WORD OF THE WEEK: Solstice

Summary: Does seasonal depression keep you in the dark? This year—and this week—there's literally light at the end of your figurative tunnel. See how the solstice can make you smile, even on the typically darkest day and longest night of the year.

This week will introduce us to the shortest day of the year: December 21, 2010. If you're paying attention, that's today. And if you're in the dumps, you can literally look on the bright side by coming out of your hibernation hovel tomorrow! Naturally, there will be more sunlight (a.k.a. more daylight time) following the "shortest day."

What makes the day so short? Why, the position of the sun: Each year, as the Earth rotates around the sun, there are two positions the planet hits that place the sun either furthest away (winter solstice) or closest to us (summer solstice). These are the shortest and longest days, respectively.

The word solstice refers both to the sun's position, as well as to the day when the position occurs. It has two pronunciations: SAHL - stiss (as demonstrated in this audio link to Merriam-Webster) or the way I say it with my own Midwestern accent, SOHL - stiss, just like this woman who sounds a lot like me does at Forvo.com. (By the way, if you ever wonder about any word's pronunciation—English or otherwise—you'll want to check out Forvo. The site's mission is to gather all the words in the world in one place, each in little, audio sound bites.) From the Latin word sol for sun, combined with the word parts -stit- and -stes for standing, it entered the English language around the mid-13th century.

Interestingly enough, this year's winter solstice has another special twist: a lunar eclipse! I happen to be writing this post late in the evening as the spectacle is beginning. And for the shortest day (and longest night) of the year, it is refreshingly bright outside. This solstitial occurrence is a somewhat rare way to ring in the season, and may be cause for celebration.

Read about some ancient ways to celebrate, as well as new ways, in the middle of this linked page at ReligiousTolerance.org.

© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2010

WORD OF THE WEEK: An Amatory Affair

Summary: In honor of Valentine's Day, this week's vocabulary word is amatory. (Please note: Today's word entry is PG-13!)

WARNING: This week's word is rated PG-13!

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd concentrate on an adult-oriented vocabulary word this week. It sounds just like a word we hear a lot around February 14th—amorous (meaning to have or to feel romantic love, or to behave in a loving fashion toward another). Both come from the same root word, amor, which is Latin for love.

While amorous implies physical love (if you know what I mean—wink-wink, nudge-nudge), it's been commonly adopted into the English language as a bit of a euphemism. Therefore it's more used and accepted than today's special word:

Amatory (A -ma - TOR - ee) – adj. expressing or relating to sexual love. There's just no other way to put it! It entered into the English language circa 1599.

My Valentine's Day present to my husband this year (along with the usual chocolate; he's a bigger chocolate-lover than even I am) was a fun set of dice with amorous phrases. When rolled in sequence, the dice construct a sentence that implies something amatory, although their words can simply be used as a more sensory than sensual experience. Say, there are two other related words that we hear a lot around this February holiday ....

Well, grown-ups, Happy Presidents Day!

© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2010