Podcasts about Old French

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 10, 2026 is: foible • FOY-bul • noun Foibles are minor flaws or shortcomings in someone's character or behavior. In fencing, foible refers to the weakest part of a sword's blade, between the middle and point. // You have to be able to laugh at your own foibles. See the entry > Examples: "The British sketch comedy troupe Monty Python loved taking aim at contemporary foibles through its twisted and liberal reading of history." — David Faris, The Week, 29 Apr. 2026 Did you know? Many word lovers agree that the pen is mightier than the sword. But be they honed in wit or form, even the sharpest tools in the shed have their flaws. That's where foible comes in handy. Borrowed from French in the 1600s, the word originally referred to the weakest part of a fencing sword, that part being the portion between the middle and the pointed tip. The English foible soon came to be applied not only to weaknesses in blades but also to minor failings in character. Foible ultimately traces back to the Old French term feble, which is also the source of our English adjective feeble.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 8, 2026 is: accoutrement • uh-KOO-truh-munt • noun An accoutrement is a piece of clothing or equipment that is used in a particular place or for a particular activity. In military contexts, accoutrement refers specifically to a soldier's outfit. The word can also refer to an identifying and often superficial characteristic or device. Accoutrement in any of its uses is often pluralized. // They have all the accoutrements that a baker could ever want, including a robust collection of cookie cutters and a veritable wardrobe of vintage aprons. See the entry > Examples: "From the spectacularly colorful Parade of Flags ... to the customary dress and cultural accoutrements of the nations, we see just how rich, varied and wonderful are the backgrounds of these students who have traveled far to study among us." – The Commercial Dispatch (Columbus, Mississippi), 14 Apr. 2026 Did you know? Accoutrement and its rarer relative accoutre, a verb meaning "to provide with equipment or furnishings" or "to outfit," have been appearing in English texts since the 16th century. Today both words have variant spellings—accouterment and accouter, respectively. The pair's French ancestor, accoutrer, descends from an Old French word meaning "to put in place" and may ultimately trace back to the Latin word consuere, meaning "to sew together." Some etymological stitching is visible in another English word: couture, a word referring to the business of making fashionable clothes, as well as to the clothes themselves, is a direct French borrowing that ultimately descends from consuere.

What is an Esbat, and is it really an ancient full moon ritual?In this video, I trace the surprising history of the word Esbat, from its Old French meaning of “frolic” or “amusement” to its modern role in Wicca and contemporary Pagan witchcraft. I explore how Margaret Murray, Gerald Gardner, and Doreen Valiente helped transform a borrowed word into one of the best-known terms in the modern witchcraft ritual calendar.Was the Esbat an ancient Pagan tradition, or a modern invention? The answer is more interesting than either option. I separate historical evidence from modern myth while recognising the real religious value of living practice.This video is for anyone interested in Wicca, Paganism, full moon rituals, witchcraft history, and how modern magical traditions are created.CONNECT & SUPPORT

In 1846, fourteen-year-old Angelique Cottin became known as the "Electric Girl" when she unleashed an unexplainable force that sent furniture flying, baffled scientists, and terrified priests, all while her family sought fortune from her mysterious powers.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources and full transcript): https://weirddarkness.com/ElectricPoltergeistGirlFEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: In 1846, a 14-year-old peasant girl from rural France caught the attention of the country and eventually the world because of a strange current of electricity running through her. Angelique Cottin, a girl of small stature, was suddenly and uncontrollably moving furniture weighing hundreds of pounds across the room. In the end, over 2,000 witnesses saw the unexplainable phenomenon. Of the few recorded cases of psychokinesis throughout history, even fewer are as bizarre as the story of Angelique Cottin, AKA the Poltergeist Girl. (The Poltergeist Girl) *** The Codex Gigas... a colossal manuscript steeped in mystery. Not just in it's pages, but in its origin. Is it true that a monk penned the pages after striking a deal with the devil in order to complete it? (Codex Gigas: The Devil's Bible) *** When you think of people living in medieval times, what do you see? People with bad teeth and breath? Witches being burned? Women had no rights or jobs? People tossed their urine and feces in the street? They thought the earth was flat? Hold up… are you sure about that last one? (The Dark Ages And The Flat Earth) *** In 1941, in the quiet town of Media, Pennsylvania, a horrific crime shocked the community. Two elderly sisters, Elizabeth Watson and Belle Geary, were brutally attacked, leading to Elizabeth's death and Belle's prolonged suffering. As authorities honed in on a suspect, 14-year-old John Leeds emerged as the prime candidate. Despite his confession, his mother staunchly defended him, sparking a legal battle that gripped the nation. (The Octogenarian Murders) *** Are whales dangerous? Most would note that, given from the danger associated with such a large animal, there is a certain risk in getting close to one. But most would also note that whales have a curious, gentle temperament and physical violence from one is very unlikely. Unless, that is, you consider those times when they literally explode. (Exploding Whales)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding00:01:01.789 = Show Open00:04:04.658 = Poltergeist Girl00:17:15.982 = Codex Gigas: The Devil's Bible ***00:26:27.659 = The Dark Ages and the Flat Earth00:37:39.247 = Octogenarian Murders ***00:47:11.722 = Exploding Whales00:54:00.406 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“The Poltergeist Girl” by Liv Pasquarelli for Graveyard Shift: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ydvwhbsf“Codex Gigas: The Devil's Bible” by Mark Miller for Historic Mysteries.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4csh764d“The Dark Ages And The Flat Earth” by Gemma Hollman for JustHistoryPosts.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/8bkkyyt3“The Octogenarian Murders” by Robert A. Waters for Kidnapping, Murder and Mayhem: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/63wkx844“Exploding Whales” by Bipin Dimri for HistoryMysteries.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4aaf6kmy(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: March 27, 2024

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 6, 2026 is: flamboyant • flam-BOY-ant • adjective Someone or something described as flamboyant has a very noticeable quality that attracts a lot of attention. Such a person or thing is often strikingly elaborate or colorful in their behavior or display. // Reality television attracts millions of viewers for its depictions of flamboyant, larger-than-life personalities living equally flamboyant lifestyles. See the entry > Examples: “[Helen] McCrory's flamboyant and perfectly drawn portrayal of Polly was the show's real treasure, a steel-willed matriarch unusually attuned to the mysticism of the Shelby family's Romani roots who also served as a ruthlessly pragmatic consigliere. ... McCrory's Polly was so electric that the show remained totally riveting any time she was onscreen.” — Jack Hamilton, Slate, 20 Mar. 2026 Did you know? Associate the word flamboyant with bananas flambé and the word's fiery etymology will be seared in your mind. Flamboyant, which was borrowed into English from French in the 19th century, can be traced back to the Old French word flambe, meaning “flame.” In its earliest uses flamboyant referred to an ornate style of Gothic architecture popular in France and Spain, which featured waving curves suggestive of flames. Eventually, the word developed a more general second sense for anything eye-catching or showy. And of course, flambe is also the origin of the English adjective flambé, which describes food flamboyantly dressed or served with flaming liquor.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 3, 2026 is: métier • MET-yay • noun Métier, sometimes styled metier, is a formal word that refers to something that a person does very well. // After trying several careers, she found her true métier in computer science. See the entry > Examples: “Turning from his father's trade of corset-making, [Thomas] Paine tried his hand at business, met and impressed Benjamin Franklin in London, sailed to America, and there found his true metier as a pamphleteer and radical.” — Matthew Redmond, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025 Did you know? Over the centuries, English has borrowed several French words related in some way to work or working, among them oeuvre (“a substantial body of work of a writer, an artist, or a composer”) and travail (“work of a laborious nature, toil”). Métier (pronounced /MET-yay/) is another. It is sometimes translated from its original French as “job” or “career” but in that language it more accurately refers to the trade or profession in which one works (it traces back to the Old French mistier, meaning “duty, craft, profession”). In English we tend toward a narrower meaning for métier, referring either to a job for which one is perfectly suited or a particular field in which one is extremely skilled. This makes it a synonym of another French borrowing, forte.

AP correspondent Julie Walker reports son of 85-year-old French widow home after 16 days in US immigration custody says she needs rest.

ICE have detained an 86-year-old French woman; a 90-year-old has been jailed in South Korea for laundering her son’s drug money; and six British acts including Oasis and Sade are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Adam Gilchrist shares details on these stories with Lester Kiewit. Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit is a podcast of the CapeTalk breakfast show. This programme is your authentic Cape Town wake-up call. Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit is informative, enlightening and accessible. The team’s ability to spot & share relevant and unusual stories make the programme inclusive and thought-provoking. Don’t miss the popular World View feature at 7:45am daily. Listen out for #LesterInYourLounge which is an outside broadcast – from the home of a listener in a different part of Cape Town - on the first Wednesday of every month. This show introduces you to interesting Capetonians as well as their favourite communities, habits, local personalities and neighbourhood news. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit. Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays between 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) to Good Morning CapeTalk with Lester Kiewit broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/xGkqLbT or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/f9Eeb7i Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bongani Bingwa speaks with Adam Gilchrist about global news stories, including an 86-year-old French woman who moved to the United States to rekindle a decades-old romance and has since been detained by immigration authorities; a 90-year-old woman in South Korea who has been sentenced to a year in prison for assisting her son in laundering proceeds from drug trafficking; and the latest inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which include Oasis, heavy metal icons Iron Maiden, and Sade. 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa is broadcast on 702, a Johannesburg based talk radio station. Bongani makes sense of the news, interviews the key newsmakers of the day, and holds those in power to account on your behalf. The team bring you all you need to know to start your day Thank you for listening to a podcast from 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) to Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa broadcast on 702: https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/36edSLV or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/zEcM35T Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio7See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bongani Bingwa speaks with Adam Gilchrist about global news stories, including an 86-year-old French woman who moved to the United States to rekindle a decades-old romance and has since been detained by immigration authorities; a 90-year-old woman in South Korea who has been sentenced to a year in prison for assisting her son in laundering proceeds from drug trafficking; and the latest inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which include Oasis, heavy metal icons Iron Maiden, and Sade. 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa is broadcast on 702, a Johannesburg based talk radio station. Bongani makes sense of the news, interviews the key newsmakers of the day, and holds those in power to account on your behalf. The team bring you all you need to know to start your day Thank you for listening to a podcast from 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) to Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa broadcast on 702: https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/36edSLV or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/zEcM35T Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio7See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ICE have detained an 86-year-old French woman; a 90-year-old has been jailed in South Korea for laundering her son’s drug money; and six British acts including Oasis and Sade are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Adam Gilchrist shares details on these stories with Lester Kiewit. Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit is a podcast of the CapeTalk breakfast show. This programme is your authentic Cape Town wake-up call. Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit is informative, enlightening and accessible. The team’s ability to spot & share relevant and unusual stories make the programme inclusive and thought-provoking. Don’t miss the popular World View feature at 7:45am daily. Listen out for #LesterInYourLounge which is an outside broadcast – from the home of a listener in a different part of Cape Town - on the first Wednesday of every month. This show introduces you to interesting Capetonians as well as their favourite communities, habits, local personalities and neighbourhood news. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit. Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays between 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) to Good Morning CapeTalk with Lester Kiewit broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/xGkqLbT or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/f9Eeb7i Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 5, 2026 is: verdant • VER-dunt • adjective Verdant describes something that is green in tint or color, or green because it is covered with growing plants. Verdant can also describe a person who is inexperienced or has not yet developed good judgment. // The golf course is noted for its tricky hazards and lush, verdant borders along its fairways. See the entry > Examples: “On the other side, the lusher Santa Cruz Mountains, a place of dank redwood forests, organic farming communes, and uppity vineyards, form a verdant curtain between the Valley and the ocean.” — Brian Barth, Front Street: Resistance and Rebirth in the Tent Cities of Techlandia, 2025 Did you know? English speakers have been using verdant as a ripe synonym of green since at least the 16th century, and as a descriptive term for inexperienced or naive people since the 19th century. (By contrast, the more experienced green has colored our language since well before the 12th century, and was first applied to inexperienced people in the 16th century.) Verdant traces back to the Old French word for “green,” vert, which itself is from the Latin word viridis. Some lesser-known words for shades of green in English include prasine (“having the green color of a leek”), smaragdine (“yellowish green in color like an emerald”), and another viridis descendent, viridescent (“slightly green”).

News; birthdays/events; have you ever ended up on the internet/viral post because you were in the background of someone's video/selfie?; word of the day. News; alternative ideas for Easter baskets because candy is so expensive and not super healthy; have you ever reported something "stolen" but it turns out you accidentally had it the whole time? (funny story); game: March madness trivia. News; how do you decide if your day was 'successful'?; if an 'expert' reviews something...how much weight do you put in it?; game: baseball mascot trivia. News; game: name these bands; when you have guests in town but it also spring break...do you try to avoid "touristy" things?; goodbye/fun facts....national paella day. The term "paella" derives from the Old French word "paelle", meaning pan which is how it was cooked. Considered by many to be the national dish of Spain, paella originated, as many traditional dishes do, as "peasant" food — a rice dish prepared by workers in the field over an open fire and made with rice, meat, or fish...basically whatever food was available. Many countries and regions have their own recipes and variations, it can be made using any meat or fish...however, according to gastrophiles, (aka foodies) the best paellas are made in Spain, on the beach, with fresh seafood.

practice(v.)late 14c., practisen, "to follow or employ" a course of action; c. 1400, "to do, put into action or practice;" from Old French pratiser, practiser "to practice," alteration of practiquer, from Medieval Latin practicare "to do, perform, practice," from Late Latin practicus "practical," from Greek praktikos "practical" (see practical).From early 15c. as "to carry on a profession," especially medicine; also "to do or perform repeatedly or habitually with the object of acquiring skill, to learn by repeated performance;" from mid-15c. as "to perform, work at, exercise." Intransitive sense of "perform certain acts repeatedly, train one's self" is by 1590s. Sense of "to cause to practice, teach by exercise, train, drill" is from 1590s.practice(n.)early 15c., practise, "practical aspect or application," originally especially of medicine but also alchemy, education, etc.; from Old French pratiser, from Medieval Latin practicare (see practice (v.)). It largely displaced the older word, practic, which survived in parallel into 19c. From early 15c. it began to be assimilated in spelling to nouns in -ice.Sense of "habit, frequent or customary performance" is from c. 1500. Meaning "exercise for instruction or discipline" is from 1520s. Sense of "action, the process of accomplishing or carrying out" (opposed to speculation or theory) is from 1530s. The meaning "regular pursuit of some employment or business" is from 1570s. In 16c.-17c. it also was used in an evil sense, "conspiracy, a scheme."Practice is sometimes erroneously used for experience, which is a much broader word. Practice is the repetition of an act : as, to become a skilled marksman by practice. Experience is, by derivation, a going clear through, and may mean action, but much oftener views the person as acted upon, taught, disciplined, by what befalls him. [Century Dictionary]

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 15, 2026 is: tranche • TRAHNSH • noun Tranche refers to a division or portion of a whole. // A tranche of leaked documents was delivered to the newspaper anonymously, with more promised to come. See the entry > Examples: “Congress approved an initial tranche of funding legislation in November as the longest shutdown in history came to an end.” — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025 Did you know? In French, tranche means “slice.” Cutting deeper into the word's etymology, we find the Old French word trenchier, meaning “to cut,” which has its likely origin in a Latin word meaning “to cut in three,” from Latin trini meaning “three each.” Tranche emerged in the English language in the late 19th century to refer to a division or portion of a larger pool or whole, and later developed a finance-specific meaning referring to an offering for sale of typically a set of bonds “cut” from a larger group of bonds, the tranche being differentiated by such factors as maturity or rate of return.

Are the words plain, plane and plan related? Let’s find out in this Adventure in Etymology. Plain [pleɪn] as an adjective can mean: Simple, unaltered, ordinary, unsophisticated. Obvious, evident. Open, honest, candid. Unattractive Flat, level (rare, regional) It comes from Middle English pleyn (clear, unambiguous), from Anglo-Norman pleyn (plain), from Old French plain (plain [flat […]

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 7, 2026 is: imbue • im-BYOO • verb Imbue has two common meanings: "to permeate or influence as if by dyeing" and "to provide with something freely or naturally." In the second use it is usually used with with. // A deep sense of history imbues the artist's work. // The children were imbued with a passion for nature by their parents, both biologists. See the entry > Examples: "Aged cachaça, like fine whiskey, derives its complexity from the barrels it's matured in. There are dozens of different Brazilian woods cachaça can be aged in, and each imbues the spirit with its distinct flavor, resulting in varieties that are more floral or herbal, nutty or woody, savory or spiced." — Rebekah Peppler, The New York Times, 5 Dec. 2025 Did you know? Like its synonym infuse, imbue implies the introduction of one thing into another so as to affect it throughout. Someone's voice can be imbued with pride, for example, or a photograph might be imbued with a sense of melancholy. In the past imbue was also used synonymously with imbrue, an obscure word meaning "to drench or stain," but the two words are likely unrelated. Imbue comes from the Latin verb imbuere, meaning "to dye, wet, or moisten," while imbrue has been traced back through Anglo-French and Old French to the Latin verb bibere, meaning "to drink."

Mystery-Clad Being The Primal Rhythm of Being and the Heart of All Reality by Doug Scott, LCSW I. The Nature of Mystery We have just heard [previous presenter] speak beautifully about the theme of mystery. I want to build on that foundation with a particular question: What is the nature of the mystery that we are exploring? Mystery is not that which cannot be known. Mystery is that which can never be exhausted in all the ways of knowing. It is infinitely knowable—which means we can spend eternity exploring it and never arrive at complete comprehension. Not because it withholds itself from us, but because it is inexhaustible in its richness. This is a crucial distinction. Mystery is not ignorance. It is not a wall we cannot penetrate. Mystery is an ocean we can swim in forever, each stroke revealing new depths, new currents, new wonders. The fullness of mystery—what we might call gnosis—is not a destination we arrive at but a horizon that recedes as we approach, always inviting us further. Ra describes this with precise language when speaking of the fundamental rhythms of intelligent infinity: "The basic rhythms of intelligent infinity are totally without distortion of any kind. The rhythms are clothed in mystery, for they are being itself." (27.7) Clothed in mystery. Not hidden by mystery. Clothed in it—the way a body is clothed, the way we wear our appearance. Mystery is not what conceals being from us. Mystery is being, wearing its own inexhaustibility. So tonight I want to ask: If being itself is clothed in mystery, can we nonetheless discern something of its shape? Its flow? Its fundamental rhythm? Can we, while honoring the inexhaustibility, trace patterns that appear consistently across Ra's teachings—patterns that might illuminate something primal about the nature of reality itself? II. Being as Verb: Does It Have a Shape? Notice that Ra says the rhythms are being itself. Not that being has rhythms. Not that being does rhythms. The rhythms are being. This is being as verb, not as noun. Not a thing that exists, but existence itself as dynamic, self-processing oscillation. What does Ra tell us about the shape of this rhythm? In Session 27.6, we find a remarkable description: "Intelligent infinity has a rhythm, or flow, as of a giant heart beginning with the Central Sun... the presence of the flow inevitable as a tide of beingness without polarity, without finity; the vast and silent all beating outward, outward, focusing outward and inward until the focuses are complete. The intelligence or consciousness of foci have reached a state where their, shall we say, spiritual nature or mass calls them inward, inward, inward until all is coalesced. This is the rhythm of reality." A giant heart. Beating outward, outward... then inward, inward, inward until all is coalesced. This is the shape of being itself: a circulation. Not linear progression, not random chaos, but rhythmic circulation—emanation and return, expansion and coalescence, systole and diastole. III. The Primal Desire: Joy Seeking to Know Itself But why? Why does being beat outward and then inward? What drives the circulation? Ra gives us the answer in the most fundamental teaching of all: "The Creator will know Itself" (27.8). This is the First Distortion, the primal movement from undifferentiated unity toward manifestation. Not "wants to know" as if lacking something—but will, an active, ongoing, generative drive. Here is the crucial insight: This desire is not experienced as lack. It is experienced as Joy. The Creator's desire to know Itself is not a hunger born of deficiency but a fullness seeking to express and discover itself through infinite perspectives. Joy is the fundamental affective quality of being itself. And this Joy can only be fulfilled through experience. The Creator cannot know Itself through static contemplation. Self-knowing requires circulation—going forth into differentiated expression and returning enriched by what the journey has gathered. This means experience is circulation. The going forth and the returning are not separate from experience—they are experience itself in its most fundamental form. IV. The Heart as Locus of Circulation If experience is circulation, and circulation has a pattern—outward, inward, coalescence—then we can ask: Is there a center to this circulation? Is there a locus where the three movements meet? Ra speaks directly to this in Session 82.7: "There is a center to infinity. From this center all spreads. Therefore, there are centers to the creation, to the galaxies, to star systems, to planetary systems, and to consciousness. In each case you may see growth from the center outward." A center from which all spreads. This is the ontological definition of a heart—not merely an organ that pumps blood, not merely a chakra that processes emotion, but the locus of circulation itself. Wherever being localizes—whether as universe, galaxy, star, planet, or person—there exists a heart: a center where the three forces of circulation operate. The Three Forces Outward Flow (Emanation): From the heart, energy emanates. The Original Thought—the Creator's desire to know Itself—pulses forth from this center into manifestation, seeking, exploring, differentiating. Ra speaks of the vast and silent all "beating outward, outward." Inward Flow (Return): To the heart, experience returns. The spiritual nature or mass of the foci "calls them inward, inward, inward." This is what Ra elsewhere calls "spiritual gravity"—the attractive force drawing consciousness back toward center, back toward Source. Coalescence (Integration): Within the heart, what went forth and what returns are integrated. Ra uses several terms for this: coalesced (27.6), distilled (18.5—"distilling from them the love/light within them"), and in other passages, the image of atoms finding "precise distances from each other" to "produce a lattice structure which we call crystalline" (29.23). Coalescence is not mere combination. It is integration that transforms. What went forth as seed returns as harvest. What emanated as question returns as lived answer. The heart distills, processes, and prepares the next arising. V. The Modes of Joy: Yearning, Longing, Rejoicing Now we can go deeper. The three movements—outward, inward, coalescence—are kinetic. They are movements. But what generates them? What is the affective quality that drives the circulation? I want to suggest that the three movements are responses to three prior conditions—three ontological yearnings that are themselves modes of Joy. These yearnings do not cause the movements mechanically; they are the movements in their affective dimension. Yearning (to go forth): At the primal level, yearning is not lack. It is eager desire, anticipation, the joy in becoming. The Old English giernan means "to strive, be eager, desire"—and shares roots with the Greek chaírein, "to rejoice." Yearning is rejoicing—no lack, only eager delight in the adventure about to unfold. This generates the outward flow. Longing (to return): Once consciousness has gone forth and differentiated, a new quality of desire emerges. Longing is desire stretched across the distance that experience has created. The Old English langian means literally "to grow long, to lengthen"—stretching toward what is distant. This is the memory of home pulling homeward, joy stretched toward reunion. This generates the inward flow. Rejoicing (in union): When outward and inward meet in the heart, there is consummation. Rejoicing, from the Latin gaudēre, originally meant "to possess, to enjoy possession of, to have fruition of." It is the joy of completion, of harvest gathered, of distillation accomplished. This generates coalescence and seeds the new arising. And throughout—enjoying. Being in joy. The Old French enjoir means literally "to be placed within joy, to dwell in joy." This is the medium through which the entire circulation occurs. There is no moment outside of joy, because joy is being itself in its affective dimension. VI. The Two Energies Within Us This cosmic pattern is not distant from us. Ra tells us it operates within our own energy system. In Session 49.5-6, Ra describes two types of energy operating within the mind/body/spirit complex: "The most important concept to grasp about the energy field is that the lower, or negative pole, will draw the universal energy into itself from the cosmos. Therefrom it will move upward to be met and reacted to by the positive spiraling energy moving downward from within." "Meanwhile the Creator lies within. In the north pole the crown is already upon the head and the entity is potentially a god." Two flows: one rising from below, drawing universal energy from the cosmos; one descending from within, where the Creator already dwells. The place where they meet—this is what Ra calls kundalini, "the meeting place of cosmic and inner vibratory understanding." This meeting point is our heart, in its deepest sense. The cosmic rhythm that beats through all creation beats through you. The yearning that sends energy outward, the longing that draws it back, the rejoicing where they meet—these are not metaphors. They are the actual dynamics of your being. VII. The Pattern Appears Everywhere This pattern of three forces—outward flow, inward flow, coalescence—appears throughout nature and science. Not because science "proves" metaphysics, but because the same pattern that constitutes being manifests at every scale. Physics: White holes (cosmic emanation) and black holes (cosmic return). The Big Bang as universal outward flow, gravitational collapse as universal inward flow. The strange attractor in chaos theory—which we will watch in a moment—reveals how apparent chaos organizes around a hidden center. Chemistry: Dissipative structures maintain organization through constant circulation of energy—taking in, transforming, releasing. Living systems are precisely such structures. Biology: The heartbeat itself. Systole (contraction, emanation) and diastole (relaxation, reception). Breath: inhalation drawing the world in, exhalation releasing transformed air. The cell taking nutrients in, processing, releasing waste. Psychology: Attachment theory describes the child moving out into the world (secure base), returning to the caregiver (safe haven), and being transformed by the cycle. We spend our lives circulating between independence and intimacy. Neuroscience: The brain itself can be understood as a torus on its side—two hemispheres longing for each other across the corpus callosum, which functions as both veil and bridge. The left hemisphere specializes in focused analysis; the right in holistic context. Neither is complete without the other. The longing between them is the mechanism of integrated consciousness. VIII. Strange Attractor Contemplation   Watch the point move through space. It never repeats. Never traces the same path twice. And yet—it does not wander randomly. Something draws it. Something organizes its apparent chaos.   This is called a strange attractor. "Attractor" because the system is drawn toward it. "Strange" because it has a shape that can never be fully occupied—the trajectory approaches infinitely close but never lands. The point spirals around one wing... then crosses to spiral around the other... then crosses back. Two centers. One circulation. The pattern never settles, never completes, never exhausts itself.   Watch how each spiral tightens toward center... then releases... and is drawn across to begin again. This is what longing looks like when mapped in phase space. The memory of center draws the wandering point. Not forcing—luring. The attractor does not compel. It invites. The point is free at every moment—and at every moment, it is being called.   You are watching the shape of yearning made visible. Going forth... being drawn back... crossing over... spiraling in... releasing out... and being drawn again. The outward is contained by the inward. The inward is activated by the outward. Neither exists without the other. This is circulation. This is life.   Now notice: there is no visible center. You cannot see the attractor itself. You see only the response to it—the endless spiral dance of something being drawn, being lured, being loved into pattern. The attractor is known only by its effects. It is mystery-clad. Present everywhere in the system. Visible nowhere except in what it organizes.   Ra said the rhythms of intelligent infinity are "clothed in mystery, for they are being itself." This is what it looks like when being wears its mystery: infinite complexity, perfect order, inexhaustible novelty—all dancing around a center that can never be possessed, only approached.   Feel how this is also your life. Going forth into experience... being drawn back toward something you cannot name but cannot forget... crossing between worlds—outer and inner, manifest and hidden—spiraling closer, then releasing, then spiraling again. You have never been lost. The attractor has always been calling. Every apparently random movement was already part of the pattern—the inexhaustible pattern that clothes the Center in visible mystery.   The heart beats. Outward, outward... inward, inward... until all is coalesced. This is the rhythm of reality. --- IX. Consolation: We Are Never Alone Before we turn to practice, I want to offer something pastoral. If the cosmic rhythm is yearning-longing-rejoicing, and if this same rhythm operates in you... then your own yearning and longing are not separate from God's. Your ache to return, your restlessness for something more, your homesickness for a home you cannot quite remember—this is God's own longing operating within and through you. You are inside divine longing even as it is inside you. Whitehead called God "the fellow sufferer who understands." But it goes deeper than that. God is not watching our longing from outside. God is longing through us, with us, as us. The yearning you feel is not evidence of God's absence but of God's presence within that very yearning. This means: You are never alone. The sense of alienation—the veil's deepest effect—produces not separation itself, but the felt conviction that separation is absolute. Softening that conviction is the heart of spiritual practice. Not replacing it with certainty of connection—that would be another kind of grasping—but allowing the possibility that we are not alone, that we have never been alone, that aloneness was always appearance rather than reality. And the restlessness? The ache that never quite goes away? This is not meant to be eliminated. It is meant to be tended—like a wound that is healing, like butterfly wings that are still wet, like an infant in arms. The tender, aching place is holy ground. It is where the longing lives. And the longing is the connection. X. Feeling the Torus Within I want to share from my own personal experience, because perhaps you have this too—and if you do not, you can, because it is simply a latent sense organ. You and I have five sense organs that perceive third density space/time: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell. But did you know that we also have subtle sense organs? These are latent—not often used consciously—but they do arise in us through intuitive knowing and through the empathic connections we make with others. I'd like to share that you can begin to feel a sense of circulation around you. For the past five years or so, I feel this all the time. At my core—at the heart, the central axis of my personal torus—I feel a clockwise circulation spinning within me. But there is also an outward field around me, and this outer field circulates counterclockwise. I feel it. It is my subtle skin. I feel this most acutely when I am connecting with someone else. As a counselor—or simply as a friend—when I am fully aware of what I am doing, I will intentionally extend my toroidal field and connect it with the other person. Sometimes I extend it so far that it encompasses them entirely, depending on what I feel called to do in the moment. When I do this, I essentially become the other person. We are all one self, other-selves in one body, and this is a transposition of consciousness. In the counseling moment, it is myself—Doug—who connects with my client, and then I become embodied inside of their experience. I become that person, in a sense, through the energy. Through this flow, through this exchange of information on the subtle realm, I feel intuitively the blockages or the places of freedom within their aura, within their energy centers, as if they were my own. And so I am able to almost surgically connect with the other person through verbal speaking—articulating what I myself am feeling as if it were my own body on the other side. Because when I join that field, it is my own body. You can learn to do this too.   XI. Living from the Heart To "live from the heart" is not sentimental advice. It is an invitation to conscious alignment with the very structure of being. The heart already functions as this center—it cannot do otherwise, for this is what hearts are. But we can dwell there consciously or unconsciously, harmoniously or in resistance. The center was never absent. The rhythm never ceased. What awakens is not the heart itself but our recognition of it—our willingness to inhabit the center we never left, to feel the pulse we always were, to dance the rhythm that dances us. The yearning that sent you forth on this journey—it was already joy in the guise of anticipation. The longing that draws you homeward—it is joy stretched across the distance you have traveled. And the rejoicing that awaits in the meeting—it is joy consummated, the fullness you have always been moving toward. The heart beats. The mystery clothes itself in rhythm. And we—mystery-clad beings ourselves—pulse with the same life that pulses through all creation. Outward, outward... inward, inward... until all is coalesced. This is the rhythm of reality. This is who we are. * * * Appendix: Key Ra Quotes Referenced Ra 27.6: "Intelligent infinity has a rhythm, or flow, as of a giant heart beginning with the Central Sun... the vast and silent all beating outward, outward, focusing outward and inward until the focuses are complete. The intelligence or consciousness of foci have reached a state where their, shall we say, spiritual nature or mass calls them inward, inward, inward until all is coalesced. This is the rhythm of reality." Ra 27.7: "The basic rhythms of intelligent infinity are totally without distortion of any kind. The rhythms are clothed in mystery, for they are being itself." Ra 27.8: "In this distortion of the Law of One it is recognized that the Creator will know Itself." Ra 82.7: "There is a center to infinity. From this center all spreads. Therefore, there are centers to the creation, to the galaxies, to star systems, to planetary systems, and to consciousness. In each case you may see growth from the center outward." Ra 49.5: "The most important concept to grasp about the energy field is that the lower, or negative pole, will draw the universal energy into itself from the cosmos. Therefrom it will move upward to be met and reacted to by the positive spiraling energy moving downward from within." Ra 49.6: "Meanwhile the Creator lies within. In the north pole the crown is already upon the head and the entity is potentially a god." Ra 18.5: "[T]o experience all things desired, to then analyze, understand, and accept these experiences, distilling from them the love/light within them." Ra 29.23 (Question and Answer summarized): "[A]s the atoms form from rotations of the vibration which is light, they coalesce in a certain manner sometimes. They find distances, inter-atomic distances, from each other at precise distance and produce a lattice structure which we call crystalline." Ra 36.7: "The mass increases, shall we say, significantly but not greatly until the gateway density [7th]. In this density the summing up, the looking backwards—in short, all the useful functions of polarity have been used. Therefore, the metaphysical electrical nature of the individual grows greater and greater in spiritual mass." Ra 52.12: "This octave density of which we have spoken is both omega and alpha, the spiritual mass of the infinite universes becoming one central sun or Creator once again."

The etymology and historical evolution of mortgages, from ancient collateral practices through to modern Canadian mortgage systems, including key regulatory developments and fundamental mortgage terminology. The word "mortgage" derives from Old French meaning "dead pledge", with collateral-based lending traced back to the fifth century B.C.and formalized through Roman law systems like Hypotheca. Major transformations included CMHC's creation in 1945, the 1954 Bank Act enabling bank mortgages, and the 1970s establishment of the five-year fixed-rate standard, with recent stress tests implemented in 2018. Key terms include mortgage term (contract duration, typically 5 years), amortization (total repayment time, usually 25 years), and the distinction between fixed and variable rates, plus different mortgage types like conventional (20%+ down)and high-ratio (under 20% down). Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) | BMO Global Asset Management MULTIPLEX MASTERCLASS LISTEN AD FREE free 1 week trial for Realist Premium Deal AnalyzerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine Scotland locked in winter's grip: snow whispering across cobbled streets, hearth fires glowing against the dark, families drawn close for warmth. While much of the world fixes its gaze on Christmas Day, Scotland's true winter soul once beat loudest on another night entirely — Hogmanay, New Year's Eve. Ancient, fierce, and alive with ritual, Hogmanay was not simply a celebration. It was survival, identity, and hope rolled into one blazing night. No one knows exactly where the word Hogmanay comes from — perhaps Old French, perhaps Norse, echoes of Yule carried on northern winds. Its origins hardly mattered. The Scots claimed it and it has flourished ever since. In 1560, the Scottish Reformation reshaped the nation. The newly formed Presbyterian Kirk condemned Christmas as a "Popish" feast, and by 1640 Parliament had banned it outright. December 25th became an ordinary working day. For generations, there were no Christmas trees, no carols, no gifts — only cold labour and dark skies. But celebration did not disappear. It moved - to the New Year. Hogmanay became Scotland's great release — a night of fire, song, and superstition when the year itself could be cleansed and reborn. Homes were "redded": floors swept, ashes cleared, debts settled. Only a clean house could welcome a clean future. As midnight approached, the world seemed to hold its breath. Then came first-footing. The first person to cross a threshold after midnight would shape a household's fortune for the year ahead. It had to be a tall, dark-haired visitor — a lingering memory of blond hair Viking terror — carrying gifts heavy with meaning: coal for warmth, bread or black bun for food, salt for flavour, a coin for prosperity, and whisky for cheer. Doors opened. Glasses filled. Neighbours moved from house to house, laughter growing louder as night blurred into morning. Across the Highlands and islands, fire took centre stage. Ancient pagan echoes flared to life as flaming rituals lit the darkness, burning away evil and calling back the sun. Nowhere is this more vivid than Stonehaven, where huge blazing fireballs are swung through the streets by locals - a spectacle of raw power and communal joy that has endured for centuries. Today, Hogmanay has burst onto the world stage. Edinburgh ignites with torchlight processions, roaring street parties, and fireworks crowning the castle sky. Visitors from every corner of the globe feel it — the pulse of something older than the city itself. And yet, beneath the spectacle, the heart remains unchanged. At midnight, hands link. Voices rise. Auld Lang Syne carries across streets, hills, and glens, a song of memory, friendship, and shared humanity. The old year is released. The new one welcomed with thunderous cheers. In Scotland, Hogmanay is more than celebration. It is defiance — a promise that even in the deepest winter, fire will burn, songs will be sung, whisky will warm the blood, and hope will return. It is the past roaring into the present, daring the darkness to linger. So if you ever stand on Scottish soil as the year turns, wrap up against the cold, learn the words of Auld Lang Syn, raise a glass — and step into a night where history, community, and joy collide in one unforgettable moment.

Incense is having a real moment and in this episode we're exploring why and also talking through some of our favourite incense scents.Why is incense so popular again? Incense has moved from temples and churches into living rooms,studios and perfume wardrobes; it's become a chic, modern ritual asmuch as a smell.Trend reports link the boom to the hunger for spiritual and holisticpractices – incense is an easy way to pause, “set an intention” andcreate a little ceremony around everyday life.Incense vs frankincense “Incense” is the whole blend you burn – it might be on a stick, cone, coilor rope – and can contain resins, woods, herbs, spices and florals. “Frankincense” (also called olibanum) is one particular resin, tappedfrom Boswellia sacra trees in Oman, Yemen and parts of the Horn ofAfrica. Etymology you can play with: “frankincense” comes from Old French“franc encens” – high quality or “pure” incense – while “incense” itselfgoes back to Latin for “to burn.” When a perfume lists “incense” as a note, it may mean a full accord ofresins (frankincense, myrrh, opoponax, labdanum, elemi, woods,flowers) or a composition that highlights frankincense alone.What incense actually smells like Frankincense: resinous yet airy; earthy, piney, slightly smoky with asurprising citrus brightness. Myrrh: darker, spicier, slightly medicinal and very “churchy”, oftenassociated with ritual and antiquity. Opoponax: honeyed, vanillic, balsamic and comforting – it softens theharsher edges of smoke. Labdanum: rich, ambery, leathery and almost animalic; gives incenseperfumes that plush, warm body. Elemi: sharp, lemony, peppery resin that brings sparkle and lift to thesmoke. Woods (sandalwood, cedar etc.): add dryness, creaminess orpencilshaving smokiness and form the backbone of many incenseheavyfragrances.Quotes from perfumers: Francis Kurkdjian on why he loves Japanese incense at home: partlypracticality, because “it fills the room in five minutes, whereas candlestake ages.” Yasmin Sewell on the moodshift: “Where a candle may take twentyminutes to resonate in your space, when you light incense there is animmediate scent that fills the room.” Sewell again on why incense made more sense than candles for herbrand's next step: “I felt that incense really connected with our values,since it's been used in spiritual rituals for so long,” and “what I reallylove about incense is that it shifts the mood instantly.” Lyn Harris on her daily ritual: “It sets a spiritual tone to my day,” andincense is “an ethereal veil that lingers in the air.” She burns it in themorning to set her mood, sometimes midday to reinvigorate her senses,and even before bed so “there is a sensual haze passing over mynostrils before I sleep.” Chris Rusak on the psychology of burning it: incense is “a great vehiclefor empowerment or catharsis via controlled destruction” and “incenseuse is intentional. It requires fire or directed heat for full expression,which we must effect, contain, and control, in order to destroy it but notourselves.” How it's harvested: frankincense resin oozes from cuts in theBoswellia sacra tree and dries into golden “tears”, sometimes called“frankincense tears” or “olibanum tears”. The jinn love story: a girl from the jinn falls in love with a human boy –forbidden, of course. As punishment she's turned into a tree; her griefbecomes crystal tears that people burn on coal for healing smoke with abitter taste that mourns lost love. Ecology: frankincense forests in northern Ethiopia are under threat asthey're...

Hue and Cry #RTTBROS #NightlightEphesians 5:11 - "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."In twelfth century England, they didn't have police departments like we do today. When a crime was committed, the whole community was responsible for dealing with it. If you witnessed a robbery or an assault, you couldn't just walk away and mind your own business. The law required you to raise what they called "hue and cry.""Hue" comes from the Old French word meaning "to shout out," and that's exactly what you were supposed to do. You'd yell and make as much noise as possible to alert everyone in the area that something was wrong. Then the whole community would come running to help catch the criminal and deal with the situation. It was their early warning system, and it only worked if people were willing to speak up when they saw evil happening.Now, I know we live in different times, and we've got law enforcement to handle most of these situations today. But I can't help thinking about how this old medieval law applies to our spiritual lives. As Christians, we're part of a community, and we have a responsibility to each other when we see spiritual danger approaching.Too often, we see a brother or sister heading down a destructive path, and we just stay quiet. We don't want to be judgmental, we don't want to interfere, we don't want to make waves. But Paul tells us we're not supposed to have fellowship with works of darkness, we're supposed to reprove them. Sometimes love requires us to raise a holy "hue and cry."Now, I'm not talking about being self-righteous or gossipy. I'm not talking about pointing fingers at every little fault we notice in others. But when someone we care about is in real spiritual danger, when they're making choices that could destroy their testimony or their family or their walk with God, sometimes the most loving thing we can do is raise our voice.It takes courage to speak up. It's risky to get involved. But in medieval England, if you saw a crime and didn't raise hue and cry, you could be held partly responsible for the consequences. Friend, I wonder if the same principle applies to us when we see spiritual crime taking place and stay silent.The goal isn't to embarrass anyone or tear them down. The goal is to alert the community so help can come, so restoration can happen, so the damage can be stopped before it spreads.Prayer: Lord, give me wisdom to know when to speak up and courage to do it in love when I see spiritual danger threatening those I care about. Amen#Faith #Wisdom #ChristianLiving #DailyDevotion #Learning #BiblicalWisdom #SpiritualGrowth #RTTBROS #NightlightBe sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe it helps get the word out.https://linktr.ee/rttbros

Mary Mahoney's Old French House was a beloved Gulf Coast landmark, serving presidents, celebrities, and locals for decades. On this episode of The Opportunist, we uncover the hidden story that threatened to tarnish its celebrated reputation.Thank you to our sponsors:Betterhelp: The podcast is supported by Better Help. Get 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/OPPORTUNISTSimplisafe: Get 50% off your new SimpliSafe system with professional monitoring and your first month free at SimpliSafe.com/OPPORTUNISTPlutoTV: Summer of Cinema. Stream now for free.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happened to Eden? While today we might view the story of Adam and Eve as metaphorical, for many generations of Christians, the Earthly Paradise was a vibrant symbol at the heart of the cosmos. In this episode, Jacke talks to Jacob Abell about his book Spiritual and Material Boundaries in Old French Verse: Contemplating the Walls of the Earthly Paradise, which explores how the medieval mind conceptualized the Earthly Paradise - and why that matters for us today. Poems discussed include Marie de France's The Purgatory of St. Patrick, Benedeit's Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot, and Guillaume de Lorris's The Romance of the Rose. PLUS an expert in Victorian literature, Allen MacDuffie (Climate of Denial: Darwin, Climate Change, and the Literature of the Long Nineteenth Century) stops by to discuss his choice for the last book he will ever read. Join us on tour! The History of Literature Podcast Tour is happening in May 2026! Act now to join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠John Shors Travel⁠. Find out more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠historyofliterature.com⁠. Or visit the ⁠History of Literature Podcast Tour itinerary⁠ at ⁠John Shors Travel⁠. The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠gabrielruizbernal.com. Help support the show at ⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠or ⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textWhen I say the word 'imagination' what comes to mind first? What age were you when you last used your imagination? I mean used it and then bragged about your skills to someone else? Were you a kid in school?I think of SpongeBob, shaping his hands into a rainbow saying slowly, "Imagination!"  What if I told you it's not just the stuff of childhood? In fact, it may be a superpower. It is definitely a bridge between an idea and reality.Let's get into it.Imagination 101Middle English: via Old French from Latin imaginatio(n- ), from the verb imaginari ‘picture to oneself', it is the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful. This root definition of the term indicates the self-reflexive property of imagination, emphasizing the imagination as a private sphere.Google charts the use of the word 'imagination' and its low point, the time when it was least used? The early 1980s was the low point of the use of the word imagination, followed closely by 1944. Wow.Singularity Hub dot com asks this;" You can easily picture yourself riding a bicycle across the sky even though that's not something that can actually happen. You can envision yourself doing something you've never done before—like water skiing—and maybe even imagine a better way to do it than anyone else."They continue, "Imagination involves creating a mental image of something that is not present for your senses to detect, or even something that isn't out there in reality somewhere. Imagination is one of the key abilities that make us human. But where did it come from?"Show Sources & Materials (Interesting stuff to read, listen or watch NEXT) The Magic of Trees, Curious Cat Podcast, iHeart RadioDream! Dream! Dream! Curious Cat Podcast, BuzzsproutNew theory demystifies evolution of human imagination, News-Medical.net, Sally RobertsonImagination as defined and described by University of ChicagoThe FOUR Types of Imagination, NewScientist, Adam Zeman Have you tried the GoodPods app yet? It's free and a fun way to share podcasts with friends and family! Curious Cat Podcast is there, and is sitting pretty in the Top 5 of Angels and other categories! Be one of the first to share and recommend podcasts to your friends. Curious Cat Crew on Socials:Curious Cat on Twitter (X)Curious Cat on InstagramCurious Cat on TikTokArt Director, Nora, has a handmade, ethically-sourced jewelry company!

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 26, 2025 is: nonchalant • nahn-shuh-LAHNT • adjective Someone described as nonchalant is relaxed and calm, either because they do not care about something or because they are not worried about something. Nonchalant can also be used to describe something, such as demeanor or behavior, that expresses such relaxed, calm unconcern. // The team showed a somewhat nonchalant attitude at the beginning of the season, but they became more serious once the championship was within reach. See the entry > Examples: "He is largely unaffected by the fame and fortune and all the talk of greatness tends to be greeted with a nonchalant shrug." — The Evening Times (Glasgow, Scotland), 19 Mar. 2024 Did you know? Since nonchalant ultimately comes from words meaning "not" and "be warm," it's no surprise that the word is all about keeping one's cool. Nonchalant's Old French ancestor is the verb nonchaloir, meaning "to disregard," which combines non-, meaning "not," with chaloir, meaning "to concern." Chaloir in turn traces back to the Latin calēre, meaning "to be warm" (calēre is also the forerunner of the heat-related English word calorie). You might assume that the prefix non- implies the existence of an antonymous chalant, but no such word has developed in English. It's no big deal though—if you want a word that means the opposite of nonchalant, both concerned and interested can do the job.

Old Norse translations of Old French romances played a critical role in introducing ideas of courtliness and chivalry and cultivating a shared European literary culture in thirteenth-century Norway. In this episode, scholar of Old Norse studies Mary Catherine O'Connor examines the reasons for translation, how these translations were produced, and a case study of one translated work to consider the role of cultural encounter as it is revealed through translation and literary transformation.For more information, visit www.multiculturalmiddleages.com.

Hi beloved, how are you doing? Can we talk about ANGER? Take a deep breath, focus in and lets explore the interconnection of the MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT'S perspective.I used to think anger was something to avoid, a messy emotion I had to shove down. But I've come to see it differently—it's a life force, a signal flaring up when my boundaries or needs get trampled. It's not the enemy; it's trying to tell me something matters.Honoring Your Anger's Brutal TruthI think by sharing two words and their etymology - you'll get the point of this sweet little drop here today. ✌

When people hear Luke 8:18, they assume it is talking about stuff.But Luke, like the Book of Job, is not about stuff.It is about darkness and light.When people evaluate others—their first mistake is that they evaluate at all—they measure what others have. That is how the Duopoly assesses Job. They love him because he was rich, pity him because he was poor, judge him because he was self-righteous, or cheer him because he did not give up.They experience the full range of human suffering, not through their own trials, but by observing and evaluating others.They think they are something when they are nothing—wolves in sheep's clothing.Women and men who glory in the flesh; who glory in the suffering of others.They are the Duopoly—the "both-sidesies" people.Thus says the Lord: There is only one side; my throne in the heavens. It is mine, my kingdom rules over all, and I am not mocked.Even what they think they have is already gone, fading before they can grasp it—lost in their foolish desire to measure it.There is only one thing needful.And it cannot be counted as loss, because it does not come from them.That is why they think it has no meaning—because it is not of their making.Those who think like them, who act like them, will become like them.This week, I discuss Luke 8:18.Show Notesἔχειν (to have) and δοκεῖ ἔχειν (thinks he has)1 Corinthians 8:2οὐδεὶς θεὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς “There is no god except one.” (oudeis theos ei mē heis)لَّا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ “There is no god but him.” (lā ilāha illā huwa; common phrase, e.g., Surah Al-Baqarah, 255)שְׁמַע יִרָאֵל יְהוָה (אֲדֹנָי) אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה (אֲדֹנָי) אֶחָד “Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (shamaʿ yisra'il, yahweh [adonai] eloheinu, yahweh [adonai] aḥad; Deuteronomy 6:4)Galatians 6:3δοθήσεται (it will be given)Romans 12:31 Corinthians 4:7ἀρθήσεται (it will be taken away)Romans 11:21-22ἐκκόπτω (ekkoptō) “cut off, cut down” כ-ל-ה (kaf-lamed-he)To complete, finish, or bring to an end. Destruction, annihilation, perishing.2 Corinthians 13:5Luke makes 2 Corinthians functional in 8:18, reinforcing “the light” in 8:17 as an implement of testing. See my comments on the previous verse: φανερός / ב-ח-ן (bet-ḥet-nun) / م-ح-ن (mīm-ḥāʾ-nūn)In Latin, “en-” and “ex-” are prefixes with distinct meanings:The word “encounter” comes from the Old French “encontre,” which means “meeting” or “opposition,” and is derived from the Latin “in-” (meaning “in” or “on”) and “contra” (meaning “against” or “opposite”). At its root, “encounter” literally means “to meet against” or “to face.”In contrast, the anti-biblical term “experience” signifies “going through a test” or “emerging from a trial.” It emphasizes the personal involvement and subjective perception of events, where meaning is drawn from one's own reference point. This internalized perspective distinguishes experience from encounter, as it places the self at the center of interpretation, making it inherently self-referential.I appreciate Father Paul Tarazi for highlighting this distinction and Matthew Cooper for further exploring the Latin etymologies with us—over coffee. ☕ ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

For this month's primary source, our excerpt follows the infamous Easter Revolt* in 1192. After the Templars purchased Cyprus from King Richard the Lionheart, they initiated the heavy-handed exploitation of Cyprus, culminating in a revolt against the Templars and the subsequent transfer of Cyprus back to Richard. This will springboard us into my next interview with Professor Emeritus, Peter Edbury, and the Templar Rule in Cyprus.  *This excerpt comes from the The Estoire d'Eracles -- an anonymous Old French chronicle and a continuation to William of Tyre's, "History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea." The chronicle begins with the reconquest of Jerusalem in 630 CE during Roman emperor Heraclius' reign (hence the name, Heraclius' History) and ends with Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem. 

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 10, 2025 is: untenable • un-TEN-uh-bul • adjective Something, such as a position, excuse, or situation, that is described as untenable cannot be defended against attack or criticism. // The scientists considered their colleague's theory to be bold but ultimately untenable. See the entry > Examples: "According to The Economist, the disparity between investor enthusiasm about AI and reality might be untenable. They report that only 5% of U.S. businesses say they use AI in their products and services, and few AI start-ups are turning a profit. Most notably, OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, expects to lose around $5 billion this year because of huge outflows for employee salaries and the massive energy costs associated with running large language models (LLMs)." — Will Ebiefung, The Motley Fool, 25 Nov. 2024 Did you know? Untenable and its opposite tenable come to us from the Old French verb tenir ("to hold, have possession of"), and ultimately from the Latin verb tenēre ("to hold, occupy, possess"). We tend to use untenable in situations where an idea or position is so off base that holding onto it is unjustified or inexcusable. One way to hold onto the meaning of untenable is to associate it with other tenēre descendants whose meanings are associated with "holding" or "holding onto." Tenacious ("holding fast") is one example. Others are contain, detain, sustain, maintain, and retain. Spanish speakers may also recognize tenēre as a predecessor of the commonplace verb tener, which retains the meaning of "to hold or possess."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 10, 2025 is: untenable • un-TEN-uh-bul • adjective Something, such as a position, excuse, or situation, that is described as untenable cannot be defended against attack or criticism. // The scientists considered their colleague's theory to be bold but ultimately untenable. See the entry > Examples: "According to The Economist, the disparity between investor enthusiasm about AI and reality might be untenable. They report that only 5% of U.S. businesses say they use AI in their products and services, and few AI start-ups are turning a profit. Most notably, OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, expects to lose around $5 billion this year because of huge outflows for employee salaries and the massive energy costs associated with running large language models (LLMs)." — Will Ebiefung, The Motley Fool, 25 Nov. 2024 Did you know? Untenable and its opposite tenable come to us from the Old French verb tenir ("to hold, have possession of"), and ultimately from the Latin verb tenēre ("to hold, occupy, possess"). We tend to use untenable in situations where an idea or position is so off base that holding onto it is unjustified or inexcusable. One way to hold onto the meaning of untenable is to associate it with other tenēre descendants whose meanings are associated with "holding" or "holding onto." Tenacious ("holding fast") is one example. Others are contain, detain, sustain, maintain, and retain. Spanish speakers may also recognize tenēre as a predecessor of the commonplace verb tener, which retains the meaning of "to hold or possess."

The best way to spread cheer is singing loud for all to hear. — Elf (attributed to Buddy the Elf, written by David Berenbaum) Express Yourself! teen radio host, Julia Howe, is part of a Grammy-winning choral group who have recently been nominated for Best American Roots Song and Best American Folk Album for the 67th Grammy Awards as we were featured on folk artist Aoife O' Donovan's recent album All My Friends. Julia begins the program by talking about the history of Christmas caroling. The word “carol” comes from the Old French word carole, (cahull), which meant a circle dance with singing. She provides the background of caroling from the early days of Christianity until modern times. She then introduces the choral groups that provide the beautiful holiday music you'll hear. The Waves The Waves is a Bay Area youth-led acappella group that blends traditional and modern songs, pushing the boundaries of choir music with creative experimentation. The group aims to bring youth perspectives to traditional choral performance. The San Francisco Girls Chorus San Francisco Girls Chorus prepares girls and young women from diverse backgrounds for success, on stage and in life, through rigorous, empowering music education, and enriches Bay Area cultural life through innovative vocal performance. www.sfgirlschorus.org Lick-Wilmerding Vocal Ensemble The Lick-Wilmerding Vocal Ensemble offers training to high school students with no prior experience, transforming them into confident performers. With a focus on vocal technique and musical expression, the ensemble builds a community of young singers who are passionate about music and performance. The next time you hear a carol, think about the history of caroling, connecting to centuries of celebrations, resilience, and pure holiday magic. Happy Holiday Hootenanny from Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio, StarStyle® Productions, LLC, and Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 charity. Enjoy the beautiful voices. Savor the show! Follow us: https://www.starstyleradio.com/expressyourselfteenradio • https://www.facebook.com/ExpressYourselfTeenRadio/ • https://www.facebook.com/BTSYAcharity/ • https://www.instagram.com/expressyourselfradio/ Sign up for FREE Newsletter: https://cynthiabrian.substack.com/ Buy shirts and hats with BTSYA logos: https://www.bonfire.com/store/be-the-star-you-are-merch/ Listen at Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel: https://sites.libsyn.com/560220

In this episode, we discover the Celtic roots of words for garter in English and French. The English word garter refers to a band around the leg to hold up a sock or stocking. It comes from Old Northern French gartier (garter), from Old French garet (knee, leg), from Vulgar Latin *garra (shank, calf), from […]

In this Adventure in Etymology, we’re looking into the origins of the word origin, and randomly looking at the word random. A random and original rowing boat Origin [ˈɒɹ.ɪ.dʒɪn/ˈɔɹ.ɪ.dʒɪn] is: The beginning of something The source of a river, information, goods, etc It comes from Middle English origyne [ɔˈridʒin(ə)] (origin, lineage, provenance), from Old French […]

The Daily Quiz - General Knowledge Today's Questions: Question 1: What is the 3-letter order which, when given by a patient, calls for no chest compressions? Question 2: The word "renaissance" comes from the Old French "renaistre", which means what? Question 3: Which word is defined as 'a sickly or weak person, especially one who is constantly and morbidly concerned with his or her health'? Question 4: Which word is defined as 'pretentious nonsense'? Question 5: What term is used to describe the process of preparing wool fibers before they are spun? Question 6: In British English, what does a 'Biro' refer to? Question 7: What is the "P" in UPS, the world's largest package delivery company? Question 8: Which word is defined as 'loudness and clarity of enunciation'? Question 9: In phonetics, the b in 'boat' is an example of what kind of sound? This podcast is produced by Klassic Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2024 is: coterie • KOH-tuh-ree • noun Coterie refers to an intimate and often exclusive group of people with a unifying common interest or purpose. // The mayor arrived at the meeting with a coterie of advisors. See the entry > Examples: "By day I was exposed to third-wave-feminist texts—lots of talk about claiming my power and rejecting gender roles. But on evenings and weekends, the small coterie of Latino students enrolled in my predominantly white college would gather and dance. The chasm between the bodily autonomy I was being empowered to have intellectually and the physical pliability to a partner's will that salsa required was simply too wide for my teenage brain to bridge." — Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 15 Jan. 2024 Did you know? A coterie today is, in essence, a clique—that is, a tight-knit group sharing interests in common. Historically, however, coteries hung around agricultural fields, not garden parties. In medieval France, coterie referred to a group of feudal peasants who together held a parcel of land (that coterie comes from the Old French word for a single peasant, cotier). Such associations of country people inspired later French speakers to use coterie more broadly and apply it to other kinds of clubs and societies. By the time the word began appearing in English texts in the early 1700s, its meaning had been extended to refer to any circle of people who spent a great deal of time together, who shared the same basic attitudes, and who held a passion for some particular topic. Coterie mostly appears now in formal speech and writing, and tends also to imply a bit of exclusivity—if you're thinking of joining your local coterie, you may need to learn the secret handshake, or perhaps bone up on the latest techniques for harvesting barley.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2024 is: coterie • KOH-tuh-ree • noun Coterie refers to an intimate and often exclusive group of people with a unifying common interest or purpose. // The mayor arrived at the meeting with a coterie of advisors. See the entry > Examples: "By day I was exposed to third-wave-feminist texts—lots of talk about claiming my power and rejecting gender roles. But on evenings and weekends, the small coterie of Latino students enrolled in my predominantly white college would gather and dance. The chasm between the bodily autonomy I was being empowered to have intellectually and the physical pliability to a partner's will that salsa required was simply too wide for my teenage brain to bridge." — Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 15 Jan. 2024 Did you know? A coterie today is, in essence, a clique—that is, a tight-knit group sharing interests in common. Historically, however, coteries hung around agricultural fields, not garden parties. In medieval France, coterie referred to a group of feudal peasants who together held a parcel of land (that coterie comes from the Old French word for a singular peasant, cotier). Such associations of country people inspired later French speakers to use coterie more broadly and apply it to other kinds of clubs and societies. By the time the word began appearing in English texts in the early 1700s, its meaning had been extended to refer to any circle of people who spent a great deal of time together, who shared the same basic attitudes, and who held a passion for some particular topic. Coterie mostly appears now in formal speech and writing, and tends also to imply a bit of exclusivity—if you're thinking of joining your local coterie, you may need to learn the secret handshake, or perhaps bone up on the latest techniques for harvesting barley.

Join us in Jerusalem for Ohr Samayach's Inaugural Yarchei Kallah event from July 1st to 4th, 2024! Featuring HaRav Yitzchak Breitowitz shlit"a & HaRav Asher Weiss shlit"a  Click here for more information.   Dont miss this one of a kind experience!   Dedication opportunities are available for episodes and series at  https://ohr.edu/donate/qa   Questions? Comments? podcasts@ohr.edu   Yeshivat Ohr Somayach located in the heart of Jerusalem, is an educational institution for young Jewish English-speaking men. We have a range of classes and programs designed for the intellectually curious and academically inclined - for those with no background in Jewish learning to those who are proficient in Gemara and other original source material. To find the perfect program for you, please visit our website https://ohr.edu/study_in_israel​ whatsapp us at https://bit.ly/OSREGISTER or call our placement specialist at 1-254-981-0133 today!   Subscribe to the Rabbi Breitowitz Q&A Podcast at https://plnk.to/rbq&a   Submit questions for the Q&A with Rabbi Breitowitz https://forms.gle/VCZSK3wQJJ4fSd3Q7   Subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/OhrSomayach/videos   00:00 - It says in the aggedeta in Sotah that Pharoh knew psukim in the Torah. How could he know them before the Torah was given?   03:25 - What does it mean in the Gemara when it says a certain ‘kal vhomer' is ‘dayo'?   10:25 - Do we have to risk our lives for the Mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael?   21:45 - Why do we wrap Tefillin in a certain way? What is its significance?   24:50 - What is the significance of the four-headed shin on the side of the tefillin?   30:00 - Is there anything wrong with selling a Sefer to a goy if he cannot learn from it?   36:50 - How could it be that amoraim of the Gemara could make a mistake? (Gittin עז:)   40:50 - What is the connection between Birchas Cohanim and dreams?   44:25 - Why don't we sing between the verses of Birchas Cohanim everyday, like we do on Yom Tov?   46:15 - How could it be that the ‘Gemara' is mentioned in the Gemara itself, before it was compiled?   50:00 - Dovid HaMelech says he wants to be connected to Hashem all the days of his life. Does this mean he should have been in Kollel rather than waging wars?   59:50 - What is the origin and kedushah of Aramaic?   65:45 - Why is the order of Mishnayos in Bava Kama the way it is and why does the Rambam change it?   68:50 - What was the snake and what was the sin in Gan Eden?   75:25 - What role does tefillah play in teshuva?   80:50 - How can we have kapara for our sins? They are too many.   84:00 - Should you allow someone to come into the mikveh with you through the turnstile?   89:15 - What is uniqueness of the Jewish people's request for meat in that it brought about a stronger response than other similar conflicts in the midbar?   92:00 - Why does Rashi use Old French?   95:09 - The Gemara in Sotah says one should throw himself in a furnace rather than embarrass someone publicly. Do we uphold this to this day?   96:45 - It says about R'Levi of Berditchev that he jumped around during davening and there are many other example of people who were loose with Halacha in order to have more kavanah. Should we also do this?   101:00 - Why do some siddurim attach emes to the third paragraph of kriat shema and some do not? You can listen to this and many other Ohr Somayach programs by downloading our app, on Apple and Google Play, ohr.edu and all major podcast platforms. Visit us @ https://ohr.edu  PRODUCED BY: CEDAR MEDIA STUDIOS  

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 20, 2024 is: hue and cry • HYOO-und-KRYE • noun Hue and cry refers to a clamor of alarm or protest in response to something. It can also be used as a synonym of hubbub to refer to general noise or uproar. // After the popular professor was fired by the college, there was such a hue and cry from students that the administration was forced to reconsider its decision. See the entry > Examples: “Bedazzled by the lucrative allures of STEM and the popularity of business degrees, universities have been defunding their humanities programs and transforming themselves into vocational training centers with five-star gyms. … The hue and cry over this benighted movement, in which institutions of higher learning are turning their backs on their fundamental mission, will likely not be enough to stop the forces operating under the cover of budgetary necessity.” — Charles McNulty, The Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023 Did you know? Let's say it's the Middle Ages in England and a villainous highwayman has just made off with your purse of gold. What do you do? You can't call the police, because in medieval England there is no organized police force, much less telephones; indeed, 911 is even less than a joke in your town—it doesn't exist! Instead, the job of fighting crime belongs to ordinary citizens. The first step is to raise a stink—victims of or witnesses to a crime are expected to yell something like “stop thief!” so that anyone who hears the “hue and cry” will be legally bound to join in the pursuit of the perfidious pilferer. Fast-forwarding to today, although hue and cry (hue comes from an Old French word meaning “noise” or “outcry”; cry comes from the synonymous Anglo-French cri) was used in legal contexts upon entering English in the 15th century, it now more often refers to general alarm, complaint, or protest.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 3, 2024 is: melee • MAY-lay • noun Melee refers to a confused fight or struggle, especially one involving hand-to-hand combat. // What started as a verbal disagreement at the football game soon turned into a general melee involving scores of spectators. See the entry > Examples: "The battle scenes are a Hollywood mishmash of medieval melees, meaningless cannonades, and World War I-style infantry advances." — Franz-Stefan Gady, Foreign Policy, 2 Dec. 2023 Did you know? English has no shortage of words for confused and noisy fights, some (fray, brawl, scrap) more common than others (donnybrook, fracas). Melee tends to be encountered more often in written rather than spoken English, but it is far from obscure, and has seen increasing use especially in the context of video games featuring some form of hand-to-hand combat. Such games allow players to mix it up with all manner of rivals and baddies from the comfort and safety of their home, with mix being an especially apt word alongside melee: the latter comes from the French word mêlée, which in turn comes from the Old French verb mesler, meaning "to mix."

My links: My patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/user?u=103280827 My Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/rhetoricrevolution Send me a voice message!: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/liam-connerly TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mrconnerly?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc⁠ Email: ⁠rhetoricrevolution@gmail.com⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connerlyliam/ Podcast | Latin in Layman's - A Rhetoric Revolution https://open.spotify.com/show/0EjiYFx1K4lwfykjf5jApM?si=b871da6367d74d92 Gut Guardian Discount Code: https://www.feelgoods.co/discount/LIAM64728 Fallout: Fallout (n.): Radioactive debris from a nuclear explosion ([Latin] fallout: "a falling out"). Detonation (n.): The sudden, violent explosion of a bomb ([Latin] detonare: "to thunder out"). Nuclear (adj.): Of or relating to the nucleus of an atom ([Latin] nucleus: "kernel"). Fission (n.): The splitting of a heavy atomic nucleus into smaller nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy ([Latin] fissio: "a cleaving"). Mushroom Cloud (n.): The distinctive cloud formed by a nuclear explosion, resembling a mushroom ([Latin] mushrum: "fungus"). Post-Apocalyptic: Post-Apocalyptic (adj.): Occurring after a large-scale societal collapse ([Greek] apokalypsis: "uncovering, revelation" + [Latin] post: "after"). Apocalypse (n.): A catastrophic event that brings about the end of civilization as we know it. Dystopia (n.): An imagined future society characterized by authoritarian control, oppression, poverty, and misery ([Greek] dys: "bad, ill" + topos: "place"). Wasteland (n.): A barren, desolate area of land ([Old English] wēste: "desert, waste" + land). Scavenger (n.): Someone who searches for and collects discarded objects ([Old French] escavanger: "to dig out"). Radiation: Radiation (n.): The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as particles ([Latin] radiare: "to emit rays"). Radioactive (adj.): Exhibiting the property of radioactivity ([Latin] radiare + activus: "active"). Radioactivity (n.): The spontaneous disintegration of atomic nuclei, releasing energy in the form of radiation. Isotope (n.): Atoms of an element with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons ([Greek] isos: "equal" + topos). Half-Life (n.): The time it takes for a quantity of a radioactive material to decrease by half ([Old English] half + līf: "life, duration"). Other Related Words: Mutation (n.): A permanent change in the genetic material of a cell or organism ([Latin] mutare: "to change"). Dosimeter (n.): An instrument that measures the amount of ionizing radiation a person or object has been exposed to ([Greek] dosis: "a giving" + metron: "measure"). Mutant (n.): An organism with a mutation in its genetic material ([Latin] mutare + -ant: "one who does something"). Contamination (n.): The pollution of something by a harmful substance ([Latin] contaminare: "to defile, to sully"). Survival (n.): The act of continuing to live or exist, often after a period of danger or difficulty ([Latin] supervivere: "to live beyond").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 20, 2024 is: gingerly • JIN-jer-lee • adjective An act or manner described as gingerly is very cautious or careful. // It's a delicate subject, and we need to approach it with gingerly care and tact. // The antelope moved with a gingerly gait that suggested it was hurt. See the entry > Examples: “Note: bears do not in a gingerly manner put their paws against each stem of a lovely ripe pear and gently pull upward against the branch, the proper harvesting method. ‘Picked' in bear-lingo means tearing down carefully constructed tree cages and knocking as many branches to the ground as needed; then taking several bites out of each luscious pear, leaving scattered remnants all over the ground ...” — Cate Gable, The Chinook Observer (Long Beach, Washington), 14 Oct. 2020 Did you know? Though more common as an adverb meaning “very cautiously and carefully,” as in “moving gingerly across the icy pond,” gingerly has for more than four centuries functioned both as an adverb and as an adjective. Etymologists take a gingerly approach to assigning any particular origins to gingerly. While it might have come from the name of the spice, there's nothing concrete to back up that idea. Another theory is that it's related to an Old French word, gençor, meaning “prettier” or “more beautiful,” with evidence being that in 16th century English an earlier sense of gingerly often described dancing or walking done with dainty steps. It wasn't until the 17th century that gingerly was applied to movements done with caution in order to avoid being noisy or causing injury, and to a wary manner in handling or presenting ideas.

My links: My patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/user?u=103280827 My Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/rhetoricrevolution Send me a voice message!: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/liam-connerly TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mrconnerly?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc⁠ Email: ⁠rhetoricrevolution@gmail.com⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connerlyliam/ Podcast | Latin in Layman's - A Rhetoric Revolution https://open.spotify.com/show/0EjiYFx1K4lwfykjf5jApM?si=b871da6367d74d92 Gut Guardian Discount Code: LIAM64728 Cuisine: Etymology: "Cuisine" comes from the French word "cuisiner," meaning "to cook," ultimately from the Latin word "coquere," meaning "to cook" or "to prepare food." Definition: Cuisine refers to a style or method of cooking, especially characteristic of a particular region or culture. Culinary: Etymology: "Culinary" is derived from the Latin word "culinarius," meaning "of the kitchen" or "related to cooking," from "culina" (kitchen). Definition: Culinary describes anything related to cooking, food preparation, or the kitchen. Cookery: Etymology: "Cookery" is derived from the Old English word "cocery," from "coc" (cook), ultimately from the Latin word "coquere," meaning "to cook." Definition: Cookery refers to the art or practice of cooking and preparing food. Gastronomy: Etymology: "Gastronomy" comes from the Greek words "gastron," meaning "stomach," and "nomos," meaning "law" or "rule." Definition: Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, including the art and science of cooking and eating well. Chef: Etymology: "Chef" is derived from the French word "chef," meaning "chief" or "head," ultimately from the Latin word "caput," meaning "head." Definition: A chef is a professional cook who is in charge of a kitchen or a particular section of a kitchen, typically skilled in culinary arts. Culinarian: Etymology: "Culinarian" combines "culinary" and the suffix "-ian," indicating "related to" or "pertaining to." Definition: A culinarian is someone who is skilled in cooking or involved in culinary arts, particularly as a profession. Pastry: Etymology: "Pastry" comes from the Old French word "paste," meaning "dough," ultimately from the Latin word "pasta," meaning "paste" or "dough." Definition: Pastry refers to a dough of flour, water, and shortening used as a base and covering in baked dishes such as pies, tarts, and pastries. Bake: Etymology: "Bake" is derived from the Old English word "bacan," meaning "to bake," possibly from the Proto-Germanic word "bakanan." Definition: To bake means to cook food by dry heat, typically in an oven. Casserole: Etymology: "Casserole" comes from the French word "casserole," meaning "saucepan" or "stewpan," from "casse" (pan) and the diminutive suffix "-ole." Definition: A casserole is a dish made by cooking ingredients, typically including meat, vegetables, and a starchy binder, slowly in an oven. Saute: Etymology: "Saute" is derived from the French word "sauter," meaning "to jump" or "to leap," possibly from the Latin word "saltare," meaning "to leap" or "to dance." Definition: To saute means to cook food quickly in a small amount of oil or fat over high heat, while stirring or tossing. Gourmet: Etymology: "Gourmet" comes from the French word "gourmet," meaning "a connoisseur of fine food and drink," possibly from the Old French word "gromet," meaning "servant" or "boy." Definition: A gourmet is someone who is knowledgeable and discriminating in matters of food and drink, particularly with regard to quality and taste. Mince: Etymology: "Mince" is derived from the Old French word "mincier," meaning "to make small" or "to cut into small pieces," possibly from the Latin word "minutia," meaning "smallness" or "trifle." Definition: To mince means to chop or cut food, especially meat, into very small pieces.

My links: My patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/user?u=103280827 My Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/rhetoricrevolution Send me a voice message!: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/liam-connerly TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mrconnerly?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc⁠ Email: ⁠rhetoricrevolution@gmail.com⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connerlyliam/ Podcast | Latin in Layman's - A Rhetoric Revolution https://open.spotify.com/show/0EjiYFx1K4lwfykjf5jApM?si=b871da6367d74d92 Gut Guardian Discount Code: LIAM64728 __________________________________________________ Romance Definition: A feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love. Etymology: From Old French "romans" meaning "verse narrative," from Vulgar Latin "romanice," literally "in the Roman language," hence "in the vernacular language," as opposed to "in Latin." Ultimately derived from Latin "Romanus," meaning "Roman." Amour Definition: French for love; a romantic attachment or love affair. Etymology: From Old French "amor," from Latin "amor," meaning "love." Eros Definition: In Greek mythology, Eros is the god of love, representing sexual desire and passion. Etymology: From Greek "Eros," meaning "sexual love." Agape Definition: Unconditional love, often associated with spiritual or selfless love. Etymology: From Greek "agape," meaning "love." Philos Definition: A type of love characterized by friendship and affection. Etymology: From Greek "philos," meaning "dear, beloved." Limerence Definition: The state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, typically experienced as intense romantic attraction. Etymology: Coined by psychologist Dorothy Tennov in the 1970s, derived from the name of the Irish town Limerick. Yearning Definition: A feeling of intense longing or desire, especially for something unattainable or distant. Etymology: From Old English "gearnian," meaning "to long after," ultimately from Proto-Germanic "gernijaną." Saudade Definition: A Portuguese word describing a deep emotional state of longing or nostalgia, often accompanied by melancholy. Etymology: From Portuguese "saudade," of uncertain origin. Pining Definition: To suffer a lingering, often nostalgic, affection or longing. Etymology: From Middle English "pyne," meaning "pain, torment," ultimately from Old English "pīn." Inamorata Definition: A woman with whom one is in love or has an intimate romantic relationship. Etymology: From Italian "innamorata," the feminine form of "innamorato," meaning "enamored." Paramour Definition: A lover, especially one who is not married to the object of their affection. Etymology: From Old French "par amour," meaning "by love." Ephemeral Definition: Lasting for a very short time; transient. Etymology: From Greek "epi," meaning "upon" or "for" + "hemera," meaning "day," suggesting something lasting only for a day. Melancholy Definition: A feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause. Etymology: From Middle English "melancolie," from Old French "melancolie," from Late Latin "melancholia," from Greek "melancholia," meaning "sadness." Cupid Definition: In Roman mythology, the god of love, often portrayed as a winged, chubby boy with a bow and arrows. Etymology: From Latin "cupido," meaning "desire" or "passion." Desire Definition: A strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen. Etymology: From Latin "desiderare," meaning "long for, wish for." Longing Definition: A strong feeling of wanting something or someone, often accompanied by sadness or dissatisfaction. Etymology: From Middle English "longen," meaning "to belong." Yearn Definition: To have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something that one has lost or been separated from. Etymology: From Old English "gearnian," meaning "to desire, to long for."

For the first time in the run of this podcast (though certainly not the last!) today we have a poem in translation. Marisa Galvez joins Close Readings to discuss "The Song of Nothing," a poem by the first attested troubadour, William IX. The poem is something like 900 years old, and Marisa helps us see both its strangeness and the sense in which it feels like it might have been written yesterday. You'll hear Marisa read the poem both in an English translation and in its original language, Old Occitan, where its musicality and verve really come through. This was a fascinating conversation about how poems are made—and why, and who and what for—with lessons to offer both about the medieval period and about the poems and songs we encounter today.Marisa Galvez is Professor of French and Italian (and, by courtesy, of German Studies and of Comparative Literature) at Stanford University, where she specializes in the literature of the Middle Ages in France and Western Europe, especially the poetry and narrative literature written in Occitan and Old French. She is the author of two books, both published by University of Chicago Press: Songbook: How Lyrics Became Poetry in Medieval Europe (2012) and The Subject of Crusade: Lyric, Romance, and Materials, 1150-1500 (2020). Her current book project concerns contemporary and modern translations of medieval lyric and how they propose new ways of "lyric knowing" the Global South.Remember to follow, rate, and review the podcast if you like what you hear. Share an episode with a friend! And subscribe to my Substack, where you'll get occasional updates about the pod and about my writing.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 13, 2024 is: gargoyle • GAR-goy-ul • noun A gargoyle is a strange or grotesque human or animal figure that sticks out from the roof of a building (such as a church) and is used to cause rainwater to flow away from the building's sides. // Some of the exchange students were creeped out by all the gargoyles they passed during their walking tour of the old European town. See the entry > Examples: "Disney simply did not need to go this hard, and yet here we are. A clan of gargoyle protectors from medieval times are cursed to become statues until a scheming billionaire genius frees them in the present. From there, the clan spends their nights fighting their many enemies while protecting the humans that fear them." — Gavin Jasper, Den of Geek, 19 Aug. 2023 Did you know? In the 12th century, St. Bernard of Clairvaux reportedly complained about the new sculptures in the cloisters where he lived. "Surely," he is quoted as saying, "if we do not blush for such absurdities we should at least regret what we have spent on them." St. Bernard was apparently provoked by the grotesque figures designed to drain rainwater from buildings. By the 13th century, those figures were being called gargoyles, a name that came to Middle English from the Old French word gargoule. The stone beasts likely earned that name because of the water that gargled out of their throats and mouths; the word gargoule is imitative in origin.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 22, 2023 is: purview • PER-vyoo • noun Purview refers to an area within which someone or something has authority, influence, or knowledge. It can also refer to a range of vision, understanding, or awareness. // I'll do my best to answer your questions, but please note that my field is linguistics, and topics relating to economics are beyond my purview. See the entry > Examples: "The Springdale Public Library comes under the purview of the Washington County Library System." — Laurinda Joenks, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 18 July 2023 Did you know? It may not be illogical to assume a connection between purview and view, but is there one? Not exactly. Although the two words share a syllable, you'll find that they have very different histories as viewed in the etymological rearview mirror. Purview comes from purveu, a word often found in the legal statutes of 13th- and 14th-century England. These statutes, written in Anglo-French, regularly open with the phrase purveu est, which translates literally to "it is provided." Purveu in turn comes from porveu, the past participle of the Old French verb porveeir, meaning "to provide." View, on the other hand, comes (via Middle English) from the past participle of another Anglo-French word, veer, meaning "to see," and ultimately from the Latin word vidēre, of the same meaning.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 30, 2023 is: werewolf • WAIR-woolf • noun Werewolf refers to a person transformed into a wolf or capable of assuming a wolf's form, especially during the full moon. // She went to the Halloween party dressed as a werewolf, wearing faux fur from head to toe. See the entry > Examples: "With her brother and sister, Marnie follows her grandma to a city called Halloweentown, where ghosts and goblins and werewolves live side by side." — Claudia Guthrie, ELLE, 28 Aug. 2023 Did you know? Although English sometimes makes use of other words for howling humanoid beasties, werewolf is the leader of the pack. It's also an ancient word, tracing all the way back to the Old English werwulf, and before that to a prehistoric predecessor that also left its paw prints on German (Werwolf) and Dutch (weerwolf). Synonyms for werewolf in English include the obscure lycanthrope, which has roots in two Greek words (lykos, meaning "wolf," and anthrōpos, meaning "human being"), and loup-garou, which comes from Old French. Whichever you use, the lycanthropic creatures these words refer to most often assume wolf form during a full moon—at least in works of fiction. There are no credible studies to date on the behavior of real-life werewolves, as scientists have yet to find the silver bullet that proves they exist.