Since Ford Truck owners are always willing to expand their vocabulary, I would like to present the Official So Cal Chapter Word 'O' The Day for 2009.

Yes, we'll learn together whilst we engage in banter about our favorite Blue Oval trucks and other mind expanding avenues of thought.

We'll start 2009 with this fascinating word. There seems to be so many situations in which this word could be employed:

frigorific

\frig-uh-RIFF-ik\
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adjective


Meaning
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: causing cold : chilling


Example Sentence
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Jamie shivered as she faced the frigorific blast of wind blowing off the lake.

My version: Russ shivered as he downed the frigorific Fosters Lager knowing full well the burn in his throat would soon be replaced by the euphoric feeling of the adult beverage he was swilling. <!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) BEGINS --><!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) ENDS -->


Did you know?
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The chill in "frigorific" comes from "frigus," the Latin word for "frost" or "cold." ("Frigorific" is derived from Latin "frigorificus," the adjective form of "frigus.") "Frigus" has provided us with other icy words as well. It is the source of "refrigerate" ("to keep cold"), and also of the combining form "frigo-" ("cold") and the noun "frigorimeter" ("a thermometer designed for low temperatures"), both of which are primarily scientific and somewhat rare. "Frigus" is also related to the ancestors of "frigid" ("intensely cold"). "Frigorific" is a relatively unusual word and is used considerably less often than its relatives "refrigerate" and "frigid."

 

Great Russ, thanks for keeping it going.

 

In keeping with my workload lately....

berserk

\ber-SERK\
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adjective


Meaning
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: frenzied, crazed — usually used in the phrase go berserk


Example Sentence

Fans went berserk as they watched the running back dive in for the winning touchdown in the final seconds of the game.<!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) BEGINS --><!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) ENDS -->


Did you know?
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"Berserk" comes from Old Norse "berserkr," which combines "ber-" ("bear") and "serkr" ("shirt"). According to Norse legend, "berserkrs" were warriors who wore bearskin coverings and worked themselves into such frenzies during combat that they became immune to the effects of steel and fire. "Berserk" was borrowed into English (first as a noun and later as an adjective) in the early 19th century, when interest in Scandinavian myth and history was high. It was considered a slang term at first, but it has since gained broader acceptance.

 

Since I've been remiss in my Word 'O' The Day postings, here's another. Elysian Park must have been a whole lot different when it was named!

elysian

\ih-LIZH-un\
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adjective, often capitalized


Meaning
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1 : of or relating to Elysium
*2 : blissful, delightful


Example Sentence
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"The summer, in some climates, makes possible to man a sort of Elysian life." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden)<!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) BEGINS --><!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) ENDS -->


Did you know?
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In classical mythology Elysium, also known as the Elysian Fields, was the paradise reserved for the heroes immortalized by the gods. Ancient Greek poets imagined it as the abode of the blessed after death. The first known use of the place-name as a word for a blissful state enjoyed by mere mortals is found in Shakespeare's Henry V. Following the Bard, many other writers over the centuries have used "Elysium," as well as "Elysian Fields," to refer to paradisiacal places or states. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) was the first to summon "Elysian" as an adjective for the blissful quality emanating from such places.

 

Guess as I get older and CRS continues to set in my hunting stories won't be all lies, just confabulations!

"Grandpa, is that true?"

"Certainly, 'cept for a few confabulations here and there!"

confabulation

\kun-fab-yuh-LAY-shun\
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noun


Meaning
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1 : familiar talk or conversation
*2 : a filling in of gaps in memory by fabrication


Example Sentence

Grandpa’s hunting stories were always exciting, especially since he always added a hint of confabulation or exaggeration to them.<!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) BEGINS --><!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) ENDS -->


Did you know?
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"Confabulation" is a fabulous word for fantastic fabrication. Given the similarities in spelling and sound, you might guess that "confabulation" and "fabulous" come from the same root, and they do — the Latin "fabula," which means "conversation" or "story." Another "fabula" descendant that continues to tell tales in English is "fable." "Fabrication," however, comes from a different Latin source: the word "fabrica," meaning "workshop" or "structure."

 

To confabulate sounds so much better than to BS.

 

That's fantabulous!

 

Can we scream like crazy when someone says the word of the day just like in Pee Wee's Playhouse?

confabulation

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

 

debonair

\deb-uh-NAIR\
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adjective


Meaning
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*1 : suave, urbane
2 : lighthearted, nonchalant


Example Sentence
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Brady, a handsome and debonair bachelor, is a much sought-after guest for dinner parties and off-road adventures.<!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) BEGINS --><!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) ENDS -->


Did you know?
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In Anglo-French, someone who was genteel and well-brought-up was described as "deboneire" — literally "of good family or nature" (from three words: "de bon aire"). When the word was borrowed into English in the 13th century, it basically meant "courteous," a narrow sense now pretty much obsolete. Today's "debonair" incorporates charm, polish, and worldliness, often combined with a carefree attitude (think James Bond). And yes, we tend to use this sense mostly, though not exclusively, of men. In the 19th century, we took the "carefree" part and made it a sense all its own. "The crowd that throngs the wharf as the steamer draws alongside is gay and debonair; it is a noisy, cheerful, gesticulating crowd," wrote Somerset Maugham in 1919 in his novel The Moon and Sixpence.

 

See there, now I've been pronouncing it wrong all along. I've been saying \de-bone-er\

I feel a lot smarter now.

 

epoch

\EP-uk\
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noun


Meaning
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1 a : an event or a time that begins a new period or development b : a memorable event or date
2 *a : an extended period of time usually characterized by a distinctive development or by a memorable series of events b : a division of geologic time less than a period and greater than an age


Example Sentence
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The Victorian epoch is often seen as a time of great formality.<!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) BEGINS --><!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) ENDS -->


Did you know?
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"Epoch" comes to us, via Medieval Latin, from Greek "epochē," meaning "cessation" or "fixed point." "Epochē," in turn, comes from the Greek verb "epechein," meaning "to pause" or "to hold back." When "epoch" was first borrowed into English, it referred to the fixed point used to mark the beginning of a system of chronology. That sense is now obsolete, but today "epoch" is used in some fields (such as astronomy) with the meaning "an instant of time or a date selected as a point of reference." The "an event or a time that begins a new period or development" sense first appeared in print in the early 17th century, and "epoch" has been applied to defining moments or periods of time ever since.

 

Interesting... do we have any hidebound So Cal Chapter Members?

hidebound

\HYDE-bound\
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adjective


Meaning
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1) of a domestic animal : having a dry skin lacking in pliancy
2) having an inflexible or ultraconservative character


Example Sentence
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The store failed when its hidebound owners refused to alter their business model to adjust for the changing economy.

<!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) BEGINS -->
Did you know?
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
"Hidebound" has its origins in agriculture. The word, which appeared in English as "hyde bounde" in the 16th century, originally described cattle that, due to illness or poor feeding, had skin that clung to the skeleton and could not be pinched, loosened, or worked with the fingers. "Hidebound" has also been applied to humans — both literally, to describe people with tight skin, and figuratively. In its earliest figurative usage, "hidebound" meant "stingy" or "miserly." That sense has since fallen out of use, but a second figurative usage, describing people who are rigid or unyielding in their actions or beliefs, lives on in our language today.

 

Hmmm, never ever heard that one.

 

At least it's only a minor flaw!

foible

\FOY-bul\
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noun


Meaning
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
1 : the part of a sword or foil blade between the middle and point
*2 : a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior : weakness


Example Sentence
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The students admired their teacher despite his foibles and eccentricities.<!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) BEGINS --><!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) ENDS -->


Did you know?
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
The weakest part of a sword blade is the portion between the middle and the pointed tip. Back in the mid-1600s, English speakers borrowed the French word "foible" to refer to that most easily broken part of the sword or foil. Despite the superficial resemblance, "foible" does not come from "foil." The French "foible" was an adjective meaning "weak." (That French word, which is now obsolete, is derived from the same Old French term, "feble," that gives us "feeble.") The English "foible" soon came to be applied not only to weaknesses in blades, but also to minor failings in character. It appeared in print with that use in 1673, and now the "character flaw" sense is considerably more popular than the original sword application.

 

flocculate

\FLAH-kyuh-layt\
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verb


Meaning
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: to aggregate or coalesce into small lumps or loose clusters


Example Sentence
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
During fermentation, yeast cells flocculate and either rise to the top or sink to the bottom of the vat.

My 'loose' interpretation: When the FTE So Cal Members flocculate it's always a pleasant time for all!<!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) BEGINS --><!-- Advertising Text Box (for Encycl. Britannica) ENDS -->


Did you know?
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In the late 16th century, scientists noticed that the loose masses separated from a solution or suspension through precipitation often resembled tufts of wool, and they began to refer to them as "flocks," using another word for "tufts." (This "flock" is not related to the word "flock" that refers to a group of animals, which comes from Old English "flocc," meaning "crowd" or "band.") About two centuries later, the Late Latin term "flocculus" found its way into English and was also used with the meaning "a small loosely aggregated mass." By the end of the 19th century, a whole word family had been formed, including the adjective "flocculent," the noun "floccule," and the verb "flocculate."