"hapax legomenon, n." - Word of the Day from the OED

[Mark Kohut]

how is an "hapax legomenon" like a Masque?

Masques are versions of pageants; they illustrate the policies and
philosophies of their patrons. They are not meant to persuade, but to
emblematise. What’s more, they are performed once and once only, with
a cast of celebrity amateurs, often very badly.

>From Germaine Greer's fine review of James Shapiro's new book on
Shakespeare in year 1606.

On Mon, Oct 5, 2015 at 10:10 PM, Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com> wrote:
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> Your word for today is: hapax legomenon, n.
>
> hapax legomenon, n.
> [‘ Chiefly in linguistic and literary studies: a word or word form
> which is recorded only once in a text, in the work of a particular
> author, or in a body of literature.’]
> Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌhapaks lᵻˈɡɒmᵻnən/, /ˌhapaks lᵻˈɡɒmᵻnɒn/,  U.S.
> /ˌhæpæks ləˈɡɑməˌnɑn/
> Inflections:  Pl.  hapax legomena.
> Forms:  16 apax legomenon,   17– hapax legomenon.
> Etymology: <  Hellenistic Greek ἅπαξ λεγόμενον something that has been
> said once <  ancient Greek ἅπαξ once ( < the same Indo-European base
> as same adj. + an ablaut variant (zero-grade) of the base of πηγνύναι
> to fix, make solid: see pectic adj.) + λεγόμενον, use as noun of
> neuter of λεγόμενος, medio-passive present participle of λέγειν to
> speak (see lexis n.).
> In plural hapax legomena after the Greek plural form.
>   Chiefly in linguistic and literary studies: a word or word form
> which is recorded only once in a text, in the work of a particular
> author, or in a body of literature.
> The term has in the past been particularly associated with biblical commentary.
> [1654  J. Trapp Comm. Minor Prophets (Zech. xiv. 20) 605 'Tis ἄπαξ
> λεγόμενον read only here: and hence this variety of interpretations.]
> 1692  J. Dunton Young-students-libr. 242/1 There are many words but
> once used in Scripture, especially in such a sence, and are called the
> Apax legomena.
> 1774  J. Rhudde Ribband(ed. 3) (Annotations section), The word
> ‘Ribband’, is of that order, called, hapax legomenon, [h.e. [sic] a
> word, found occurring but once] in respect, we mean, of our English
> Bible.
> 1838  W. Jenks Guide to Study Bible i. ii. 6/3 in Suppl. to
> Comprehensive Commentary, The ancient versions..must be regarded as
> having furnished us with the most important and valuable of all the
> subsidiary means, by which to ascertain the sense in cases of hapax
> legomena.
> 1882  F. W. Farrar Early Days Christianity I. xi. 236 The number of
> the hapax legomena is remarkable, and some of them are full of
> picturesqueness.
> 1931 Eng. Stud. 13 124 An article that should certainly find a place
> in a miscellany in honour of the brave defender of Wulfila as a
> translator: Collitz on two hapax legomena in Wulfila's translation.
> 1957  C. Brooke-Rose Lang. of Love iv. 34 She saw herself go through
> the minutiæ of scansion, dialect forms, emendation, haplography, hapax
> legomena and anacolutha in Beowulf.
> 1997  S. B. Morrow Names of Things 26 Commager taught us about the
> hapax legomenon, the word that is used only once, that is created for
> that occasion only.
>
> http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/84040
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