Wednesday, June 11, 2003
These are the words that I love today:
Ovipositor... It's a part of our world, and yet so alien. It's long and sticky, it shoots out goo and yet is entirely female.
Cadaver... The flat 'a' sound gives this word the same detached feeling as wax. It's meat, but it's not meant for eating. A cadaver used to be filled with person-ness, but is now something to be studied and dissected. This word is perfect for removing the mystery from death... you're dead, here's your cadaver, get used to it.
Retrofit... I love the way the word sounds, like someone having a tantrum because clogs are back in style. I unfortunately couldn't find a proper dictionary definition for retrofit, because something about this word always confused me. Its common meaning is to take an old piece of technology and add newer technology to bring that old mechanism up to modern standards. BUT... Retro: backwards, fit: to equip. So actually the word should mean: to add backwards technology to something new... like putting an 8-track player on the International Spacestation.
So now I'd like to use all three words in a sentence.
'The cadaver's retrofitted ovipositors were deteriorating.'
