INCULCATE

[Dr. Goodword]

• inculcate •

Pronunciation: in-kêl-kayt, in-kêl-kayt • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Verb, transitive

Meaning: To thoroughly teach by frequent repetition or other strong measures; to firmly embed a concept in someone's mind.

Notes: This word is used frequently enough to have built up a complete family. The process noun is inculcation while the personal noun is inculcator. We have a choice of inculcative or inculcatory for adjectives. Either of these may be used as adverbs with the addition of the suffix -ly.

In Play: Today's Good Word is not a playful one but rather is generally used in referring to a strict educational regimen of some sort: "How can I inculcate in you the importance of proper spelling?" Inculcation need not take place in school, though: "The seven years I spent in college working toward my BA in physical education inculcated in me the true value of knowledge."

Word History: Like so many English verbs, today's Good Word was taken from the past participle of a Latin verb. This time the source was inculcatus "forced on", the past participle of inculcare "to force upon". This verb started out its life as in "in, on" + calcare "to trample", a verb taken from the noun calx (calc-s) "heel". So, as you can see, Roman inculcation might have been considerably more direct that our own. (Mark Bailey doesn't have to force us in any way to pass on to you the excellent Good Words, like today's, that he raises in the Alpha Agora.)

[Perry]

I never realised that this was such a forceful word.

[gailr]

Word History: This time the source was inculcatus "forced on", the past participle of inculcare "to force upon". This verb started out its life as in "in, on" + calcare "to trample", a verb taken from the noun calx (calc-s) "heel".

This sheds a new, interrogative, light upon calculus.

[Dr. Goodword]

Apparently Latin had two words: calx "heel" and calx "stone". I can't make out from my sources whether they are the same word, related, or coincidentally identical in the nominative singular. Maybe someone better versed in Latin than I can speak to the matter.

The one meaning "stone" went into the making of calculus, the hairball or other stone found in internal organs. Stones were also used in making mathematical calculations, probably in a way remindful of the abacus.

Latin had at least one other word for "stone", a sharp or rough one: scrupus, which went into the making of today's Good Word, struple.

[Stargzer]

I'm no Latin expert, but I've spent many hours perusing the Perseus Project at Tufts. In the Lewis and Short dictionary at the Perseus Project both words are shown as the same in the nominative and the genitive: calx, calcis.

calx, calcis, f. ...

I. the heel.

I. Lit.: calces deteris, you tread on my heels, ... Also of the heels of animals, Varr. R. R. 2, 5, 8; Col. 8, 2, 8: quadrupes calcibus auras Verberat, Verg. A. 10, 892 .--Hence, caedere calcibus, to kick, laktizô, Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 71: calce petere aliquem, to kick, Hor. S. 2, 1, 55 : ferire, Ov. F. 3, 755 : extundere frontem, Phaedr. 1, 21, 9 : calces remittere, to kick, Nep. Eum. 5, 5 ; so, reicere, Dig. 9, 1, 5 : aut dic aut accipe calcem, take a kick, Juv. 3, 295 al. --

2. Prov.: adversus stimulum calces (sc. jactare, etc.) = laktizein pros kentron (Aesch Agam. 1624; Pind. Pyth. 2, 174; W. T. Act. 9, 5), to kick against the pricks, Ter. Phorm. 1, 2, 28 Don. and Ruhnk.; cf. Plaut. Truc. 4, 2, 55, and s. v. calcitro: calcem impingere alicui rei, to abandon any occupation: Anglice, to hang a thing on the nail, Petr. 46 .--

B. Meton. (pars pro toto), the foot, in gen.: calcemque terit jam calce, Verg. A. 5, 324 Serv. and Heyne. --

II. Transf. to similar things.

A. In architecture: calces scaporum, the foot of the pillars of a staircase; Fr. patin de l'échiffre, Vitr. 9, praef. § 8.--

B. Calx mali, the foot of the mast, Vitr. 10, 3, 5.--

C. In agriculture, the piece of wood cut off with a scion, Plin. 17, 21, 35, § 156.

calx, calcis, f. ... later collat. form calcis , is, f., Ven. Fort. Carm. 11, 11, 10) [chalix].

I. Liv.

A. A small stone used in gaming, a counter (less freq. than the dim. calculus, q. v.),

B. Limestone, lime, whether slaked or not, Lucr. 6, 1067; Cic. Mil. 27, 74: viva, unslaked, quicklime, Vitr. 8, 7 : coquere, to burn lime, Cato, R. R. 16 ; Vitr. 2, 5, 1: exstincta, slaked, id. l. l.: macerata, id. 7, 2 ; Plin. 36, 23, 55, § 177: harenatus, mixed with sand, mortar, Cato, R. R. 18, 7 : materies ex calce et harenā mixta, Vitr. 7, 3 .--

Since the goal or limit in the race-ground was designated by lime (as later by chalk, v. creta), calx signifies,

II. Trop., the goal, end, or limit in the race-course (anciently marked with lime or chalk; opp. carceres, the starting-point; ... ad carceres a calce revocari, i. e. to turn back from the end to the beginning, ...

b. Prov., of speech: extra calcem decurrere, to digress from a theme, ...

B. In gen., the end, conclusion of a page, book, or writing (mostly post-class.): ...

There are also entries for scrupus and scrupulus:

scrūpus , i, m.

I. Lit., a rough or sharp stone: ...

II. Trop., anxiety, solicitude, uneasiness (for the usual scrupulus, q. v. II.): ...

scrūpŭlus (scrīŭplum , etc.,

I. v. infra, B.), i, m. dim. [scrupus] . *

I. Lit., a small sharp or pointed stone:

B. Transf.

1. T. t., the smallest division of weight (the 24th part of an ounce), a scruple; in this sense the neutr. collat. form scrīpŭlum (less commonly scrū-pŭlum ; also written, because of a fancied derivation from scriptum, scriptŭlum , scriptlum ) is most freq.: scriptulum, ...

2. Of other measures.

a. The twenty-fourth part of an uncia of land (the 288th part of a jugerum),

b. The twenty-fourth part of an hour: ...

c. Of any other very small measure, ...

II. Trop., a pricking, stinging, uneasy sensation; hence,

1. Uneasiness, difficulty, trouble, anxiety, doubt, scruple (class.): ... sine scrupulo egregie inseritur, without scruple, without hesitation, ...

2. A painfully minute examination, a subtlety, ...

[gailr]

Apparently Latin had two words: calx "heel" and calx "stone". I can't make out from my sources whether they are the same word, related, or coincidentally identical in the nominative singular. Maybe someone better versed in Latin than I can speak to the matter.

The one meaning "stone" went into the making of calculus, the hairball or other stone found in internal organs. Stones were also used in making mathematical calculations, probably in a way remindful of the abacus.

Thanks gzer & Dr. Goodword: I was afraid that joke was too good to be true.

Latin had at least one other word for "stone", a sharp or rough one: scrupus, which went into the making of today's Good Word, struple.

Now you've 'peak'ed my curiosity.