I realized the other day that I don’t know what the word extortion means, and this thread reminded me to look it up, so thanks. I always thought it is a synonym for blackmail but it’s not, quite.
Correct me if I’m wrong on this:
Being that I’m a man, I can sympathize with a woman going into labor, but I can’t empathize with her.
Thanks for all of your responses.
Sorry to say I’m more confused than I was to begin with.
I have trouble figuring out the differences between Marxism, communism, socialism…etc.
The word empathy gives me the linguistic cue that I need to keep them straight: the em- prefix is, in English, usually a variation of the en- prefix, which is itself a varation of the in- prefix, which usually means “inside.”*
This suggests to me that a state of empathy is a state of being truly inside that person’s feelings. Not just recognizing them and validating them and stroking them and whatever goes along with sympathizing, but actually experiencing them.
- I’m not arguing an actual etymology here: like I said, this is how I keep it straight through association. I haven’t bothered to see if I’m etymologically correct.
If a lickspittle is someone who licks spittle, and a ne’er-do-well is someone who never does well, then a spendthrift is someone who spends their thrift, i.e. their savings.
Esoteric (usually used a criticism by intellectuals). I finally looked it up, because I just couldn’t figure out what the hell they were talking about.
[Family guy]“Fellas, fellas! Esoteric means delicious”[/FG]
I’ve had the word nebbish stuck in my head all afternoon, I’m now going to look up what it actually means.
My take on sympathy vs. empathy:
Empathy - I am aware of how you are feeling on an emotional level.
Sympathy - I am aware of how you are feeling on an emotional level and care.
I always think “mensch” is something bad, or annoying, but not so.
Sympathy = I have a good idea of what you’re probably feeling right now. I read about it, and can imagine it.
Empathy = I know exactly what you’re feeling right now, because I’ve been there myself.
Mine is haha, although I eventually looked it up to get the actual definition. I thought but wasn’t certain that it was a ground level path through a raised garden, but it’s actually a ditch with a fence on one side. Pretty close.
English has quite a number of words that describe a person who doesn’t spend much money, ranging from positive to neutral to negative. Off hand, I can’t think of them all, but here are some:
thrifty
economical
sparing
frugal
un-wasteful
cost-conscious
spendthrift
penny-pinching
scrimping
mean
close-fisted
penurious
niggardly
meager
petty
costive
cheap
tight-fisted
miserly
parsimonious
stingy
etc…
The question is which word to chose. Linguists believe you have to read or hear the word in a context that is meaning to you about seven to eight times before you can apply it productively with the correct connotation yourself. Of course, some of them are pretty much equivalent, but you have to wonder why we need so many of them.
To add depth, richness, precision and nuance to language.
That’s the effect. The cause is that, linguistically, English is a kleptomaniac.
I agree. It was a rhetorical question–it’s to add depth, richness, precision and nuance to language–about money.
Stochastic. Learned it a bunch of times, hardly ever see it, but soon as I do, I realize I’ve forgotten it. Which annoys the shit out of me, so this time I *really *nail it down, even though I *never *have occasion to use it and almost never see it, and then I don’t, until I do, and I’ve forgotten it. It has to do with statistics, which means its almost as interesting as dental floss.
Bill Engvall mentioned his wife using the word “Crepuscular”
Hey I use crepuscular all the time.
Rabbits are the denizens of twilight and dawn
only now I’m not so sure about denizen
This is one of those words that I’m quite proud to know but sad to say will probably never ever use in my lifetime.