tmesis | Word of the Day

July 02, 2019 tmesis [tuh-mee-sis] noun 1. the interpolation of one or more words between the parts of a compound word, as be thou ware for beware. word-trends The Most Surprisingly Serendipitous Words Of The Day What Is The Former Name Of Memorial Day? WORD OF THE DAY tmesis continued... QUOTES You may remember Matt Foley, the in-your-face motivational speaker played by the late comedian Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live, whose "Well, la-dee-frickin'-da" was all the funnier for its tmesis. -- Rebecca Cohen, "How I Met Your Mother's 'Legen—Wait for it—Dary' Is More Compli-Freaking-Cated Than You Think," Slate, April 16, 2014 ORIGIN Tmesis is not a misspelling of thesis; tmêsis "cutting" is a Greek noun, a derivative of the verb témnein "to cut, prune, castrate." Tmesis is a feature of the archaic epic syntax of the Iliad and Odyssey, in which there is a separation of an adverb (which becomes a prefix in Classical Greek) from its verb by an intervening word or phrase, as in the Iliad en d'autòs edýseto nṓropa chalkòn "… and he himself put on his gleaming bronze," where the adverb en is separated from its verb edýseto by the phrase d'autòs "and he himself." Tmesis is rare and archaic in modern English, as in "Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words" (that is, "Beware of him, yourself…"), 2 Timothy 4:15, Authorized Version. More than a few of us may admit familiarity with tmesis as it occurs in such adjectives as fantastic or unbelievable or in adverbs like absolutely, in which the fan-, un-, and abso- are separated from the rest of the word by an overworked vulgarism. MORE FOR YOU 1 The Greatest Language Hits Of Black Music June is African-American Music Appreciation Month, also known as Black Music Month. It's a time to commemorate the continuing legacy of Black music on American life, and, for our part, we're celebrating the lingo, spanning Louis Armstrong's blues to City Girl's drip, that Black musicians helped take platinum in our lexicon. 2 "Infamous" vs. "Notorious": Why Is There A Difference? Infamous and notorious are commonly interchanged terms used to describe someone or something that is famous for being negative in some way. There are times when either will work, yet in other cases, one word is a better fit. 3 Words To Help Explain Relationships In The 2010s In this slideshow, we're breaking down some of the latest slang terms and expressions we're using to talk about dating and relationships in the 2010s. 4 Why We Need Better Terms For People Who Identify As Two Or More Races Read how Professor Nicole Holliday explains why some individuals and groups that identify as two or more races are sensing a lexical gap for terms they would like for their own their specific racial combination. 5 Terms That Twitter And YouTube Created These sites have transformed the internet—and our lives as we know them, including our language. So, get internet-savvy with these words and expressions born from our new, digital normal. © 2019 Dictionary.com, LLC. ABOUT CONTACT You are subscribed to the Word of the Day as: matzom229@gmail.com Subscriber since: September 06, 2017 Unsubscribe Dictionary.com, LLC. 555 12th Street Suite 400 Oakland CA 94607 Manage your subscription Terms & Privacy