51吃瓜 of the Day
contranym
noun
a word that has opposite or nearly opposite meanings, as聽cleave, meaning "to adhere closely" and "to part or split"; Janus word.
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Contranym, 鈥渁 word that has opposite or nearly opposite meanings,鈥� is a good term to have though trotting it out in certain circles may spark debate about whether it should be spelled contranym (from contra– and –(o)nym), an example of prodelision (loss of an initial vowel), or contronym听(蹿谤辞尘听contr(a)– and –onym), an example of elision (loss of a final vowel). Contranyms are also called Janus words (Janus was the Roman god of doorways, beginnings, transitions, and time, and is usually portrayed as having two faces, one looking toward the past, the other toward the future). Some very common, current contranyms (or Janus words) include sanction聽鈥渢o authorize, approve, or allow鈥� and 鈥渢o penalize, discipline鈥� (the Latin verb聽蝉补苍肠墨谤别聽means both 鈥渢o ratify solemnly, confirm (laws, treaties)鈥� and 鈥渢o make an offense punishable by law鈥�); the verb聽cleave聽鈥渢o split, divide鈥� and 鈥渢o remain faithful to鈥� (cleave derives from two different Old English verbs:聽cleofian聽鈥渢o adhere, stick鈥� and聽肠濒脓辞蹿补苍 鈥渢o separate, split鈥�); and oversight 鈥渟upervision (as by a Congressional committee),鈥� and 鈥渙mission, mistake.” Contranym聽entered English in the early 1960s.
how is contranym used?
Sometimes, just to heighten the confusion, the same word ends up with contradictory meanings. This kind of word is called a听肠辞苍迟谤辞苍测尘.
鈥淣o, totally.鈥� 鈥淣o, definitely.鈥� 鈥淣o, exactly.鈥� 鈥淣o, yes.鈥� These curious uses turn 鈥渘o鈥� into a kind of聽contranym: a word that can function as its own opposite.
bona fides
noun
good faith; absence of fraud or deceit; the state of being exactly as claims or appearances indicate: The bona fides of this contract is open to question.
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The Latin phrase bona 蹿颈诲脓蝉 “good faith,” is composed of a singular noun in the nominative case (蹿颈诲脓蝉 鈥渇aith鈥�) modified by a singular adjective (bona 鈥済ood鈥�). The relatively recent sense of bona fides 鈥済uarantees of good faith, credentials鈥� (as if 蹿颈诲脓蝉, because of its final s, were a plural noun) is first recorded in 1944. The Latin phrase bon膩 蹿颈诲脓 and the English phrase bona fide also mean 鈥渋n good faith鈥� (蹿颈诲脓 being a singular noun in the ablative case, which is frequently used in Latin in adverbial functions). Bona fide was originally an adverbial phrase but since the late 18th century also used as an adjective, e.g., the legal term bona fide purchaser. Bona fides entered English in the 19th century.
how is bona fides used?
Few things have sent up our food-conscious era quite so accurately (or affectionately) as that first-season 鈥淧ortlandia鈥� sketch in which a restaurant waiter is given the third degree by concerned patrons over the bona fides of the menu鈥檚 locally raised chicken.
Of course it took me a little while to establish my bona fides but at last I did鈥攊t will seem ironic to you, but while neither side fully believed in my honesty both were exultant at having penetrated the enemy intelligence service.
Ciceronian
adjective
characterized by melodious language, clarity, and forcefulness of presentation, as in the style of Cicero: Ciceronian invective.
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The adjective Ciceronian comes from Latin 颁颈肠别谤艒苍颈腻苍耻蝉 鈥減ertaining to Cicero,鈥� an adjective coined by the Stoic author and philosopher Seneca. The Roman orator, statesman, and man of letters Marcus Tullius Cicero (106鈥�43 b.c.) made Roman oratory the equal of Greek, especially of Demosthenes, the last great Athenian orator, as Greek rhetoricians themselves admitted. Ancient critics said of the styles of Demosthenes and Cicero that Demosthenes was so lean and spare that nothing could be taken away, that Cicero was so full and ample that nothing could be added. For as long as Latin was the chief cultural language of Western civilization (up to the 18th or 19th century), Cicero in prose (like Vergil in poetry) was held up as a model to be imitated or an idol to be cast down. There are still several million former teenagers who after a martini or two can recite from memory the opening sentence of Cicero鈥檚 First Oration Against Catiline from their junior year in high school: 蚕耻艒 奴sque tandem ab奴t膿re, Catil墨na, patienti膩 nostr膩?聽(“How long, Catiline, will you abuse our patience?”) Ciceronian entered English in the second half of the 17th century.
how is Ciceronian used?
… those who could not follow her reasoning were nonetheless able to enjoy her Ciceronian eloquence. 鈥淪he spoke like an angel,鈥� one of the Frenchmen commented.
Its rhetoric was powerful, even Ciceronian, I thought, with the grand sweep of its opening line: 鈥淕reat triumphs and great tragedies can redirect the course of a people鈥檚 destiny.鈥�