51吃瓜 of the Day
mirabilia
plural noun
Latin.
marvels; miracles.
More about mirabilia
In English, mirabilia is a plural noun meaning 鈥渕iracles, wonders.鈥� Mirabilia comes straight from Latin 尘墨谤腻产颈濒颈补, a noun use of the neuter plural of the adjective 尘墨谤腻产颈濒颈蝉 鈥渨onderful, marvelous, remarkable, singular.鈥� In the Vulgate (the Latin version of the Bible, prepared chiefly by Saint Jerome at the end of the 4th century a.d.,) the adjective 尘墨谤腻产颈濒颈蝉 means 鈥済lorious, miraculous;鈥� the noun use, 尘墨谤腻产颈濒别 in the singular, 尘墨谤腻产颈濒颈补 in the plural, means 鈥渨ondrous deed, miracle.鈥� The corresponding form in Vulgar Latin, 尘墨谤颈产颈濒颈补 (noun), regularly becomes merveille in Old French, merveille in Middle English, and marvel in English. Mirabilia entered English in the first half of the 19th century.
how is mirabilia used?
Reading this compendium is like exploring a cabinet of curiosities, each section home to uncanny and startling mirabilia.
in Rome you caused mirabilia to appear that the Romans themselves had never dreamed of, starting with the gabble of that Hugo of Jabala …
mirabilia
singularity
noun
a hypothesized future era or event when exponential improvements in computer intelligence and advances in technology will result in an acute change in human society and evolution.
More about singularity
Singularity comes from Middle English singularite, singulerite 鈥渟olitude, solitary living; personal gain or advantage; individual or particular things; singleness of purpose,鈥� from Old French singulerte, singulariteit 鈥渟ingular character or quality; peculiarity鈥� or from Late Latin 蝉颈苍驳耻濒腻谤颈迟腻蝉 (inflectional stem 蝉颈苍驳耻濒腻谤颈迟腻迟-) 鈥渁 being alone or by oneself,鈥� a derivative of the adjective 蝉颈苍驳耻濒腻谤颈蝉 鈥渁lone, alone of its kind, one by one, singular.” The computer or technological sense, 鈥渁 hypothesized future in which exponential improvements in computer intelligence and technological advances result in an acute change in human society and evolution,鈥� is closely associated with the computer scientist and science fiction author Vernor Vinge, who popularized this sense in his writings, most notably in his 1986 novel Marooned in Realtime, and later in an article titled “Technological Singularity” published in Whole Earth Review in 1993. Singularity entered English in the 14th century.
how is singularity used?
A lot of smart people are thinking about the singularity, when the machines grow advanced enough to make humanity obsolete.
But fulfilling the wishes of a revered biological legacy will occupy only a trivial portion of the intellectual power that the Singularity will bring.
singularity
fain
adverb
gladly; willingly: He fain would accept.
More about fain
The word听蹿补颈苍 is very old, indeed: It first appears in English as an adjective about 888 in King Alfred the Great鈥檚 translation of Boethius鈥� The Consolation of Philosophy (D膿 C艒ns艒l膩ti艒ne Philosophiae, ca. 532). Fain comes from Old English f忙驳别苍, 蹿忙驳苍 鈥済lad, joyful, rejoicing.鈥� F忙驳别苍 is cognate with Old Norse feginn, Old Saxon fagan, fagin, Old High German fagin, all meaning “happy, glad,鈥� and related to the Old English verb 驳别蹿茅辞苍, gefeohan, gefeagan 鈥渢o be glad, rejoice,鈥� from the Germanic verb stem fagin-, fagan– 鈥渢o enjoy,鈥� derived from the root fag-. From the same root fag– is derived the adjective stem fagra-, as in Gothic fagrs 鈥渇it for, beautiful,鈥� Old Icelandic fagr 鈥渇ine, fair, beautiful,鈥� and Old English 蹿忙驳别谤 鈥渂eautiful, joyous, pleasant,鈥� English fair.
how is fain used?
It is rather sad to think that their revels now are ended, that the happy woods (where I would fain be, wandering in pensive mood) where they held high holiday will soon be a silent grove.
What a poor soul it is that has not some secret chamber, sacred to itself; where one can file away the things others have no right to know, as well as things that one himself would聽fain听蹿辞谤驳别迟!
fain