Why would the word shade be used to mean ghost? The idea that what’s left behind after one passes is less than a reflection is a powerful one. The ghost is no more than a shadow, what’s left after the light of life is gone. I also think that the word shade as ghost is…
Tag: Halloween
Otherworldly Words: Sanguine
Sanguine is one of those Latin root words that borrows from our old beliefs to create new meaning. The most common meanings these days are to do with having a red complexion, like flushed cheeks or with a “sunny” disposition. The root, of course, comes from blood. Blood was associated with red complexions and a cheerful…
Otherworldly Words: Phantasmagoria
A phantasmagoria is, in many ways, most people’s nightmare and a surrealist’s dream. Just think about the surrealist, eye-ball slicing film Un Chien Andalou. Personally, I think anything horrific or unbelievable is a phantasmagoria. Haunted houses attempt this effect commonplace during the Victorian era with the assistance of magic lanterns. If you find magic lanterns…
Otherworldly Words: Odious
If you find someone odious, he or she might just be from a different political party than you. All kidding aside, odious is about as scornful as it gets. I can just picture someone snarling his or her lip and saying, “You are so odious.” Maybe I can picture…
Otherworldly Words: Noisome
Unlike yesterday’s word, nefarious, noisome, to my ear doesn’t sound anything like its meaning. Despite looking like “noise,” noisome actually derives from the same root as annoy. A skunk uses a noisome odor as its defense mechanism. Many chemicals have a noisome odor. Such odors, or at least our perception of them, are our own…
Otherworldly Words: Nefarious
To my ear, nefarious is one of those words that sounds like what it means. Just saying, “nefarious plans” sounds pretty evil. The sound of the word isn’t the only reason I’m including it, however. The second part of the meaning, iniquitous, says so much about the crux of being “wicked” or “villainous.” The deeper…
Otherworldly Words: Necropolis
A necropolis is a final resting place for the bodies of those who have passed. As I discussed in mausoleum and charnel house, where to place the dead changes across time and culture. Such places hold deep meaning, and some become a pilgrimage. Droves of fans visit the graves of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and other icons. The…
Otherworldly Words: Monstrosity
When you hear monstrosity, do you automatically assume the reference to be negative? “The building is a Modern monstrosity.” In my mind, the term is loaded, not just referring to size or scale, but, in deed, comparing the object to a monster. “Dude, that Triple Bypass Burger is a monstrosity.”
Otherworldly Words: Moldering
In America, many houses are left to molder. Inner city mansions, farm houses, and prairie churches alike meet this sad fate. I find this waste of buildings reprehensible. (Did you know half of all waste in landfills is building materials?) The waste is unwarranted, but what’s…
Otherworldly Words: Mausoleum
Cemeteries across the world hold centerpieces. Many are family or community mausoleums. These repositories for our lost loved ones are part of what make historic cemeteries beautiful, peaceful places of quietude. I think that’s fitting. As we visit the ones we lost, we can escape the hectic pace of our lives, if even for just a…
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