Faze

Use this forum to discuss past Good Words.
User avatar
Dr. Goodword
Site Admin
Posts: 7419
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:28 am
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Contact:

Faze

Postby Dr. Goodword » Tue Jun 09, 2015 9:09 pm

• faze •

Pronunciation: fayz • Hear it

Part of Speech: Verb, transitive

Meaning: To discompose, rattle, upset.

Notes: The trick to manipulating today's Good Word successfully, of course, is not to confuse it with phase "a discrete stage of development". These two words are pronounced identically but, as you can see, they are spelled quite differently. Derivationally, it is a pretty unremarkable word: fazing is the adjective and process noun. No other forms are currently in use.

In Play: Here is a little phrase that might help in remembering how to spell these two different words: "The final phase of compiling the dictionary didn't faze Miriam Webster a bit, even though it was the most complex and difficult one." We hope that didn't faze you. Here is one more, lest we forget: "Not even the most intellectually demanding courses in physical education faze Randy Marathon."

Word History: Today's Good Word came from the Kentish word feeze "to frighten, alarm, discomfit", a descendant of Old English fésian "to drive away". Old English inherited the word from a Proto-Germanic word, something like fausjanan, which also went on to become Swedish fösa "drive, push". Phase comes from New Latin phases "phases of the moon". Latin borrowed this word from Greek phaseis, the plural of phasis "appearance", the noun based on the verb phainein "to show". It is related to pho(t)s "light", the basis of such English words as phosphorus and photography. (This brings us to the gratitude phase of today's Good Word, and thanking both Kathleen McCune and Jan Arps for suggesting it doesn't faze us a bit. Jan also suggested boondoggle, by the way. I also owe a nod and a tip of the hat to Larry Brady, the Stargazer of our Alpha Agora for suggesting the name Miriam Webster.)
• The Good Dr. Goodword

Eileen Opiolka
Lexiterian
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 3:50 am

Re: Faze

Postby Eileen Opiolka » Wed Jun 10, 2015 3:05 am

I'm completely unfazed at having to suggest that the form most commonly in use, in my experience, is indeed the negative.

Eileen

User avatar
call_copse
Senior Lexiterian
Posts: 668
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:42 am
Location: Southampton

Re: Faze

Postby call_copse » Wed Jun 10, 2015 6:39 am

I am always slightly fazed that the use of the name Randy does not provoke more mirth, until I recall that many cultures may be entirely unfamiliar with the use of the word to mean sexually aroused.
Iain

misterdoe
Senior Lexiterian
Posts: 619
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:21 am
Location: New York City area
Contact:

Re: Faze

Postby misterdoe » Thu Jun 11, 2015 1:51 pm

I am always slightly fazed that the use of the name Randy does not provoke more mirth, until I recall that many cultures may be entirely unfamiliar with the use of the word to mean sexually aroused.
We're not all entirely unfamiliar, call_copse. There were occasional online chuckles (and offline, I'm sure) over the name of one of baseball's all-time greats, Randy Johnson. :D

Perry Lassiter
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 3333
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:41 pm
Location: RUSTON, LA
Contact:

Re: Faze

Postby Perry Lassiter » Thu Jun 11, 2015 8:24 pm

From pastoring in churches with many teenagers whom I knew well, I can testify that during adolescence there are very few words and phrases indeed that, like randy, cannot hold double entedres.
pl


Return to “Good Word Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 56 guests