Lustrate (2023-)


Glossary of terms:

idiophone: a musical instrument that creates sound primarily by the vibration of the instrument itself.

idiopathy: of or relating to a disease whose cause is unknown, and whose origin is spontaneous.

idiotype: a shared characteristic between a group of immunoglobulin or T-cell receptor (TCR) molecules based upon the antigen binding specificity .

idio—: from Greek ἴδιος , meaning “own,” “distinct,” “private”; in other words, that which relates to the cloistered, as opposed to the public, individual . Think “idiolect,” versus “dialect.”

campanology: the study of bells, with the origin of the term in the region of Campana, “having been the supposed location of St Paulinus's introduction of bells to Christian ceremony” — but also possibly descended “from the Ancient Greek καπάνη (kapánē, “felt helmet”) owing to a supposed resemblance of shape.”

campana: an obsolete botanical term related to bell-shaped flowers, in particular the pasque flower. which is used in traditional medicine practices as a sedative, as an inducer of both childbirth and miscarriage, as well as a cough suppressant. The plant is highly toxic and improperly used can lead to vomiting, convulsions, and coma.

The pasque flower’s name comes from the Hebrew פֶּסַח‎ (pésaḥ), referring to the celebration of Passover — which festival occurs in spring, between March and April, when the flower blooms. The historical basis of the Passover ritual is thought to have been in more general rites of apotropaic magic, those designed to ward off evil or contaminating forces from the threshold of a family home. Bells often figured in these rituals, such as in the “bell, book, and candle” excommunication ritual of the early Catholic Church.