I love words.
I love to read.
I love using unusual words and foisting them on unsuspecting people. One of my co-workers loved the word 'imbibe' after I used it a few weeks ago that she went around the entire day using it instead of the word 'drink.' My Mom has long maintained that she thinks Sesame Street taught me how to read, because she didn't do it (although she is an amazingly prolific reader herself) and I was reading by the time I was 3 years old. Do you remember the V.C. Andrews "Flowers in the Attic" series? I read them in the third grade. My reading habits now spread through many genres from ancient poetry to alternative history, and I will admit to an unhealthy propensity toward paranormal romance. I especially love books in series because they give you plenty of time to immerse yourself in characters; the downside of this is there really is a distinct sense of loss when the series inevitably concludes.
As I mentioned in my last blog entry, coming up with a new word every day will not be a hardship for me. I found today's word in a Jeopardy question calendar my manager gave me for Christmas:
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Word of the Day 1:
theophobia
Part of Speech: n
Definition: a fear of God
Etymology: Greek theos 'god'
Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.6)Copyright © 2003-2006 Lexico Publishing Group, LLC
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What struck me about this word is that it really isn't a synonym for the idiom 'fear of God.' You wouldn't say, "My father put the theophobia into me when I was young." It is a condition - to have a fear of God. Interestingly enough - I couldn't find what should be the technical opposite ('theophilia' - love of God) in any of the dictionaries I looked in.
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Back to knitting... I am about 50% finished my Daisy sweater for my friend Teri who will be having a baby girl in a few short months. And since I always need a mindless project around, there is another hat on the needles. Pictures to come soon!
3 comments:
Interesting. Sounds like a modern Greek-derived psych term. I've always been intrigued by the Latin verb vereri. It means both 'to fear' and 'to venerate' -- because the line between awe, fear and adoration can be blurry indeed.
I love words and reading too, as much as I do knitting and yarn! I agree about the sense of lose when you finish a great book.
You do always come up with the best words. I remember you introducing me to VC Andrews in the 8th grade. I my have to re-read some of those now.
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