The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (7 page)

ante diem (antee deeem) LATIN
[before the day] adverb phrase before
the day appointed; early. adjective
phrase of or relating to something done
before the time appointed. 'abbreviated form A.D.

ante meridiem (antee marideeam)
LATIN [before noon] adjective phrase

before noon, in the morning, between
midnight and midday. 'abbreviated
form A.M.

ante mortem (antee mortam), antemortem LATIN [before death] adjective
phrase before death, preceding death.

antenna (antena) LATIN [sail yard,
from Greek keraioi horns] noun (plural antennae, antenee, antenl) one
of a pair of appendages (or feelers)
on the heads of crustaceans, insects,
and other creatures; can also refer to
a radio or television aerial or, more
generally, to any special sensitivity or
receptiveness: "With a frightful qualm,
I turned, and I saw that I had grasped the
antenna of another monster crab that stood
just behind me." (H. G. Wells, The Time
Machine, 1895).

ante partum (antee phrtam) antepartum LATIN [before birth] adjective
phrase before childbirth.

ante rem (antee rem) LATIN [before
the thing] adverb phrase (in philosophy) existing previously to something else. 'adjective phrase already
existing.

anthrax (anthraks) GREEK [coal or
carbuncle] noun a deadly bacterial
disease that affects mainly sheep and
cattle, but can also be transmitted to
humans: "The troops are being vaccinated
against anthrax, in case of a biological
attack."

anti (antee) GREEK [against] preposition opposed to, against: "Many parents
are anti smoking considering the grave
risks to their children's health." -noun a
person who is opposed to someone or
something.

anti- (antee) GREEK [against] prefix
against, opposing, e.g. antiwar; also
counteracting, preventing, e.g., antibacterial.

antipasto (anteeasto) ITALIAN
[before food] noun (plural antipasti,
anteepastee) an appetizer or dish
of hors d'oeuvres in the Italian style,
often served as the first course of a
meal: "The meal began with an antipasto
of mixed home-cured salami, cheeses, and
raw vegetables."

antipodes (antipadeez), Antipodes
GREEK [antipous having the feet
opposite] noun the opposite side
of the earth and the peoples who live
there (often taken to refer to Australasia and its inhabitants): "...he,
coming up from the antipodes rather
unsteadily, after an apparently violent
journey, proved to be Mr Wopsle in a
high-crowned hat, with a necromantic
work in one volume under his arm"
(Charles Dickens, Great Expectations,
1860-61).

antithesis (antithasas) GREEK [opposition, antitithenai to oppose] noun
(plural antitheses, antithaseez) a
counter-thesis, a contrast of ideas, the opposite of something: So far from
being a Bishop Blougram (as the rumour
went) he was, in fact, the very antithesis of
that subtle and worldly-wise ecclesiastic"
(Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians,
1918).

A.U.C. See APPELLATION CONTROLEE.

a outrance (a ootrons), a l'outrance
FRENCH [to excess] adverb phrase to
the limit, to the utmost, to death,
unsparingly: "She persecuted her former
husband d outrance."

apartheid (aptit, apahrtayt) AFRIKAANS [apartness, from Dutch apart
apart and heid hood] noun a policy
of racial segregation (usually referring specifically to the policy of the
former government of South Africa):
"The discredited policy of apartheid has
left a bitter legacy among its victims."
'adjective of or relating to a policy of
racial segregation.

apercu (aparsoo, aparsee) FRENCH
[a-glimpse, past participle of apercevoir
to perceive] noun a brief summary,
sketch, or outline, or an immediate
impression or understanding of something.

aperitif (aperateef), aperitif FRENCH
[aperient, ultimately from Latin apertus open] noun an alcoholic drink
consumed as an appetizer: "The guests
were offered an aperitif on the terrace
before coming inside for the main meal."

apex (ypeks) LATIN [extremity, summit] noun (plural apexes or apices,
ipaseez) the peak, summit, or culmination of something: At sound of
this, the cry of Life plunging down from
Life's apex in the grip of Death, the full
pack at Buck's heels raised a hell's chorus
of delight" (Jack London, Call of the
Wild, 1903).

apfelstrudel (apfalstroodal) GERMAN
[apple whirlpool] noun a dessert
comprising flaky pastry with an apple
filling: "She paled a little at the suggestion
that a plateful of apfelstrudel would not
interfere with her diet."

aphasia (affzha) GREEK [aphatos
speechless] noun loss or impairment
of the power to understand written
or spoken language (through psychological trauma or damage to the
brain).

aphrodisiac (afradeezeeak) GREEK
[aphrodisia sexual pleasures, neuter
plural of aphrodisios of Aphrodite]
noun a food, drug, perfume, lotion,
or anything else that is reputed to
arouse sexual desire: "This question of
the Censorship reminds me that I have to
apologize to those who went to the recent
performance of Mrs Warren's Profession
expecting to find it what I have just called
an aphrodisiac" (George Bernard Shaw,
Mrs Warren's Profession, "The Author's
Apology," 1898). 'adjective of or relating to something that is reputed to
arouse sexual desire.

a pied (a peey) FRENCH [by foot]
adverb phrase walking, on foot: "Because
the horses are exhausted we shall have to
proceed a pied."

aplomb (alpom) FRENCH [perpendicularity, from d plomb according to
the plummet] noun poise, self-assurance, self-confidence: Jude Fawley, with
the self-conceit, effrontery, and aplomb of
a strong-brained fellow in liquor, threw
in his remarks somewhat peremptorily..."
(Thomas Hardy, Jude the Obscure,
1895).

apnea (apneea), apnoea GREEK [analekta things gathered up, from ana up
and legein to gather] noun a temporary
cessation of breathing during sleep: "It
can be frightening for parents if their baby
stops breathing because of sleep apnea."

apocrypha (aokrafa), Apocrypha GREEK [things hidden away, from
apokryphos obscure, from apokryptein
to hide] noun writings or statements
of uncertain authorship or doubtful
authenticity (often referring specificall), to the collection of Jewish writings from the period between about
300 B.C. and A.D. 100). Certain books
that were included in early Latin and
Greek versions of the Scriptures were
excluded from the Hebrew Scriptures.
The Roman Catholic Church confirmed
the acceptance of most of the books as
part of the Scriptures. The Protestant
view is that the books of the Apocrypha
should be read "for example of life and instruction of manners" rather than to
establish doctrine.

apogee (apajee), apogee FRENCH
[from the earth, from Greek apogaion,
neuter of apogaois far from the earth]
noun the highest point, peak, or
culmination of something; can also
refer to the most distant point in the
orbit of an object around the earth:
"Seek ye Bombast Paracelsus, / Read what
Flood the Seeker tells us / Of the Dominant that runs / Through the cycles of the
Suns / Read my story last and see /
Luna at her apogee." (Rud),ard Kipling,
"Consequences," 1886).

a point (a wan) FRENCH [to the
point] adverb phrase to the point, just
enough.

apologia (apalojeea) GREEK [a speech
in defense] noun (plural apologias or
apologiae, apalojeel) a written apology or defense of a position, opinion,
or action: "The bishop published an apologia in defense of his decision."

a posteriori (ah postareeoree, ay
postareeoree) LATIN [from the latter]
adjective phrase inductive, empirical, based on observed facts. -adverb
phrase empirically, inductively.

apostrophe' (aostrafee) GREEK
[from apostrophes turning away] noun a
punctuation mark (') used to indicate
possession, e.g., Jack's car, or omission
of one or more letters, e.g., haven't.

apostrophe2 (apostrafee) GREEK [from
apo from and strophe turning] noun
(in rhetoric) a passage in a speech or
poem that is addressed to a person or
object, as a digression.

apotheosis (apotheeosas) GREEK[deification, from apotheoun to deify] noun
(plural apotheoses, apotheeoseez)
the quintessence of something, the
perfect model or ideal; in its original
sense can refer to the deification of
a human being: "She disappeared in a
kind of sulphurous apotheosis, and when a
few years later Medora again came back to
New York, subdued, impoverished, mourning a third husband, and in quest of a still
smaller house, people wondered that her
rich niece had not been able to do something for her." (Edith Wharton, The Age
of Innocence, 1920).

app. See APPENDIX.

apparatchik (aparatchik) RUSSIAN
[agent of the bureaucracy, from
apparat political machine] noun (plural apparatchiks or apparatchiki,
aparatchikee) a person who blindly
obeys the demands of his or her
superiors, usually within a party
political context (often referring to
the Communist establishment of the
former Soviet Union): "The president
appeared briefly, surrounded by apparatchiks."

apparatus criticus (aparatas kritakas)
LATIN [critical equipment] noun phrase (plural apparatus critici, aparatas
kritasz) additional material in a document offering variant readings and
versions of a text or critical comment
upon it.

appassionato (5pasi5nahto) ITALIAN
[impassioned] adjective (in music)
with passion or feeling.

appellation controlee (apalayshan kontrolay) FRENCH [controlled designation] noun phrase controlled name,
a guarantee on French wine bottles
(or food) confirming that the wine
originates from a particular region
and has been made in accordance with
that region's standards of production.
'abbreviated form A.O.C.

appendix (a~endiks) LATIN [addition, supplement, from appendere to
weigh] noun (plural appendixes or
appendices, a endaseez) an appendage or supplement, usually referring
to additional material attached to the
end of a book or other piece of writing: "This testimony, so long as I live,
and so long as my descendants have any
legal right in my books, I shall cause to
be republished, as an appendix to every
copy of those two books of mine in which
I have referred to America" (Charles
Dickens, American Notes, 1842). In
anatomy, the vermiform appendix
is a wormlike tube, closed at the
end, that extends from the cecum of
the large intestine. 'abbreviated form
app., appx., apx.

applique (apleeka~) FRENCH [applied,
past participle of appliquer to put
on, ultimately from Latin applicare to
apply] noun an artistic or decorative
technique in which cut-out patches
of cloth or paper are attached to a
larger piece of material: "My aunt
made a beautiful appliqued quilt for the
new baby." 'verb to decorate material
in such a way.

appoggiatura (apojatoora) ITALIAN
[from appoggiare to lean on] noun (plural appoggiaturas or appoggiature,
apojatooray) (in music) a grace note
that precedes and delays a main note,
taking one half to two thirds of its
time value.

appx See APPENDIX.

apres (apray) FRENCH [after] preposition after, following.

apres moi le deluge (apray mwah
la deloozh, apray mwah la deli)
FRENCH [after me the deluge] adverb
phrase when we have gone, disaster
will follow; used to indicate that the
existing order of things is unlikely to
last after one's own period of influence: "Apres moi le deluge,' murmured
the president as he surveyed the massed
ranks of his opponents." The less common variant apres nous le deluge
(apray noo la delooj) is attributed to
Madame de Pompadour (1721-64),
predicting the fall of France against
the Prussians in 1757.

apres-ski (apray skee) FRENCH [after
skiing] noun a time of relaxation
and social activity after a day's skiing. adjective of or relating to social
activity after a day's skiing: "Many
people seem to go up into the mountains
just for the apres-ski fun and games."

a priori (a), preeoree, ah prioree)
LATIN [from the former] adjective phrase
deductive, presumptive, derived by
reasoning, rather than being based on
actual observed facts: "The most plausible
instances of a priori concepts are the formal
concepts of logic" (The Fontana Dictionary
of Modern Thought). 'adverb phrase intuitively, presumptively, deductively.

apropos (aprap0) FRENCH [h propos
to the purpose] adverb opportunely,
pertinently, seasonably, incidentally,
by the way. '"adjective relevant, pertinent, opportune, appropriate. 'preposition apropos concerning, regarding,
with respect to: "You shall go there one
day, and find them blundering through
half the nautical terms inYoung's Dictionary, apropos of the Nancy' having run
down the `Sarah Jane,' or Mr Peggotty and
the Yarmouth boatmen having put off in
a gale of wind with an anchor and cable
to the `Nelson' Indiaman in distress..."
(Charles Dickens, David Copperfield,
1849-50).

apx. See APPENDIX.

aqua (&w5) LATIN [water] noun (plural aquae, akwi, akwee) water; also

a light bluish-green color: "He drives a
pale aqua sports car."

aqua fortis (akwa fortis), aquafortis
LATIN [strong water] noun phrase nitric acid: "The dissolving of silver in
aqua fortis, and gold in aqua regia, and
not vice versa, would be then perhaps no
more difficult to know than it is to a
smith to understand why the turning
of one key will open a lock, and not
the turning of another." (John Locke,
Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1690).

aqua regia (akwa reja) LATIN [royal
water] noun phrase (plural aquae
regiae, akwi rejeel) a concentrated
mixture of nitric and hydrochloric
acid used to dissolve gold, platinum,
and other metals.

aquarium (5kwaireehm) LATIN
[aquarius pertaining to water] noun
(plural aquariums or aquaria,
akwaireea) a water-filled tank, pond,
or other container for keeping live
fish, plants, and other aquatic life; can
also refer to a place where a collection
of such aquatic plants and animals are
kept: "The aquarium has been restocked
with a dozen or so exotic fish of various
sizes."