WORD OF THE WEEK: Octopus

Summary: Getting back in the swing of things after two dilatory weeks, we kick off today's WOW Word with a little help from a little friend ...

Today is officially my last day of my long holiday weekend. Unofficially, it should be over by now, but I'm lucky enough to have some houseguests who are still in town. And today, we're trekking to Shedd Aquarium.

My 5-year-old niece, Kora, has been kind enough to provide me with this week's word: octopus.

Last night, we were reading a book about shapes before bedtime. When we read the word octagon, Kora was careful to remind me that the pronunciation is octa- (with an A), not octo- (with the O)--unlike octopus. We've also been playing with some "cool toys" (her words), one of which is a sky blue, plastic octopus.

You probably already know that an octopus is a sea creature--specifically, a cephalopod (look that one up on your own!) mollusk with eight muscular 'arms' that are fully equipped with rows of suction-cup-like mechanisms, simply called suckers. The word comes from the Greek oktopous, meaning eight-footed, and was named in English in the year 1758. Broadly speaking, an octopus can be anything with eight arms or branches. Today's WOW (Word of the Week) lesson isn't just about the word octopus, mind you; in light of our sea-themed adventures today, it's also about the creature, itself.

Octopus Facts for Kids (condensed from Buzzle.com):
- An octopus doesn't have any vertebrae; in fact, it's completely boneless.
- An octopus has three hearts!
- Its life span will vary from six months to a couple of years; the larger-sized variations live longer.
- Some octopus species can be as large as 23 feet.
- It lives in holes in the sea floor (or wreckage on the sea floor) or in crevices of rocks.
- It's a night hunter that eats crabs, mollusks and crayfish.

For the grown-up readers, you may be interested in noting that octopuses (also pluralized as octopi) are being studied more and more frequently in laboratory settings and in captivity. According to a recent article in Discovery Brain Magazine, scientists have witnessed some intriguing behavior: Cameras captured untended octopus creatures leaving their tanks at night--some of them even lifting lids and picking locks--to dine on crabs and other 'food' in the labs that were dwelling in separate tanks. They may be some of the so-called smartest creatures with such short life spans.

© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2010 The included illustration comes from Merriam-Webster.com.

WORD OF THE WEEK: Dysthymia

Summary: There's a fine line between depression and dysthymia. Learn about that line--and this word--today!

Blue. Sad. Down. Listless. These feeling words all describe one thing: mild depression.

They can describe more serious depression, too, however each by itself--without modifier words like very, terribly, etc.--conveys a more basic or moderate emotional level. It's raining in my city today, and I woke up with a sinus infection. I'm feeling a little listless, myself.

But I wouldn't qualify my emotions as dysthymic. (Maybe it helps that I'm using a full spectrum light in my office space, flush with vitamin D, and that I gave myself an extra hour of sleep this morning.)

"What is dysthymia?" you ask. Allow me to explain:

Entering the English language in the 1840s from New Latin, dysthymia (DIS - THY - mee - uh) is a medical term for a mood disorder marked by chronic mild depression and irritability; symptoms include eating and sleeping disturbances, fatigue, and poor self-esteem. Contemporary treatments for dysthymia are commonly formed by a combination of anti-depressants and/or anti-anxiety medications with psychotherapy.

To learn more about how depression affects the brain, click here to watch a video by pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. (If your computer will not play the video, you can read the voiceover commentary in the text bar to the right of the image.)

© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2010

TRULY SPEAKING: How to Improve Your Vocabulary

Vocabulary is a vital part of communication. That's not shocking news. But how exactly does one build one's vocabulary? Is it simply by subscribing to some of the word-of-the-day sites that can be found online? Well, that's one step. But it isn't necessarily a method in and of itself.

Subscribing to word-of-the-day lists or sites is a way of compiling new words, not actually learning them. Learning takes action on your part; once that subscription has been made, you can sit back and let the new words roll in—without taking any further action whatsoever. ... In other words, you can stop working.

But there's no gain without effort in anything in life. Stockpile new words as frequently as you like. (It's one of my favorite personal collections—and it's totally free, yet oh-so valuable!) Then take action.

How do you learn new words? The same way you learn anything new: practice. And just as someone who's been playing the cello for years continues to practice in order to improve, so must a communicator—at any level—continue practicing new words in context in order to improve his or her vocabulary. That's why the best word-of-the-day guides use their daily words in a sentence, so that you can learn context. Join my Facebook fan site today to practice each week's word from this blog. Share your experiences with these words to the rest of us: We could all use the practice!

© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009

WORD OF THE WEEK: Guess the Meaning!

Today's word of the day comes from Dictionary.com—and it comes with a twist: This week, rather than tell you the meaning and etymology of the word, I'm going to use it in a sentence and ask you to tell me where it came from or what it means. Think you can handle it? Get ready to play!

"It's not uncommon for politicians to talk around a topic, making an art of tergiversation in answer to a question, especially on controversial subjects." Also: "Senator Arlen Specter has been accused of selling out to the highest-voting bidder after his tergiversation of the Republican Party."

Those are your clues. The first 2 people to comment with the right definition (and/or etymology) will win 1 hour of consultation with me, Kealah Parkinson, for FREE.

Need help overcoming speaking shyness? Having troubles with hemming and hawing when you really want to be making your point? Bring your woes to the session, and see how an hour with a speech coach can cure your tergiversation today!

(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009

WORD OF THE WEEK: A Lesson for the Itinerant Student

Did you know that The New York Times has an online word-of-the-day site? Their word for today is itinerant, meaning "traveling from place to place."

Through The Times' partnership with Merriam-Webster, you can look up the etymology of intinerant (of Latin origin, stemming from the word ire, meaning "to go" and akin to the Hittite word itar, "way"). Or you can explore a visual map of the word's origins at Visual Thesaurus, a for-pay program that you can try for free by clinking on the link at The New York Times word-of-the-day site. (The regular cost is only $2.95 per month or $19.95 for a full year.)

This unique, interactive dictionary literally maps the relation between words (itinerant is linked closely to the word gypsy, and is similar in meaning to unsettled) and provides an auditory pronunciation of each word shown, as well. For visual thinkers, this dictionary is a must-try!

What's your itinerary for today? I, personally, plan to be right here online!

(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009

TRULY SPEAKING: Improve Your Vocabulary with WordThink

If you’ve been whingeing about how out of touch this week’s vocabulary word is with today’s world, you aren’t alone. Even I am having a hard time confirming how to properly spell the various conjugations of the word “whinge.” (Microsoft Word’s spell-checking tool doesn’t recognize any spelling at all—including that of the word itself!)

But don’t get me wrong: I’m not complaining. Instead, I found a new source that’s as useful as it is helpful.

“What’s the difference?” you ask. Well, while WordThink helps me learn new words to build my vocabulary, it also teaches me words I can actually use in a sentence with my colleagues. The WordThink site says:

“While there are many dictionary sites that provide a ‘Word of The Day’ listing, too often they include obscure words that would never be used in a typical conversation or letter. … The WordThink staff routinely examines hundreds of daily news media stories to find words that are compelling and persuasive in getting your point across — NOT wasting time on cryptic words that will never be spoken or used in a cognitive sentence.

“WordThink provides you with a daily reminder to use many of the words you may already know, and add hundreds of new words to your vocabulary that you can actually use every day.”

Now that’s truly speaking with a better vocabulary!

(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009

WORD OF THE WEEK: Why whinge when you can whine—or not?

Today's Word of the Week comes from Merriam-Webster's online dictionary. And it's timely as ever: Last night, I (yes, really) watched the season finale of "The Celebrity Apprentice." I was surprised at the winner—but more surprised at the whinging of contestant Annie Duke, celebrity poker player. After weeks of putting on her poker face and playing in stride through comedian Joan Rivers' exaggerated insults, Duke spent her last moments in Donald Trump's "board room" complaining about the personal attacks. With that, she seemed to give it all away.

Here's what Merriam-Webster has to say about the word "'whinge': • \WINJ\ • verb: to complain fretfully : whine

"Example Sentence:

"She urged her fellow workers to stop whinging about how they were victims of 'the system' and to do something to change that system.

"Did you know?

"'Whinge' isn't just a spelling variant of 'whine.' 'Whinge' and 'whine' are actually entirely different words with separate histories. 'Whine' traces to an Old English verb, 'hwinan,' which means 'to make a humming or whirring sound.' When 'hwinan' became 'whinen' in Middle English, it meant 'to wail distressfully'; 'whine' didn't acquire its 'complain' sense until the 16th century. 'Whinge,' on the other hand, comes from a different Old English verb, 'hwinsian,' which means 'to wail or moan discontentedly.' 'Whinge' retains that original sense today, though nowadays it puts less emphasis on the sound of the complaining and more on the discontentment behind the complaint."

I was further surprised last night to hear Joan Rivers argue emphatically against Duke's style of business, saying (or shouting) that it exemplified all that America is moving away from: focus on the bottom line, and lack of human consideration. She punctuated her argument with a rousing rebel cry, yelling (something along the lines of), "Let's show the world that America really cares!"

Ever heard the phrase, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease"? If a whine is an amplified squeak, then maybe it's best to wail? That is, if you're working for The Donald. ... What are YOU whinging about?

(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009