Definition: (adjective) Characterized by the repetition of the same sense in different words. Synonyms: redundant, tautological. Usage: "A true fact" and "a free gift" are pleonastic expressions. Discuss

«La Stazione spaziale è un esempio davvero luminoso di come le differenze internazionali passino assolutamente in secondo piano quando si ha un obiettivo grande, una passione comune.» (Samantha Cristoforetti)

William Shakespeare(1564 – 1616), englischer Dichter, Dramatiker, Schauspieler und Theaterleiter

Definition: (adjective) Of such fine texture as to be transparent or translucent. Synonyms: filmy, gauzy, sheer, vaporous. Usage: She wore a hat with a diaphanous veil that did not obscure her features. Discuss

noun: A process of modernization or bringing up to date.

«La Stazione spaziale è un esempio davvero luminoso di come le differenze internazionali passino assolutamente in secondo piano quando si ha un obiettivo grande, una passione comune.»

Thomas S. Lutter(*1962), Lyriker und Musiker

Definition: (adjective) Highly influential in an original way; constituting or providing a basis for further development. Synonyms: germinal, originative. Usage: He prepared a speech describing his experiment, never realizing that his presentation would be the seminal event in the development of a new theory. Discuss

noun: The retention of dead leaves, etc., as opposed to shedding.

Bernhard Krätzig(*1965), Architekt, Renaissance-Fan, Aphoristiker

Definition: (noun) A short heavy stick. Synonyms: bastinado, club. Usage: She woke up with her head hurting as though it had been hit with a cudgel. Discuss

noun: Yesterday evening. adverb: During yesterday evening.

«So che prima o poi passerà stasera | e che tutto ritornerà com'era | sarebbe bello durasse almeno mezz'ora | comunque andrà dovrà tornare | com'era.» (Zero Assoluto)

Nikola Tesla(1856 – 1943), serbischer Elektroingenieur, Physiker und Erfinder; erfand und entwickelte ein System zur elektrischen Energieübertragung durch Zweiphasenwechselstrom

Definition: (adjective) Intended to attract notice and impress others. Synonyms: pretentious, showy. Usage: His ostentatious displays of wealth did nothing to impress his neighbors, who were proud of their middle-class status. Discuss

Definition: (noun) Insincere or grossly sentimental pathos. Synonyms: mawkishness. Usage: The opera's conclusion was emotional to the point of bathos, with the soprano dying heroically to save her lover. Discuss

noun: 1. An obsession with typography. 2. An obsession with typology or symbolism. 3. An obsession with getting published.

Alexander Schübert(*1958), Ingenieur und Autor

Anna Dix(1874 – 1947), deutsche Dichterin

Definition: (noun) A dabbler in an art or a field of knowledge. Synonyms: sciolist. Usage: He claimed to be serious about his paintings, but he was at heart a mere dilettante. Discuss

verb tr.: 1. To write by hand. 2. To autograph.

Kurt Haberstich(*1948), Schweizer Buchautor und Aphoristiker

Definition: (adjective) Of or associated with sacred persons or offices. Synonyms: priestly, sacerdotal. Usage: The laws did not apply to the hieratic class, whose members were held as nearly gods. Discuss

verb tr.: 1. To deceive or cheat. 2. To elude.

«La virtù è una musica e la vita del saggio un'armonia.» (Henryk Sienkiewicz)

Saadi(um 1210 – 1292), auch Sadi, Moscharref od-Din ibn oder Mosleh od-Din, persischer Dichter, wandte sich nach Studien in Bagdad der Mystik zu, verfasste zwei didaktisch-ethische Meisterwerke, die die sozialen Verhältnisse der Zeit vor dem Hintergrund der Vergangenheit behandeln; bedeutende Liebesdichtung

Definition: (noun) A figure or design carved into or beneath the surface of hard metal or stone. Synonyms: diaglyph. Usage: The intaglio was so incredibly detailed that it almost looked like a photograph. Discuss

verb tr.: To impoverish or to make miserable.

verb tr.: To denounce, condemn, or curse.

Günther Kraftschik(*1952), Berufsschuldirektor i. R., Dipl.-Päd.

Definition: (verb) To talk casually. Synonyms: chat, natter. Usage: Three old friends met in a café to confabulate together. Discuss

verb tr.: To mock or to parody.

«Se volete sapere davvero cosa voglia dire recitare non guardate film, ma andate piuttosto a qualche party a Hollywood.» (Bette Davis)

Ernst Reinhardt(*1932), Dr. phil., Schweizer Publizist und Aphoristiker

Definition: (noun) Division into two usually contradictory parts or opinions. Synonyms: duality. Usage: One of the novel's themes is the dichotomy of Eastern and Western culture. Discuss

«Se volete sapere davvero cosa voglia dire recitare non guardate film, ma andate piuttosto a qualche party a Hollywood.»

«Colui che ama, fa tutto senza fatica, oppure ama la sua fatica.» (Bernadette di Lourdes)

Definition: (noun) A particular manner of speaking. Synonyms: idiom. Usage: In vulgar parlance the condiments of a repast are called by the American "a relish," substituting the thing for its effect. Discuss

noun: A man of extraordinary strength or size.

Robert Green Ingersoll(1833 – 1899), Rechtsanwalt und Politiker sowie einer der führenden US-amerikanischen Redner, der als »der große Agnostiker« bekannt war; Vater der Frauenrechtlerin Eva Ingersoll Brown

Definition: (adjective) Everyday; commonplace. Synonyms: mundane, routine, workaday. Usage: There's nothing quite like a real train conductor to add color to a quotidian commute. Discuss

noun: A false story or slander, especially one spread for political purposes.

«In politica quando non puoi fidarti della buona fede altrui, devi fidarti delle convenienze altrui.»

noun: A very rich person.

Martin Gerhard Reisenberg(*1949), Diplom-Bibliothekar und Autor

Definition: (noun) Remains from which the substance or character is gone. Synonyms: remains, remnants. Usage: At one end of the camp lies the carcass of an aircraft which crashed in the mountains. Discuss

adjective: Relating to sleep or dreams.

«Devi sapere che puoi vincere. Devi pensare che puoi vincere. Devi sentire che puoi vincere.» (Sugar Ray Leonard)

noun: Extreme or absolute skepticism.

«Nella mia vita c’erano state alcune, poche occasioni in cui i bianchi mi avevano trattato come una persona qualsiasi, quindi sapevo come ci si sentiva. Era tempo che altri bianchi cominciassero a trattarmi allo stesso modo.» (Rosa Parks)

«Voce dal sen fuggita poi richiamar non vale: non si trattien lo strale, quando dall'arco uscì.»

Deutsches Sprichwort

Definition: (noun) The remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up. Synonyms: debris, rubble. Usage: The streets of the new town were built over the detritus of past habitations. Discuss

«Comunque vada, sarà un successo!» (Piero Chiambretti)

«Nella mia vita c’erano state alcune, poche occasioni in cui i bianchi mi avevano trattato come una persona qualsiasi, quindi sapevo come ci si sentiva. Era tempo che altri bianchi cominciassero a trattarmi allo stesso modo.»

Unbekannt

Definition: (adjective) Of foremost importance; paramount. Synonyms: fundamental, central, primal. Usage: The cardinal rule of membership in the secret society was never to reveal its existence to outsiders. Discuss

«Oggi vivo di insonnia e di nostalgie. Specie nei giorni che precedono la primavera, nei giorni di vento, sono preda di rimpianti a cui non so dare un nome. » (Roberto Cotroneo)

noun: 1. The point at which a situation turns into a crisis. 2. The point at which one loses one’s temper. 3. The temperature at which a liquid boils.

«L’uomo è il più disgraziato degli animali: insieme alla imbecillitas corporis, comune a tutti i viventi, possiede anche la inquietudo animi, ovvero la consapevolezza di dover muorire.» (Marsilio Ficino)

Stefan Rogal(*1965), Autor, Herausgeber und Kolumnist

Definition: (verb) To waste away; wither or deteriorate. Synonyms: shrivel, weaken. Usage: She had not painted in many years, and she was worried that her creativity had atrophied. Discuss

adjective: Cheap and showy. noun: A white crystalline compound, also known as sodium borate, used in manufacturing, cleaning, etc.

«Se ci sono troppe persone come te, stai facendo qualcosa di sbagliato.» (Sean Penn)

«L’uomo è il più disgraziato degli animali: insieme alla imbecillitas corporis, comune a tutti i viventi, possiede anche la inquietudo animi, ovvero la consapevolezza di dover muorire.»

Hans-Jürgen Quadbeck-Seeger(*1939), Prof. Dr., deutscher Chemiker, Mitglied der Enquête-Kommission für Gentechnik des Deutschen Bundestages, wurde für sein Engagement mit dem Bundesverdienstkreuz ausgezeichnet

Definition: (noun) A damage or loss. Synonyms: hurt. Usage: Her employers were understanding, and she was able to take a long leave of absence without detriment to her career. Discuss

«Se ci sono troppe persone come te, stai facendo qualcosa di sbagliato.»

noun: 1. A point at which a situation turns critical, for example, resulting in violence. 2. A location or situation where conflict, violence, etc., flare up. 3. The lowest temperature at which a substance’s vapors ignite in the presence of an ignition source.

Andreas Bechstein(*1984), Gelegenheitsaphoristiker

Definition: (adverb) To or toward that place; in that direction. Synonyms: there. Usage: Let us stroll thither, and examine the matter nearer. Discuss

noun: 1. A test in which a single indicator prompts the decision. 2. A test to determine if a solution is acidic or alkaline.

Gerhard Uhlenbruck(*1929), deutscher Immunbiologe und Aphoristiker

Definition: (noun) A playful leap or hop. Synonyms: capriole. Usage: The child's playfulness was amusing at first, but they soon grew tired of his capers. Discuss

“It’s always helpful to learn from your mistakes because then your mistakes seem worthwhile.”

Erwin Koch(*1932), deutscher Aphoristiker

Definition: (noun) An unforeseen event that disrupts the normal course of things; an inopportune occurrence. Synonyms: mishap, predicament, calamity. Usage: His cross-country tour had its full share of comic contretemps. Discuss

«Ho sognato di condurre Striscia la Notizia | Con Noemi Letizia fatta a pezzi in una borsa di Krizia | Fossi una donna ero Patrizia, escort | Davo il culo per un posto in tv o un pezzo di pizza.» (Fabri Fibra)

Walter Ludin(*1945), Schweizer Journalist, Redakteur, Aphoristiker und Buchautor, Mitglied des franziskanischen Ordens der Kapuziner

Definition: (adjective) Very cold; icy. Synonyms: arctic, frigid, glacial, polar. Usage: After only a few minutes in the gelid wind, they were shivering too hard to speak. Discuss

noun: A formal ceremony in which someone is given an official title, rank, honors, etc.

«Non c'è niente di più di una guerra per raccontare il dolore e la crudeltà del genere umano. Nella guerra succede davvero di tutto, tutta la natura umana si rivela. Buona o cattiva che sia.» (Ettore Mo)

verb tr.: 1. To cover a wall, embankment, etc., with masonry or other supporting material. 2. To recheck or reexamine.

«Non c'è niente di più di una guerra per raccontare il dolore e la crudeltà del genere umano. Nella guerra succede davvero di tutto, tutta la natura umana si rivela. Buona o cattiva che sia.»