Words have meaning and depth. Without words, we would have a different time communicating. Notice. I said “different”, not “difficult”. Different only because I think we would always find a way to communicate with other tools, but words easily make this job simplistic… Right?
Well. Before you agree to this thought, think about the complexity of words, nuances, and their meanings! We read, speak, listen to and imagine what the words tell us, and then do with the information whatever we choose! We can misunderstand the use of a word or maybe use the wrong word at the wrong time.
For decades I’ve focused on learning keywords for the things I’m connected to in daily life. Words and phrases that help me accomplish tasks with more focus, or remember the steps it takes to finish a task.
Mnemotechnic memory tools help me remember lists of things. Remember the musical score? F-A-C-E are the blanks between the lines, while the lines are Every-Good-Boy-Does-Fine. Do you remember using your knuckles and the spaces between the fingers to remember which months have 31 days? And surely, we all remember Keyboard Shortcuts making our online tasks easier and faster?!
In the early 80s, I took a management class
to help me learn skills for supervising projects and people.
The teacher was a fresh graduate from college,
and he taught us a technique on the very first night of class
to remember everything and everybody.
Essentially, we turned everything into a mnemonic
and recited the knowledge from the remembered keyword.
By the end of the first night of class,
we had each memorized all 40 students’ names
and something special about each of them,
and even to the end of 16 weeks of school,
I could still remember all their names.
New Words to Me
Every so often, a word pops on my horizon, and I relate it to what I know about it, how I’ve used it, and where others have placed it in their writings. I remember special words from where I first encountered them!
Just recently, someone wrote about the word “extravagant.” Now, if I did not have words to explain it, I would need several dictionaries to point me down the road of understanding, and I may have pronounced it incorrectly, as in “extra-” “-vagant”! What I always thought of when using the word was a description “lavish, or lavishly” as in an overabundance of stuff to make something look “over the top.” Well, essentially extravagant means “lacking restraint.” We’ve known parents who are extravagant with their gifts to their children, bosses who give bountifully to their workers, and neighbors who know how to give without restraint to those living around them.
Etymology studies words’ history, including the origins and languages words, come from. Essentially, “The word etymology derives from the Greek word ἐτυμολογία (etumología), itself from ἔτυμον (étumon), meaning “true sense,” and the suffix -logia, denoting “the study of.” [Source]
Etymology is the study of the “true sense” of a word from the original use, the language(s) it comes from, and tracks how it’s been modified over time and its usage in the present.
This is fascinating! It opens up an entirely new can of worms! The words we use have a foundation in history, probably from other ancient languages, and may be tracked backward for thousands of years! This thought makes me want to dig back into history and learn more!
But as I age, I realize I have no spare time to spend on a new endeavor, except for the occasional word that pops up on my radar. As with extravagant.
Here’s My Thought Today
Can I relate this to a scriptural principle?
Even though scripture does not use the word extravagant, the meaning behind a word we take for granted comes alive in God’s Word. What if I take the word (extravagant) and break it down in its meaning? Can I find the description of what the etymology describes?
More than likely! Here’s my attempt to research “extravagant” in light of God’s Word to man. (From varied translations!)
- Without restraint, he daily loads me down with his benefits! (Psalms 68:19)
- His compassion toward me is magnanimous and his mercy is brand spanking new every morning! (Lamentations 3:23)
- His thoughts to me are out of this world! (Psalms 139:17)
- He enlarges the steps under me so I do not slip. (Psalms 18:36)
- And, he orders my steps every single day! (Psalms 37:23)
- He gives his Grace (unmerited favor) in a sinful world in an extra abounding way! (Romans 5:15)
That sounds like an extravagant God! Maybe I need to keep reminding myself of His extravagance every morning I wake up, and every step I take, and with every challenge I face, I need to remember and rejoice! He’s an Extravagant God! Not just to others but also to me!
Maybe there is something good about picking apart the words we use all the time, understanding their basic meaning, and then applying that knowledge to our scripture study!
Key Words: Maybe there is something good about picking apart the words we use all the time, understanding their basic meaning, and then applying that knowledge to our scripture study! Share on XWorks for me!