Caliginous

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Dr. Goodword
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Caliginous

Postby Dr. Goodword » Fri Jan 23, 2015 11:51 pm

• caliginous •


Pronunciation: kê-li-jê-nês • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: Dark, foggy, murky, dim, obscure, gloomy.

Notes: Today's is a lovely word slipping into the caliginous recesses of history. Most dictionaries consider this word archaic, but I found references at Vocabulary.com to uses as recently as 2003 and 2011. Let's not let this one get away from us. We have our choice of two clunky nouns, caliginousness or caliginosity. Both—I am warned by my spellchecker—have already slipped into obscurity.

In Play: The basic sense of today's Good Word is "dark, murky" as in; "Celia Feight enjoys the privacy provided by a caliginous corner in a little cafe in Paris on Rue Barbe Pye." However, we are as free to use this word figuratively as any other: "His arguments are so caliginous I can't follow them at all."

Word History: English acquired this word via French caligineux, which French inherited from Latin caliginosus "misty", an adjective based on caligo "fog, mist". Latin inherited the root of caligo from Proto-Indo-European kal- "gray, white, black" + gen- "give birth to, create". We see the original root in Greek kelis "spot (on an animal)", Lithuanian kalyvas "bright white", and Czech and Slovak kalný "murky, turbid, muddy". Perhaps we could include Russian kalina "guelder rose", which is white. Derivatives often show up as antonyms of their source. English cold and scald derive from the same source. Black shares a source with bleach. (We owe a debt of gratitude today to the word-rescue efforts of Patricia Tancred, William Tupy, and Lew Jury who, over the years, persisted in recommending today's Good if fading Word.)
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LukeJavan8
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Re: Caliginous

Postby LukeJavan8 » Sat Jan 24, 2015 1:24 pm

Totally describes the three months between
January and March, oft called 'February' , in these parts.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

wurdpurrson
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Re: Caliginous

Postby wurdpurrson » Sun Jan 25, 2015 4:33 am

This sounds like a Lewis Carroll word, right up there with frumious bandersnatch and frabjous and thinking six impossible things before breakfast. And caliginous. Yep.

William Hupy
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Re: Caliginous

Postby William Hupy » Mon Jan 26, 2015 10:12 am

HUPY!

Not Tupy, or Kupy or any other variation. It is Anglicized from French "Hupe", meaning plume. Please, dear doctor remember to hit the H key when including my last name in any future credits. You seem to select the T key instead.
William A. Hupy

misterdoe
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Re: Caliginous

Postby misterdoe » Wed Jan 28, 2015 2:58 am

Latin inherited the root of caligo from Proto-Indo-European kal- "gray, white, black"
"Gray, white, black"? Sound like the PIE-folk were a bit confused. Or maybe it depended on how much light there was...

wurdpurrson
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Re: Caliginous

Postby wurdpurrson » Wed Jan 28, 2015 4:51 am

Or perhaps the word was devised after observation of a pending bad storm, which then dumped a blinding snowfall that finally ceased after sundown?

salsburg
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Re: Caliginous

Postby salsburg » Wed Jan 28, 2015 10:02 pm

Let us not forget its use in the Wizard of Oz....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkLyjPmpxTE

Perry Lassiter
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Re: Caliginous

Postby Perry Lassiter » Wed Jan 28, 2015 10:21 pm

Now you have pointed it out, we shall not forget. Matter of fact, the Wizard shows up here a lot, along with Alice.
And welcome salsburg. Keep joining in ax you have done today!
pl

wurdpurrson
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Re: Caliginous

Postby wurdpurrson » Thu Jan 29, 2015 12:18 am

Bravo for recalling the Terrible Wizard of the Emerald City and his excellent if incendiary vocabulary - many thanks for the memory.

wurdpurrson
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Re: Caliginous

Postby wurdpurrson » Thu Jan 29, 2015 12:20 am

P S: And bless L. Frank Baum, too.


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