1. – My first word this time, was discovered over at the blog of Mary @ Bookfan. Mary was sharing her regular Sunday post and the new books to arrive in her mailbox this week.
MEROVINGIANS
Caught between Rome’s tottering empire and Attila’s threat are the Frankish tribes and their ‘Long-Hair’ chiefs, northern pagans in a Roman Christian world, and a people history will call the Merovingians.
The MEROVINGIANS were a Salian Frankish dynasty that ruled the Franks for nearly 300 years in a region known as Francia in Latin, beginning in the middle of the 5th century. Their territory largely corresponded to ancient Gaul as well as the Roman provinces of Raetia, Germania Superior and the southern part of Germania. The Merovingian dynasty was founded by Childeric I (c. 457 – 481), the son of Merovech, leader of the Salian Franks, but it was his famous son Clovis I (481–511) who united all of Gaul under Merovingian rule.
Merovingian comes from medieval Latin Merovingi or Merohingi (“sons of Merovech”), an alteration of an unattested Old Dutch form. The Merovingian ruling family were sometimes referred to as the “long-haired kings” by contemporaries, as their long hair distinguished them among the Franks, who commonly cut their hair short.
.
…
.
2. – The next couple of words come from a book I read some time ago, but I have so far not had the opportunity to slip them into a WWW post..
OPISTHOTONOS
He’d have staggered about the place, crashing into furniture, his back arching into the agony of opisthotonos before he hit the ground …
OPISTHOTONOS –
A condition of spasm of the muscles of the back, causing the head and lower limbs to bend backward and the trunk to arch forward.
.
…
.
3. – Also from ‘The Devil’s Ribbon’ …
DIENER
Hatton’s chief diener, Albert Roumande, was on the far side of the mortuary, a question in his eye …
DIENER –
A laboratory helper especially in a medical school.
A morgue worker responsible for handling, moving, and cleaning the corpse (though, at some institutions dieners perform the entire dissection at autopsy). Dieners are also referred to as morgue attendants, autopsy technicians, and other titles that can vary from region to region.
.
…
.
4. – And finally, this one is just for fun, but nonetheless, is still a new to me word and one which the originators obviously take pretty seriously!
I discovered it over at the blog of ‘Pen And Paper’, where author Tracy hosts a weekly ‘Media Matters’ post, where she highlights some of the quirkier news stories she has uncovered.
Click on the link in the word above to read the full article.
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has finally been recognised as a religion in The Netherlands. Two days ago, pastafarians were told by the country’s Chamber of Commerce that they would be granted official status. They had been trying for several years.
PASTAFARIANS –
The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is the deity of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Pastafarianism, a movement that promotes a light-hearted view of religion and opposes the teaching of intelligent design and creationism in public schools. Although adherents state that Pastafarianism is a genuine religion, it is generally recognized by the media as a parody religion.
.
…
… Is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we have encountered in our reading. It is hosted by Kathy, over at ‘BermudaOnion’s Weblog’.You can either stop by and leave a link to your own ‘mystery’ words of the week, or just browse the eclectic mix of words that others have discovered, there is always a great selection.
Don’t forget that Kathy and the rest of us, all love to read your comments as well, so that we can visit and share your words of the week!
…