Chrysti The Wordsmith: Lunatic - 3

Hi word lovers I'm Christie the wordsmith. During the last two words with additions we considered lunatic and loony. A pair of terms suggesting mental instability. These derive from Luna the Latin word for moon and their meanings rely on an ancient belief that exposure to the light of the moon causes temporary insanity or lunacy. Earth's celestial satellite is implicated again in the term mooncalf an older nickname for a fool or deformed creature in ages past women who delivered malformed infants called moon calves were thought to have been exposed to pernicious lunar influences during pregnancy. A 16 58 publication called natural magic States a certain woman brought forth instead of a child a kind of a mooncalf. Many sources including the Oxford English Dictionary contend the calf in today's word refers to a young bovine mooncalf than is etymologically a simple callow creature such as a calf physically and mentally influenced by the deleterious power of the

moon over the centuries the word mooncalf has also been used in reference to an ill conceived idea with 1900 century author writing of moon calves of the brain someone who loiters in love sick fondness might also be a mooncalf Charles Dickens wrote in an 1841 novel. I stand gaping at her like an old moon calf as I am. I'm Christie the wordsmith. Good day verb of course. CHRISTIE The wordsmith is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Zoot enterprises. A high tech firm in Bozeman Montana offering challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry. Zoot web dot com.