Thursday, November 25, 2010

The Alchemy of Words

The Weiser Books Blog has a piece about the alchemy of words:

Words, my friends, have power. The immediate success or failure of a book depends on many factors – timing and circumstance not least among them. But ultimately, an individual book lives or dies by the power of its content – words, ideas, the beauty of language.
One of the entries in our Magic Words: A Dictionary pops up:

Oprah

“Just say the magic word: Oprah” – Vince Vittore, America’s Network (Jan. 1, 1995)

Meanings:
  • Dust
  • Fawn
  • “She who turns her back” – Adrian Room, Cassel’s Dictionary of First Names (2002)
Origins: This is the given name of the successful talk-show host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey. The word is of Hebrew origin.

2 comments:

LoneIslander said...

Oh god not Oprah.

Eccentric Scholar said...

I just dispassionately research 'em, LoneIslander!