Penchant for Penning

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Whencesoever – Wordplay Wednesday™ 12/02/2020

From Renaissance to the 4^th Industrial Revolution … Words Matter

In the wayward words department (say that three times fast!), are old words making a comeback? How long has it been since you uttered …

WHENCESOEVER (ʹhwen(t)(s)ʹsɘ-,we-vɘr; 1511) conj. – from whatever place or source. [WW #297]

Sounding this word out pretty much gives its definition secret away—that is, if you have ever heard the word whence—still a worthy word game play, for its possible point value. Whencesoever is even more underutilized, but apparently not quite obsolete or archaic.

This elongated whence is too long for word games, and rarely heard in common conversation. Soooooo, what good is it? Just askin’.

However, if you feel like faking out your friends, or have a quaint character in your writings who needs you to put long, pompous words in his mouth, whencesoever fits the bill. Perhaps when it originated in the Renaissance era (around 1511), society needed a word to describe the unknown origin of something.

Hmmmmm, come to think of it, today’s 4^th Industrial Revolution society has learned a lot, but we don’t yet know everything (or in perspective, much of anything). Like whencesoever a certain pandemic illness we know began its origin journey? (Its source is obscure at best and suspicious at its scariest worst.)

At the rate of speed that new words are being inducted into the dictionaries, you’d think we’d dispense more quickly with lifeless words … or pretty much never used words. But then, our vocabularies might be pretty dull without them.

Word Challenge: WHENCESOEVER. Some days it seems, for as much as we know—individually or collectively—there is a thousand times more we don’t. Never stop reaching for knowledge, as you fit whencesoever into your week of inquisitive writings and clever conversations.

Learning knows no prejudices or boundaries, and it isn’t fattening! Expanding your mind is a no-cost, simple joy. Do you feel that way too? What’s your inspiration? Share your creative genius and Wordplay Wednesday comments below.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle)

Cheers to learning a new word today & Happy Thanksgiving!

@PenchantForPen
@Irishwriter

[LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books in her Blast from Your Past series (of three) about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. True behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday and anytime Gifts available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!]

*LR Notes: 1) Dictionary definitions are quoted from Webster’s New World College Dictionary. Yes, we sometimes present them out of “official” context—but that’s half the fun! Think of it as “creative context.” 2) a] Recent dictionary additions to definitions include a date of first use, if known; b] words in small caps indicate “see also.” 3) Neither I (LinDee Rochelle) nor Penchant for Penning are responsible for how you use information found here, that may result in legal action.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Esemplastic – Wordplay Wednesday™ 11/25/2020

Success is Finding a Way to Make Life Work

We’ve always been advised, you can’t fit a square peg into a round hole. Any two-year-old can tell you, you’re wasting your time … it’ll never work … don’t beat your head against the proverbial wall trying.

But in literature and life, surprise yourself … with a little effort, anything is possible …

ESEMPLASTIC (,e-,sem-ʹplas-tik; 1817) adj. – shaping or having the power to shape disparate things into a unified whole <the ~~ power of the poetic imagination –W.H. Gardner>. [WW #296]

And who, pray tell, is W.H. Gardner? Apparently, a notable contemporary editor for the Victorian-era poetic works of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Why an editor of works deserves a mention in the dictionary, I don’t know, but they must have their reasons. Hopkins however, is the one who brought his esemplastic verses to life.

Put it to work, as did Hopkins:

He wraps together your image of God, the shine of foil, sticky drip of oil … all to offer hope of God’s enduring power? Your interpretation is as good as mine, but his use of dissimilar thoughts coming to a point is intriguing.

Although generally applied to poetic verse, esemplastic could be versatile enough to unify a cast of fiction characters (think Friends) or describe a melding of any seductively contrasting theories. Or imagine your own use for esemplastic that gathers and molds its subjects into submission for consideration.

Are you able to gather family and/or friends—personally or virtually—around a Thanksgiving table? In theory, Thanksgiving is esemplastic! We each represent our own concepts, so in coming together, we form an esemplastic unit of minds. Explore them and enjoy!

Word Challenge: ESEMPLASTIC. Satisfaction is when you bring things together and make them fit. Know that ingenuity holds no bounds, as you fit esemplastic into your week of imaginative writings and clever conversations.