Another Word A Day
Chapter One
Words to Describe
People I
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else."
Like all genuine humor, this waggish remark carries a grain of
truth. There are six billion of us on Earth, and we are all very
different-in our demeanor, diction, and dreams; in our fingerprints,
retinal patterns, and DNA sequences.
Yet no matter which hand we write with, what language we
speak, or what we eat, there is something that binds us together,
whether it is our preference for a life free from fear, our efforts to
make this world better for ourselves and for others, or our appreciation
of the beauty of the soul and our longing for love.
With so many people, so many shared traits, and so many differences,
it's no wonder we have so many words to describe people.
Let's take a look at some of them.
opsimath (OP-si-math)
noun One who begins learning late in life.
From Greek opsi- (late) + math (learning).
"Maybe they just cannot bring themselves to break the news to
our presidential opsimath-after all, a politician can learn only
so much in four years, even one who has had as much to learn
a ... read full excerpt from Another Word A Day: An All-New Romp through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing Words in English ebook
