"sardony"? "sardain"? perhaps simply "sard" or "sardon"?

[arguchik]

i want there to be a noun form for "sardonic." in fact, i'd be even happier if there were at least three: one to name a sardonic person (i know, but "smartass" doesn't quite cover it); one to name a specific sardonic artifact (whether textual, spoken, or acted), in the spirit of "oh, that play? it's a satire."; and one to name the state of being, speaking, or acting sardonic itself. (the latter two could be the same word, much like "satire" serves similarly dual roles, while we have "satirist" to refer to the person who produces satire.) i even looked up "sardonic" on dictionary.com, to see if there might exist some archaic noun form of which i have been persistently ignorant. nope. nada. here's what the experts say:

sar·don·ic: characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical; sneering: a sardonic grin.

ok, yup, glad to know i've had the right definition in my head all these years... but wait, what's this?

[Origin: 1630–40; alter. of earlier sardonian (influenced by F sardonique) < L sardoni(us) (< Gk sardónios of Sardinia) + -an; alluding to a Sardinian plant which when eaten was supposed to produce convulsive laughter ending in death] (emphasis added)

how cool is that? a plant. you eat it. you laugh convulsively. and then you die. (has jack kevorkian heard about this?)

in other news, i'm completely smitten with glaucon's kitty, iphigeneia. she's very saucy, with sleek black fur, and she likes to sit on my lap and purr while i'm reading. it's kinda like having a pet again, except i don't have to scoop her poop because she's not actually "mine." win-win!

Comments

[arguchik.livejournal.com]

awesome. i'll take them all, or most of them, anyway.

"sardonite" seems useful to denote a person who is deeply inclined toward being sardonic, in a way unconnected from the conscious will; while "sardonicist" would be better for referring to someone who is highly trained at being sardonic. i kinda like "sard," though, too, cuz it sounds like "bard."

i especially love "sardonica/on," though. that's a stroke of linguistic brilliance. of that last set, my money's on "sardony."

(your brain is sexy.)