Activity for David Richerby
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edit | Post #38044 | Initial revision | — | about 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #35881 | Initial revision | — | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Should I use the words "pyromancy" and "necromancy" even if they don't mean what people think they do? You are falling victim to the etymological fallacy: the false belief that the original meaning of a word is somehow its one true meaning. If you look up "necromancy" in dictionaries, you find things like: - "the act of communicating with the dead in order to discover what is going to happen in the ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Are wands in any sort of book going to be too much like Harry Potter? The Oxford English Dictionary (subscription needed) says that "wand" has meant "A magic rod; the staff used in enchantments by a fairy or a magician" for more than 600 years: > - a1400–50 [The] Wars [of] Alex[ander] 57 On hiȝt in his a hand haldis a wand And kenely be coniurisons callis to him sprit... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |