Merriam-Webster Online
Ok. I’m a geek. I really LOVE Merriam-Webster Online especially since I started listening to the little megaphone icons. Words are so COOL. *sigh*
And the top ten favorite words. Too cool.
I mean, I already know what defenestration and callipygian means and how they sound, but listening to them is just…fun.
I did NOT know what causerie is, however.
causerie
\koh-zuh-REE\ noun
1: an informal conversation : chat
2: a short informal essay
Who knew?
“Causerie” first appeared in English in the early 19th century, and it can be traced back to the French “causer” (“to chat”) and ultimately to the Latin “causa” (“cause, reason”). The word was originally used to refer to a friendly or informal conversation. Then, in 1849, the author and critic Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve began publishing a weekly column devoted to literary topics in the French newspaper Le Constitutionnel. These critical essays were called “Causeries du lundi” (“Monday chats”) and were later collected into a series of books of the same name. After that, the word “causerie” acquired a second sense in English, referring to a brief, informal article or essay.
Ok. I’m addicted
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