desuetude [ˈdɛswɪˌtud, -ˌtyud] n.
1.) Cessation to be accustomed; discontinuance of practice or habit (A Dictionary of the English Language, Samuel Johnson, 1755).
Etymology: French désuétude, from Latin desuetudo, from desuetus, past participle of desuescere, to put out of use: de- + suescere, to become accustomed.
"He too returned to his old life at school and all his novel enterprises fell to pieces. The commonwealth fell, the loan bank closed its coffers and its books on a sensible loss, the rules of life which he drawn about himself fell into desuetude" (Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce, 1916).
I decided to give a definition from Johnson's great Dictionary today, hence the picture. Also, today is the first instalment of the new "Climbing the Mountain" weekly challenge (credit to PeaceLoveandSharpies for coming up with the idea). So, your task is to write an intelligible paragraph using 5 out of 7 of last week's words (polysyndeton, scintillation, trope, reify, abstruse, pace, and apotheosis). Just copy and paste them into a comment: I'll just read them without publishing. The winner will be announced next week and the first to 5 wins will receive a book. I'll also publish the winner's paragraph and any amusing ones. Thanks for reading!
28 comments:
That's cool artwork along with the word of the day.
does desuetude have a verb too? It seems like a practical word.
oooh, I'm going to use this one for sure.
I suppose this is a bit like an intellectual version of that thing they used to have in Readers Digest - "It pays to increase your word power." Except that I don't think these abstruse words will do much for my literary style, so won't pay at all, in my case. Nevertheless, it's interesting to read about them so thanks for posting them. I like "polysyndeton" best.
The game. I'll start later, but I like it.
Thank you for teaching me another new word m(_ _)m
I like the way this word sounds, so I want to use it soon. :P
And Liz and Richard made 11 films together! Is it sad I know that off the top of my head? Haha.
yep, always hockey.
that poor guy and his crazy hat! lol.
Very interesting blog, I could learn from this =3
Followed.
If you get the chance take a look at my blogs sometime: http://serenityindex.blogspot.com/
This is one of those words where I always "think" I know what it means, but I never do. And this is the first time I've heard it correctly pronounced (or pronounced at all, quite frankly).
Love that old painting/drawing
I swear there is another word that is very similar to this one with the same meaning but I can't, for the life of me, think of what it is.
Oh, I'm going to have to use my noggin this week for the comp.
I'll give this some thought and get back to you, great word though
oh now this one... this one i knew! i feel awesome
The Drawing is awesome, thank you!
Interesting word. (:
I love the pictures you include with these words!
I'm gonna get back to you on that paragraph challenge. I like a good challenge.
No! Not homework!
I will have to try and use desuetude in conversation today.
Will definitely be using this word next semester; doing a Romantic poetry course, so it should come in handy at one time or another.
Didn't know this one. Cool.
But why did he have to go through all that? :O
whoever wins this competition gets a cyber high five from me as well.
Now that's an awesome word!
There goes my run, I didn't know this one haha
Of course you are right. Words can't be abstruse in themselves, at least I don't think so. But it's a different story when you start putting them together.
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