Author Topic: Darkstorme's Word of the Day (Read 5243 times)

darkstorme · « **Reply #100 on:** October 26, 2010, 01:24:14 am »

Keeping with the theme from Sunday's quest, a twofer:

Psychopath vs. Sociopath

This is less for RP interest than for general interest, as the two terms could likely be used in-game interchangeably - it's a fine distinction, and it's unlikely that psychological distinctions of this degree exist in-game. It's important, too, to understand that even among professionals the definitions are rough - only in certain fields of research psychology are very clear lines drawn between the two.

A psychopath (sigh-koh-path) is defined as an individual without any empathy or anxiety. A person who feels no guilt, no shame, and no obligation to adhere to social mores. They are otherwise completely functional mentally, and are generally adept at mimicry - appearing to follow social mores, to have the emotions other do - as a means of "blending in". If a psychopath commits a crime, it will likely be well-planned and carefully executed. Along these same lines, they tend to be fastidious in their daily life.

The sociopath (soh-she-oh-path or soh-see-oh-path), on the other hand, is an individual who has a social connection to some group (family, friends, etc.) and has the ability to feel empathy and care for members of that group, but not for society at large. They tend to be more erratic in a wider society and don't demonstrate the same ability to mask their disorder or plan ahead. (Some adventurers seem to display sociopathic traits.)

It is theorized that psychopathy is a hereditary condition, something an individual is born with, while sociopathy is environmental, but given the spectrum of disorders covered under Antisocial Personality Disorder, these are mostly speculative.

Usage:

Dillon was a sociopath. When the mugger threatened his sister, Dillon killed him. He didn't hesitate, or try to disarm the man - he just killed him.
Penny woke up and found herself bound and gagged, on an altar in a torch-lit room. A figure stirred in a chair by the wall. "Oh, good. You're awake." The baritone voice was light and easy. As he strode towards her, the man picked up a razor-edged dagger, turning it over and over in his hands. "The Lord Corath does so prefer it when his tribute is conscious, and I feared I'd struck you too hard. Now, let's be about it, shall we?" Penny looked up past the dagger, and saw the glittering eyes of a psychopath.

Reference:

Pseudonym · « **Reply #101 on:** October 26, 2010, 04:48:16 am »

Quote from: darkstorme

A quick note, however -a vile cannot contain things. A vial contains things. Presumably, then, a vile vial would contain disgusting things. A vile vial of unholy water. A vile vial of mucous.

Did you mean, 'A vile vial of mucus'?

Oh, how I have waited for this day!

darkstorme · « **Reply #102 on:** October 26, 2010, 10:55:49 am »

Yes, that is in fact what I meant. Good catch, Pseudo!

darkstorme · « **Reply #103 on:** October 27, 2010, 01:50:56 am »

Lament

Lament (lah-ment) is one of those delightful multipurpose words that is a variety of nouns, and a verb, as well. As a noun, a lament can be:

A feeling or expression of grief
A poem (sometimes called an elegy) grieving for the dead
A song, likewise written for someone who has died

As a verb, to lament is to grieve or regret, either silently or through an expression of grief - words, or a wordless moan of grief.

The act of lamenting is known as lamentation.

Usage:

Though the man lamented his past deeds, it was too late - the girl was dead, and nothing could bring her back.
The wordless lament ripped forth from the mother's throat, her chest heaving as the coffin was lowered into the earth.

Reference:

Chazzler · « **Reply #104 on:** October 27, 2010, 12:36:46 pm »

Utterly cheerful. *grins*

darkstorme · « **Reply #105 on:** October 28, 2010, 01:08:44 am »

It came to my attention that the majority of the words I was putting up for this month were adjectives! I'd completely neglected some of the particularly gruesome actions that can be taken! With that in mind:

Vivisect

To vivisect (vih-vih-seckt) something (or someone) is to cut into them when they're still alive - usually, but not always, for experimentation. Surgery does not, generally speaking, have the term vivisection applied to it because the eventual condition of the person or animal being vivisected is not usually the concern of the practitioner.

Though the term is usually used to describe certain particularly invasive animal testing in our world, there's no reason at all it can't be extended to... other subjects.

The act of vivisecting a creature is known as vivisection.

Usage:

Mirrim caught her breath. The creature had been vivisected and left to die, but wasn't yet dead. She laid her hands on the gaping, ghastly hole in the dog's abdomen and hoped her Lord could intervene in time.
The young doctor in Vehl had learned quite a lot from dissecting cadavers. But vivisection - ah, that's where the learning truly began. He whistled a cheerful tune as he picked up his scalpel and turned back to the unconscious figure on his operating table.

References;

vivisect - definition of vivisect by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
Vivisection - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (caution - the section of this article to do with human vivisection is not for the faint of heart)

darkstorme · « **Reply #106 on:** October 29, 2010, 01:53:19 am »

Continuing in the same bloody vein:

Eviscerate

To eviscerate (ee-viss-sir-rate) something or someone, you slice open their stomach to let their internal organs (or viscera) spill out.

You can also eviscerate someone verbally, by refuting their side of an argument in such a fashion as to deprive it of any force or validity; likewise, someone who has been criticized harshly and accurately can be said to have been eviscerated by their opponent. But that's hardly in keeping with the month's theme.

Finally, removing the contents of an organ surgically is also described as evisceration.

Usage:

Pallena dropped into a sideways slide between the giant's legs, and her scimitar flashed up as she did so, eviscerating the monster.
He moved too fast - there was no way to stop him, and Jason felt the sickening parting of flesh as the razor sharp dagger sliced through muscle and gut, opening his stomach. He collapsed, clutching futilely at the mortal wound, and the man laughed. "Well, well, Jason, looks like I was wrong. You do have the guts for the job after all." There was a pause. "I'm sorry, that was terrible. I'll leave you to die." The door closed, leaving the eviscerated Jason alone in the room.

Reference:

darkstorme · « **Reply #107 on:** October 30, 2010, 01:50:29 am »

A haunted, dilapidated castle could be called a...

Wrack

Wrack (rack) is a word with many meanings.

As a noun, it means a wreck or ruin (particularly a shipwreck), or the process of creating a wreck or ruin, causing destruction. (The Pyrtechonites are fond of wrack and ruin.)

It can also mean dried seaweed - or live seaweed which has been washed ashore.

As a verb, to wrack is to cause the ruin of something, to destroy something. To be wracked is to be destroyed - a ship, for example, can be wracked by a storm and smashed on the rocks.

Usage:

Lightning crackled forth from the mage's hands and wracked the monument. Rael's head cracked from its shoulders and crashed to the ground.
The ancient, wracked tower still stood - as much as it could be said to stand - on the hill overlooking the fort. It was said that the ghost of the soldiers who died in the conflagration still haunted the place.

Reference:

darkstorme · « **Reply #108 on:** November 01, 2010, 01:48:29 am »

A twofer today, as I was lost in the Capital Wasteland yesterday, with only my pip-boy to guide me through (on the plus side, lots of people recognized my costume!)...

Sepulchral

The word sepulchral (sep-uhl-crull) is useful to those in the funeral business, or those in the business of making it necessary for others to have funerals, or those in the business of looting the places where people's remains are interred after their funerals. In a word, adventurers.

The word is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to burial or tombs - it can also mean a deep or hollow tone (whether of voice or of pitch).

Usage:

As the group traveled deeper into the Krandor Crypts, the sepulchral surroundings seemed to close in on them, the lights of their torches driving away fewer and fewer shadows.
"Woe unto those who pass these gates," the figure intoned in sepulchral tones.

References:

////

And, to round off the month:

Malefic

Something that is evil, or exerts a ill, malign influence, is malefic (mah-leff-ick).

Usage:

Two red, malefic eyes glared balefully back out at them.
The mage finished his incantation, and the malefic spell screamed towards the helpless woman, its ghostly arms raised.

Reference:

Happy Halloween! Muaaahaahaaahaaa...

darkstorme · « **Reply #109 on:** November 02, 2010, 01:53:16 am »

And now for something completely different...

Elicit

To elicit (ee-liss-it or ih-liss-it) something is to either draw it out or call it forth (when seeking information or a particular response) or draw it forth and bring it out (if it is something latent in the subject).

Note that despite the similar pronunciation, this should not be confused with illicit (forbidden by law, rules, or custom).

Usage:

The expectant pause elicited a response from the audience, who obliged with gasps of shock and outrage.
The Hempstead Charitable Foundation sought to elicit donations from adventurers by means of a leaflet campaign with woodcuts of those suffering from the war with the Cult.

Reference:

darkstorme · « **Reply #110 on:** November 03, 2010, 01:52:41 am »

Feeling in a Rogue-ish (not roguish) mood tonight...

Slink

To slink, as a verb, is to move stealthily, as if afraid or ashamed - or to move sinuously, provocatively, and seductively. It is also, apparently, to give birth prematurely, if one is a cow.

As a noun, a slink is a prematurely calved calf.

The conjugation of the verb "to slink" is a bit odd. Most notably, the past perfect tense of "slink" is "slunk".

Usage:

After his miserable performance at open-stage night in the Mug, the bard slunk along the docks.
The woman was slinking towards them, her hips swaying - Sallaron couldn't believe his eyes. He looked around, but Tegan was not yet back from the privy.

Reference:

darkstorme · « **Reply #111 on:** November 04, 2010, 01:03:02 am »

After a long day at work, I'm feeling just a little...

Irascible

Someone who is irascible (ih-ra-sih-bull) is quick to anger, cantankerous, or hot-tempered.

Usage:

"Why, you whippersnappers," grumbled the irascible old man. "When I was your age, we didn't have any fancy computers, we used dice and paper!" "Uh-oh", one of the other players whispered. "Looks like Pseudo woke up."
The dwarf was irascible, rude, and possibly bigoted. But he was the best smith in the city.

Reference:

darkstorme · « **Reply #112 on:** November 06, 2010, 01:45:37 am »

Due to unexpected server issues yesterday, two for today!

Incensed

Incensed (in-sensed) is a word with two rather disparate meanings:
[list=1]

The first, as one might almost expect, is the past tense of the verb "to incense", that is, to perfume with incense. This can also be used as an adjective, describing something to which incense has been applied.
The second can also be the past tense of the verb "to incense", but in this case, the word means to anger someone, or rouse them to intense indignation. Again, the adjective incensed can be applied to someone who is angry beyond reason.

Usage:

As the blessing was delivered by the cleric, the pilgrims breathed in the heavily incensed air of the temple.
Wren was incensed. Before he knew it, his sword was in his hand and he was striding towards the little rat. He'd show him what cowardice truly was!

Reference:

---

The second word was suggested by Carillon, who said that I like "pretentious" words for my WotD. Pretentious? Moi? ;)

Mellifluous

The word mellifluous (muh-liff-loo-us), in addition to rolling delightfully off the tongue, means... well, a sweet-sounding and smoothly-flowing voice. It also can mean sweetened with honey, which is where the first meaning came from - a sweet, smooth voice was (and can be) said to be "honeyed".

Usage:

Andrew was walking down the street when the dulcet tones of a mellifluous soprano voice drew him to an alley window.
The mayor's rich, mellifluous voice spread out over the mob like a soothing balm, calming frayed nerves.

Reference:

Pseudonym · « **Reply #113 on:** November 06, 2010, 02:10:34 am »

NB. The 'thanks' above was for Carillon.

Pseudonym · « **Reply #114 on:** November 06, 2010, 02:15:39 am »

Also, despite this, I still see this!!

A GM and a teacher in RL no less.

DS, you can lead a horse to water ...

Frances · « **Reply #115 on:** November 06, 2010, 09:56:01 am »

*scratches his head after reading the linked entries*

Did you originally intend to post those links in the reverse order?

Pseudonym · « **Reply #116 on:** November 06, 2010, 01:19:30 pm »

Yep, I did.

darkstorme · « **Reply #117 on:** November 07, 2010, 01:49:36 am »

Inspired by a child down the hall...

Bawl

Though it sounds like ball, to bawl is to cry out at the top of one's voice, and a bawl is the cry that results. This is why bawling someone out usually implies that the person doing it is shouting.

Usage:

The child looked down at the ruins of his toy horse, then at Trax's heavy boots, then back at the horse. Then his eyes welled up with tears, and he bawled.
Anyone within two city blocks could hear the Silverguard drill instructor bawling out the recruit who arrived late.

Reference:

darkstorme · « **Reply #118 on:** November 08, 2010, 01:57:29 am »

And we gather in the standing stones...

Rite

A rite (sounds like "right", but isn't!) is a ritual, often associated with a religion. Burial rites, funeral rites, wedding rites.

This is often confused with "right", particularly in phrases like "rite of passage". "Right of passage" is a geographical term associated with shipping - the right (as in privilege) to travel through some route. A "rite of passage", on the other hand, is a ritual reserved for the transition from one part of life to another (or a metaphorical, but similar, non-religious activity).

Usage:

The Giants of the Brech Mountains were a sort of rite of passage for Voraxite battle priests. Once a priest had notched his axe on the skull of a giant, he could begin to say that he truly knew battle.
Bree went through the rites of preparation before the fest. Lipstick, perfume, just the right amount of silk... she was ready.

Reference:

darkstorme · « **Reply #119 on:** November 09, 2010, 01:51:24 am »

Continuing the theme of misused words...

Corps

Not to be confused with corpse (a dead body), corps (pronounced "core") refers to a collection of individuals.

Often, this refers to a military organization. It can be a specialized military division (for example, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Medical Corps). In real life, a corps is a military organization between a division and an army in size - I'm not sure whether we have an equivalent unit in Layonaran militaries.

It can also refer to another group of people acting together under common orders - groups like the Peace Corps, press corps, etc.

Usage:

The corps of gnomish engineers set to work immediately. The townsfolk watched on in mingled interest and trepidation.
The guard corps arrived at the scene of the disturbance, weapons drawn.

Reference: