The Dictionary.com word of the day surprised me this morning.
Does this word not sound like an oncologist had tee many martoonies at lunch, before trying to describe a tumor?
Word of the Day for Wednesday, May 31, 2006
pleonasm \PLEE-uh-naz-uhm\, noun:
1. The use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; as, "I saw it with my own eyes."
2. An instance or example of pleonasm.
3. A superfluous word or expression.
Dougan uses many words where few would do, as if pleonasm were a way of wringing every possibility out of the material he has, and stretching sentences a form of spreading the word.
-- Paula Cocozza, "Book review: How Dynamo Kiev beat the Luftwaffe", Independent, March 2, 2001
Such a phrase from President Nixon's era, much favored by politicians, is "at this moment in time." Presumably these five words mean "now." That pleonasm probably does little harm except, perhaps, to the reputation of the speaker.
-- Eoin McKiernan, "Last Word: Special Relationships", Irish America, August 31, 1994
Pleonasm is from Greek pleonasmos, from pleon, "greater, more."
Last edited by emmline on Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:26 pm, edited 4 times in total.
emmline wrote:The Dictionary.com word of the day surprised me this morning.
Does this word not sound like an oncologist had tee many martoonies at lunch, before trying to describe a tumor?
Word of the Day for Wednesday, May 31, 2006
pleonasm \PLEE-uh-naz-uhm\, noun:
1. The use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; as, "I saw it with my own eyes."
2. An instance or example of pleonasm.
3. A superfluous word or expression.
Dougan uses many words where few would do, as if pleonasm were a way of wringing every possibility out of the material he has, and stretching sentences a form of spreading the word.
-- Paula Cocozza, "Book review: How Dynamo Kiev beat the Luftwaffe", Independent, March 2, 2001
Such a phrase from President Nixon's era, much favored by politicians, is "at this moment in time." Presumably these five words mean "now." That pleonasm probably does little harm except, perhaps, to the reputation of the speaker.
-- Eoin McKiernan, "Last Word: Special Relationships", Irish America, August 31, 1994
Pleonasm is from Greek pleonasmos, from pleon, "greater, more."
Some of us have used it on the chiffboard before. *cough, cough
Well, if the Chiffboard were ever NOT way ahead of me then the Mississippi would flow north, the polar ice caps would melt, and there'd be more than one Spillane in circulation.
I guess all's well.
emmline wrote:The Dictionary.com word of the day surprised me this morning.
Does this word not sound like an oncologist had tee many martoonies at lunch, before trying to describe a tumor?
Word of the Day for Wednesday, May 31, 2006
pleonasm \PLEE-uh-naz-uhm\, noun:
1. The use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; as, "I saw it with my own eyes."
2. An instance or example of pleonasm.
3. A superfluous word or expression.
Dougan uses many words where few would do, as if pleonasm were a way of wringing every possibility out of the material he has, and stretching sentences a form of spreading the word.
-- Paula Cocozza, "Book review: How Dynamo Kiev beat the Luftwaffe", Independent, March 2, 2001
Such a phrase from President Nixon's era, much favored by politicians, is "at this moment in time." Presumably these five words mean "now." That pleonasm probably does little harm except, perhaps, to the reputation of the speaker.
-- Eoin McKiernan, "Last Word: Special Relationships", Irish America, August 31, 1994
Pleonasm is from Greek pleonasmos, from pleon, "greater, more."
Some of us have used it on the chiffboard before. *cough, cough
At this particular juncture in time, to the best of my recollection, I myself do not remember you writing anything about this specific vocabulary word.
Last edited by Dale on Wed May 31, 2006 12:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
emmline wrote:Well, if the Chiffboard were ever NOT way ahead of me then the Mississippi would flow north, the polar ice caps would melt, and there'd be more than one Spillane in circulation.
I guess all's well.
Dale wrote:At this particular juncture in time, to the best of my recollection, I do not remember you writing anything about this specific vocabulary word.
If you search on "pleonasm Bloomfield," you get five posts.
Two are in this thread.
One is when someone else quoted him.
One is Bloomfield correcting someone else's spelling of "pleonasm."
And my personal favorite, one in which Bloomfield writes "Oh, blessed pleonasm." I didn't read it all, but it looks like some kind of ode or hymn to pleonasms. Possible a paeon. I should have read it all the way through.
Crazy for the blue white and red
Crazy for the blue white and red
And yellow fringe
Crazy for the blue white red and yellow