Happy 3rd Blogiversary to me!

Artwork by my fabulous sister, Anya.

I can’t believe that I’ve been blogging for three years! A big thank you to all of my blog followers for your support, likes, and comments.

As you can see, I have set some lofty goals for this following year. If you know anyone who loves etymology, please refer them to my blog. If you are a frequent visitor, please consider following my blog so you never miss a word!

 

cynophilist (sī-näfələ̇st)

Happy Valentine’s Day! We have a new love in our lives and I have been very excited to write this post for many months. In September of 2016, we brought home a 12-week-old Tibetan Spaniel puppy. We named her Coco Cuddles, and she is adorable, sweet, and cuddly.

Tibetan Spaniels are a rather uncommon breed, but we have found that this particular breed suits our family perfectly. Coco is loving, lively, alert, smart, playful, and sometimes mischievous. As their name would suggest, Tibetan Spaniels originated in Tibet. They are a very old breed; they are depicted in Asian art dating back to 1100 BC.

Tibetan Spaniels can be many different colors with various markings, but our Coco is  parti colored, meaning that she is a mix of different colors – she is white with light sable markings. She is almost 8 months old now and weighs 8 pounds. Her adult weight will be between 13 and 15 pounds, so she won’t really gain much more weight.

By now, you’ve probably guessed that the word cynophilist has something to do with dogs! Cynophilist comes from the Greek roots cyn-, meaning dog, and phil-, meaning love so the word means “dog lover.”

Are any of you cynophilists?

To see more pictures of baby Coco, go to Briallu Tibetan Spaniels – Coco’s litter name was Penelope.

demiguise (demē-gīz)

A Demiguise is a peaceful creature who can make itself invisible at will. (image from www. harrypottercanon.wikia.com)

A Demiguise is a peaceful beast, according to Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them by Newt Scamander. They are found in the Far East, however, it is difficult to spot them because of their ability to make themselves invisible when they feel threatened. Since they are also able to predict immediate future events, it makes this creature hard to capture.

A Demiguise resembles an ape with fine silvery hair, which hides its big black eyes. The pelts of Demiguises are valued because they can be woven to make Invisibility Cloaks. The Ministry of Magic classifies these creatures as XXXX, meaning that they are fairly dangerous.

Demiguise contains the Latin root demi-, meaning half. It also contains the word guise, that which conceals the true nature of something. This name is fitting because a Demiguise can conceal itself by becoming invisible. Additionally, their ability to predict the future, which is always half-concealed and varying based on certain conditions, also makes this name relevant.

This concludes my series of posts on Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. I hope you enjoyed this theme!