recently, regarding recency.

[themeletor]

[15:11] meletor_et_al: recency is not a word, is it.
[15:11] meletor_et_al: BLARGLE!
[15:11] i_puddleglum: what is "recency" supposed to mean?
[15:11] meletor_et_al: recent... ness?
[15:11] i_puddleglum: I know what "recently" means...
[15:12] i_puddleglum: it should be
[15:12] meletor_et_al: there's got to be a word that means the same thing that I'm just missing
[15:12] meletor_et_al: because the concept is right there in my head
[15:12] meletor_et_al: in the way that it only is if there's a word for it
[15:13] i_puddleglum: strange... even though English has the largest vocabulary of any language in the world, and there are not nearly enough words to express certain things
[15:13] i_puddleglum: we should change that
[15:14] meletor_et_al: WHOAH brainwarp thesaurus entry
[15:14] meletor_et_al: Main Entry: early
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: beginning
Synonyms: aboriginal, ancient, antecedent, antediluvian, antiquated, brand-new, budding, early bird, fresh, initial, maiden, new, original, preceding, premier, prevenient, previous, primal, prime, primeval, primitive, primordial, prior, pristine, proleptical, raw, recent, undeveloped, virgin, young
Antonyms: conclusive, latter, modern, recent
[15:14] meletor_et_al: what is wrong with this picture?
[15:14] i_puddleglum: it's alphabetized
[15:14] meletor_et_al: ...no not that
[15:15] i_puddleglum: there is not a word that expresses what you want to say?
[15:15] meletor_et_al: how about the fact that "recent" is a SYNONYM and an ANTONYM
[15:15] meletor_et_al: BOTH
[15:15] i_puddleglum: o.O
[15:15] meletor_et_al: WTF, ENGLISH LANGUAGE, GET OFF THE CRACK.


...and you know, I still can't pin down the word I'm looking for. suggestions?

[ETA: recency is a word, just not the word I think it should be. DAMMIT.]

Comments

[i-puddleglum.livejournal.com]

Wow, I sound like an idiot in that conversation. Oh well.

[meletor-et-al.livejournal.com]

no you don't

[shrieking-ell.livejournal.com]

you need something like immediacy but sort of past tensy.

now i go put on my black bitch boots and get drunk on champagne.

[meletor-et-al.livejournal.com]

yes, I do.

go you. have fun.

[luthien-tavari.livejournal.com]

... I'm still trying to figure out how it can be both an antonym and a synonym.

Wow. I've never felt more lost. And that's saying a lot for me.

[meletor-et-al.livejournal.com]

creepy, huh?

[order_of_chaos]

[ETA: recency is a word, just not the word I think it should be. DAMMIT.]
Ha. Currency isn't much better.

[nyarinquentas.livejournal.com]

I think I've figured out the synonym/antonym thing. Maybe.

It's a synonym because they're claiming that early means beginning. It's a synonym if you take early to mean brand-new. Yes?

It's an antonym because early can also be used as antique, i.e. early aboriginal cave drawings. In that case, early and recent would be opposites. No?

That's what I came up with at 1:30 am. So it makes sense to me, but let me know if it's not an idea worthy of the light of day.

[i-puddleglum.livejournal.com]

That sounds about right. Good job.