gnomic
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What is the definition and pronunciation of the word “gnomic”?
It's the word of the day for August twelfth. Today's word is gnomic, spelled G N O M I C. Gnomic is an adjective. It's a formal word that describes something cryptically said or written in a few words.
How is “gnomic” used in literary examples and what does it sound like in context?
Here's the word used in a sentence from the New Yorker. Indeed, the album that Michelangelo Dying reminds me of most is Lori Anderson's seminal Big Science from nineteen eighty two. Both atoms feature gnomic lyrical pronouncements. Rigid collapse, Kate LeBon chants on the track About Time, reminiscent of Anderson's talk singing big science hallelujah.
What is the historical connection between gnomes, aphorisms, and the word “gnomic”?
A gnome is an aphorism, that is, a short phrase that expresses a true or wise idea. Gnomes are sometimes couched in metaphorical or figurative language, they are often quite clever, and they are always concise. We borrowed the word gnome in the 16th century from the Greeks, who based their word gnome on the verb gignoskein, meaning to know. The other gnome, referring to the dwarf of folklore, comes from New Latin and is unrelated to the aphoristic gnome.
How did the adjective “gnomic” evolve and what style of writing does it describe today?
We began using gnomic, the adjective form of gnome in the late eighteenth century. It describes a style of writing or sometimes speech characterized by pithy phrases which are often terse to the point of mysteriousness. With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sakolowski. Visit MarionWebster dot com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the definition and pronunciation of the word “gnomic”?
0:06–0:25
2
How is “gnomic” used in literary examples and what does it sound like in context?
0:25–0:52
3
What is the historical connection between gnomes, aphorisms, and the word “gnomic”?
0:52–1:25
4
How did the adjective “gnomic” evolve and what style of writing does it describe today?
1:25–1:51