Villeity

Question

At dinner on Saturday my interlocutor mentioned this word "villeity" and, having drink taken, can remember scant details. Something about things being bad but not quite bad enough to force you to be bothered to do anything about it, unused in anger since sometime in the 1800s but looks very useful. Has it come within anyone's radar? Google isn't terribly helpful today.

Many tas

Edward

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]At dinner on Saturday my interlocutor mentioned this word "villeity" and, having drink taken, can remember scant details. Something about ... the 1800s but looks very useful. Has it come within anyone's radar? Google isn't terribly helpful today. Many tas Edward[/nq]
The word is "velleity" --- it refers to a passing inclination or wish. Not a very common word but I've heard people use it.

Fritz

Usenet · Answer

(Email Removed) (Fritz Weissmann) writes:
[nq:1]The word is "velleity" --- it refers to a passing inclination or wish. Not a very common word but I've heard people use it.[/nq]
a poem about it. However, as usual with his poems, I don't know the title or first line, so I can't find it. (One of my anthologies has provided the desperate expedient of an index of last lines, but that doesn't help either.) -- --- Joe Fineman (Email Removed)
[nq:2]: Etiquette is for those who have no breeding; fashion, for : : those who have no taste. : [/nq]

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]From: Joe Fineman (Email Removed)[/nq]
[nq:2]The word is "velleity" --- it refers to a passing inclination or wish. Not a very common word but I've heard people use it.[/nq]
I believe it's used more in a derogatory way, like "airs" or "pretensions" as in "He has a poetic veleity".
[nq:1] a poem about it. However, as usual with his poems, I don't know the title or first line, so I can't find it. (One of my anthologies has provided the desperate expedient of an index of last[/nq]
Seated one day at the dictionary I was pretty weary and also pretty ill at ease, Because a word I had always liked turned out not to be a word at all, and suddenly I found myself among the v's. And suddenly among the v's I came across a new word which was a word called velleity, So the new word I found was better than the old word I lost, for which I thank my tutelary deity. â??I'm a Stranger Here Myself, 1938

Usenet · Answer

Joe Fineman wibbled
[nq:1]Fritz Weissmann writes:[/nq]
[nq:2]The word is "velleity" --- it refers to a passing inclination or wish. Not a very common word but I've heard people use it.[/nq]
[nq:1] a poem about it. However, as usual with his poems, I don't know the title or first line, so I can't find it. (One of my anthologies has provided the desperate expedient of an index of last lines, but that doesn't help either.)[/nq]
http://www.wordspy.com/waw/Nash-Ogden.asp

Jac

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1](Email Removed) (Fritz Weissmann) writes:[/nq]
[nq:2]The word is "velleity" --- it refers to a passing inclination or wish. Not a very common word but I've heard people use it.[/nq]
[nq:1] a poem about it. However, as usual with his poems, I don't know the title or first line, so I can't find it. (One of my anthologies has provided the desperate expedient of an index of last lines, but that doesn't help either.)[/nq]
How about:

Seated one day at the dictionary I was pretty weary and also pretty ill at ease, Because a word I had always liked turned out not to be a word at all, and suddenly I found myself among the v's. And suddenly among the v's I came across a new word which was a word called velleity, So the new word I found was better than the old word I lost, for which I thank my tutelary deity. ?I'm a Stranger Here Myself, 1938

Googled from . It doesn't give the name of the poem (if indeed it has one; I think the title is of the anthology), but I'm sure you can track that down now.

-- Bob Lieblich No need for thonx

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]At dinner on Saturday my interlocutor mentioned this word "villeity" and, having drink taken, can remember scant details. Something about ... the 1800s but looks very useful. Has it come within anyone's radar? Google isn't terribly helpful today. Many tas Edward[/nq]
Velleity. That'll be the one. Thank you one and all.

Edward

Villeity

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