Thursday, April 15, 2004
Words I learned last week:
(from wordsmith.org)
petrichor (PET-ri-kuhr) noun
The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.
[From petro- (rock), from Greek petros (stone) + ichor (the fluid that is supposed to flow in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology). Coined by researchers I.J. Bear and R.G. Thomas.]
petrichor (PET-ri-kuhr) noun
The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.
[From petro- (rock), from Greek petros (stone) + ichor (the fluid that is supposed to flow in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology). Coined by researchers I.J. Bear and R.G. Thomas.]
Lovely! Read more here, including a scientific explanation. That one’s courtesy of MimsyBee.
(from m-w.com)
netsuke
Pronunciation: ‘nets-(“)kA, -kE, -ke also ‘net-sü-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural netsuke or netsukes
Etymology: Japanese
: a small and often intricately carved toggle (as of wood, ivory, or metal) used to fasten a small container to a kimono sash
netsuke
Pronunciation: ‘nets-(“)kA, -kE, -ke also ‘net-sü-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural netsuke or netsukes
Etymology: Japanese
: a small and often intricately carved toggle (as of wood, ivory, or metal) used to fasten a small container to a kimono sash
Apparently a hobby of the great American pianist and polymath Julius Katchen (who died of cancer in 1969, at the age of 42) was the obsessive collecting of netsukes.
Netsuke links:
- International Netsuke Society
- Anatomy of a Netsuke
- Netsuke Exhibitions from the Toledo Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
zannah writes:
I like grapes, but if I eat too many of them, they make me ill. I have never determined if this is because of me or because it’s some secret function of grapes.
I have the same problem, but I think that might be because my favorite grape delivery vehicle is wine. (hic!)
Comments
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How wonderful, that there is a name for that rain smell. One of my favorite scents.
sarah @ 04:14 AM | 2004/04/17
netsichor noun
The pleasant smell of a large collection of intricately carved toggles.