(1) Epeolatry by a philomath!
(This blog is For Students of IMS Indore, my Past Students, family, friends and colleagues.)
By Pankaj Khanna, Faculty Maths , IMS Indore
9424810575
Blog Post dated 5/9/2022
(For the previous/next blog-posts click on the blog post numbers given below::
(1) Epeolatry by a Philomath
A few students of IMS Indore had requested me around 12th July 2022 to tell and explain them an English word everyday. Accordingly we all began to discuss a word every day afterwards. However it was realised soon that all of the enthusiastic students could not assemble everyday at the same time.
So it was decided to start a whatsapp group explaining a word everyday. Consequently a group was started and daily a word is being discussed in the group as was decided. However as new members are getting added and will continue to be added; the daily discussions that have taken place till date about the words are reproduced below datewise in this blog-post for the benefit of all:
Date: 2/8/2022
Thanks for creating and adding me in the group dear young friends:)
Will try seriously to live upto your expectations.
So far we have discussed following words in our informal discussions with Nishi's gang:
Saggita
Surdus
Nidicolous, Nidifugous
Diepnosophist
Tantalus Cup,
Supercilious
Splenetic etc.
Let us start with a word we all are going to like most in the coming days in our meetings.
It is Epeolatry!
It means worship of Words! The roots of the word are Geek 'epos' meaning word and 'latreia' meaning worship.
You all are requested to find a few words with these two roots. You will find many! Now how to use this word in a sentence!?
Yes, it is difficult to find word Epeolatry in a sentence. Let us all be purveyors of epeolatry in our lives and pass on the joy of epeolatry to all!
Date: 3/8/2022
Today's Word: Eunoia
Meaning: A feeling of being friendly and being helpful. Or just a feeling of goodwill.
Greek Roots: 'Eu' and 'Noos'. Eu means well or good and Noos' means mind. So Eunoia means well mind or healthy mind.
There are a large number of words starting from the root 'eu', for example eulogy, eulogise, euphemism, euphoria, euonym etc.
{Euonym: A name that suits a person or a place or a thing. (For example : 'เคชंเคเค' เคฎเคคเคฒเคฌ เคीเคเคก़ เคฎें เคिเคฒा เคเคฎเคฒ। เคฎเคคเคฒเคฌ เคเคธเคชाเคธ เคी เคंเคฆเคी เคฎें เคिเคฒी เคนुเค เค
เค्เคाเค!!๐๐๐ค)}
Jokes apart, can you find more words starting with the root 'Eu'?
Additional comments:Incidentally, Eunoia is the smallest English word having all five vowels.
There is a healthy feeling of Eunoia among all of us group members.
Paranoia is an antonym of Eunoia. Unfortunately paranoia is better understood by everyone. ( Para= Irregular, Noos= mind)
We can use the word in a sentence in this way also:
Let us all resolve to replace the bad word paranoia with a better word Eunoia to the extent it is possible.
Date: 4/8/2022
Gelotology : the study and science of laughter.
The word is derived from the Greek root gelos (meaning laughter)
( 'Gelos' is Better root than another different Greek root 'geras' for old age such as 'geriatrics'! )
A few words having this root 'Gelos' with short meaning are listed below:
Gelosis: excessive laughter
Gelotherapy: treatment by laughter.
Gelorrhea: continuous laughter.
Gelotica: anything which stimulates laughter.
Agelast: Who does not laugh.
There are many more. Find and discuss:)
5/8/2022
Aliferous and Aligerous.
Both words are made from Latin root Ala ( meaning wings).
The word means having wings.
Use in a sentence: I have a beloved student who takes 'afeem' in the night and becomes aliferous in the morning!
Date: 6/8/2022
เคนिंเคฆी เคฎें เคธोเคฎเคฐเคธ เคे เคฆेเคตเคคा เคธोเคฎเคฆेเคต เคนैं। เคเคฐ เคเคจเคे เค
เคจुเคฏाเคฏिเคฏों เคो เคธोเคฎเคญเค्เคค เคเคนा เคा เคธเคเคคा เคนै।
Who is the God of Wine in English?
God Bacchus.
The negative words Bacchanal and Bacchanalia are derived from Bacchus only.
Harshit, now forget Red Bul; the Teacher has arrived:)
Date: 7/8/2022
Sorry for delay. Was out with friends! I am just elaborating further from the word Petrichor chosen by Sonal Mam.
The Latin root 'petr' means rock or stone. Words like petroleum, petrify, petrology, petrichor, petrogeny, saltpetre etc are all derived from the root petr.
( Having worked in an oil company for 24 years, this root has always been fascinating to me. )
However the word petrinism is not derived from the root petr. Petrinism is derived from the name of Saint Peter.
Petrinism means the theological principles taught by or ascribed to the apostle or Saint Peter just in the beginning of Christian era.
Date: 8/8/2022
Word of the Day: Ataraxia
It means a state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety.
Boys and girls work hard, do physical and mental exercises, open up with each other and reach to a blissful state of Ataraxia full of mental tranquility bereft of anxiety.
Date: 9/8/2022
Word of the day: Copacetic
It means : Quite OK or in excellent Order.
I hope everything is Copacetic at your end especially about CAT preparation.
Date: 10/8/2022
One often faces this Question:How to prepare for Language for CAT?
The answer will be different for different students by different faculty.
In general, to improve English not only for CAT but also professional life ahead; one should read, read and read.
Apart from the above one can also resort to recreational activities like: Solving Crosswords, Wordle, Quordle etc. for improving English in long run.
And most importantly, one should try to be a Librocubicularist.
Librocubicularist is a rather fancy word meaning someone who reads in bed.
I too was a Librocubicularist for a long time, then I got married. Now I am just an anecdotist.๐ค
Date: 11/8/2022
Festivals are much needed breaks to slow down the brains and socialise with friends and family. And this is what we all did today on the occasion of Rakhi :)
The word of the Day is Fika. It is originally a Swedish word which has become a part of English for years. It can be used as a noun or a verb suggesting to slow down and appreciate the little things in life.
Its origin is just the reverse of Coffee( ka fi). Fika is often translated as "a coffee break", which is kind of correct, but really it is much more than that. It is a concept, a state of mind, an attitude to slow down a bit and enjoy life.
Fika is especially important to you all students to relieve stresses. When you go out for small breaks tomorrow onwards; you may wish to say: Let us go for fika.Or you may also say : Let us fika together.
Fika sounds like old Hindi song words เคเคจा เคฎीเคจा เคกीเคा but is much more profound in meaning.
Date: 12/8/2022
Other day Sonal Ma'am used the word Petrichor. Do you all remember it?
There is another similar word which book-livers like to the core and rind of their heart.
It is Vellichor! It is about smell of second hand books and smell of second hand book shops.
If you wish to experience vellichor, go to Khajuri Bazar for Sunday Market of second hand books. Just passing through the road will fill you with a sense of vellichor!
Date: 13/8/2022
For a change let us discuss an idiom today.
We faculty had nothing much to do today so we sat in the Office and chew the fat for hours altogether. The idiom chew the fat means to gossip or indulge in small talk.
Let the holidays be over; we all will also assemble and chew the fat again for a few minutes if not hours!
Date: 14/8/2022
Today went to Ralamandal and then drove to Udaynagar for a long drive amidst verdant fields and forest.
Verdant is an adjective meaning - covered with green plants or grass. Or so to say- abundant in plants,trees and flowers.
It is a simple and fairly common but very nice and powerful word.
When you're over-exhausted from looking at the computer or attending the classes all the week; plan for a short trip or walk through the nearby verdant woods.
Date: 15/8/2022
As expected, the whole day was spent in the country discussing about freedom and enjoying the well earned freedom. There are many nice words related to freedom like liberty, emancipation, riddance, azadi, liberation, release etc.
And then there is this beutiful but lesser used word : Eleutheromania.
It means a strong desire for or an obsession with freedom.
If you experience eleutheromania, you have an obsession or deep desire for freedom.
While most of the 'manias' are somewhat mental disorders; eleutheromania is the most important condition for us to enjoy life!
Date: 16/8/2022
Anyone willing to be a budding nemophilist and agree to go to Ralamandal on coming Saturday preferably by cycle, early in morning around 6:30 am?
Nemophilist is one who is fond of forests or the beauty of forest ; a haunter of the woods.
Date: 17/8/2022
Many Politicians when caught on the wrong foot by the law start to malinger to avoid arrest and prosecution.
To malinger is to feign illness or pretend to be sick. More precisely, Malingering is falsification or profound exaggeration of illness to gain external benefits such as avoiding work or responsibility, seeking leave from School/College/Office etc.
Avoiding to go to Ralamandal is also malingering!๐
Date: 18/8/2022
What is the best strategy to bell the big CAT ? I have heard this question thousands of times. There may be several strategies for different students.
But the best strategy is to open the subject books and start reading them ad seriatim.
Ad seriatim means one after another or in a series.
Try this strategy, it works universally. Believe me!๐
Date: 19/8/2022
Work really hard and please do not worry for the outcome which is not in your control. Que Sera, Sera!
Que Sera, Sera! It is a clichรฉ phrase that suggests that the future is uncertain or out of one's control, meaning in short "whatever will be, will be".
Your worrying will not solve the problems. Hard work may solve the problems!
Anyway listen to this beautiful song sung by Doris Day in 1956: Que Sera, Sera!
https://youtu.be/CcWbZUgymkw
Date: 20/8/2022
Let there be one more idiom today. Keep your shoulder to the wheel.
It is a metaphoric idiom, alluding to pushing a heavy vehicle that has been bogged down!
It simply means work hard, make strenuous efforts. You know what I want to say.๐
Date: 21/8/2022
Date: 22/8/2022
Yesterday I could not post a word as I had gone to Kheoni Wild-life Sanctuary for trekking against a meandering seasonal water fall and returned home a bit late.
The day was spent nicely in the forest. Enjoyed the rains, colours and sound to the contentment of heart. Especially it is the sound which wind makes by blowing the trees in dense forest that attracts me most. And a beautiful word Psithurism describes it all.
Psithurism means sound produced by wind blowing the trees. And this is quite heavenly. Psithurism, the sound of the wind blowing the trees, is quite possibly the most beautiful sound in nature.
Psithurism comes from the Greek word psithuros, which means whispering.
Being an honorary Master-Trainer with MP Forest Department, I get a chance to accompany school going children to the forests.
Would like to take you all too after CAT. Cut off CAT percentile is 90%.๐
Date: 23/8/2022
I have chosen a very common word Obliterate which means to remove all signs of something by destroying or covering it completely.
The interesting part of the word is its greek root liter which means letter. Other forms of the same root are : lit, litera, letter, liter etc.
Ob means against. And obliterate means to efface the letters; as obliterate a name.
Try to find many more words from the same root. I am writing down a few: Literal, litany, literacy, literalism, transliteration,alliterate, alliteration, literary, literature , literatist etc. Refer to the dictionary for more words.
Date: 24/8/2022
I have mentioned it earlier also that one should cultivate a habit of solving crossword and other puzzles like Wordle/Quordle etc, for long term objectives.
A person who loves to construct or solve Crossword Puzzles is known as cruciverbalist. Now even persons who love to solve Wordle/Quordle are also being referred to as cruciverbalist.
This word is made from the roots 'cruci' meaning cross and and the root 'verb'.
Now how many words can you make from this root 'cruci' ?
A few examples: Crusade, crucible, crucial, crucify, crucifix, crux, excruciating, and many more! Try to find a few at least.
Yes all these words are made from the 'holy' cross.
Date: 25/8/2022
CAT is not only about training on three sections. It is much more that. An important quality one should have or try to adapt is to be cool- headed during the test. This is a fact which hardly can be taught in classes.
You have to show great sang-froid in dealing with the exam. Sang-froid means the ability to stay calm in a difficult or dangerous situation; maintaining your composure.
I am sure you all will retain your sangfroid during all the forthcoming exams.
Now coming to the root of the word: sangui which means blood. Related words:
Sanguine: Red.Ardent. Confident.Blood like.
Sanguinary: bloodthirsty
Consanguinity: Blood-relationship
Sanguisugent: Bloodsucking.
( I had a very dear but sanguisugent student who is now a top level Faculty. I would not name him because I am so tactful!๐)
There are many more words:
Sanguify , sanguinolent, sanguinaceous, sanguinaria etc. See the dictionary to know their exact meanings.
Date: 26/8/2022
Word of the day : *Carambola*
For a change I have chosen a name of a fruit which is very dear to me for a variety of reasons. Carambola is also known as Star fruit. It is known as เคเคฎเคฐเค in Hindi.
While going home I saw it on a cart today and purchased immediately. I am also attaching two photographs. You can Marvel at its perfect pentagonal shape. Star fruit is not available widely these days. But still can be found in certain pockets during this month.
Its yellowish, greenish colour, and sour-sweet taste appeal to me since childhood.
But the best property it displays is the 'pentacle shape'. A pentacle or pentalpha is a five pointed star. It is made by joining vertices of a regular pentagon.
Can you find area of a pentacle which is constructed in a regalar pentagaon having a side equal to one unit?
Date: 27/8/2022
Date: 28/8/2022
We will discuss idioms on Saturdays/ Sundays and words on remaining days, now onwards.
Idioms add a lot of colour to language. At times their impact is far more greater than even the most powerful words.
As CAT is nearing, about 1/3rd of the students have already begun to throw up the sponge; making your competition a bit easy. While they may not attend classes they will appear in CAT. It will certainly improve your percentile!
This idiom throw up/in the sponge ( or other variants like throw up or throw in the towel) means you admit defeat and decide to give up what you have been doing. When you throw in the sponge , you realise that you will not succeed in what you are attempting to do.
This idiom is mostly used in informal situations and has originated from the world of boxing. In the past, trainers used a sponge to wipe the sweat off a boxer’s face and body. If during a bout, a manager found that his boxer was taking too much of a beating, he ended the fight by throwing the sponge or towel into the ring. This act was a signal to the referee that the manager was conceding!
Life is cruel at times! Still, fight and keep punching throughout all the bouts! We are not going to throw in the sponge ever! Right!?
Date: 29/8/2022
We have discussed two mathematical words earlier: Surdus and Saggita.
Word of the day is also a mathematical one. It is apothem.
Apothem is a line from the centre of a regular polygon, perpendicular to any of its sides. Can you find out Apothem for a regular Pentagaon and a regular Octagon having measures of sides as one ? For the purpose of understanding, we can regard Apothem as Inradius of a regular Polygon.
(Not to be confused with its homonym apothegm which means a concise saying or maxim; an aphorism. Apothegm is a short clever saying that is intended to express a general truth.)
Example of Apothegm as given by Tolstoy: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
Date: 30/8/2022
It is neither necessary nor possible to be a pantomath in one life. However , if you are philomath, you can try to be a polymath too.
A pantomath is a person who wants to know or knows everything. Clearly such persons who know all, don't exist. But there are plenty who would project themselves as Pantomath!
A polymath is a person of wide knowledge or learning. We all should strive to be a polymath.
A philomath is a lover of learning, a scholar loving all subjects including mathematics.
If you become a philomath, CAT will not be a big hurdle to you!
There are several roots in the above words. Identify them and find a few words made from these roots.
Date: 31/8/2022
There are several exotic restaurants/cafe within 1 to 1.5 km radius of NM Tower. A few of them are having even more exotic names though a bit misnomer.
First is Mocha near Malwa Mill Square. Mocha is a drink formed by combining chocolate and Coffee and is pronounced as เคฎौเคा. This joint is frequented by youngsters who are less interested in Mocha and more interested in Hindi wala เคฎौเคा!
The second joint that comes to my mind is Tea Diairies in Race Course Area.
Tea Diaries means Tea Memoirs. And to tea lovers, that means everything. It's much more than a daily beverage; it's a record of life, so to say.
However this place is also visited by young boys and and girls who are just not interested in finer aspects of tea but are more interested in each other; quite naturally!
And the third one is Mama Loca in New Palasia Area, quite near to Our NM Tower. Mama Loca means Crazy Mom. And what a crazy name! But again a misnomer perhaps.
Whenever you walk around, see such names and find their meanings in a Dictionary. You will derive immense intellectual satisfaction in knowing a few words this way.
1/9/2022
Today is the turn of a word I like very much for ages. The word is impetus which means something that encourages something else to happen. Its close synonyms are : Catalyst, impulse,incentive, stimulant etc.
Impetus comes from the Latin verb impetere, meaning "to attack," which is a combination of the prefix in-, meaning "toward," with petere, meaning "to go to" or "to seek." Hence, impetus describes the kind of force that encourages an action or the momentum of an action already begun.
Thank you all bachha logon led by Deepti _Devi_ ; your enthusiasm for 'word a day' has provided impetus to my long pending desire to start writing again on language too. I have compiled all the words written here in the group into a blog which I will publish in a day or two for the benefit of all.
Hope all these small one-sided chats provide impetus to your CAT preparation.
2/9/2022
Friday fit for fun and frolic! Let us discuss about Anagrams. An anagram is a word or phrase that is made by arranging the letters of another word or phrase in a different order for example ‘Married’ is an anagram of ‘Admirer’ or 'throw' is an anagram of 'worth'.
There are some interesting anagrams which are almost synonyms to the original words. Listing below a few of them:
Angered = enraged.
Apple Macintosh = laptop machines.
Astronomer = moon starer
Dictionary = indicatory.
Dormitory = dirty room.
Editor = redo it.
Eleven plus two = twelve plus one.
adulatory = laudatory
Mother-in-law= Hitler Woman
Debit Card= Bad Credit.
Now some mathematical or educational anagrams:
Subelongated=obtuse-angled
A Decimal Point= I am a Dot in Place.
School master= The classroom.
What are antigrams? Antigrams are the anagrams which mean almost the opposite of the original word. A few examples:
Festival ~Evil fast
Funeral~ Real fun
Astronomers~No more stars
Santa~Satan.
United ~Untied.
Forty five ~ Over fifty.
Militarism ~ I limit arms.
Saintliness~Entails sins.
The Oscar Nominations ~ It's not a cinema honor.
And now what are pairagrams!?
Pairagrams or transposed couplets are single word anagrams that are placed together to create a short meaningful phrase. For example:
Best bets.
Float aloft.
Outer route.
Direct credit.
Demo mode.
Latent talent.
Lovely volley.
Actors co-star.
Oriental relation.
Ruthless hustlers.
Versatile relatives.
Nameless salesmen.
Continued unnoticed.
More about many more Anagrams some other Friday.๐
3/9/2022
Kick the bucket
The above idiom means: to die. It is quite OK to say that an old man kicked the bucket instead of plainly saying an old man died.
Its origin is quite unusual and a bit gruesome. During the 16th century, butchers would slaughter animals by hanging them on a wooden beam, which was called a “bucket” at that time. When the animals were killed, many of them would have a sudden convulsion, causing them to kick violently into the “bucket.” So it was used first for the animals who kicked the bucket just before dying.
Now it is used commonly and only for humans.
The phrase bucket list also originated from this idiom.
Bucket list means a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during a lifetime.
Before kicking the bucket; guiding your grand-children for CAT is the first item in my bucket list.๐
4/9/2022
Have you ever heard about Catch 22 Situation? This idiom Catch 22 Situation has been used extensively by writers and journalists in last sixty years.
A catch-22 is a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations. The term was coined by Joseph Heller, who used it in his 1961 novel 'Catch-22'.
It means a situation in which one cannot win. Catch 22 Situation is an unreasonable, irrational, or meaningless situation. In single word it means: dilemma; quandary or predicament.
They say employees need experience to get a job...
How can freshers get any experience until they get a job that gives them experience!?๐
So this is a 'Catch 22 situation' for freshers.
I too face Catch 22 Situation in some classes sometimes: To cover more points which are necessary from CAT point of view or leave such points so as to avoid scaring the less prepared but innocent students!
I read this book 'Catch 22' by Joseph Heller in 1983 immediately after completion of my engineering. I have read this book five more times since then. This is the best satire on Military/ Government that I have ever read! You too find time after CAT to read this fabulous book, my all time favourite.
For a change, I am giving you small home work. Find sum of all factors of 220. Exclude 220 from the result. You will get a number abc. Now find sum of all factors of abc excluding the number abc.
We will discuss language part of the above question tomorrow. No Catch 22 in this exercise!
Pankaj Khanna
Indore (9424810575)
B.E. (Mech.) SGSITS Indore 1983 Batch
-Worked with HPCL from 1984 to 2007 as Mgr.
-Faculty Maths/DI-LR - T.I.M.E. Indore 2007-20
-Faculty Maths/DI-LR -IMS Indore 2022 Onwards.
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List of Articles of 'Epeolatry':
You may also wish to see my blog : Love thy Numbers. It may be helpful for CAT Preparation in Quant Section to the Serious Students who are willing to accept additional inputs.
(เคเคฐ เค
เคเคฐ เคเคช 'เคญเคตिเคท्เคฏ เคी เคญाเคทा เคนिंเคฆी' เคฎें เคตเคฐ्เคคเคฎाเคจ เคฎें เคुเค เค
เค्เคा, เคนเคฒ्เคा-เคซुเคฒ्เคा เคนाเคธ, เคชเคฐिเคนाเคธ เคเคฐ เคเคคिเคนाเคธ เคชเคข़เคจा เคाเคนเคคे เคนैं เคคो เคเคช เคคเคตा เคธंเคीเคค เคे เคเคฒेเค เคญी เคชเคข़ เคธเคเคคे เคนैं। เคฏे เคนिंเคฆी เคตाเคฒा เคฌ्เคฒॉเค CAT เคฎें เคुเค เคाเคฎ เคจเคนीं เคเคเคा เคชเคฐ เคฎเคा เค เคธเคเคคा เคนै:)
