Sunday, May 11, 2008

365* New Words a Year [Merriam Webster] (Workman Publishing 5/17/8: élan

élan n : vigorous spirit or enthusiasm
The Did You Know section says: "Once upon a time, English-speakers did not have élan (the word, that is). We had, however, elance, a verb meaning 'to hurl' that was used specifically for throwing lances and darts. Elance derived down the line from Middle French (s')eslancer, meaning 'to rush' or 'dash', i.e., 'to hurl oneself forth'. With the decline of lance-throwing, we tossed out elance a century and half ago. Just about that time we found élan, a noun that traces to (s')eslancer. We copied élan in form from the French, but we dispensed with the French sense of a literal rush or dash, retaining the connotation of enthusiastic animation that we sometimes characterize as 'dash'." Rating 10/10 javelins. (Fun related word: élan vital : the vital force or impulse of life; especially : a creative principle held by Bergson to be immanent in all organisms and responsible for evolution.)
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A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. — 'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood. --Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Self-Reliance"