You can read that here<\/a> in GRE Word List Blog #20!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This GRE vocabulary blog is about words that derive their names from people, real and fictional – eponyms! (which is sadly not an eponym itself) This blog’s GRE Words are algorithm, draconian, mesmerize, boycott, and hermetic.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You may be wondering what the image above has to do with the blog, now that you know the theme. Well, the image contains a silhouette of a person. A silhouette is a featureless image of a living being or object, depicted typically, in all black. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Etienne de Silhouette was a French finance minister, under whom the French people were subject to severe economic restrictions, due to the Seven Years’ War. As a result of some of the restrictions, photography and portrait-making became luxurious commodities. So, the cheapest way to record a person’s image was to make a silhouette out of their person, using black card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Wordle becoming a global cultural phenomenon, several spinoffs have been created, some more enjoyable and worthwhile than others. Worldle is one such spinoff – a game akin to Wordle, where you have 6 attempts to guess a country\/territory using its silhouette. Hints include how far you are from the intended country, and which direction you should move in. Check it out here<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starting off with two words that are not so common in the GRE, but a must-know given the theme, we’ll look at Kafkaesque<\/strong> and Orwellian<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Franz Kafka was a Czech novelist who often wrote about surreal and bizarre topics, especially in his piece de resistance<\/em>, ‘The Metamorphosis<\/a>‘ – a book about a salesman who wakes up one morning to find that he has transformed into a giant insect. His books also tackled the trope of an isolated protagonist going up against socio-bureaucratic powers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n George Orwell is well-known for ‘Animal Farm<\/a>,’ a book about a group of animals rebelling against a farmer to improve their conditions, and one that deals with the theme of dystopia, and for ‘1984<\/a>,’ another classic that deals with totalitarianism, and surveillance, among other serious themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Simpsons, a famous, long-running, animated show included a really good bit in their episode, ‘Orange Is the New Yellow,’ to illustrate what the two adjectives mean. Officers arrest Marge for letting Bart play alone in the park. The judge sentences her to 90 days for the ‘offence’, and Lisa, ever the cultured one, yells out ‘That’s Kafkaesque,’ referencing the absurd bureaucratic punishment. The judge replies, “I’ve got my eye on you.” Lisa bursts out, “Now it’s Orwellian!” <\/p>\n\n\n\n Comedy. Gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Part of Speech<\/strong> – noun No, not MJ’s Heal the world. An ‘Al Gore rhythm.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that over with, let’s dive into the origin of this GRE Word. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mu\u1e25ammad ibn M\u016bs\u0101 al-Khw\u0101rizm\u012b<\/strong> was a Persian polymath who came up with the first system of linear and quadratic equations. His name is the origin of the above term ‘algorism’ and eventually, algorithm. He wrote a book on calculation that involved ‘completion and balancing’ and that book is said to be the origin of the word ‘algebra.’
\n\n\n\nWithout a shadow of a doubt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nPoints of Author-ity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\ni. algorithm<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Definition <\/strong>– a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.
Word Origins<\/strong> – late 17th century (influenced by Greek arithmos <\/em>\u2018number\u2019) of Middle English algorism<\/em>, via Old French from medieval Latin algorismus<\/em>.
Synonyms <\/strong>– formula, theorem, contrivance.
Usage <\/strong>– Self-teaching algorithms will get better and better at making suggestions.<\/p>\n<\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/online.wizako.com\/gre-preparation\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/algorithm-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhat do you call a song to save the environment?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Algebra, though used in a mathematical context nowadays, was initially used in medical contexts as ‘al-jabr’<\/em><\/strong> – mending or putting together bones. He’s also said to have contributed meaningfully to trigonometry. <\/p>\n\n\n