For only one month, on a suggestive tip, I spent 30 minutes per day reading a new math topic on wikipedia. That was a couple of years ago now, and I would like to try again.
Which brings me to my word of the $non-commital_time...Metonymy. Metonymy as I understand it is simply another word for variable. I love the nym suffix after becoming well-acquainted with the concept of pseudonymity last year in London with Other.No.
Wikipedia has a nice example contrasting Metonymy with a metaphor:
Metaphor example: That man is a pig (using pig instead of unhygienic person. An unhygienic person is like a pig, but there is no contiguity between the two).
Metonymy example: The White House supports the bill (using The White House instead of the President. The President is not like The White House, but there is contiguity between them).
I'm currently reading about the history and metonymical meanings of One and Zero.
Zero is often used to mean:
- Failure I got a zero on my test.
- Nothingness I started with zero, and now I'm a millionaire.
- Lack (of something) Ew, you're dating him, he's a total zero.
- Emptyness I'd offer a beer but there's zero left.
- Origin (or target) I'm zeroing in on the enemy.
More interestingly, One often symbolizes:
- A Standard, Individuality, Separateness, Completion/Wholeness, Integrity, Unity, and Beginning.
I won't bore you with more examples, but I'm quite pleased to know this new word.
