Logodaedaly
Encyclopedia
Logodaedaly, logodaedalus, logodaedalist and logodaedale are related words to be found in the larger dictionaries of the English language. Their origin dates back to the seventeenth century. They are derived from a combination of the Greek logos
(λογος) meaning "word", and daidalos
(Δαίδαλος) meaning "cunning worker". The two words combine to give λογοδαίδαλος which means a person cunning in the use of words, rather like the modern expression "wordsmith
".
It's not easy to find examples of those words used in earnest, and in modern times they appear to be practically confined to sesquipedalian humour. Perhaps the best modern example is in the poem Defenestration, by R. P. Lister. It relates the thoughts of a philosopher undergoing defenestration
who, as he falls, considers why there should be a word for so obscure an activity when so many other equally obscure activities have no single name. In an evidently ironic commentary on the word that the poem takes as its title, Lister has the philosopher summarize his thoughts with, "I concluded that the incidence of logodaedaly was purely adventitious
."
Logos
' is an important term in philosophy, psychology, rhetoric and religion. Originally a word meaning "a ground", "a plea", "an opinion", "an expectation", "word," "speech," "account," "reason," it became a technical term in philosophy, beginning with Heraclitus ' is an important term in...
(λογος) meaning "word", and daidalos
Daedalus
In Greek mythology, Daedalus was a skillful craftsman and artisan.-Family:...
(Δαίδαλος) meaning "cunning worker". The two words combine to give λογοδαίδαλος which means a person cunning in the use of words, rather like the modern expression "wordsmith
WordSmith
WordSmith Tools is a collection of corpus linguistics tools for looking for patterns in a language. The software was devised by Mike Scott at the University of Liverpool and for versions 1 to 4 was sold by Oxford University Press...
".
It's not easy to find examples of those words used in earnest, and in modern times they appear to be practically confined to sesquipedalian humour. Perhaps the best modern example is in the poem Defenestration, by R. P. Lister. It relates the thoughts of a philosopher undergoing defenestration
Defenestration
Defenestration is the act of throwing someone or something out of a window.The term "defenestration" was coined around the time of an incident in Prague Castle in the year 1618. The word comes from the Latin de- and fenestra...
who, as he falls, considers why there should be a word for so obscure an activity when so many other equally obscure activities have no single name. In an evidently ironic commentary on the word that the poem takes as its title, Lister has the philosopher summarize his thoughts with, "I concluded that the incidence of logodaedaly was purely adventitious
Adventitious
Adventitious has various meanings in various disciplines and in general usage.Adventitious is from the Latin root advenire, meaning "to come or be superadded" and in correct English the meanings tend to have connections to accidental or casual occurrence...
."