For self enrichment, I subscribe to a "word of the day" service from Meriam-Webster, the dictionary people. It seldom turns-up a word I have never heard but it does remind me of the correct, as opposed to common, usage often that it’s a worthwhile read.
Today is an exception offering a “new to me” word, but then my linguistic roots in Martian are a nullity.
To "grok" is a wonderful word to explain an ability to expound profoundly on all sorts of topics and issues without the need for extensive research and footnotes (apologies to the academics who have a vested interest in denying the existence of such an ability).
It leads me to proclaim a new mantra-digital age: "I grok, therefore I blog."
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The Word of the Day for February 16 is:
grok \GROCK\ verb
: to understand profoundly and intuitively
Example sentence: No matter how many times I try to explain it, my grandmother just can't grok what a blog is and why anyone would want to read one.
Did you know? "Grok" may be the only English word that derives from Martian. Yes, we do mean the language of the planet Mars. No, we're not getting spacey; we've just ventured into the realm of science fiction. "Grok" was introduced in Robert A. Heinlein's 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land. The book's main character, Valentine Michael Smith, is a Martian-raised human who comes to earth as an adult, bringing with him words from his native tongue and a unique perspective on the strange, strange ways of earthlings. "Grok" was quickly adopted by the youth culture of America and has since peppered the vernacular of those who grok it, from the hippies of the '60s to the computerniks of the '90s.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
Today is an exception offering a “new to me” word, but then my linguistic roots in Martian are a nullity.
To "grok" is a wonderful word to explain an ability to expound profoundly on all sorts of topics and issues without the need for extensive research and footnotes (apologies to the academics who have a vested interest in denying the existence of such an ability).
It leads me to proclaim a new mantra-digital age: "I grok, therefore I blog."
--------------
The Word of the Day for February 16 is:
grok \GROCK\ verb
: to understand profoundly and intuitively
Example sentence: No matter how many times I try to explain it, my grandmother just can't grok what a blog is and why anyone would want to read one.
Did you know? "Grok" may be the only English word that derives from Martian. Yes, we do mean the language of the planet Mars. No, we're not getting spacey; we've just ventured into the realm of science fiction. "Grok" was introduced in Robert A. Heinlein's 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land. The book's main character, Valentine Michael Smith, is a Martian-raised human who comes to earth as an adult, bringing with him words from his native tongue and a unique perspective on the strange, strange ways of earthlings. "Grok" was quickly adopted by the youth culture of America and has since peppered the vernacular of those who grok it, from the hippies of the '60s to the computerniks of the '90s.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
