Words beautiful

Naturally I say my speech without stammer or pause, unlike those who stutter, stammer, or, worst of all, forget. This is before the word beautiful exists in people s vocabulary, but Oh, isn t she the cutest thing frequently floats my way. And got so much sense they gratefully add. .. for which thoughtful addition I thank them to this day. 

WE BEGIN by acknowledging the difficulty of defining the word exotic. The words beautiful, weird, and counterintuitive come to mind, for which three aphorisms and a hitherto unpublished poem may help. 

Calomel, derived from the Greek words icaX6-g (beautiful) and fXsXaf (black), seems an odd name for a white solid. It might arise from the colour of the material obtained when Hg2Cl2 is treated with ammonia this is a product of variable composition (see below) which owes its colour to the presence of metallic mercury. Other more fanciful derivations are listed in the Oxford English Dictionary 2, 41 (1970). 

In compounds, the important oxidation numbers of Cr are +2, +3, and +6. In all of these states the chromium ions are colored and, in fact, the element got its name from this property (ichroma is the Greek word for color). The +2 state is not frequently encountered but it can be made quite easily as the beautiful blue chromous ion in solution by dripping a solution containing CrM over metallic zinc. Air has to be excluded since O rapidly converts Cr1-5 back into Cr. ... 

Oh, I hear Dame Elysabeth very well. The King turned so far toward me that I could not without frank discourtesy escape his eye. And see her, too. I m told Henry of Lancaster was wont to say that my good friend Rivers and the Duchess were the handsomest couple in his kingdom. I ought not to be surprised that they have sired the most beautiful children in mine, but still it astonishes me. Your brother Scales is a fine man too, and learned with it. My brother Antony Oh, sire, have you had word from him lately ... 

Such had been the trial which faced Cecile that day two years ago. Her one thought had been that mother must never know her heart had always been weak and the shock would kill her, simply kill her. Words her mother had once spoken to her returned to her mind as she had finished reading those letters. The remark had been caused by some little act of thoughtfulness on Philippe s part, some little gift he had sent her, for Philippe had always been careful to remember all the little household feast days with beautiful and often costly gifts. 

Symmetry The word symmetry means the same measure, which denotes harmony and beauty of the parts. It also plays a very important role in molecular architecture and material properties. The study of molecular symmetry is through a branch of group theory, that is, the point groups of rotations that leave one point... 

Since Breton s ideas on the topic of le rive are so well known—even though their real historical context has been ignored—it is sufficient to recall his central question, Can not the dream also be used in solving the fundamental questions of life The answer was obvious to Breton I believe in the future resolution of these two states, dream and reality, which are seemingly so contradictory, into a kind of absolute reality, a sur-riatiti, if one may so speak. The traditional, conventionally Symbolist, character of Breton s trouvaille becomes apparent when he concludes, Let us not mince words the marvelous is always beautiful, anything marvelous is beautiful in fact, only the marvelous is beautiful. ... 

My notebook rests safely in my hand. The air is sweet with the scent of lilacs. I sit on a bench in front of the Hart Library in Shrub Oak. In the last chapter, you learned about my fascination with language and words. Today, I d like to continue that discussion, and also talk about what you and I consider beautiful—but first a few words about my home town s local library, which I frequently visit to borrow books and audiotapes, learn new words, and generally elevate my mind. 

James Joyce said his favorite word was cuspidor—or at least he felt it was the most euphonious word in English. Joyce s cuspidor stimulated me to conduct another survey of colleagues. In particular, I asked dozens of people which of the following items they rated most beautiful ... 

Before reading further, which of these words and images do you think humans rate most beautiful ... 

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