Carpe Diem - Seize the Day

So, here we are... Wednesday.

I have decided to do a weekly feature!!

The Wednesday Word of the Week!

With the help of Maxwell Nurnberg's fabulous vocabulary book "for people who don't need one", called 'I Always Look up the Word Egregious', I am going to share a word with you each week! 

The beauty of this book is that it gives the meaning/definition and then gives you the background of the word, and examples of usage.

In light of recent politicos (<cough> NY Gov. Spitzer <cough>) having to fall on their swords...

I give you the first Wednesday Word of the Week:

Immolation:

- a sacrifice

(from the latin mola, a millstone) Molars, the name of the grinding teeth, is derived from the same word.  The Latin word mola came to mean the thing ground, a kind of grain or meal.  In accordance with prescribed ritual, Roman priests sprinkled this finely groun grain, with a portion of salt added, over a sacrificed animal's head.  By another transfer of meaning, the word immolatio, literally "the act of spreading the ground grain", was applied to the sacrifice itself.

Modern usage in a sentence:  His self-destruction was an exemplary one, and can even be understood as a self-sacrifice, a self-immolation for the benefit of others. (NY Times)

So, there you are... expanding your minds and vocabulary one word at a time!  LOL  Tell one tell all!!! 

Nothing much else going on here, hope you are all doing well.  I seem to have some laryngitis now, so I am trying not to talk much.  So far, so good.

be well,
Dawn

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• #16 Comment from helmswondermom 
  3/21/08 9:31 PM | Permalink

  What a seasonal word, since we are in the month where we remember Christ's sacrifice for us.
  Lori
  http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/DustyPages/
• #15 Comment from jmoqueen 
  3/20/08 4:41 PM | Permalink

  Ooooo we are going to expand our vocabulary in your journal ~ I'm impressed xx  Sorry to hear you have laryngitis
  
  Jenny
  
  http://journals.aol.co.uk/Jmoqueen/MyLife
• #14 Comment from cherry2sweet2eat 
  3/20/08 12:12 AM | Permalink

  Immolation gotta use that word.
• #13 Comment from martygord 
  3/19/08 11:02 PM | Permalink

  Hi Dawn,
  Love the word -- immolation -- but as far as Spitzer is concerned, shouldn't it be "immoral-ation"?!?
  Best,
  Marty
• #12 Comment from mail4campbell 
  3/19/08 9:24 PM | Permalink

  I really like this idea!!! Keep up the "gud" work!! Love2U Sharon