8:1 Lament

When and where did I find this word: I found this word last night, Sunday October 23rd, 2011 while reading a story to my sons for bedtime. We were reading a spongebob square pants story and the word happened to be in the story. It took me a minute to regain focus on reading because it didn't make sense to me that such a large word would be placed within a children's book. I suppose I have seen stranger things in my life.

What this word means: Dictionary.com definition: to feel or express sorrow or regret for. The way it was used in the story made it sound like a different definition. I would have said that it meant crying or sad. I suppose it's all relative and the definitions are close.

Level of familiarity: I think I have seen this word in places that are completely random. Maybe I have even heard it but it doesn't stand out in my memory as one of those terms that's really used much (at least in my life).

Is this a word I want to know well?: I think this is one of those terms that's nice to know for worldly, academic purposes but otherwise I wouldn't really resort to using it much. I don't really don't express sorrow or regret very often. It's a handy word but not necessary.

Is this a word I want others to know well? Again, I don't feel the word is absolutely necessary in terms of everyday use but it's a handy word to have 'on file' once in a while. I think that as we are becoming teachers or are already practicing teaching and literacy, it might be important to have these sort of terms 'on file' in the event that what happened to me (reading with my sons) you come across a term that makes you stop and you need to reassess the reading event. If my boys had been older and asked me what the term meant, I would have had to think 'fast' to come up with an answer.