“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.” - Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, 1872.
Words are the building blocks of language. Most of us use many. Some, we speak. Some, we write - whether in anger or meant as a joke or muttered while we’re asleep. We throw words around like medicine balls, hoping they’ll “teach someone a thing or two” or we’ll learn something when the balls bounce back.
As a writer, I look up many words a week - quite often, words I already know. Why do that? For the same reason every writer or wannabe writer does - to check the word’s alternate spellings, its translation to or from another language, and its shaded meanings.
To “run” suggests speed, but not distance; to “sprint” suggests a burst of speed, with a distance implied as short. From running and sprinting, the jump to synonyms (related words with the same or shaded meanings) is quick and fun, just as meandering into the thicket of antonyms (words that mean the opposite of “run”) can also be fun.
I bury my nose in a dictionary several times a day, and thank Mr., Ms., and Dr. Dictionary Writers for the work they do.
One of the countless words I don’t know well enough is “metaphysical.” I think it means “abstract,” but then I’d need to look up “abstract” for its precise definition. No point guessing ... I turned to an online dictionary to check.
“Metaphysical”:
(A good start ... )
adjective
- 1.
relating to metaphysics.
“the essentially metaphysical question of the nature of the mind” - 2.of or characteristic of the metaphysical poets.
noun
- 1.Metaphysical; plural noun: Metaphysicals; plural noun: the MetaphysicalsERK!
Now that everyone knows how to define this word, let’s move on to synonyms and antonyms, shall we?
Let’s also find whichever Mr., Ms., or Dr. Lunkhead penned this so-called “definition” and toss the word right back, like a medicine ball.
PS: “Metaphysicality” (the word in my headline) is a made-up word.
© Nicole Parton, 2019
