Snob Words: Making Sense of Words You Wish You Knew, But Don't



Snob words are lexical aristocrats, highfalutin' words and phrases--often derived from foreign languages--that never appear on sixth-grade spelling tests. They're words you don't know, but feel you should know.

And because you don't know them, you often feel excluded.

For example, when Architectural Digest reveals that the actress of the moment has just installed an étagère in her pied-á-terre--and you're left racing to find a French dictionary app--you're a victim of snob words. Those fortunate enough to know the terms are in on the secret, while you're left standing behind the red velvet rope.

This blog is an attempt to demystify snob words, which show up frequently in publications that cater to well educated, upscale readers.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

triptych (TRIP΄-tick)

              A triptych (rhymes with cryptic) is a painting or carving consisting of three separate canvasses or panels meant to be displayed as a group.    
The term comes from the Greek triptychos, “having three folds,” a word the Romans adopted to refer to a writing tablet made of three panels connected by hinges.    
Artists in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance used this hinged, three-piece format for altarpieces, which made the works easy to transport.
Modern artists, including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and David Hockney, have also used the triptych format.
A diptych (DIP΄-tik), is a painting or carving consisting of two panels.

File:Mathis Gothart Grünewald 019.jpg
Matthias Grunewald's Isenheim Altarpiece is a triptych.
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