The Death of Fissiparous and Other Words: A Dictionary of Words & Phrases on the Verge of Extinction

praxis

PRAK-suhs

noun

putting theory into practice; putting an idea into motion; the practice of something

1884R. W. WrightLife: Its True GenesisOur intuitions, as the final arbiters of judgment, demand this or some equivalent order as the only one embraced in a logical praxis.1984Neal StephensonThe Big UThey all retreated to the other end of the lot for a discussion of theory and praxis as the truck eased up to the loading dock. 1998Thomas ClearyEssential TaoThis passage is also read, Eternal nonbeing is needed to observe the subtle; eternal being is needed to observe the manifest These lines are one of the keys to Taoist praxis.

Labels: Neal Stephenson, R. W. Wright, Thomas Cleary

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Entry By: CJ Cooney
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aphelion

uh-FEE-lee-uhn

noun

a planet's orbital position at which point it is furthest from the sun

1884R. W. Wright Life: Its True GenesisThe actual amount of heat which the earth annually receives from the sun is in no way affected by the eccentricity of its orbit. It is a constant quantity, and only unequally distributed on the earth's surface, being neither increased nor diminished, as our winters occur in aphelion or perihelion. 2000Stephen BaxterManifold TimeCornelius pointed to numbers. 'These figures show the asteroid's perihelion, aphelion, eccentricity.'2002Keith LaumerRetief!Then there are the tides; half the continent would be inundated twice a year when our satellite is at aphelion…

Labels: Keith Laumer, R. W. Wright, Stephen Baxter

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