51吃瓜 of the Day
harbinger
noun
anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign.
More about harbinger
The modern spelling harbinger 鈥渁n omen, sign, or herald,鈥� has an internal –n– from the Middle English variant spellings herbengar, herbenger, which arose in the second half of the 15th century. This –n– also appears, for example, in messenger (from message) and passenger (from passage). The many Middle English spellings include herbeg(e)our, herberger, herbergio(u)er. The noun originally referred to an officer of a king or nobleman who assigned lodgings to guests or rode ahead to arrange lodgings, or to a military officer who laid out encampments, or to a soldier who was part of the vanguard. Harbinger later came to mean simply 鈥渉ost, hospitable person.鈥� The Middle English forms come from Old French herbergeor, herberg(i)ere 鈥渙ne who offers lodging, host, innkeeper,鈥� from Frankish heriberga 鈥渓odging, inn鈥� (in Old Saxon and Old High German 鈥渟helter for an army鈥�). The Old English equivalent, herebeorg 鈥渜uarters, shelter, lodgings,鈥� survives in English as harbor. Harbinger entered English in the second half of the 12th century.
how is harbinger used?
Last Groundhog Day, Phil did not see his shadow, a supposed harbinger of an early spring. Yet, bitter cold and snow affected the eastern U.S. deep into March.
The collapse of MDC Energy鈥檚 business turned out to be a harbinger of things to come. The coronavirus pandemic has brought a wave of bankruptcies to the oil and gas industry鈥攅ven as industry executives first reward themselves with multimillion-dollar bonuses.
harbinger
diegetic
adjective
happening within or being the created world of a story.
More about diegetic
Diegetic, 鈥渉appening within or being the created world of a story,鈥� is a technical term used in literary criticism, both in ancient Greek and in modern English. Its Greek original is 诲颈脓驳脓迟颈办蠈蝉, a variant of 诲颈脓驳脓尘补迟颈办蠈蝉 鈥減ertaining to a narrative;鈥� Aristotle uses both variants in the Poetics with the noun 辫辞铆脓蝉颈蝉 鈥減oetry鈥� (i.e., 鈥渘arrative poetry鈥�). Both adjectives are derivatives of the noun 诲颈岣梘脓蝉颈蝉 鈥渘arration, narrative鈥� and derive from the verb 诲颈脓驳别卯蝉迟丑补颈 鈥渢o set out in detail, describe.鈥� Diegetic entered English in the second half of the 20th century.
how is diegetic used?
The choir ceases being underscore and becomes diegetic鈥攖hat is, part of the movie鈥檚 fictional space, hearable by its characters. The emperor鈥檚 malignant music has seeped out of the soundtrack and into the world of the film.
Scholars speak of two types of film music: diegetic, in which characters in a movie either perform music or listen to it (鈥淧lay it, Sam鈥�), and non-diegetic, which is music that accompanies the film鈥檚 action鈥攊n other words, music which we hear but which the characters don鈥檛.
diegetic
holophrase
noun
a word functioning as a phrase or sentence, as the imperative Go!
More about holophrase
A holophrase is 鈥渁 word functioning as a phrase or sentence鈥�; it comes from the Greek adjective 丑蠈濒辞蝉 (combining form holo-) 鈥渨hole, entire,鈥� and the noun 辫丑谤谩蝉颈蝉 鈥渟peech, way of speaking, expression.鈥� Holophrases are the usual form of speech when children are learning to talk, as when your toddler stands in front of you with raised arms, and says 鈥淯p,鈥� meaning 鈥淧ick me up.鈥� Holophrase entered English at the end of the 19th century.
how is holophrase used?
In dispensing with parts of speech, and in presenting a total situation in one symbol, the holophrase might be called a ‘word gesture.’
The VC community seems to love its holophrases: 鈥渋ncubate,鈥� 鈥渁ccelerate,鈥� 鈥渓ongtail,鈥� 鈥渇reemium,鈥� and of course, the mythical 鈥渦nicorn.鈥� These are all words that serve as shorthand for more involved concepts central to the investment universe.
holophrase