The word of the week is “smithereens.” Smithereens fragments bits I know this is not an obscure or unfamiliar word, but it’s just so much fun! It’s also a bit unusual in that it’s almost always used in the plural form and in conjunction with such verbs as blow or smash. According to Merriam-Website: […]
Writer Resources
Word Of The Week: Cacophony
The word of the week is “cacophony.” Cacophony a harsh discordance of sound; dissonance a meaningless jumble of sounds in music: the frequent use of discords that seem harsh or out of place “Cacophony” derives from a combination of Greek words: phone (sound or voice) and kakos (bad). Similar derivations from the root word phone include symphony (together […]
February Faithful Writer’s Tookit
Encouragement for Faithful Writers everywhere. Please share with your writing friends. Reading time: less than 4 minutes. Faithful Reflection: Remember the seasons As I write this in mid-February in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, we’ve just had five inches of snow, and sleet is now falling on top of that. We’ll be inside until […]
Word Of The Week: Fructify
This week’s word is “fructify.” Fructify make fruitful or productive bear fruit become fruitful “Fructify” began with an agricultural meaning as far back as the 14th century and derives from the Latin noun fructus meaning “fruit” and later from the Middle English word “fructifien” (fruit). Its usage was later expanded to convey a figurative sense of “fruit,” and it […]
Word Of The Week: Vituperative
This week’s word is “vituperative.” It invokes fire and brimstone in my mind. Vituperative abusive and venemous (educaliingo.com) uttering or given to censure: containing or characterized by verbal abuse (Merriam-Webster) According to Merriam-Webster, the word vituperative first appeared in the early 1700s, though some sources date it as far back as the 1500s. It is derived […]
Word Of The Week: Xenophobia
This week’s word is “xenophobia.” Sadly, it’s a word we’ve seen in the news a lot lately, and it may be useful in your own writing or journaling. Xenophia fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign (from Merriam-Webster) fear or dislike of customs, dress, etc., of people […]
Word Of The Week: Doldrums
This week’s word is “doldrums.” Even though its meaning is probably familiar, I loved learning about its nautical connection. Doldrums a period of inactivity or stagnation a state of feeling listless or despondent When capitalized, Doldrums refers to a part of the ocean near the equator, known by sailors to have light or shifting winds […]
Faithful Writers Toolkit: January 2019
An encouragement boost for Faithful Writers everywhere. Please share with your writing friends. Reading time: less than 2 minutes. January 26, 2019 Faithful Reflection January is the perfect time to begin again, and I reflected on this theme in my recent January Compass Points newsletter to blog readers. What little ideas keep niggling at […]