Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion

I just found out that "highfalutin" is a real word!
Below is a reference link: ====>
http://www.onelook.com/?w=HIGHFALUTIN...

Merriam-Webster says:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Etymology: perhaps from high + alteration of fluting, present participle of flute
Date: 1839
1 : pretentious, fancy
2 : expressed in or marked by the use of high-flown bombastic language : pompous
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Example:
"Despite a tendency toward highfalutin language..."
-From Booklist review of _The Paradox of Choice_ at amazon.com.

I've always wondered why the word "excerpt" has a "p" before a "t".
Today I finally decided to look it up. Below is what I found:

excerpt - from Latin: "excerptus" (past participle of excerpere, to pluck out)
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?t...
I should have known we could blame it on Latin! :)

NOTE: The only other familiar word I know which has a "p" before "t" is "eucalyptus".
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?s...
We can blame that word on Greek! :)

"Except"

Jim wrote: ""Except""

LOL - The obvious often eludes us. :)
There's also: percept, preempt, prompt, abrupt, adapt, adept, adopt, et al.

I did a search just now for "words that match the pattern" (wildcard search) and found a long list at the following link:
http://www.onelook.com/?w=*pt&loc...

More about "wild card patterns" can be seen at:
http://www.onelook.com/?c=faq#patterns
See #5: "How do wildcard patterns work?"

Does onelook.com have a home page for finding wildcard patterns?
The only way I can find a page for searching wild card patterns is at rhymezone.com.
See the following page as an example:
http://www.rhymezone.com/r/rhyme.cgi?...
Then scroll down and see:
"Want more ideas? Try searching OneLook.com for words ending with *ept".

OR see: "Match these letters" in the drop-down box.

Jim, I guess you know all that, but perhaps there are folks like me to whom it's a big discovery! LOL

I must admit to never wondering why a word had 'pt' in it. I got very frustrated about spelling in school & was quite rude to teachers when they'd tell me a new rule due to the number of exceptions that invariably followed. About the only one I ever really believed was that 'q' was always followed by 'u'. After that, all bets were off.

Qiana
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qiana
http://www.onelook.com/?w=qiana&ls=a

Qatar
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A010790...

Proper names don't count, Joy! Are you trying to frustrate me to death?!!!
;-)

For lots of word origins, there is a site I have bookmarked "Online Etymology Dictionary". Fun to browse.

Or just type "word origins" in your browser and several sites will appear.

Another neat things is how languarges change. If I tell my young great-niece her dress was "awful" she would be said; if I told her it was "awesome" she'd be glad. Yet both originally meant the same thing "creating awe"! But graduallly "awful" got a negative connotation,

Jim wrote: "Proper names don't count, Joy! Are you trying to frustrate me to death?!!!
;-)"

I KNEW you were going to say that. LOL

Mary JL wrote: "For lots of word origins, there is a site I have bookmarked "Online Etymology Dictionary". Fun to browse.
Or just type "word origins" in your browser and several sites will appear."

I usually go to onelook.com. "Online Etymology" is usually on the list of hits. Thanks for the tip about putting "word origins" in the browser.

Mary JL wrote: "Another neat things is how languarges change. ... Yet both originally meant the same thing "creating awe"! But graduallly "awful" got a negative connotation,"

Mary, that's interesting! I didn't realize that.