ABSOLUTE (from) Latin absolvere, to free from: ab-, away from + solvere, to loose. Perfect, unrestricted, not doubted, real. A relative term.
ABSOLUTION (from) Latin absolvere, to free from. Formal remission of sin granted by a priest. A formal freeing from guilt or obligation; forgiveness. The word remission comes from Latin remit, to send (money). Therefore, the higher the priest, the higher the price of remission. Unfortunately, absolution is not absolute, since records of said remissions are not passed from absolutist to absolutist. If you are absolved by a relative there is generally less remission.
ABSOLUTISM (from) Latin despotism. All power vested in a monarch. This word connotes the opposite of absolute, in as much as my relatives are not so free under a despot. For example, "When shopping for a good used government that has divested itself of ecclesiastical vestment, don't consult your Monarch in Vestment counselor."
ABSOLVE (from) Latin absolvere. To free from guilt, obligation or sin. As Director of the Bureau of Definitions and Relativity, I have the responsibility to absolve any problems in understanding.
ACADEMY (from) academe An institution of higher athletics. See FOOTBALL.
ACCENTUATE (from) Latin accentus, accent, ad-, to + cantus song, from canere, to sing. To stress; emphasize. We cannot sing loud enough that:
"War is the most obvious human experience which accentuates the instability of the world." -- Wallace Fowlie
ADNAUSEAM (from) Latin, to the point of nausea. Putting more sickening programs and ads on TV.
ADULT (from) Latin adultus < adolescere, (ADOLESCENT) to grow up, ad-, toward + alescere, to grow, inceptive of alere, to nourish.
"Who of us is mature enough for offspring before the offspring themselves arrive? The value of marraige is not that adults produce children, but that children produce adults." -- Peter DeVries
ADULTERATE (from) Latin, to pollute. To make impure by adding improper ingredients. Has nothing to do with being an adult, but consider what adults have done to our planet.
ADVERTISE (from) Latin advetere, to turn toward. The advertising of the world's resources to American consumers has US inadvertedly turned toward the depletion of all natural resources. When gas and coal don't power our electric appliances anymore, how are we going to be able to advertise computers if we don't investigate a cheaper way to keep solar panels turned toward the sun? We can't turn towards nuclear power generation without great risk to our health, and we can't turn towards all that stuff that is advertised in America without further reducing the world's dwindling supply of natural resources. I hereby advertise the need to turn towards renewable resources, and hope to avert your eyes from a wasteful past towards a conservative future.
AFTERGLOW (from) Old English. A lingering impression of past brilliance. What we will have for half a million years if we nuke the planet.
AGRO- (from) Latin, field. Derived from ag-, to drive, "a place where cattle are driven." A place where tractors are driven.
AIR (from) Latin area, open space (from) agro, field. What is over the field and consumed by cattle, farmers and tractors.
AIRHEAD (from) Aviation. An area of hostile or enemy-controlled territory secured by paratroops. One who gives or takes orders with the belief that war accomplishes anything worthwhile.
ALLEGIANCE (from) Old French liege, (from) Latin litus, serf, from Germanic. Greek latreia, service (for pay), duties, worship, became the suffix -latry, as in idolatry. The IndoEuropean origin lei- also became slick, slime, libation and larceny. Leige is a noun for a lord or sovereign in feudal law, and a vassal or subject owing allegiance to said feudalist. We now observe only the simplest definition, loyalty, and no longer pledge our allegiance to the feudal lords, but to the republic for which they and the monetary interests stand. No one wants to serf anymore!
ALLY (from) Latin alligare, to bind to. To unite. To enter into an alliance. A partner. A name we called Russia during World War II, but were forced to deny when it was decided for us that we hate Russia and must race to arm against them. A name we should not give to those who inspire us to hate.
ALUMNUS (from) Latin alere, to nourish. Foster child, presumably one weaned by the alma mater (nursing mother).
AMATEUR (from) Latin amare, to love. Not professional, unskillful. One who does for love, not money, and is seldom found among those who call themselves politicians.
AMBROSIA (from) Greek ambrotos, immortal. The food of the gods. Probably owned by an American cola corporation and now plastic wrapped in heaven (and hell) under the special dispensation of coin operated vending machines.
AMERICA [after Italian explorer Americus Vespucius.] A better choice of names than Vespucci Land for a continent stolen from its original inhabitants by pilgrims, patriots and pioneers.
AMERICAN (from) English. A language habit of Americans, characterized by unknown numbers of new words in untold numbers of dictionaries, food labels and trade magazines.
AMOUNT (from) Latin ad-, to + mont, mountain "to the mountain." Quantity. For example: "With continued taxation and inflation, it will soon require a mountain of money to buy anything."
AMUSE (from) Old French amuser, "to cause to idle away time": a, to, from Latin ad- + muser, to idle (see Muse). To cause to laugh or smile by giving pleasure. For example, "It is my desire to more than amuse you by writing this dictionary."
ANARCHY (from) Greek anarkhia, (an, without + arkhos, ruler). A form of order without any ruler. Commonly has its origins at the end of other forms of government, including Democracy.
ANGEL (from) Greek angelos, messenger. Immortal, spiritual beings attendant upon the gods (and humans). Kind and lovable persons. A financial backer of an enterprise. Enemy aircraft. Is there some kind of a message here?
ANGER (from) Old Norse angr, grief. For example, "If you are upset with me, it's not my problem. If you strike me in anger, you have a problem. If you kill me in a rage, then you have relieved me of any further Earthly grief and infinitely compounded your own."
ANGRY YOUNG MAN - One of a group of English writers of the 1950's whose works are characterized by vigorous social protest. Not nearly as obvious as the Angry Young Women of the 80s who are finally bringing about important social change in the Western Hemisphere.
ANIMAL (from) Latin animalis, living, from anima, feminine of animus, breath, soul. Distinguished from humans, fruits and vegetables (with exceptions). There may be little soul left in the human animal, but we are not without hope as long as we have a breath left to say a prayer.
ANTIETYMOPATHY (from) Greek anti-, opposite, + etumon, the true sense of a word, + pathos, disease. A disease state of insurance, medicine, politics and the military bureaucracies characterized by naming conditions opposite of their true meaning or origins. For example, life insurance for death insurance, health insurance for sickness insurance, health clinic for illness clinic, health care for illness care, education for brainwashing, news for propaganda, defense for offense, save for spend, credit for debt, etc. Known to some as doublespeak.
ANTI-ANTIGRAVITY MATTER (from) Gravity. The particle ray beams that make gravity an undiscoverable force. Gravity is so pervasive that we are totally held down by it. It is so big that we have no way to measure it, let alone compare it to other celestial bodies. The assumption that gravity is dependent on the size of a celestial body may be in error, so to correct the error I propose this matter. Anti-antigravity nerdules of force/time invade our thinking and dominate our minds when we are within the field allowing us to perceive all other frequencies except gravity. Besides, if we were to discover that gravity is just another wavelength, we could then build anti-gravity propulsion systems that would be perfectly safe and pollution free. That would render obsolete our need for fossil and nuclear fuels, thereby wrecking the world economy and shutting everything down (except gravity).
ANTIPASTO (from) Latin anti- before + pascere, to feed. Italian appetizer. There is a misspelling here, anti- indicates opposition to, and ante- indicates in front of or before. It is not incorrect, however, to refer to a salad as anti-paste, the opposite of the pasty pasta served in Italian food. In many cuisines around the world salad follows the main course in order to give the stomach greater power to process the heavier foods. Why Americans have turned the order around is not too difficult to understand. In matters of food, we eat what we want, not what is good for us. In other words, we put the heart before the course.
"The American eats with his eyes." -- Dr. Harry E. Brook
APATHY < Greek pathos, emotion, suffering. Without feeling. For
example,
"Q. What do you think about apathy?
A. I don't know and I don't care."
APE (from) obscure origin. Ape is used generally to indicate the primate chimps, gorillas, gibbons, and orangutans, and appears in some languages to mean mimicry. Does this imply that monkeys imitate the behavior of man, or that we imitate the behavior of monkeys? The Great Apes have surprised us by displaying passive behavior, and for the most part, being vegetarians. The circus discription of Apes being wild, agressive and frightening creatures is not a fault of theirs, but of ours, and we have erred by monkeying around with them and describing them as such.
APHORISM (from) Greek aphorismos, a delimitation, from aphorizein, to mark off by boundaries: ap(o)-, off, away from + horizein, to limit, from horos, boundary, limit. A brief statement of a principle, maxim. Predigested wisdom.
"There are no limits to the new aphorisms we will create and be forced to endure." -- Roger Henry
APOCALIPSTICK (from) Tammy Faye's dressing table. What Tammy found on Jim's collar.
APOCALYPSE (from) Greek apo-, reversal + kaluptein, to cover. An uncovering or disclosure. Revelations! Could it be that the apocryphal Apocrypha are intended to reveal to us the plan of some worlds or heavens beyond this? Is the coming Apocalypse more than the opening of Heaven's bomb bay doors? The spread of apocalyptic literature amongst mortals could certainly Apocollapse church attendance. The greatest threat to the world's big religions is the uncovering of their origins, and the limits of their power.
APOCRYPHA (from) Greek apo-, away + kruptein, to hide. Hidden writings. World history is largely a record of conquests and imperialistic expansionism. Who else but wealthy conquerors and clergy could afford to commission the hand writing of post pre-history? A lot has been written that we can never know because the bark and hides upon which it was written has long ago returned to soil. However, some things written in the last 3,000 years have been preserved, and some of it has been kept from the common folk because the holders of certain histories don't want the rest of us to know it. If governments or individuals hold these unseeable histories, we don't even know they exist. If a major religion keeps a few hundred holy scrolls in the vaults downstairs, it is called Apocrypha and hidden from us. I would, of course, like to know what is on some of those scrolls (are they so "holy"?), and the reasons why they were not made public with the rest of the scrolls (that have been rewritten several times) and condensed into a popular non-secular work called Bible.
AQUA VITAE (from) Medieval Latin "water of life." Whiskey, or other strong liquors. Minerals feed the body, water feeds the blood, spirits feed the spirit. All cultures have some form of brewed or distilled beverage that is often used in religious ceremony. The expression "God's own drunk" refers to a drinker that only He can still love.
ARAB - One who dresses like an angel, but will not be allowed into certain heavens.
ARCH- Indicates highest rank or chief status, (from) Latin arch, & Greek arkh, chief, ruler, from arkhein, to begin, rule. For example: Archangel, archenemy, Archie Bunker.
-ARCH Indicates a ruler or leader, (from) Greek arkhein, to begin, rule. For example: Matriarch.
ARCHAIC < arkhein, to begin, rule. No longer current or applicable. For example: Patriarchy.
ARCHILLES HEELS (from) arch-, rule + Achilles, leader of the Myrmidons who had one vulnerable spot. As author, I create a new mythological class of ruling heels who write arbitrary rules to serve themselves in the name of serving others. When we, the food-growing class, take back the ability to feed and care for ourselves, the leaders (Archilles Heels) will be our vulnerable spot.
ARGONOID (from) Greek Argo, name of Jason's ship + the nameless numbers that crew the generic ship of state who sail in search of the Golden Fleeced.
ARISTOCRACY (from) Greek aristos, best + cracy< Greek kratos, strength. Government by the best citizens. (At least the women let us think we are the best citizens.)
ARK (from) Latin arca, chest, box, coffer. A place of refuge or shelter. The abbreviation of Arkansas.
ARTIST (from) Latin ars, skill, craft. A word with no definition, like "art," since there's no accounting for taste.
"However skillful an artist may be, and however perfect his technique, if he unhappily has nothing to tell us, his work is valueless." -- Jacques Maritain
ASPERSION (from) Latin, to sprinkle on: ad-, to + spargere, to strew, scatter. A calumnious report, slander. Baptism by sprinkling. Baptism is to exorcise the unclean spirits of newborns that are accursed by the Devil for having been born with sex (by sex). It is a means to remove impediments to grace resulting from the effects of original sin. This is a good example of a problem created by the same bureau authorized to fix it. When we discover events like the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre of August 24, 1572, (more than a hundred thousand French Protestants died), it becomes obvious how the "word of God" has been enforced. Pardon me for casting aspersions, but I must remind you that at Beziers, France, in the 12th Century, a population of twenty thousand persons was slaughtered in order to remove the "unfaithful" from among them. When asked how to distinguish who to kill and who not to kill, the abbe responsible replied, "Kill them all; God will know his own." Luckily (for the rest of us), the aspersion of blood has been replaced with the aspersion of water, but the stains are deep.
ASSUME (from) Latin assumere, to take to oneself : ad-, to + sumere, to take. For example, "Whenever I assume something I risk making an ass of u and me."
ATHEISM < Greek a-, without + theos, god. It doesn't mean there is no god, it means that one walks without the company of a god. For example, "I heard him swear to God that he is an atheist!"
ATONEMENT < at + one. Remembering to be "at one" with the Great Spirit costs nothing, but is worth everything.
ATTITUDE < Late Latin aptitudo, faculty, fitness, from Latin aptus, fit. When we can change nothing else that is going on around us, it only seems fit that we change our attitude.
AUGUR < Latin, perhaps from avis, a bird, and Sanskrit gar, to call. Among the Romans, a priest who carried a staff or wand and predicted (guessed) the future by observing omens, like the flight of chicken guts pursued by a stick.
AUGURATE < Latin, augur. To judge by augury. I have hidden motive in augurate.
AUTHORITIES < Middle English autour, from Old French autor, from Latin auctor, creator, from augere to create, increase. Authority is defined as the right to rule, but originally indicated authorship. There are a lot of hard to accept rules written by despots with very selfish motives who exact great payment from a laboring class. The laborers have been told of a great threat that exists in the distance that is going to destroy them. The despot promises to protect the people from the threat. All it will cost is 50% of the produce of the land. The common folk are reduced to poverty. It happens all over this planet, and has happened in our own country. We call it cold war. Remember, authorities are those who wrote the rules, whether good or bad, right or wrong.
AUTOMOBILE (from) French, self-moving. A personal nuisance that gives us the illusion of freedom. Due to our nation's dependency on them, we have become slaves to cars, and hence, jobs and petroleum. Possibly a method of population control, for if anything else in America killed 60,000 people a year it would be outlawed! See POPULATION CONTROL.
AVANT GARDENER (from) French, vanguard. An agriculturist regarded as pre-eminent in the invention and application of new techniques in her/his given field.
AVARICE (from) Latin avarus, greedy, from avere, to desire. An extreme desire to amass wealth, such as can be made in the stock markets.
"Avarice is the sphincter of the heart." -- Matthew Green (c.1737)
AVERAGE (from) French averie, financial loss on damaged shipping, hence such loss shared equitably among investors, hence numerical average, from Old French avarie, damage to shipping, from Old Italian avaria, from Arabic 'awariyah, damaged goods, from 'awar, fault, blemish. The October 1989 drop in the DJIA didn't damage any goods, it damaged the investors! On the average, most of them lost, as is reflected by the Dow Jones Industrial Avarice.