Balm
Balm
In these wearisome and worrisome days of 'alternative facts' (at least they know enough not to say 'alternate facts'), my mind has been churning with words like 'flagitious' and 'meretricious'. Will someone please provide some linguistic balm by suggesting a gentler, more fragrant word. Petrichor, of course, springs to mind, but we've discussed that before.
PattieT
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George Kovac
- Lexiterian
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Re: Balm
I have no linguistic balm, but I can offer some literary balm in the form of this word: Aldous Huxley's "soma." It has a pleasant sound, suggests an ersatz etymology with the Latin word for sleep, and its (fictional) cultural and pharmacological effects are equally pleasant. I think we can all use a lot of soma in the next few years.
"Language is rooted in context, which is another way of saying language is driven by memory." Natalia Sylvester, New York Times 4/13/2024
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Slava
- Great Grand Panjandrum
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Re: Balm
I wouldn't be opposed to the word balm, itself. Unless one is confused, as in Monty Python's "Life of Brian." Then, go for "salve."
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.
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