help with meaning: ignomous

She_wulf · Jan 22, 2008

Help.

I cannot find "ignomous" in the dictionary online or at home. I've heard it, seen it, and think it means "low" or "not noble"

BUT what I'm really looking is a word that means "common" not "disgraced" like some of the meanings of ignoble tend toward.

Anyone have an idea?

Thanks!

Amy

Ziljon · Jan 22, 2008

Is this what you're looking for?

plebeian |pliˈbēən| noun

(in ancient Rome) a commoner. • a member of the lower social classes.

mscelina · Jan 22, 2008

I think you mean ignominious, not ignomous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
ig·no·min·i·ous /ˌɪgnəˈmɪniəs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ig-nuh-min-ee-uhs] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective 1. marked by or attended with ignominy; discreditable; humiliating: an ignominious retreat.
2. bearing or deserving ignominy; contemptible.

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[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME < L ignōminiōsus. See ignominy, -ous]

—Related forms
ig·no·min·i·ous·ly, adverb
ig·no·min·i·ous·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. degrading, disgraceful, dishonorable, shameful. 2. despicable, ignoble.

However, ignoble means common or not of noble descent as a secondary definition.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
ig·no·ble /ɪgˈnoʊbəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ig-noh-buhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective 1. of low character, aims, etc.; mean; base: his ignoble purposes.
2. of low grade or quality; inferior.
3. not noble; of humble descent or rank.
4. Falconry. noting any hawk with short wings that chases or rakes after the quarry.

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[Origin: 1400–50; late ME < L ignōbilis unknown, inglorious, equiv. to in- in-3 + OL gnōbilis (L nōbilis) noble]

—Related forms
ig·no·bil·i·ty, ig·no·ble·ness, noun
ig·no·bly, adverb

—Synonyms 1. degraded, dishonorable, ignominious, contemptible. 3. lowly, obscure, plebeian, peasant.

Duncan J Macdonald · Jan 22, 2008

She_wulf said:
Help.

I cannot find "ignomous" in the dictionary online or at home. I've heard it, seen it, and think it means "low" or "not noble"

BUT what I'm really looking is a word that means "common" not "disgraced" like some of the meanings of ignoble tend toward.

Anyone have an idea?

Thanks!

Amy,

Then you don't want ignominious.

From Dictonary.com said:
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
ig·no·min·y

/ˈɪg

nəˌmɪn

i, ɪgˈnɒm

ə

ni/Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ig-nuh-min-ee, ig-nom-uh-nee]Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation–noun, plural -min·ies for 2. 1.disgrace; dishonor; public contempt. 2.shameful or dishonorable quality or conduct or an instance of this.
[Origin: 1530–40; < L ignōminia, equiv. to ig- (for in- in-3, appar. by assoc. with ignōbilis ignoble, ignōtus unknown, etc.; cf. cognomen) + nōmin- (s. of nōmen) name + -ia -y3

]

—Synonyms 1. disrepute, discredit, shame, obloquy, opprobrium. See disgrace.
—Antonyms 1. credit, honor.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

and

Dictonary.com said:
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This ig·no·min·i·ous

(ĭg'nə-mĭn'ē-əs) Pronunciation Key
adj.

<LI minmax_bound="true">Marked by shame or disgrace: "It was an ignominious end ... as a desperate mutiny by a handful of soldiers blossomed into full-scale revolt" (Angus Deming).</FONT minmax_bound="true"> <LI minmax_bound="true">Deserving disgrace or shame; despicable.

Degrading; debasing: "The young people huddled with their sodden gritty towels and ignominious goosebumps inside the gray-shingled bathhouse" (John Updike).</FONT minmax_bound="true">

ig'no·min'i·ous·ly adv., ig'no·min'i·ous·ness n.
(Download Now or Buy the Book) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

As for a word that could substitute for "common", what's wrong with just using "common"?

ErylRavenwell · Jan 22, 2008

She_wulf said:
Help.

I cannot find "ignomous" in the dictionary online or at home. I've heard it, seen it, and think it means "low" or "not noble"

BUT what I'm really looking is a word that means "common" not "disgraced" like some of the meanings of ignoble tend toward.

Anyone have an idea?

Thanks!

Amy

The correct word is "ignominious" synonymous to "ignoble". The noun is "ignominy". The kind of word I'll probably avoid.

She_wulf · Jan 22, 2008

Duncan J Macdonald said:
...

As for a word that could substitute for "common", what's wrong with just using "common"?

Thanks all for the quick response.

"Common" just seems too common to me. I was looking for something that would conjure up the MC's underlying "delusions of grandeur" squashed. So "ignoble" sounds about right. I just wasn't certain if there was a twist on it that meant "state of being ignoble"

Amy

FennelGiraffe · Jan 22, 2008

The word you are thinking of is ignominious, but the meaning isn't quite what you want. Depending on the specific context, I would suggest one of these: plebeian, menial, lowly, proletarian, mundane, base, humble, bourgeois, pedestrian, common, modest, simple, ordinary

ErylRavenwell · Jan 22, 2008

She_wulf said:
Thanks all for the quick response.

"Common" just seems too common to me. I was looking for something that would conjure up the MC's underlying "delusions of grandeur" squashed. So "ignoble" sounds about right. I just wasn't certain if there was a twist on it that meant "state of being ignoble"

Amy

"Prosaic", perhaps, meaning commonplace.

Judg · Jan 22, 2008

Ignoble implies someone who is genuinely base. I don't think that's quite what you want.

Judg · Jan 22, 2008

humiliated, chastened, humbled, abased ?

She_wulf · Jan 22, 2008

Judg said:
humiliated, chastened, humbled, abased ?

Thank you again. "prosaic" might work. Plebeian may be better though because of the negative connotations yet the idea of classism. (sorry, is that a word?)

Matera the Mad · Jan 23, 2008

Get. A. Thesaurus.

Keyan · Jan 24, 2008

Google a thesaurus.

Word thesaurus enter.

JJ Cooper · Jan 24, 2008

I'd go with plebeian. Because it sounds like a nice big word but common enough for readers to comprehend.

JJ

IceCreamEmpress · Jan 24, 2008

I actually don't think people should, on the whole, use words in their writing that they don't use in their real lives. (Apart from technical and archaic terms, if appropriate--I don't say 'foc'sle' in real life, but I would need to if I were writing a 19th-century sea story.)

Someone like T. C. Boyle, who uses a brain-busting vocabulary, really talks like that all the time. (He also has a wonderfully colorful way with vulgarity and profanity!)

But I think that trying to graft a whole bunch of ten-dollar words onto your everyday vocabulary is usually a mistake.

She_wulf · Jan 25, 2008

Keyan said:
Google a thesaurus.

Word thesaurus enter.

Thanks for the hint, but already did that and came up lacking. Also have the MW dictionary in my quick search at the top of my browser window. I LOVE FF for that feature alone. Well, that and tabbed browsing, and faster page upload, and no unnecessary ActiveX and.. well I'm a convert/fanatic.

IceCreamEmpress said:
I actually don't think people should, on the whole, use words in their writing that they don't use in their real lives. ...
But I think that trying to graft a whole bunch of ten-dollar words onto your everyday vocabulary is usually a mistake.

The first word that popped into my head was "ignoble" even thought _now_ I know it isn't a word. Although it did come up in surprising places on the internet.

Matera the Mad said:
Get. A. Thesaurus.

Again, thanks, and I do have one. Two dictionaries grace the shelf by my computer as well. Why two? I forgot I owned one from years ago and bought a new one after we moved. Not all my book boxes were unpacked.

And, I do agree with IceCreamEmpress that $10 words shouldn't be bandied about if they aren't in your vocabulary. So that begs the question, how did ignoble come into mine?

Like I stated previously, I wanted a word that meant "not noble." My plebeian brain took the leap and fell short.

I've settled on "plebeian" for now.

Thanks again to all for their suggestions. I appreciate the help.

Amy

She_wulf · Jan 25, 2008

from: http://myword.info/sendword.php?in_1-a Word Definition A prefix added to the start of a word. Indicates that "not" modifies the word. Created to expand meanings. Can be used with many words to form new words.

use of "nobilis" derivative versus "nomin" derivative

ignoble - loosely "not noble" alt. common

From : http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noble Etymology:Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin nobilis well-known, noble

ignominious - loosely "not named" alt. bastard

ignobilous anyone? (IK...horrible sound!) Gotta love Latin.

Might change plebeian to mundane, checking out loud to see if it works in context.

Thanks again everyone.

Amy

IceCreamEmpress · Jan 25, 2008

She_wulf said:
The first word that popped into my head was "ignoble" even thought _now_ I know it isn't a word.

Ignoble is a word. It's a word that's used to mean "low, base, reprehensible" now, and hasn't been used to mean "not of aristocratic descent" for a couple of hundred years (although it did mean that once).

She_wulf · Jan 25, 2008

my bad, I meant to type ignomous...

*sigh*

long day.

Duncan J Macdonald · Jan 25, 2008

IceCreamEmpress said:
I actually don't think people should, on the whole, use words in their writing that they don't use in their real lives. (Apart from technical and archaic terms, if appropriate--I don't say 'foc'sle' in real life, but I would need to if I were writing a 19th-century sea story.)

I do say "fo'c'sle", and did for the 20 or so years I was in the US Navy. It's still an active and lively word -- just ask any airedale just back from a deployment about the "Fo'c'sle Follies".

AncientEagle · Jan 27, 2008

She_wulf said:
So that begs the question, how did ignoble come into mine?

I don't mean to be a smart-aleck and jump on you about a totally different thing, but the phrase "begs the question," contrary to popular opinion, does not mean "brings up the following question." It means "using circular reasoning; attempting to prove a thing by itself."

help with meaning: ignomous

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