Tuesday, May 10, 2011

celerity

celerity [səˈlɛrɪti] n.

1.) Rapidity of motion; quickness; swiftness (GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English).

Etymology: French célérité, from Old French, from Latin celeritas, from celer, swift.

"The uncommon abilities and fortune of Severus have induced an elegant historian to compare him with the first and greatest of the Caesars. The parallel is, at least, imperfect. Where shall we find, in the character of Severus, the commanding superiority of soul, the generous clemency, and the various genius, which could reconcile and unite the love of pleasure, the thirst of knowledge, and the fire of ambition? In one instance only, they may be compared, with some degree of propriety, in the celerity of their motions, and their civil victories" (The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 1, Edward Gibbon, 1776).
Septime Sévère et Caracalla, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1796
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Hello readers, sorry about the lack of a post yesterday. I had my big Symbolic Logic exam in the afternoon, and I was still studying in the morning (which is when I usually do my blogging). As it turned out, I think I spent too much time studying—the exam was pretty straightforward. Anyway, now I just have to complete my thesis and I'll be a Master of Philosophical Studies!

Also, I'd like to give a shout out to Rob and Astronomy Pirate, who nominated me for a blogging award. Check out their blogs!

Finally, I received my first negative comment yesterday. It wasn't about my blog, but about one of my comments on someone else's blog. I have a very sardonic sense of humor, and so I apologize in advance if I offend any of you on your blogs. I wouldn't bother to comment if I wasn't already a fan!

36 comments:

HiFi said...

I'm actually familiar with this word. And yes, it's not commonly used.

lifeshighway said...

Let me figure out what impressed me most:
1. Finishing a Masters in Philosophical Studies
2. Receiving a negative comments (I have always wanted one of those!)
3. That a highly educated person who probably sits in coffee houses discussing import philosophical issues of the day reads my ridiculous blog.
4. That you have a sardonic sense of humor (which I love and you should share with us more)

Anonymous said...

Hello, E! Nice to meet you. Anyone who takes the time to define "celerity" is definitely worth following. Best of luck with your studies.

Drake Sigar said...

I was going to congratulate you for getting your first negative comment, but you seem to be acting like it’s a bad thing.

Anonymous said...

Haha, I've gotten my share of negative comments. I really like the idea of a vocab blog.

Megan said...

I'm all about your humor. Keep it coming. (Although I did have to google Raymond Chandler.)

Speedy Ed said...

another cool word :P and again .. i've never heard of it. but ill try and get it into my day ;)

Meri said...

Great word- it almost is celebrity, but without the b. (sorry, dumbest comment ever, I just wanted to let you know I like the word though!)

Brandon Sample said...

a Master of Philosophical Studies, very nice, I'm impressed.

PeaceLoveandSharpies said...

The celebrity celery escaped the paparazzi with celerity.
Dear world, do me.

shari said...

is celerity related, etymologically speaking, to celery? do they have the same root? :-)

good luck with your studies... i was a terrible student, always prone to play rather than studies.

sardonic comedy is often misunderstood. if you upset someone, maybe it's because they take things a bit too seriously? if you apologized, you did all you could, so hopefully you aren't worried about it anymore.

Mercurio said...

The celerity on your work will get your thesis done in no time.

Unknown said...

This is brilliant. I am definitely going to attempt to add some of these words to my writing. Thanks.

A Beer for the Shower said...

I'm already familiar with this word but good to see it again. Also, keep up the humor. No hurt feelings here. Or if we (rarely) misspell a word. It's nice to have it caught.

Anonymous said...

congratulations on being nominated!

Dave said...

Celerity does not apply to me as Im that slow lol.

123 said...

I'll be the first one to leave a negative comment about your blog- I HATE YOUR BLOG SO MUCH

except not really, but now I can say that I was the first to do something :D


i fondle myself with great celerity

wat

DEZMOND said...

so this has nothing to do with celery? :)

Congrats on the upcoming MA!

BTN Hip Hop said...

good luck with your work bro

followed

-E- said...

@Drake Sigar oh i just didn't realize it was a badge of honor. now i'm sorry i deleted it.

@PeaceLoveandSharpies i think there might be a typo in your comment.

@Shari no, celery comes from the Latin selinon, which means parsley, and celebrity comes from the Latin celebritas, meaning famous. it's just a coincidence that they're close in spelling and pronunciation. good question though.

@Colin Biano but...you're now the second, as i said.

Twenty.Something said...

Congratz on the MA! And I actually heard this word... now I know what it means ;)

And yep - 745!! Crazy, eh?

x
http://artfashiontwentysomething.blogspot.com

Kicking Rocks said...

good or bad, comments are comments!

Zombie said...

I feel much more educated now! lol. Still dont know how to use this in a sentence.

D4 said...

No no, Colin was the first to leave a negative comment ABOUT your blog, not on it, see?

And this is one of those words that makes sense to me. Cousin to accelerate, right? Has to be.

Astronomy Pirate said...

I am familiar with the term celerity, some times people who try to be fancy like to drop the word in astronomy papers to describe a quick moving object.

Also, awesome with the Philosophical Studies, I took a few undergrad courses in symbolic and Aristotelian logic, they were some of my favorite courses and had a wide application of use for rational thought in other course. Much respect.

Jesse Crows said...

celerity. nice word. i think the british would approve

RedHeadRob said...

I gotta agree with kicking rocks lol.

Useful word! I can't wait to use this.

BigMike said...

Geek moment - It is also the name of a spell cast by a shaman in the video game Everquest that speeds up the attack speed of the target. ;)

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I'm going to learn a lot from this blog, I can see!

Anonymous said...

My vocabulary has been expanded and congrats on the award :D

Bart said...

ahh yes, i use this word when i go to order celery with my wings

Intraman said...

i was going to make a pun on celerity and celery,.. but it looks like someone already beat me to it and i'm not witty enough to come up with something else :P

Endless said...

you forgot the B ;D

Anonymous said...

I use this word a lot :)

Once Upon A Time... said...

hi,

thanks for your comment on my blog...i appreciate the fact that you didn't see it as "bubbly" - in fact in wasn't. you've got one particular blog - very creative and original. Keep up the good work.

jos xx

MassiveUps said...

So let us know if you win!

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