What new word did you learn today?

[JLT]

numina - the spirit or divine power presiding over a thing or a place

entia (singular = ens) - entities, beings or existing things

I learned these words from a quote I read today from Jung:

“… it becomes increasingly clear that numina are psychic entia that force themselves upon consciousness, since night after night our dreams practice philosophy on their own account."

Since Jung presumably wrote in German, I wonder if those words were originally Latin terms for something for which there was no equivalent in German or English. True, there is an English expression for "numana": "The spirit of place." I was reminded of it when I saw the episode "Nemesis" in the Miss Marple series featuring Joan Hickson, in which it was used.

And why didn't Jung (or his translator) use "entia" rather than "entities?" What's the difference?

 

[Rath Darkblade]

I wonder if "numina" has anything to do with "numinous".

Numinous describes something that evokes a sense of awe, mystery, or spiritual wonder, suggesting a powerful presence beyond the ordinary, often related to the divine or supernatural, but also applicable to profound aesthetic or psychological experiences, like gazing at stars or hearing powerful music. Coined by theologian Rudolf Otto, it captures the feeling of encountering the holy—a mix of fascination, dread, and attraction—that transcends simple explanation.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

Phenocryst. A conspicuous, usually large, crystal embedded in porphyritic igneous rock.

 

[Louanne Learning]

florilegium - a collection of literary extracts; an anthology

 

[JLT]

florilegium - a collection of literary extracts; an anthology

There was a web site for SCA people called that. It was a collection of articles on various subjects related to the SCA... medieval history and crafts, and the administrative side of the Society. I found it most useful in researching various areas of study.

With the death of its administrator, it seems to be defunct now, although there are plans to bring it back in some form or another.

 

[Louanne Learning]

Liminal describes a state, place, or time that is transitional, existing on a threshold or in-between one thing and the next, derived from the Latin limen (threshold). It signifies ambiguity, uncertainty, and the feeling of being neither here nor there, common in rites of passage, psychological shifts, or eerie, deserted physical locations like empty hallways or waiting rooms.

 

[Selluwud]

Liminal describes a state, place, or time that is transitional, existing on a threshold or in-between one thing and the next, derived from the Latin limen (threshold). It signifies ambiguity, uncertainty, and the feeling of being neither here nor there, common in rites of passage, psychological shifts, or eerie, deserted physical locations like empty hallways or waiting rooms.

Sort of like "Six....Seven"

 

[Naomasa298]

Liminal describes a state, place, or time that is transitional, existing on a threshold or in-between one thing and the next, derived from the Latin limen (threshold). It signifies ambiguity, uncertainty, and the feeling of being neither here nor there, common in rites of passage, psychological shifts, or eerie, deserted physical locations like empty hallways or waiting rooms.

Have written a number of stories explicitly set in liminal spaces and states.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

Liminal describes a state, place, or time that is transitional, existing on a threshold or in-between one thing and the next, derived from the Latin limen (threshold). It signifies ambiguity, uncertainty, and the feeling of being neither here nor there, common in rites of passage, psychological shifts, or eerie, deserted physical locations like empty hallways or waiting rooms.

One of my favorite words and concepts.

 

[Naomasa298]

All my stories are liminal. They're perpetually somewhere between being rejected and being binned.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

Liminal describes a state, place, or time that is transitional, existing on a threshold or in-between one thing and the next, derived from the Latin limen (threshold). It signifies ambiguity, uncertainty, and the feeling of being neither here nor there, common in rites of passage, psychological shifts, or eerie, deserted physical locations like empty hallways or waiting rooms.

You mean, like a border between universes? For instance, a circle of standing stones where, if you cross them, you could end up in the Land of the Elves (however these elves behave, either malevolent or benevolent), and so on?

 

[Naomasa298]

No. Liminal does not really refer to a borderline itself, but the space you exist in between thresholds. It is the space in between life and death, like purgatory, or the journey between the world and Hades. It is not night or day, but twilight.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

I learned not just one, but three new words today. Two of them sound dirty but aren't:

Throttlebottom. An inept but harmless public official. Originates from the character Alexander Throttlebottom, the Vice President, in the 1931 musical comedy Of Thee I Sing.

He's so unimportant that he gets lost during the inauguration, wandering around the White House unable to find his way.

The name became synonymous with a useless, futile, or completely overlooked person in public office. Lyndon B. Johnson famously used the term to describe the powerless Vice Presidency.

Testacel. Referring to Testacella, a genus of carnivorous land snails known for their small internal shell (testa) and predatory habits, with related terms like testacelloid (resembling them) appearing in scientific literature. It comes from Latin for shell, linking to concepts of hardness or enclosure.

Jorum, historical. A large bowl or jug, used for serving drinks like tea or punch.

 

[JLT]

carnivorous land snails

Oh, Jeez. One more thing to inhabit my nightmares.

 

[Selluwud]

Oh, Jeez. One more thing to inhabit my nightmares.

And to make it worse, they most likely eat you at the same speed they move! Very slowly.........MUAHAHAHAHA!

 

[Homer Potvin]

Oh, Jeez. One more thing to inhabit my nightmares.

I'm picturing you screaming nooooooo as you run in slow motion with the snail crawling after you in slightly faster slow motion...

 

[CatrionaGrace]

Anoesis: : consciousness that is pure passive receptiveness without understanding or intellectual organization of the materials presented.

I learned it HERE

 

[Louanne Learning]

cruciverbalist​

a person skillful in creating or solving crossword puzzles

 

[Homer Potvin]

cruciverbalist​

a person skillful in creating or solving crossword puzzles

I suck at crossword puzzles. And scrabble. And wheel of fortune. I have no visual acuity whatsoever when it comes to words. It's very strange. Vocabulary and language comprehension through the roof, but oogatz when it comes to visualization. It's like being 8 feet tall but terrible at basketball. I could be playing wheel of fortune, the clue could be "your name," the board could be H _ M E R P O T V _ N, and I still wouldn't get it.

 

[JLT]

cruciverbalist​

a person skillful in creating or solving crossword puzzles

That's me, all right:

Confessions of a Cruciverbalist

©2016 by John LaTorre Last year, Merl Reagle died. He wasn’t well known outside the circle of crossword aficionados, but he was t...

jayeltee.blogspot.com

But I find myself at a loss when trying to work out a British-style crossword of the sort that Stephen Sondheim used to promote. My mind is not that elastic.

In England, creators of puzzles are called "puzzle setters." Recently the BBC put out a series about a puzzle setter turned reluctant detective, and it turned out to be the best TV I've seen in ages. It's called "Ludwig" and it's worth seeing. (Yes, I've mentioned it before on this forum, and I'll probably mention it again. It's that good.)