Fwd: "accidie, n." - Word of the Day from the OED

[Ian Livingston]

I deny the existence of Gasteriskd, Ghyphend, and Gunderscored, and I
welcome anyone who believes in any of them to demonstrate that they
are happier than I am. Spiritual malaise rarely troubles me, except
sometimes when I don't get enough sunlight. But I really don't think
that's the same as accidia.

On Thu, Jan 5, 2012 at 6:12 PM, Charles Albert <cfalbert at gmail.com> wrote:
> I first came across it in an Irving Howe essay on Fathers & Sons in which he
> defined it as "that torpor of the spirit which derives its strength from the
> denial of the existence of G*d."
>
> For some reason it has stuck with me for more than 30 years...
>
> love,
> cfa
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 5, 2012 at 6:15 AM, Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> And it seems Mr. Sacred & Profane Durkheim raised awareness
>> of this word/concept high in his book Suicide.....
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com>
>> To: pynchon -l <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>> Cc:
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 4, 2012 7:49 PM
>> Subject: Fwd: "accidie, n." - Word of the Day from the OED
>>
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From:  <oedwotd at oup.com>
>> Date: Wed, Jan 4, 2012 at 7:30 PM
>> Subject: "accidie, n." - Word of the Day from the OED
>> To: OEDWOTD-AMER-L at webber.uk.hub.oup.com
>>
>>
>> OED Online Word of the Day
>>
>> The December 2011 quarterly update is now available. New words from
>> across the dictionary include bibimbap, chermoula, earworm,
>> posilutely, and traceur. Find out more...
>>
>> ________________________________
>>
>> Your word for today is: accidie, n.
>>
>> accidie, n.
>> Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈaksᵻdi/,  U.S. /ˈæksədi/
>> Forms: α.   ME accedie,   ME accidy,   ME accidye,   ME–15 accydye,
>> ME– accidie.  β.   ME accide,   ME accyde.
>> Etymology: <  Anglo-Norman accidie (13th cent.), Anglo-Norman and Old
>> French, Middle French accide (13th cent.; French accide, now arch.) <
>> post-classical Latin accidia (8th cent. in a British source; also in
>> an undated glossary; occasionally also as acidia and accedia),
>> alteration (see below) of acedia spiritual sloth, mental weariness
>> (5th cent., as also as name of one of the deadly sins: see acedia n.).
>> Compare accidia n., and later acedia n. and acedy n.
>> The post-classical Latin form accidia probably results either from
>> folk-etymological association with accidere (see accident n.) or from
>> a Greek sound change, or may partly reflect both causes. The rare form
>> acidia probably reflects the (folk-etymological) association with
>> classical Latin acidus sour (see acid adj.) recorded by Caesarius of
>> Heisterbach (13th cent.).
>>
>>
>>
>> In Middle English and early modern English the position of the main
>> stress apparently varied between the first and second syllables.
>>  Now chiefly arch. and literary.
>>   Physical or mental slothfulness, esp. as a condition leading to
>> listlessness and lack of interest in life; apathy, lethargy, torpor;
>> (also) †an instance of this (obs.).
>> Regarded esp. in early use as characteristic of or equivalent to the
>> ‘deadly sin’ of Sloth, and in Christian asceticism as a condition to
>> which monks and hermits were particularly liable.
>> ?c1225 (1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 155 Þenne is hit
>> scheomeles [read ȝemeles] under accidie, þet ich slauðe cleopede, þe
>> ne warneð oðer of his lure oðer of his biȝete.
>> c1330 (1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) l. 121 Accedie is as sleuþes broþer,
>> Wicke on and wicke oþer.
>> a1393  Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iv. l. 539 To serve Accidie in
>> his office, Ther is of Slowthe an other vice, Which cleped is
>> Foryetelnesse.
>> c1400 (1378)  Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. v. 366 And
>> after al þis excesse he had an accidie, Þat he slepe saterday and
>> sonday.
>> 1484  Caxton tr.  Order of Chivalry 81 A man that hath accydye or
>> slouthe hath sorowe and angre the whyle that he knoweth that an other
>> man doth wel.
>> a1500  W. Hilton Mixed Life (Royal)in  G. G. Perry Eng. Prose Treat.
>> (1921) 23 Breke doune also‥flesshely likynges, oþer in accidie or in
>> bodili ease.
>> a1586 Lindsay MS f. 76v, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Surmount, Quha
>> that will overcum & surmont accidie him behuffit that in his hart he
>> haue strenth.
>> 1649  J. Gaule Serm. Saints judging World 13 That's an humility or
>> modesty reprehensible (both for dejectednesse, and pusillanimity, as
>> also for accidie and sloathfulnesse) that shall lesse it self to Gods
>> gifts and graces.
>> 1775  J. Ash New & Compl. Dict. Eng. Lang., Accidie, sloth.
>> 1858  A. J. Penny Afternoon of Unmarried Life xiv. 254 Will any one
>> with the experience of middle age deny that there is much in every-day
>> life calculated to produce accidie?
>> 1891  F. Paget  (title) The spirit of discipline‥with an‥essay
>> concerning Accidie.
>> 1936  H. G. Wells Anat. Frustration vi. 54 There is nothing before you
>> but sloth and apathy, accidie, which is a lingering suicide.
>> 1961  K. Amis Let. 9 Apr. (2000) 590 Vacation accidie is upon me. I'm
>> supposed to be writing this perishing film-script—haven't touched it
>> yet.
>> 2006 Antigonish Rev. Summer 14 They knew their destiny but chose not
>> to dwell on it, falling prey instead to a desperate, hopeless accidie.
>>
>> ________________________________
>>
>> Visit the OED's home page at http://www.oed.com
>>
>



-- 
"Less than any man have I  excuse for prejudice; and I feel for all
creeds the warm sympathy of one who has come to learn that even the
trust in reason is a precarious faith, and that we are all fragments
of darkness groping for the sun. I know no more about the ultimates
than the simplest urchin in the streets." -- Will Durant