Progress Report: Word Choice

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Word for the Week (6 of 9)


Working on the blocks for my commissioned text quilt, I can't help but ponder the list of words that were chosen. 

Some words bring specific images to mind. For instance, when "athletic" was added to the list it was easy to see who that word was defining. It's an adjective that takes form in physical characteristics. 

"Accomplished" conjures up a vision of confidence in navigating many challenges and successfully tackling meaningful activities. Some qualities are enormous in meaning, pulling in multiple other adjectives that contribute to its full impact. The descriptive list of a person's qualities doesn't need to include those other adjectives because one word is so robust. 

Then there are words we assume we understand because we associate them with life experiences or history. 

"Groovy" took an interesting trip to get to the list of qualities for this quilt. It was added after the person making the list consulted the dictionary over the definition of something completely different. One thing led to another and it just seemed to complete the picture of the person that was being described. It is an iconic word and I've been looking forward to creating it.

Stitch by stitch, I began to realize I had a general idea of what this word meant, mostly because popular culture has trivialized its meaning in caricatured period pieces about the 1960's. My own trip to the dictionary was in order. 

"Groovy" is just as rich in meaning as any other word on our list:

                                 Marvelous, Wonderful, Excellent
                                 Hip, Trendy                                                  (Merriam Webster)

                                 Attractive, Fashionable, Exciting                    (Dictionary.com)

It belongs in the company of words associated with moments in history like crackerjack, keen, nifty, primo, out-of-this-world, cool, dynamite, dope, down, awesome; slang words which say just plain "fabulous/amazing."  

It turns out it has a longer history than I'd imagined. Under "word origin," Dictionary.com cites 1850-1855 as its first appearance, while Webster cites its first known use in 1937, and yourdictionary.com states it was popular in the 40's and again in the 60's. It does seem to come back into use periodically.

In general most people associate "groovy" with the late 50's through the 70's, but it's a concept that never goes out of style. We don't need to bring "groovy" back as an adjective, . . . as long as there are people who express it, it's here to stay!

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