THAUMATURGY

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THAUMATURGY

Postby Dr. Goodword » Wed Oct 05, 2005 9:49 pm

• thaumaturgy •

Pronunciation: thô-mê-têr-jee • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun, mass (no plural)

Meaning: Miracle-working, wonder-working, the performance of a miracle, doing magic, legerdemain.

Notes: This rarely encountered word, rather surprisingly, belongs to a large, prominent family. A thaumaturge is a miracle worker. The adjective is thaumaturgic but if it is too short for you, you may add an empty -al to make thaumaturgical, with no difference in meaning. For the adverb, however, you must add this empty suffix: thaumaturgically.

In Play: Here is the way to avoid repeating miracle over and over, while sending your mates scurrying for their dictionaries: "I'm afraid it will require a bit of thaumaturgy get me through chemistry with a passing grade this term." Whenever extreme difficulty is involved, today's word is the perfect hyperbole: "It would require thaumaturgy to make Hedda Hair look 20 years younger; another facelift isn't going to do it."

Word History: Today's Good Word is an Anglicization of the Greek word, thaumatourgia "wonder-working", a compound noun based on thaumatos "wonder, marvel" + ergy "work". It is related to thaumatogeny "the origination of life as a miraculous process", thaumatolatry "excessive reverence for the miraculous", and thaumatology "the description or accounting of the miraculous". (Well, it was almost thaumaturgy that Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira stumbled across this Good Word and suggested it in the Agora—certainly very good luck.)
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M. Henri Day
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Postby M. Henri Day » Thu Oct 06, 2005 2:15 pm

A synonym for «Intelligent Design» on a minor scale ?...

Henri
曾记否,到中流击水,浪遏飞舟?

Stargzer
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Postby Stargzer » Thu Oct 06, 2005 3:47 pm

A synonym for «Intelligent Design» on a minor scale ?...

Henri
A recent episode of the cartoon Foxtrot had the girl, Paige, complaining about the design and layout of her new Biology textbook. Without thinking (not hard for her :wink: ) she told her teacher that " . . . this new Biology textbook needs some Intelligent Design." With his head in his hands he told her to sit down. :lol:

Alas, I believe the cartoon is locked up in the paid section of the web site.
Regards//Larry

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M. Henri Day
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Posts: 1141
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 8:24 am
Location: Stockholm, SVERIGE

Postby M. Henri Day » Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:49 pm

Most of the good cartoons I've seen on this subject have also retreated into pay-for oblivion, but here's one from Tom Toles that is still available to anyone who wishes to click on it and which may provoke a wry laugh - and, perhaps, other reactions as well....

Henri

PS : Here's a current one from that trenchant draughtsman and commentator, Pat Oliphant....

PPS : Those who prefer discussion to cartooning in dealing with matters of such import might wish to consult Barbara Forrest's article, entitled «Methodological Naturalism and Philosophical Naturalism: Clarifying the Connection»....
曾记否,到中流击水,浪遏飞舟?


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