09 May, 2011

a word a day

Today's word from the "a word a day" mailing mightnbe applied to me. Here's the text, followed bynthe address to subscribe:
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

The English language is one big happy family that has something for everyone. It has a word for someone who never laughs (agelast) and a word for one who laughs too much (abderian). It has a word for fear of lightning (astraphobia) and a word for hatred of reason (misology). And in between these words, there are words for almost everything under the sun (and beyond).
This week we'll visit a few terms that make one say, "I didn't know there was a word for that!"

anomia

PRONUNCIATION:
(uh-NOH-mee-uh)
MEANING:
noun: The inability to recall names of people or objects.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin a- (without) + nom (name). Earliest documented use: 1900. Don't confuse the word with anomie.

USAGE:
"In Dad's case of anomia, he's been calling his nightly can of beer 'ink'. Sometimes he calls it 'gas', which makes a kind of sense."

the address to,subscribe is wordsmith.org/awad/