Words we don't use any more

[schmendrik]

* Courting ("Those young'uns have been courting for 2 years.")

How about "wooing"?

Or better yet "pitching woo"?

[The Burgomaster]

* Courting ("Those young'uns have been courting for 2 years.")

How about "wooing"?

Or better yet "pitching woo"?

Ah, yes.  "Pitching woo."  Of course, you still hear it at some baseball games:  "Now pitching, Woo."

[Kester Pelagius]

EDIT: Just checked two other dictionaries and the word "quadroon" is in both of them.  And the most recent one has a copyright of 1998!   Who uses this word?  Has anyone ever heard it before?

I've heard it before, but only in discussions about obscure words like callipygian and hircine.

I looked up "callipygian" and was surprised to find it's origin listed as Gk. "kallipygos" but not as surprised as it's definition: "having well shaped buttocks".  Now "kalli" does mean "good" but "pygos" doesn't seem like a proper word root to me.  I wonder what the etymology of this word is.  I'd bet it's origins are a poetic mistranliteration of somekind- probably of "kalligrammos", which means "shapely"- as there's no lowercase "y" In Greek though there are two lower case letters that could be mistaken for a "y" by the casual reader; but they're properly transliterated into English as "g" and "m" respectively.

Then again I'm not well versed in Greek slang.

If I recall correct, the modern resurgence of callipygian use was from a Thomas Pynchon novel, and might have been mis applied translation.
-Ed

That must be it.

[Newt]

Most Greek came into English usage by way of Latin.  That may account for certain changes.
A similar word is "steatopygia" - referring to a condition of fatty deposits on the derriere - not exactly an opportunity for poetry.

[Rev. Powell]

EDIT: Just checked two other dictionaries and the word "quadroon" is in both of them.  And the most recent one has a copyright of 1998!   Who uses this word?  Has anyone ever heard it before?

I've heard it before, but only in discussions about obscure words like callipygian and hircine.

I looked up "callipygian" and was surprised to find it's origin listed as Gk. "kallipygos" but not as surprised as it's definition: "having well shaped buttocks".  Now "kalli" does mean "good" but "pygos" doesn't seem like a proper word root to me.  I wonder what the etymology of this word is.  I'd bet it's origins are a poetic mistranliteration of somekind- probably of "kalligrammos", which means "shapely"- as there's no lowercase "y" In Greek though there are two lower case letters that could be mistaken for a "y" by the casual reader; but they're properly transliterated into English as "g" and "m" respectively.

Then again I'm not well versed in Greek slang.

If I recall correct, the modern resurgence of callipygian use was from a Thomas Pynchon novel, and might have been mis applied translation.
-Ed

That must be it.

From the online etymology dictionary:

callipygian
"of, pertaining to, or having beautiful buttocks," 1800, from Gk. kallipygos, name of a statue of Aphrodite, from kalli-, combining form of kallos "beauty" + pyge "rump, buttocks." Sir Thomas Browne (1646) refers to "Callipygæ and women largely composed behinde."

Cool site to bookmark.

[Newt]

In one of my older etymological dictionaries, it appears the transliteration from Greek to Latin can go from 'u' to 'y'.

Greek to Latin (to English):
pugos to pyge (buttocks)
pugmaios to pygmaeus (pygmy)
puramis to pyramis/pyramidis (pyramid)
pura to pyra (pyre)
puthon to python

[Kester Pelagius]

EDIT: Just checked two other dictionaries and the word "quadroon" is in both of them.  And the most recent one has a copyright of 1998!   Who uses this word?  Has anyone ever heard it before?

I've heard it before, but only in discussions about obscure words like callipygian and hircine.

I looked up "callipygian" and was surprised to find it's origin listed as Gk. "kallipygos" but not as surprised as it's definition: "having well shaped buttocks".  Now "kalli" does mean "good" but "pygos" doesn't seem like a proper word root to me.  I wonder what the etymology of this word is.  I'd bet it's origins are a poetic mistranliteration of somekind- probably of "kalligrammos", which means "shapely"- as there's no lowercase "y" In Greek though there are two lower case letters that could be mistaken for a "y" by the casual reader; but they're properly transliterated into English as "g" and "m" respectively.

Then again I'm not well versed in Greek slang.

If I recall correct, the modern resurgence of callipygian use was from a Thomas Pynchon novel, and might have been mis applied translation.
-Ed

That must be it.

From the online etymology dictionary:

callipygian
"of, pertaining to, or having beautiful buttocks," 1800, from Gk. kallipygos, name of a statue of Aphrodite, from kalli-, combining form of kallos "beauty" + pyge "rump, buttocks." Sir Thomas Browne (1646) refers to "Callipygæ and women largely composed behinde."

Cool site to bookmark.

Yeah, well, I'm Greek and have since consulted the ULTIMATE reference.



*wait for it*


*wait for it*


*wait for it*



That's right I asked me mum.   

She said she'd never heard of the word.

Though I suppose that could just be my horrible pronunciation.   OTOH "kalos/kali" doesn't mean beauty, rather it connotates something that's okay or good.  Like Aphrodite's naked buttocks. 

[Psycho Circus]

I like the word - aghast - I'm gonna bring that one back.