filemot (FIL-mot) noun, adjective The color of a dead or faded leaf: dull brown or yellowish brown.
[From the corruption of the French term feuillemorte, from feuille (leaf) + morte (dead). Ultimately from Indo-European root bhel- (to thrive or bloom) that gave us flower, bleed, bless, foliage, blossom, and blade.] "The walls were panelled; each panel was comparted like a modern office desk, and each compartment crowded with labelled folios all filemot with age and use." Lewis Wallace; Ben-Hur; Harper & Brothers; 1880. Since this newsletter reaches almost all parts of the globe, you may be reading this on a day when there's a torrid sun or a gentle spring breeze. Perhaps you are forced indoors by a drenching monsoon or a frigid snowstorm. But in this part of the world we are celebrating autumn, the season of colors. As the falling leaves form a feast for the eyes, it is a perfect week to talk about colors. Let's consider some unusual words to describe oranges and browns, grays and blues, and other shades in between. Interestingly, there's even a color named after the color of dead leaves! -Anu Garg (gargATwordsmith.org) Sponsors' Messages: Shop early for a stocking stuffer that can't be beat: Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty! Discover adult-sized handfuls and fun colors: http://puttyworld.com 101 questions answered! Why do hurricanes happen? Who put New Orleans where it is? How many stars are in the sky? http://knowledgenews.net/s?s=aw092605 ............................................................................ New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common. -John Locke, philosopher (1632-1704) Discuss this week's theme or words at our online bulletin board: http://wordsmith.org/board Pronunciation: http://wordsmith.org/words/filemot.wav http://wordsmith.org/words/filemot.ram Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/filemot.html This message was sent to "[email protected]".
