1 Thing Today

a fortiori is a Latin phrase that means, having successfully argued for the stronger argument X, you can reasonably conclude the weaker argument Y.

Some examples:

It’s been established here that John is a medical doctor, a fortiori, he’s attended college and is familiar with the concept of a syllabus.

You’ve previously agreed with me that hunting animals for sport is morally wrong, so I can’t understand, a fortiori, why you think fox hunting is OK.

a fortiori literally means from the stronger. The more complete version is, argumentum a fortiori.

(Source: Wikipedia)

A point d’appui is a staging or rallying point for troops before a battle and often the ongoing base of operations during the battle. It’s been borrowed from military theory for more figurative use.

If we are going to secure this loan for you we’re going to need a point d’appui, and I suggest your long term job history is the base on which we build our case.

Point d’appui is French and it translates literally as fulcrum.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Ouroboros is the iconic image of a snake (or dragon) eating it’s own tail.

Ouroboros, which originated in ancient Egypt, has countless meanings and uses, signifying recurrence, reincarnation, eternity, birth and death, and self destruction among many others.

It’s from the Greek, oura, meaning tail, and boros, meaning eating.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Affordances are the actions an object makes available. A pen can be used for writing, for drumming, for stabbing, for prying, etc. It’s a technical term used in psychology and applied psychology fields (interaction design, industrial design, etc.)

The lowly HTTP URL (web address) has two important affordances, retrieval of information with a browser and as a source of universal uniqueness; no two web addresses are the same.

“Psychologist James J. Gibson originally introduced the term in his 1977 article “The Theory of Affordances” and explored it more fully in his book The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception in 1979.”

A Hobson’s choice is a choice between something or nothing, rather than a choice between two or more alternatives.

It is said to originate with a 17th century stable owner Thomas Hobson who offered customers use of a horse of his choice or none at all rather than letting them chose their horse.

Increasing gas prices at the pump this summer will present a Hobson’s choice to commuters out in the suburbs that are locked out of the short range of public transportation.

(Source: Wikipedia)

A vivarium is an enclosure for raising flora and/or fauna for study, observation or aesthetic purposes. It’s from the Latin, meaning roughly enclosure of life.

I was familiar with the aquatic and terrestrial varieties, aquaria and terraria respectively, but there are 2 other types that were new to me:

An insectarium is a vivarium for keeping insects.

A paludarium is a vivarium with mixed land and water environment, simulating a marsh, bog, swamp, stream or beach. From the Latin, palus, meaning swamp.

(Source: Wikipedia)

A demonym or a gentilic is the name of the people in a particular place. 

• US = American
• Brazil = Brazilian
• Cyprus = Cypriot
• Tampa = Tampanian

The more interesting demonyms are often not derived from the place name.

• Netherlands = Dutch
• New Zealand = Kiwi
• Massachusetts = Bay Stater
• Indiana = Hoosier

(Source: Wikipedia)

Paucorum hominum is a Latin phrase that literally means “of few men”. More poetically, it means, “for the few”.

It’s a common phrase of the Latin poets, but is most commonly known now for Nietzsche’s use of it in The Anti-Christ, “pulchrum est paucorum hominum.” Beauty is for the few. By this he meant that appreciation of the highest arts is for the intellectually elite.

(Source: translate.google.com)

Piquant is something that is sharp, tart, or interesting, especially to the taste or the intellect.

The conversation between them seemed shallow and routine but was made piquant by the fact that she was his ex-girlfriend.

It’s from the French verb for prick.

(Source: wordnik.com)

Upsert is a portmanteau from the field of computer science. It combines the English words update and insert. It is used to name an operation that creates a value (insert) unless the value already exists, in which case it is updated instead.

(Source: Wikipedia)

The word decimate comes from a Roman Army procedure for dealing with mutinous or cowardly behavior. The soldiers of the unit would be divided into groups of 10 and would draw lots, the 1 soldier of the 10 that drew short would be killed by the other 9.

Decimatio in Latin literally means to reduce by a tenth. 

(Source: Wikipedia)

An Isomorphism is a similarity in otherwise different things. In biology it’s a similarity in animals with different genetic ancestry. It also has technical uses in other fields such as math and geology.

McDonalds and Burger King have a supply chain isomorphism that was once thought to be required in all fast food chains, but we are starting to see notable exceptions such as Chipotle.

It’s from the Greek, isos, meaning equal, and morphe, meaning shape.

(Source: wordnik.com)

Recherché means something that’s uncommon, and very fine or exquisite. It can often carry mildly negative or judgmental connotations.

They spent their Sunday afternoon playing cricket out on the open quad, not enjoying the game so much as the fact that it was a bit more recherché than playing touch football.

It’s from the French, rechercher, meaning to research.

(Source: wordnik.com)

Quaerendo invenietis is a Latin phrase meaning, “you will find what you seek”.

It was famously used by Bach as the title of a musical canon.

(Source: www2.nau.edu)