Thursday, November 29, 2012

Word of the Day -- Ogee

This word came into my possession (that's what I call it when I discover a word for the first time) when I got interested in architecture.  I had moved to Maine and was noticing all the different types of houses than the ones I was used to.  So I started reading about them, and came across this word, ogee.  Sounded funny then, and still does to me now.  It reminds me of the film Fargo for some reason, when the girls that are being questioned by the police say: "oh yeah" and that guy saying" "oh jeez" in those nasally north central accents.  But of course it has nothing to do with accents.  Rather it is a type of molding that are on houses and other structures.  It is basically any S shaped molding, or an arch that comes to a sharp point and then reverses itself.  This is a popular word in crossword puzzles because it is odd and can help fill out a board for the maker who needs one more word.  What I find particularly interesting is the origin of the word.  It comes from Ogives, which any firearm fans will know is the tapered curve on a bullet or projectile.  I'm assuming this is because of the approximate shape of it, but couldn't find any other information about it. If you know anymore about it, comment here.  Happy reading,  Tim

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