Message-ID: <22142301.1075858928560.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2001 21:02:40 -0700 (PDT) From: wsmith@wordsmith.org To: linguaphile@wordsmith.org Subject: A.Word.A.Day--obsequy Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-From: Wordsmith @ENRON X-To: linguaphile@wordsmith.org X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \SSCOTT5 (Non-Privileged)\Scott, Susan M.\Wordsmith X-Origin: Scott-S X-FileName: SSCOTT5 (Non-Privileged).pst obsequy (OB-se-kwee) noun A funeral rite or ceremony. [Middle English obsequie, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin obsequiae, alteration (influenced by Latin exsequiae, funeral rites) of Latin obsequia, plural of obsequium, compliance.] "When (Anthony) Powell died, in March of last year, at the age of ninety-four, the New York Times Book Review devoted a Bookend column to the obsequy." Christopher Hitchens, An Omnivorous Curiosity, The Atlantic Monthly (Boston) Jun 2001. This week's theme: red-herring words. ............................................................................ All zoos actually offer the public, in return for the taxes spent upon them, is a form of idle witless amusement, compared to which a visit to the state penitentiary, or even a state legislature in session, is informing, stimulating and ennobling. -H.L. Mencken, writer, editor, and critic (1880-1956) Looking for a word or quotation previously featured in AWAD? They are all archived at http://wordsmith.org/awad/archives.html . For the theme list, see http://wordsmith.org/awad/themes.html . Alphabetical listing of the words is available at http://wordsmith.org/awad/wordlist.html Pronunciation: http://wordsmith.org/words/obsequy.wav http://wordsmith.org/words/obsequy.ram