51吃瓜 of the Day
psychotronic
adjective
of or relating to a genre of usually low-budget movies that includes horror, fantasy, science-fiction, and underground films.
More about psychotronic
Psychotronic is a word to make you smile. It is composed of the perfectly ordinary combining form psycho-, from the Greek noun 辫蝉测虅肠丑岣� 鈥渂reath, spirit, soul, mind鈥� and the suffix –tronic, extracted from (elec)tronic. Psychotronic originally (1968) meant 鈥減ertaining to psychotronics,鈥� a pseudoscience devoted to the interaction of matter, energy, and human consciousness, especially in parapsychological phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and telekinesis (think the movie The Men Who Stare at Goats.) In the early 1980s another meaning arose, 鈥渞elating to a genre of usually low-budget movies that includes horror, fantasy, and science-fiction.鈥�
how is psychotronic used?
American International Pictures was the most important company in the world of Psychotronic movies.
Vesley asks viewers to accept that this is a world where ghosts, werewolves, and witches are real鈥攏o big deal, a baseline ask for any psychotronic film ….
numinous
adjective
spiritual or supernatural.
More about numinous
The Latin source for numinous is the noun numen (inflectional stem 苍奴尘颈苍-), derived from the verb –nuere 鈥渢o nod the head as a signal of assent or command.鈥� The verb –nuere occurs only in compounds such as adnuere (annuere) 鈥渢o beckon, nod, assent to,鈥� formed from the preverb ad-, an-, meaning 鈥渢o,鈥� plus –nuere. The phrase annuit coeptis, 鈥淗e (God) has favored our undertakings,鈥� is the motto on the reverse of the Great Seal of the U.S. and is also printed on the reverse of a one-dollar bill. Annuit coeptis is an adaptation of a line from from Vergil’s Aeneid. The Latin neuter noun suffix -men forms concrete nouns from verbs. The meanings of numen range from 鈥渁 nod of the head, inclination, bias,鈥� to 鈥渄ivine or supernatural power (which also possesses poets and prophets, and offers protection),” to “the expressed will of a god, divinity.鈥� Numinous entered English in the mid-17th century.
how is numinous used?
This confrontation becomes more dramatic if the numinous power takes a personified form鈥攐f a spirit, ghost, devil, revenant, nightmare, witch or some other human or non-human entity.
The Periodic Table, by contrast, was a Jacob鈥檚 ladder, a numinous spiral, going up to, coming down from a Pythagorean heaven.
consternation
noun
a sudden, alarming amazement or dread that results in utter confusion; dismay.
More about consternation
Consternation comes from the Latin noun 肠艒苍蝉迟别谤苍腻迟颈艒 (inflectional stem 肠艒苍蝉迟别谤苍腻迟颈艒n-) 鈥渦nsettlement, confusion, disturbance, disorder,鈥� a derivation of the verb 肠艒苍蝉迟别谤苍腻谤别 鈥渢o throw into confusion, drive frantic, shock.鈥� 颁艒苍蝉迟别谤苍腻谤别 most likely derives from the verb 肠艒苍蝉迟别谤苍别谤别 鈥渢o strew over, cover, calm (the sea), bring down, fell,鈥� a compound of the intensive prefix con– (a variant of com-) and the simple verb sternere 鈥渢o lay out on the ground, spread out,鈥� from the Proto-Indo-European root ster-, 蝉迟别谤蓹-, 蝉迟谤脓-, steru-, streu– 鈥渢o spread out, stretch out.鈥� The root is the source of Sanskrit 蝉迟峁涐箛腻虂迟颈 鈥渉e throws down, strews,鈥� Greek 蝉迟辞谤苍媒苍补颈 and 蝉迟谤艒苍苍媒苍补颈 鈥渢o stretch out, make level, make one鈥檚 bed,鈥� Old Irish sernim 鈥淚 spread out,鈥� Albanian shtrin 鈥淚 spread out.鈥� The variant streu– lies behind Gothic straujan 鈥渟trew,鈥� Old English 蝉迟谤脓owian 鈥渢o scatter鈥� (English strew), and 蝉迟谤脓aw 鈥渉ay, straw鈥� (English straw). Consternation entered English in the early 17th century.
how is consternation used?
Deepfakes have inspired much consternation over their potential to destabilize public discourse.
I was standing shaving at my glass, when I suddenly discovered, to my consternation and amazement, that I was shaving鈥攏ot myself鈥擨 am fifty鈥攂ut a boy.