Showing posts with label aposiopesis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aposiopesis. Show all posts

Monday, December 10, 2007

Tmesis? Aposiopesis? WHAT?

So what exactly is this word which merited to be the title of this "cool" blog? And why did I put aposiopesis in the title of the post? Don't worry - all your questions are about to be answered.

tme·sis /təˈmisɪs/ - noun
the interpolation of one or more words between the parts of a compound word, as be thou ware for beware. [Origin: 1580–90; <>tmésis <>tmésis a cutting, equiv. to tmé- (var. s. of témnein to cut) + -sis -sis]

Or perhaps more applicable to the modern day: abso-[explitive of choice, usually beginning with the letter "f," although "bloody" seems to be popular in the UK these days]-lutely!

A note on the origin - the Greek root témnein, meaning "to cut," is present is many words in English, including:
-ectomy [ek "out" + tomy]
epitome [epi "into" + tome]
dichotomy [dicha "in two" + tomia]
diatom [dia "through" + tom]
anatomy [ana "up" + tomy]
entomology [entomos < size="5">ap·o·si·o·pe·sis [ap-uh-sahy-uh-pee-sis] –noun
a sudden breaking off in the midst of a sentence, as if from inability or unwillingness to proceed.
[Origin: 1570–80; <>aposiōpé- (verbid s. of aposiōpáein to be fully silent; apo- apo- + siōpáein to be silent) + -sis -sis]


So now with out newfound knowledge, let's see if we can put two and two together into a coherent sentence:
"Wrap it quickly! It a sur-friggin-prise for - oh."

That was fun...?