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

[Dave Monroe]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:  <oedwotd at oup.com>
Date: Mon, Aug 3, 2015 at 7:30 PM
Subject: "omniana, n." - Word of the Day from the OED
To: OEDWOTD-L at webber.uk.hub.oup.com


OED Online Word of the Day

The June 2015 quarterly update is now available. New words and
meanings have been added across the dictionary, including twerk,
FLOTUS, and yarn-bombing. Find out more...
________________________________

Your word for today is: omniana, n.

omniana, n.
[‘ Thoughts or scraps of information about all or many kinds of
things, esp. (a collection of) notes, jottings, or short pieces of
writing on all or many kinds of subjects.’]
Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌɒmnɪˈɑːnə/,  U.S. /ˌɑmniˈɑnə/
Etymology: <  classical Latin omnis all (see omni- comb. form) or
omnia all things, use as noun of neuter plural of omnis (see above) +
-ana (see -ana suffix).
Quot. 1990 probably refers to Coleridge's co-authorship with Southey
of Omniana (see quot. 1812).

N.E.D. (1902) gives the pronunciation as (ǫmniˌēi·nă) /ɒmnɪˈeɪnə/.
 Now chiefly hist.
  Thoughts or scraps of information about all or many kinds of things,
esp. (a collection of) notes, jottings, or short pieces of writing on
all or many kinds of subjects.
1807  W. Taylor in  J. W. Robberds Mem. W. Taylor(1843) II. 185 Now it
is only in the Athenæum that I get at the omniana passing in your
brain.
1812  R. Southey  & S. T. Coleridge(title) Omniana, or Horæ otiosiores.
1819  R. Southey Select. from Lett.(1856) III. 426, I should very well
like to edit Sir T. Browne's works..and add such Omniana notes as my
stores may enable me to furnish.
1916  J. F. Fuller(title) Omniana, the autobiography of an Irish octogenarian.
1946 N. & Q. 30 Nov. 238/2 While he was editor..there appeared a
series of brief papers (obviously fillers) called ‘Omniana’.
1990 Times Lit. Suppl. 28 Sept. 1016/2 Time..may come to attach more
weight to a page on myth by Camus..than to the sum of Eliade's brave
omniana (the word is Coleridge's).

http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/131227
________________________________

Visit the OED's home page at http://www.oed.com
-
Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l