I had thought that by now someone would have asked what is the point of this strange name I have chosen. But, since no one has asked, I will volunteer the information anyway!
Ishmintingas is Lithuanian for ‘wise’. A wise person.
But then, I use it to mean ‘wise guy’. 
Actually, it’s supposed to be spelled išmintingas in Lithuanian. The letter š with that thing on top stands for the “sh” sound.
Well, thank you. If it makes you happier, I often meant to ask, but figured that those “explain your screen name” threads come around at times. OK, just laziness then. But that is now a thing I can claim to have learned this year! Just in time, as it has 4 or 5 minutes to go.)
I like, I like.
Lithuanian?
I knew a teacher once who was Lithuanian. Well, more precisely, he was “Lissuanian.”
What do Welfy and Celyn mean? (Sorry Snoooopy, I know what yours means.)
Thanks! I’ve wondered about your name, and now I know.
ishmintingas, I’m really glad you cleared up one of the great mysteries of the world, someone once told me ishmintingas was Slovakian for “Help! There’s a cow in my kitchen!”
Now I know the truth, and I CAN handle the truth.
Thanks, Celyn, for the positive response. Let me break down the etymology of išmintingas –
The prefix iš- means ‘from’. It’s related to Latin ex, from the Proto-Indo-European *eghs or *eks, ‘from; out of’.
The mint- part comes from mintis, ‘thought, mind.’ It is related to English mind, Latin mens, mentis, and Sanskrit manas ‘mind’ – all from the proto-Indo-European root *mena, ‘thought’. In fact, the related Lithuanian word menà ‘thought’ is the very same Proto-Indo-European word unchanged after 5,000 years.
The suffix -ingas is an adjectival substantive referring to one who has that quality or association. You find the same suffix in Old English meaning ‘of, belonging to, descended from’: compare with the word æþelingas ‘princes’ in the third line of Beowulf, and the name Eorlingas, ‘people of Eorl’ in Book III of The Lord of the Rings.
So, put all together, you would think the elements of išmintingas mean ‘somebody who is out of his mind’!. But instead it means ‘wise, intelligent’. Oh well.
“You have to go out of your mind to come to your senses.”
–Timothy Leary
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Wow, Scotland - I never realised! Happy Hogmanay (sp?) from the South!
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Happy New year to Fierra too. What a sad pack of Brits we must be - at home with the SDMB instead of out there enjoying the snow, rain, cold etc.
Happy New Year and Happy Hogmanay to all.
And to the Lithuanians, Laimingu Naujuju Metu!
This will probably be my last post of the millennium. I’m thinking I will change my name with the start of the new millennium. Let’s face it, a cumbersome word like “ishmintingas” does not exactly roll tripplingly off the tongue. I was thinking of exchanging it for something more euphonious. Something a little more snappy!
Since I’m not obsessed with racking up a huge post count, I don’t mind starting all over again. Just mentally add the number 545 to the post count of my new name and that will be my grand total.
***Happy New Millennium
Laimingu Naujuju Tukstansmetu
Gung Hey Fat Choy***
This is your old pal ishmintingas, over and out.
ishmintingas, first of all, I like your name. (Although, you do have a point about it’s pronouncibility (or lack thereof!).)
Second of all, if you email tubadiva@aol.com, she can change your name for you without losing your post count. Neat, huh?
Noooo, don’t change your name! I’m part Lithuanian (maternal grandfather). I take a great deal of pride in being descended from the people who were the first to break away from the Soviet Union. Who cares if anyone can pronounce it?
But we can just call you “Ish” – that’s euphonious and snappy enough.
If you absolutely have to change your username, how about Ishkabibble?
Hey everybody! It’s me! I used to be **ishmintingas. **Starting off the new millennium with my new name. Jomo Mojo is made of the first syllables from my first & last real names, and I’ve been using it since I was in college (even published a little speculative fiction and poetry with this name), so why not wear it to the SDMB? It reflects my interest in things African: Jomo Kenyatta the great hero of independence, and Mojo the mystical life-force.
StephenG, thanks for the suggestion! TubaDiva was most accommodating. GeoBabe, atsiprašau, seserie, thanks for your concern, but it was just time to make a change, with the turning of the year – remember Tennyson: "Ring out the old, ring in the new" I will always love Lithuania and I still plan to put up my išmintingas web site with the mythological and metaphysical dimensions of ancient Lithuanian songs. See you at GMU one of these days & we can check 'em out.
Peace & Love to all!