Saturday, August 13, 2011

Weird Words

Bucolic

I've read this word many times without actually looking up the meaning. When I come across a word I don't know the meaning of, I usually look at the surrounding sentence using that as a clue to what the word means. This doesn't always work.

Now just looking at the word, I would get a totally different meaning -

I mean - just look at it.

B-u-c-o-l-i-c

Colic is at the end - colic is something that makes babies cry - their abdomens rigid and tender. It has something to do with intestines....therefore, just looking at the word Colic, I get the feeling that it isn't a very pleasant thing.

I finally looked it up, because frankly - just seeing it in the sentences that I usually read it in, didn't quite tell me the true meaning so I finally just looked it up...

bu·col·ic
noun /byo oˈkälik/ bucolics, plural
A pastoral poem
adjective /byo oˈkälik/ 
Of or relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life
- the church is lovely for its bucolic setting

As far from my definition as it could possibly get - although not all people find country life pleasant.

Just wanted to share some of the weird language thoughts I sometimes have.

:)

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