| words, onomatopoeia, etymology | 6 Oct 2009 |
| The making of words by Ms Rising Star | Comment (0) |
Last night on Twitter, @midnight_writer posed an interesting question:
@ReneeBarber what's your favourite word? Doesn't have to be a word you use. ;)
Anyone who knows me knows that I adore words. They're like little friends with their foibles and personalities. Still, amidst the throng of hopefuls, no single word took hold of my imagination at that particular time.
As I turned on Twitter today, a word softly entered my consciousness: onomatopoeia:
onomatopoeia
onomatopoeic, onomatopoetic /.onuhmatuhpoh'etik/, adjective. onomatopoetically /.onuhmatuhpoh'etiklee/, adverb.
/.onuhmatuh'peeuh/.
noun
- the formation of a name or word by imitating the sound associated with the thing designated, as in mopoke and whippoorwill which probably originated in onomatopoeia.
- a word so formed.
- the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical effect.
[Late Latin, from Greek onomatopoiia the making of words]
Source: Macquarie Dictionary, 4th ed (WordGenius electronic version)
I remember the first time I heard it not as a point in time, but as a lightening of spirit as I haltingly said it based on the pronunciation guide. It's a beautiful word to say ... that reminds me of the Italian language: soft, sweet and lovely to the touch.
As I read the etymology, I knew my mind had served up a winner. You really cannot get much better than a word derived from a word that means 'the making of words'!
Honestly, if the job ever opens up, I'd love to be the universal namer of things. Yeah, that sounds perfect.
SO, that's my favourite word. What's yours?