February 12, 2012

Word of the Day

noun

1 : a book for ready reference : manual 2 : something regularly carried about by a person

Her latest book is an accessible and amusing vade mecum of the English literary tradition.

"Well into the 20th century, John Barlow's Ideal Handbook, the vade mecum of the rifleman, carried instructions for molding the Keene bullet." -- From Dan Shideler's book Gun Digest 2012

"Vade mecum" is Latin for "go with me" (it derives from the Latin verb "vadere," meaning "to go"). In English, "vade mecum" has been used (since at least 1629) of manuals or guidebooks sufficiently compact to be carried in a deep pocket. But from the beginning, it has also been used for such constant companions as gold, medications, and memorized gems of wisdom.

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Visit the Word of the Day Archives