Being an English Literature major, I like to think I have a special admiration for words and their power (strangely, I have a unique appreciation for paper as well…don’t judge me). Since my early childhood, I have gravitated towards spelling and writing more so than mathematics and sciences. Also, certain words resonate especially profound with me. I get a prick of interest whenever I come across them or have the opportunity to use them in my own writing. This is a post dedicated solely to that ambition, and the Word of the Day is Myriad.
Dictionary.com defines Myriad as follows:
As you can probably deduce from the title of my blog, I prefer to incorporate euphemisms when other options might be perceived in a negative or disagreeable light. Myriad is a beautiful way of conveying I don’t know the exact amount of the item I’m talking about. But it doesn’t have a negative connotation; in fact it serves to romanticize the concept. Myriad communicates the idea of limitlessness. It brings to mind the potential of endless possibilities, the ability to reach for the sky. To me, the word is inherently optimistic and expresses a feeling of enormity and enthusiasm.
The other meaning for Myriad describes the notion of constant deviation. To some, this might seem like more of a con than pro, but for me it’s quite exciting. The fact that things can be indefinable gives the World of Words more credibility. This allows for a more accurate description of the world around you. You can convey the feeling that things are more than just black and white. Myriad can represent the grey areas of life, not the “either/or”s but the “and/but”s, which are often more complex.
I think I’ve proved my nerdy-ness for the time being, but feel free to add your own thoughts!
For me the word myriad has always had a numerical meaning. But your concept of constant deviation is an interesting one, and has caused me to think of other potential uses for the word.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your phrase, Word Nerd! And I have another word for you that describes you perfectly: logophile. It's exact definition is "a lover of words." Isn't that great! Embrace your logophilic ways, lady!
ReplyDeleteMyriad, it was one of my vocabulary words in high school, yes in high school we had spelling test, we had to know what the word meant and how to spell, it was to help us prepare for the SAT. I remember the sentences I used to convey the meaning (oh I forgot to mention we had to write sentences for each as well) was something about a myriad of stars in the sky.
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