousy. In the play, jealousy is said to be “the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.” The phrase may allude to cats, which can have green eyes and are known for playing with their prey. The phrase green-eyed can also be used by itself to mean “jealous.” What is the difference between jealousy and envy? Both jealousy and envy can involve tangible things (like a possession) and intangible ones (like a certain status, position, skill, trait, or relationship). Although jealousy and envy are sometimes used interchangeably, a distinction is often made relating to the amount of negativity. Simply feeling upset that you don’t have what someone else does—and wishing you were in their position—is usually considered envy. By the way, in that hypothetical situation about the coworker at the very start of this article, it sounds more like you’re feeling envy. In contrast, feelings of inner resentment and the outward hostility that sometimes results from such feelings are both thought to stem from jealousy. However, it is often said that envy can turn into jealousy—and the point at which it does may not be so obvious. One distinction that is sometimes made is that jealousy centers its negative focus on the person who has the thing that you don’t, while envy is more centered on the desire for the thing. Of course, however, jealousy can be about both the person and the thing, and so the main difference is usually considered to involve how negative the feeling is. A practical difference between jealousy and envy is that jealousy is always a noun, while envy can be a noun or a verb. One final difference is that jealousy and the adjective form jealous are also used more specifically in the context of romantic relationships in a way that envy and envious are not. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

“Equinox” vs. “Solstice”: The Difference Between Them Is Like Night And Day Four times a year, the season officially changes. And each change is marked by a specific point known as an equinox or a solstice. One term is used for the transition from winter to spring and summer to fall, and one is used for the switch from spring to summer and fall to winter. Join us on a journey through the seasons as we break down the difference between equinoxes and solstices, tell you when they occur, and explain why this is different depending on what hemisphere you’re in. Quick summary An equinox is one of the two times of the year when the amount of daylight and nighttime hours are just about of equal length. The vernal equinox marks the start of spring, and the autumnal equinox marks the start of fall. A solstice is one of the two times of the year resulting in the most amount of daylight time or the least amount of daylight time in a single day. Solstices mark the start of summer and winter. What is an equinox? An equinox is one of the two times of the year when the amount of daylight and nighttime hours are just about of equal length. The two equinoxes occur around March 20–21 and September 22–23, marking the onset of both spring and autumn. During the equinox, the sun crosses the plane of Earth’s equator, making nighttime and daytime (roughly) equal length all over the world. In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox, or vernal equinox, occurs around March 21, when the sun moves northward across the celestial equator. The autumnal equinox occurs around September 22 or 23, when the sun crosses the celestial equator going south. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the reverse. For this reason, the terms March equinox and September equinox are sometimes used to avoid a Northern Hemisphere bias. Contrary to popular usage, an equinox doesn’t last for a full 24 hours. Technically speaking, an equinox is one of the two specific moments in time when the sun is exactly above the celestial equator. The word equinox can also refer to the position of the sun at this moment. Where does the word equinox come from? The word equinox comes from the Latin aequinoctium, meaning “the time of equal days and nights,” from equi-, meaning “equal,” and nocti-, meaning “night.” What is a solstice? A solstice is one of the two times of the year when the positioning and tilt of Earth relative to the sun results in the most amount of daylight time or the least amount of daylight time in a single day. Technically speaking, a solstice is one of the two the exact moments in the year when the sun reaches its northernmost point (around June 21, when the North Pole tilts closest to the sun) or southernmost point (around December 22, during the winter solstice) from Earth’s equator. The solstices are traditionally considered to mark the start of summer and winter. But which season begins with each solstice depends on which hemisphere you’re in. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs in June and the winter solstice occurs in December. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the opposite. The summer solstice results in the longest day of the year (sometimes called midsummer), meaning it has the most time of daylight, and the winter solstice results in the shortest day of the year, meaning it has the longest period of darkness. The winter solstice corresponds with some major cultural observances, including Christmas. Even in ancient times, Germanic peoples celebrated a 12-day festival to mark the winter solstice. Also known as yule, this festive period is considered one of the oldest celebrations of wintertime in the world. In the days of the Incan Empire, the winter solstice (in June in the Southern Hemisphere) was honored with Inti Raymi, or Festival of the Sun. It involved a ceremony in which an Inca priest would “tie” the sun to a column stone in a symbolic effort to keep it from escaping. Where does the word solstice come from? The word solstice ultimately derives from the Latin sōlstitium, which comes from the parts sōl, “sun,” and sistere, “to stand still.” This means that sōlstitium literally translates to something like “the standing still of the sun.” What is the difference between an equinox and a solstice? When the equinox occurs, as the equi- prefix might suggest, day and night are of equal length, and it marks the onset of spring (vernal equinox) and autumn (autumnal equinox). The solstice, meanwhile, marks the beginnings of summer and winter, and it’s either the longest day of the year (summer solstice) or the shortest (winter solstice). Remember, sol means sun, and solstices are the days with the most or the least amount of daylight. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

What Does “Auld Lang Syne” Actually Mean? New Year’s Eve is full of traditions that are easy to understand. Counting down the seconds until the day the calendar changes, for example. Others are a little less straightforward. Case in point: singing “Auld Lang Syne”—or at least humming along while it plays on TV in the background. Don’t blame yourself if you don’t know the lyrics despite the song making the rounds every year. The words auld lang syne literally mean “old long since,” though in practice it means “old times, especially times fondly remembered,” as well as an “old or long friendship.” It’s from the Scots language, and the expression was first recorded in 1660–1680. But why do millions of people sing it on New Year’s Eve every year? It all started with Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland. When was “Auld Lang Syne” written? Burns wrote his “Auld Lang Syne” version—the one that we’ve all come to know (or at least kind of know)—in 1788 and published it in 1796. Since the first known recording of the expression came about more than a century earlier, it’s clear it wasn’t an entirely new concept. Gather the wee bairns and take a peek at our list of 15 Scottish words perfect for celebrating old times (and new!) Burns may get the credit for “Auld Lang Syne,” but no one knows who actually first wrote the poem. Burns himself didn’t claim the ditty. Instead, he said he took a fragment of a folk song that he’d heard and built more lyrics around it. It’s believed that the chorus and first stanza came from elsewhere, while the rest is a Burns original. The chorus and first stanza, of course, are the bits that people typically know if they know any lyrics at all. Sorry, Rob. Why is “Auld Lang Syne” a New Year’s Eve song? The final day of the year is an apt time for looking back at the days past. That makes the theme and gist of “Auld Lang Syne” ripe for seasonal use. Still, that doesn’t fully explain why a centuries-old Scottish folk song became such a New Year’s Eve hit in America. One of the reasons that “Auld Lang Syne” made it into New Year’s Eve lore is because of mass media. A popular New Year’s Eve broadcast on radio and then television hosted by Guy Lombardo and his band, the Royal Canadians, ran from 1929 to 1976. Lombardo came to be known as “Mr. New Year’s Eve” because of the broadcast. Mr. New Year’s Eve himself is responsible for pushing “Auld Lang Syne” to the masses year after year on his annual show. If anything can make an 18th-century Scottish song popular in the modern era, it’s the power of television. What do the lyrics mean? Now that you know what the titular words mean and how it came about, what about the rest of the lyrics? You might as well know what the most popular lyrics mean if you’re going to sing the song before starting the new year. “Auld Lang Syne” is a relatively lengthy song in its entirety, but typically only the first verse and the chorus make the cut for New Year’s Eve celebrations. The first lyrics, “Should auld acquaintance be forgot / And never brought to mind?” is a rhetorical question of whether you should forget about your old friends (which is not recommended). It goes on to talk about reminiscing “for auld lang syne,” or for fond memories of old times. The lyric “We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet” refers to raising a glass, while “and surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp / and surely I’ll be mine” is another drinking line that means, “And surely you’ll have your pint tankard / And surely I’ll have mine.” Because these lyrics do resemble English words, it can come as a shock to many casual singers that the rest of the song does not seem equally familiar. Burns writes about running “about the braes,” which are hills, and “pu’d the gowans fine,” which means “pulled the daisies fine.” The lyrics “paidl’d i’ the burn / Frae mornin’ sun till dine / But seas between us braid hae roar’d,” mean that the singer has paddled in the stream from the morning until dinner, but the broad seas have roared between us. This is a reference to friends that were once close but now are far. Finally, Burns writes “there’s a hand, my trusty fiere / And gie’s a hand o’ thine / And we’ll tak a right guid willy waught.” This means the singer is giving his hand to his trusty friend and the friend does the same. Then the references to alcohol come back as they drink a good-will drink to the days past. Careful with those tankards, now. This list of synonyms for drunkard might come in handy on New Year’s Eve. If you understand it that far through, you’ll likely be in better shape than your companions come New Year’s Eve. For the ambitious, however … Here are the full lyrics to “Auld Lang Syne”: Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne. CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my jo, For auld lang syne. We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne. And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp! And surely I’ll be mine! And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne. REPEAT CHORUS We twa hae run about the braes And pu’d the gowans fine But we’ve wander’d mony a weary foot Sin auld lang syne. REPEAT CHORUS We twa hae paidl’d i’ the burn Frae mornin’ sun till dine. But seas between us braid hae roar’d Sin auld lang syne. REPEAT CHORUS And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere! And gie’s a hand o’ thine! And we’ll tak a right guid willy waught, For auld lang syne. REPEAT CHORUS Should old acquaintance be forgot And never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, And long, long ago. REPEAT CHORUS And for long, long ago, my dear For long, long ago. We’ll take a cup of kindness yet For long, long ago. And surely youll buy your pint-jug! And surely I’ll buy mine! And we’ll take a cup of kindness yet For long, long ago. REPEAT CHORUS We two have run about the hills And pulled the daisies fine; But we’ve wandered manys the weary foot Since long, long ago. REPEAT CHORUS We two have paddled in the stream, From morning sun till dine; But seas between us broad have roared Since long, long ago. REPEAT CHORUS And there’s a hand, my trusty friend! And give us a hand of yours! And we’ll take a deep draught of good-will For long, long ago. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

Get Swept Away By The Korean Words Streaming Into English The "Korean Wave" In the last decade or so, a wave has swept out of the Korean peninsula and spread anywhere and everywhere. But don’t worry. This wave isn’t made of water. No, it is made of … pop culture! The word Hallyu, which literally means “Korean Current” or “Korean Wave,” has been used to refer to the wave of Korean pop culture that has swept across the globe and led to a rapid explosion in popularity of Korean music, movies, food, television shows, and video games. Hallyu has exposed us to K-pop, K-dramas, and K-beauty. If you are hooked on the TV series Squid Game or have been enlisted into the BTS ARMY, you’ve already been caught up in Hallyu. Hallyu isn’t just about learning names of popular K-pop stars, though. It has led to a wider awareness of Korean culture and words from the Korean language. We’ve gathered up some of these words to help explain some of the things that have fueled the momentum of Hallyu. Note: We often use the words Korea and Korean to refer specifically to the Republic of Korea, commonly known as South Korea. Hangul (한글) First, you should know that the Korean language uses an entirely different writing system from English. Korean uses a 24-letter alphabet consisting of 14 consonants and 10 vowels. The name of the Korean alphabet is Hangul, which would be written in the Korean alphabet as 한글 and translates to “great script.” Because of the different alphabets, the English spellings of all of the words we will look at are merely renderings of how these Korean words would roughly be transliterated in written English. This means that you may come across alternate spellings of many of these words. Some important words Moving on, let’s look at some words that are useful for getting a bit of understanding into Korean history and culture. Korea: The English word Korea comes from the Goryeo/Koryo dynasty that ruled the Korean peninsula for several hundred years. South Koreans often refer to South Korea or the Korean peninsula as Hanguk (한국). The word Korea is often used to refer both to the Korean peninsula and specifically to the nation of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) located on the southern half of the peninsula. Won: Won (원) refers to Korean currency. Won comes in both coins and dollar bills. Roughly speaking, a US dollar is worth around 1100 Won, but the value frequently changes based on global economics. hanbok: Hanbok (한복) is the traditional Korean attire. The top piece, called a jeogori, resembles a sleeved jacket and is worn by both men and women. To complete hanbok, men wear a vest and pants while women wear a skirt and pantaloons. Typically, hanbok is not worn on a daily basis and is reserved for special occasions. sijo: Sijo (시조) is a Korean poetic form. Similar to the Japanese haiku, sijo typically follows certain guidelines based on numbers of syllables and lines. In general, sijo is intended to be used to compose songs rather than written poems. Siblings and friends In Korean, different terms of address are used to show respect to people older than you. Some of these terms can also be used among friends or siblings to affectionately refer to one another. Depending on your gender and the gender of the person you’re speaking to, you’ll need to pick out the right word for the job: Oppa (오빠) = Older brother (used by girls/women) Noona (누나) = Older sister (used by boys/men) Unnie (언니) = Older sister (used by girls/women) Hyung (형) = Older brother (used by boys/men) In 2012, many people may have encountered the word oppa thanks to its repeated use in the massive viral hit song “Gangnam Style” by Korean artist PSY. kimchi (김치) Kimchi was a popular dish even before everyone was swept up in Hallyu. Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish that involves a combination of some kind of fermented vegetable with a variety of seasonings. Some popular picks for the vegetable include cabbage, radish, or cucumber. You have a huge number of seasonings to pick from, but some common choices include garlic, ginger, salt, chili pepper, and fish sauce. There are hundreds of kimchi recipes out there, and all that variety might explain its popularity! Other food If you’re looking for something to go with your kimchi, there are plenty of other Korean dishes available. Some other Korean foods that make good additions to the menu include: banchan (반찬): Literally “side dishes,” banchan refers to small plates of food served alongside a main meal. Banchan can include any number of small morsels of food, such as seaweed, potato salad, or pickled radishes. bulgogi (불고기): This dish, which translates to “fire meat,” is Korean-style barbeque beef. dongchimi (동치미): Dongchimi is a specific kind of kimchi that uses radishes and hot water. galbi (갈비): Galbi means “ribs,” and this dish refers to Korean-style BBQ short ribs. japchae (잡채): Japchae is a popular festive dish made of stir-fried noodles, meat, and vegetables. kimbap (김밥): Kimbap or gimbap is a Korean snack that is made of a seaweed roll (gim), rice (bap), and whatever else you want to stuff inside! samgyeopsal (삼겹살): This dish refers to Korean grilled pork belly. chimaek (치맥): Chimaek is a fun word that is used in Korean slang to refer to a meal reserved only for the most posh of gourmets: fried chicken and beer! Chimeak is a mashup of the Korean words chikin (chicken) and maekju (beer). If food speaks to your soul, you’ll want to read about the different dishes that comprise soul food. mukbang (먹방) Mukbang is a livestream of a person socializing with an audience while eating a large amount of food. Mukbang broadcasts were popularized by Korean variety shows in the early 2000s. They’ve become even more popular with the rise of live streaming services, such as YouTube or Twitch, that allow mukbang streams to reach international audiences. If your mouth is watering for more information about mukbang streams, you can check out our in-depth profile on this tantalizing trend. aegyo (애교) The term aegyo, often translated into English as meaning “cuteness,” refers to the act of acting cute and charming everyone around you with cuteness. If you are at all familiar with the Japanese kawaii, you should already have a good idea about what aegyo entails. The word aegyo is often used to refer to K-pop idols or other Korean celebrities and entertainers that are expected to use their charms to entrance an audience. Mastering aegyo is key to succeeding in these fields, and you’ll often see both male and female K-pop idols making hearts with their hands, puffing their cheeks, and using cutesy dance moves to enhance their aegyo in order to remain popular with fans. daebak! (대박) Daebak literally translates to “jackpot” or “big hit.” In practice, it is used as an exclamation to express excitement, joy, or surprise. Basically, it is used in much the same way as the English “Wow!” or “Amazing!” We think you’ll be equally excited to learn some of the English words that originate from Mandarin and Cantonese. manhwa (만화) Manhwa refers to comic books, cartoons, and animation from Korea. The word manhwa could be easily confused with the word manga, which refers to comic books and graphic novels made in Japan. Both of these words are said to have the same Chinese origin, so there is some etymological reason for the mixup. Manwha and manga often look similar and may be sold in the same sections of bookstores. Unlike Japanese manga, though, Korean manwha is read from left to right rather than right to left. Blend words In addition to Korean loanwords, Hallyu has also increased awareness of some words that blend English and Korean together. These words are sometimes used as examples of Konglish, a language phenomenon that mixes English and Korean together and sometimes changing the original English loanword and its meaning. Fighting!: Written in Hangul as either 화이팅 (hwaiting) or 파이팅 (paiting), fighting is used as an encouraging word to spur someone on to success. Spectators might shout fighting at sporting events while cheering on their favorite team, for example. PC bang: A PC bang (PC방) is a Korean internet cafe that rents out computers with internet access to customers. Bang is Korean for room and, as you probably know, PC is a commonly used acronym for “personal computer.” PC bangs are most often used by customers looking for somewhere to play online gaming. skinship: Written in Hangul as 스킨십 (seukinsip), skinship seems to be a blend of the words skin and friendship. Skinship refers to the types of intimate contact used by close friends or family members, such as hand-holding, hugging, and kissing cheeks. Skinship is not intended to be romantic, however it may be used in fiction and by K-pop stars to tease the audience into believing two people might be in a romantic relationship. Copyright 2024, XAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.