FW: A.Word.A.Day--orrery

[Dave Monroe]

orrery (OR-uh-ree) noun

   A mechanical model of the solar system that
represents the relative positions and motions of the
planets around the sun.

[After Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery (1676-1731),
who was given one of those models by John Rowley, a
London instrument-maker. They were invented by George
Graham c. 1700.]

A picture of an orrery:
http://blaubac.co.uk/images/orrery.jpg

  "The lamp at the center of the orrery demonstrates
the way the sun lends light to the planets."
   James Fenton; Sheridan the Revolutionary; The New
York Review of Books; Feb 4, 1999.

  "Even the nation's attic couldn't contain a
650-yard-long model of the solar system, so the
Smithsonian Institution has put it outdoors, on the
National Mall. 'Voyage: A Journey Through Our Solar
System,' a new permanent installation, represents the
solar system at one 10-billionth its actual size. ...
  "The stations within this giant orrery also feature
porcelain information plaques with high-resolution,
full-color images of the planets."
   Eric P Nash; A Smithsonian Spin Through the Cosmos;
The New York Times; Feb 10, 2002.

This is the beginning of the year, so we feature some
early words. 'Earl'y that is: words having connections
with earls. Many everyday words are derived after
earls' names. Cardigan, for example, came to us from
James Thomas Brudnell, 7th Earl of Cardigan
(1797-1868). This British cavalryman loved to wear a
sweater that opened down the front; today he lives on
in the name of this piece of apparel.

Or take British politician John Montagu, 4th Earl of
Sandwich (1718-1792). This inveterate gambler
preferred to eat at the gaming table rather than
interrupt his 24-hour-long betting game. No doubt
people ate slices of bread with a filling before then,
but the notoriety of this Earl resulted in his name
getting attached to this repast.

A bit of earl trivia. Count is another word for an
earl -- that's where we got the word county from (but
not country). The wife or widow of an earl is called a
countess. (Should the latter be called a countless?)
And who is the most famous earl of all? A fictional
character: Count Dracula.

This week we'll see other words that are coined after
earls. You'll notice that these words could be called
toponyms (words coined after place names) or eponyms
(words coined from people's names).

-Anu Garg
 anu at wordsmith.org

http://www.wordsmith.org/awad/archives.html

http://www.wordsmith.org/words/today.html

http://wordsmith.org/awad/index.html

http://www.wordsmith.org/

Main Entry: or·rery 
Pronunciation: 'or-&r-E, 'är-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural or·rer·ies
Etymology: Charles Boyle died 1731 4th Earl of Orrery
Date: 1713
: an apparatus showing the relative positions and
motions of bodies in the solar system by balls moved
by a clockwork 

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=orrery

http://m-w.com/mw/art/orrery.htm
'"Show us upon the Orrery," suggests Pliny." (M&D, p.
94)

"Ethelmer for a split esecond is gazing straight up
into her nostrils, one of which now flares into pink
illumination as Pitt 's Taper sets alight the central
Lanthorn of the Orrery, representing the Sun." (M&D,
p. 95)

"'Alas, my 'Bekah, nor even chicken Nabobs,-- though
we might put aside enough to bespeak an Orrery,
perhaps find employment as Operators, appearing in
Public Rooms up and down the Coaching Routes.'" (M&D,
p. 209)

"... a kind of Street-Show, with Accordion musick, Dog
tricks and Gypsy Dancing, and an automatick miniature
or Orrery of Engagement, displaying the movements of
the troops as many times as the curious Student may
wish." (M&D, p. 536)

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0207&msg=68803&sort=date

Cf. ...

"... a circular room with a great wooden sun, overlaid
with gold leaf, burning cold in the very center and
round it the nine planets and their moons ..." (V., p.
239)

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0103&msg=54158&sort=date

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0103&msg=53719&sort=date

Cf. ...

"Shall I project a world?" (Lot 49, p. 82)

Main Entry: plan·e·tar·i·um 
Pronunciation: "pla-n&-'ter-E-&m
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -i·ums or plan·e·tar·ia 
/-E-&/
Date: 1860
1 : a model or representation of the solar system
2 a : an optical device for projecting various
celestial images and effects b : a building or room
housing such a projector

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=planetarium

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

And see as well ...

http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-orr1.htm

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