rolanni | Tactile Writing

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Tactile Writing

OK, this is making me crazy. I need a word. The word should have the same shape and weight as "abbot." It can be -- probably should be -- a made-up word (usually, I have no trouble at all making up words -- rather otherwise, so that my friends very rightly consider any Weird Word I may come up with in conversation with a degree of suspicion -- but this one is for some reason a stumper). In context it will refer to the head administrator of a magical hospital.

In other news -- Ebayers take note. If all goes well, the coreboard promotional poster for Balance of Trade that Meisha Merlin carried around to conventions will go up on ebay this weekend. Much depends on figuring out how to sensibly approach the shipping issue. It will have to go UPS and I feel in my heart that it ain't gonna be cheap.

Tomorrow, I have a six month review at the dayjob. I haven't had a six month review in more than a decade. This ought to be interesting...

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What's wrong with "Dean"?

Or maybe "magister"?

What's wrong with "Dean"?

Doesn't have the pinch of Other. Which is also what's wrong with "abbot."

Chirarch, from "chirurgeon" and "autarch".

That's right in the neighborhood.

Thank you!

I was considering cleirarch for some of the same reasons - combination of clerk and -arch from archos -ruler (greek). I don't usually think of a hospital administrator as being a medico.

The process of making up titles for fictious purposes .....HHMmmmmm.
Not an enviable position. My thoughts were thus;
Hospital administrators are usually thought of as up-tight, officious, squirrelly individuals. One would expect an ostentatious title for such; rather than something as quaint and modest as 'Abbott'.
Unless the individual is Very different from the stereotype, I would suggest something more like
"Magistrator Superior"

Hospital administrators are usually thought of as up-tight, officious, squirrelly individuals.

Well... maybe hereabouts they are...

Maybe you dono't have to make up a word...in German, it's Aebte and late Greek it's Abbas

Lorna

I do often rob and riffle other languages, but this time twon't do, for a variety of reasons having to do with the how I've got the world set up.

Valetudinarian? (a hospital is valetudinarium -- ominous, but I suppose it was in Rome)

Magister saluteris (master of healing)

Medicus (healer in Latin)

Valetudinarian? (a hospital is valetudinarium -- ominous, but I suppose it was in Rome)

Ooh!

Squirrels away for later use...

Abbot is so short and squared off at the end that it is hard to make another word that is shaped and weighed the same.

Carist (the most caring of the hospital => care-est => carist)
Loreot (lore + abbot; plays on the sound of "laureate")
Magischar (sort of like "Mage Chairman")

Are you going for something that sounds like it should be English, or something accented?

That's funny. I don't think of abbot as short and squared off at all. Kind of a velvet bag a quarter-full of sand, with a hint of incense clinging to it. It's the incense that's hardest to duplicate.

Loreot's pretty good, though I'm doing lorEot, which isn't quite what I'm after.

Isn't this fun?

Oh, yes, word games are a lot of fun!

I hear the word "abbot" as short and squared off at the end.

To me, the image of an abbot is a serene, blocky man who would be as comfortable barefoot in a homespun brown robe as he is in his deep brown velvet with the maroon trim and tassled gold rope belt. He is so solid a presence that you look to see if there are roots coming out of his toes. He is the oak that stands through the storm, barely ruffled as a hurricane blasts through. That's the character page from which I think the words Charist and Loreot come.

On the next mental page is the Magischar. He is a self-important man who is constantly drawing himself up as straight as he can to appear taller and more commanding. He has plenty of magical power, but he tries to administer through charisma more than solid business practices, and always feels like he falls just a bit short.

Good luck with the review.

Good luck with the review.

Thanks.

Maggot?
Abbé?

Maggot?

If only I were writing a Terry Pratchett novel... :)

What's to prevent from pratchetting? You have my permission to use the title "The Abbot of Maggot Abbaye".

What's to prevent from pratchetting?

Seriously? The weight and shape of the story. And leaving aside for the moment the fact that I really don't like Pratchett's stuff.

You have my permission to use the title "The Abbot of Maggot Abbaye".

Aha! A challenge!

I myself have never read anything by Pratchett. Nothing personal. It's just that the reviews lead me to believe his stuff isn't my cup of tea. Should I actually read his stories, I might fall in love with them. Also, I have lots of other stuff waiting for me to read them (including a few Modesty Blaise novels I just purchased).

Other options from a groggy, end of day brain:

Derived from how medical personel call drugs "meds" now: Meddott, Medmin (medical admin), Medicat (moving toward advocat though perhaps too close to the furry cats), Medager (medical manager), Medner (medical partner), Medveep (medical vp), Presmed, Admedott...

One could also ring the changes on "Hosp-" or "Care-"

B. O'Brien

Jurist? As in the person who has to make the hard decisions. A chateline is the keeper of the keys, but that might map to janitor on some level. Provost might fit, as well. Of course, Hippameister is an in-joke ... (HIPPA are the collection of medical privacy laws, so the person who is most skilled at that ...)

FWIW - my first thought was Primate. Then I got to pondering the head, and remembered cranium and that led to arch, keystone, sanctum, crux, and similar floods from the thesaurus. The Sanctum Scriptum (aka head papershuffler?).

Is this magical culture Latin based? What linguistic roots does the society draw on? That's usually where fancy titles come from, and the head administrator probably would get one. Unless the magicians look down on the mere admin?

Oh, perhaps something such as "Signor Podal?" with the backstory of the administrators as the feet that make the hospital run?

Sorry, not helpful here. Good luck with the review!

Prestor - from prelate and pastor. It also sounds a bit like "presto," which is magic of course.

I have the same sense of "abbot" as you (velvet bag, quarter full of sand), a very tactile kind of thing.

And I have a long history of playing with languages (both natural and constructed).

Having established my bona fides, I offer you shorbd. It has that soothing, voiceless, sibiliant beginning with the solid weight of a cluster of voiced stops at the end, which creates a title that doesn't easily blur into the name that followes (aside: many people here my name, when others introduce me, and conclude my first name is "Lorren." When I say it, I add the extra juncture between first and last names).

If you choose not to use shorbd I'll probably slap it into play somewhere myself.

Tumper

Perhaps an anacronym? Head Administrator MAgical Healing? HamaH

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Tactile Writing

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Titles

Re: Titles

ABBOT

Re: ABBOT

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Odd words

strange words

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I can't help myself...

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