cincture /SEENK-chər/. noun or verb. A girdle or a belt. More generally, something that encircles or surrounds. From Latin cinctura(girdle), from cingere (to gird, surround).
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WORD(S)
A cornucopia—a logocopia!—of awesome words.
eristic
eristic /ə-RIS-tik/. adjective or noun. Of, given, or relating to, argument, particularly argument for its own sake. A person who engages in such (usually tedious) debates. From Greek eristikos, from erizein (wrangle), from eris (strife). In Greek mythology, Eris was the goddess of discord and discontent.
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feisty
feisty /FIY-stee/. adjective. Lively, tenacious, excitable, aggressive. From American English feist (small dog) > from fisting cur(derogatory term for lap dog) > from Middle English fysting curre (stinking cur) > from Middle English fysten (break wind) > from Proto-Germanic fistiz (fart). See also: spunky, plucky, gutsy, spirited, etc. || Pairs with the legendary Embuggerance & Feisty article.
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bumf
bumf /BUMF/. noun. Literally, toilet paper. Figuratively, worthless, superfluous, boring papers. Abbreviation of slang bum-fodder (same meaning).
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funambulist
funambulist /foo-NAM-byoo-list/. noun. A tightrope walker. From French funambule (tightrope walker); from Latin funambulus; from funis (rope) + ambulare (walk).
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isthmus
isthmus /IS-thməs/. noun. A strip of land with water on both sides that connects two relatively larger land areas. In anatomy, a narrow part or organ connecting two larger parts. From Latin isthmus, from Greek isthmos (narrow land between two seas). Further history is unknown, though it could be from eimi (to go) and suffix -thmo (step, movement).
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lagom
lagom /LAH-gəm/. adjective. A Swedish word meaning something like “happily and satisfyingly just the right amount.” Often translated as enough or adequate, lagom has a more positive connotation of fulfillment (though not perfection). Popularly believed to come from laget om (around the team), which goes back to the Viking custom of passing around a shared drink, each person contentedly sipping, it is actually derived from laghum (according to common sense). One of Sweden’s most well-known proverbs is Lagom är bäst, literally “the right amount is best” but often translated as “enough is a good as a feast.” See also: hygge.
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