Derek's ALIA Blog: Word of the day

Wednesday 27 June 2007

Word of the day

Cathart, a verb, and many thanks to Professor Geoff Scott from UWS, who used the word this morning at the Workshop on Learning Leaders in Times of Change as smoothly and naturally as if it were already in broad common use. Maybe Geoff invented it, maybe not. It appears on the language creation website with the following definition. I am surprised that such a useful word isn't used a great deal more.

cathart v. catharting, catharted [Back formation <>

Coined By: Acquaintance of person submitting

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What this blog is for

This is a blog which started in 2007 when I was standing for election as vice president of ALIA (the Australian Library and Information Association) - to communicate with members and canvas issues. It also continued during my year as president, which ended in May 2009.

It morphed into a more general blog, and I used it to communicate on a variety of issues - libraries, copyright, the internet, but particularly, just words. Over time, it became a blog mainly about language.

It lapsed in 2012 but I have decided to revive it, and it will be about language and maybe sometimes some other things. Neologisms are unavoidable and an endless source of interest and fun. Talking with a bilingual person, and attempting to learn a language, I have also become more vividly aware of the confusing strangeness of many idioms. I will post about idioms later.

Please promote it to your friends. My short-term goal is to attract a second follower, but I have longer term goals too.