• afflatus (n.): an impulse of creative power or inspiration, esp. in poetry, considered to be of divine origin (esp. in the phrase ‘divine afflatus’). [C17: Latin, from afflātus, from afflāre, ‘to breathe or blow on’, from flāre, ‘to blow’]. ~ (Collins English Dictionary).

• afflatus (n.): inspiration, esp. as a result of divine communication. [1655-65; from Latin afflātus, ‘a breathing on’, ‘inspiration’, from aflā(re), ‘to breathe on’, ‘emit’, from af- + flāre, ‘to blow²’ + -tus, suffix of verbal action]. ~ (Webster’s College Dictionary).

• afflatus (n.): a strong creative impulse; divine inspiration; [e.g.]: “divine afflatus”; inspiration (arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity). ~ (Princeton’s WordNet 3.0).

• afflatus (n.): divine guidance and motivation imparted directly; (synonym): inspiration. ~ (American Heritage Roget’s Thesaurus).

• afflatus (n.): 1. (rare or unused): a blowing or breathing on, as of wind; a breath or blast of wind; 2. an impelling mental force acting from within; supernal impulse or power, as of prophecy or expression; religious, poetic, or oratorical inspiration; often spoken of as the divine afflatus, a translation of the Latin afflatus divinus, inspiration; [e.g.]: “I know not how far this was the case [his Muse in a good humour] with Mr. Pope, in this performance, but wherever it was, the poet will be little more than a common man; he is, at such times, much the same as a prophet without his afflatus”. (Joseph Spence, 1699-1768, “An Essay on Pope’s Odyssey”, Evening III, 1726-27; pp. 148-149). [Latin afflatus, adflatus, afflare, adflare, ‘blow on’; see afflate]. ~ (Century Dictionary and Cyclopaedia).

• afflate† (tr.v.): to breathe on; inspire. [Latin afflatus, pp. of afflare, adflare, ‘blow on’, from ad, ‘to’ + flare, ‘blow’; see blow¹]. ~ (Century Dictionary and Cyclopaedia).

• afflation (n.): a blowing or breathing on; inspiration. [from Latin as if *afflatio(n-), from aflare, adflare; see afflatus]. ~ (Century Dictionary and Cyclopaedia).

• afflatus (n.): a Latin term which was derived from Cicero in “De Natura Deorum” (‘The Nature of the Gods’) and has been translated as ‘inspiration’. Cicero’s usage was a literalising of “inspiration”, which had already become figurative. As “inspiration” had come to mean simply the gathering of a new idea, Cicero reiterated the idea of a rush of unexpected breath, a powerful force which would render the poet helpless and unaware of its origin. Literally, the Latin “afflatus” means ‘to blow upon’, ‘blow toward’. It was originally spelt “adflatus”, made up of “ad-”, ‘to’, and “flatus”, ‘blowing’, ‘breathing’, the nounal form of “flāre”, ‘to blow’. It can be taken to mean ‘to be blown upon’ by a divine wind, like its English equivalent ‘inspiration’, which comes from “inspire”, meaning ‘to breathe’, ‘blow onto’. In English, “afflatus” is used for the literal form of inspiration. It generally refers not to the usual sudden originality but the staggering and stunning blow of a new idea, which the recipient may be unable to explain. In Romantic literature and criticism, in particular, the usage of “afflatus” was revived for the mystical form of poetic inspiration tied to genius, such as the story Samuel Taylor Coleridge offered for the composition of “Kubla Khan”. The frequent use of the Aeolian harp as a symbol for the poet was a play on the renewed emphasis on “afflatus” in the ensuing years. “Divino afflante Spiritu” (‘Inspired by the Holy Spirit’) is an encyclical letter of Pope Pius XII dealing with Biblical inspiration and Biblical criticism. It lay out his desire to see new translations from the original language instead of the Vulgate. “Nemo igitur vir magnus sine aliquo adflatu divino umquam fuit” (‘No great man ever existed who did not enjoy some portion of divine inspiration’). ~ (2012 Wikipedia Encyclopaedia).

• flatulence (n.): defined in the medical literature as “flatus expelled through the anus” or even “the quality or state of being flatulent”, which is defined in turn as “marked by or affected with gases generated in the intestine or stomach; likely to cause digestive flatulence”. The root of these words is from the Latin “flatus”—meaning ‘a blowing’, ‘a breaking wind’. The word “flatus” is also the medical term for gas generated in the bowels or stomach. Despite these standard definitions, a proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environmental air, and hence flatus is not totally generated in the intestinal tract. The scientific study of this area of medicine is termed “flatology”. The process involves flatus being transported to the rectum and pressurised by intestinal muscles. It is normal to express flatus, though volume and frequency vary greatly among individuals. It is also normal for intestinal gas to have a feculent⁽⁰¹⁾ odour, which may be intense at times. The noise commonly associated with flatulence (“blowing a raspberry”) is produced by the anus and buttocks, which act together in a manner similar to that of an embouchure⁽⁰²⁾. Both the sound and the smell are sources of embarrassment, annoyance or flatulence humour. ~ (2012 Wikipedia Encyclopaedia).

Aide-Mémoire:

An aide-mémoire (formal): a piece of writing or a picture that helps you to remember something; [e.g.]: “I write notes to myself and put them on the board. It serves as an aide-mémoire”. ~ (Cambridge Idioms Dictionary).

Akimbo:

Face down with arms and legs akimbo: www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/eagles/kitt-3.jpg

The ‘Alas poor Yorick’ variety:

www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/25500.html

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Alas:

‘alas: expr. unhappiness, grief, pity, or concern’. (Oxford Dictionary).

Albion: 

[Dictionary Definitions]:
• Albion (archaic or poetic): ancient and literary name of Britain; it is usually restricted to England and is perhaps derived from the Latin “albus” meaning ‘white’, referring to the chalk cliffs of South England. ~ (Columbia Electronic Encyclopaedia).

• Albion (placename): a word of Celtic origin, the most ancient name of the British Isles; it was used by the ancient Greeks, in particular by Ptolemy, and later came into use in ancient Roman literature; as used in Britain today the term “Albion” has an exalted meaning; in other countries it is used with a slightly ironic connotation; in Russian pre-revolutionary literature the term “perfidious Albion” was often used to denote the hypocrisy of British diplomacy. ~ (The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition; 1970-1979).

Alienist:

alienist (n.): a physician who evaluates the competence of defendants to stand trial. [obs. French aliéniste, ‘psychiatrist’: obs. French aliéné, ‘mentally ill’ (from past participle of aliéner, ‘to estrange’, ‘make hostile’, ‘deprive of reason’, from Old French, from Latin aliēnāre, ‘to deprive of reason’; from Latin aliēnus, ‘alien’; from alius, ‘other’) + French -iste, ‘-ist’; from Old French, from Latin -istēs, ‘-ista’, from Greek -istēs, ‘agent noun suffix’]. ~ (American Heritage Dictionary).

Alterity:

• alterity (n.): the state of being other or different; otherness. [origin: mid 17th century from late Latin alteritas, from alter, ‘other’]. ~ (Oxford English Dictionary).

• alterity (n.; pl. alterities): the state of being different, especially with respect to one’s perception of one’s identity within a culture; otherness. [Origin: French altérité, ‘otherness’, Late Latin alteritās, Latin alter, ‘other’]. ~ (American Heritage Dictionary).

Alterity:

Amoral:

‘amoral: unconcerned with or outside morality; neither moral nor immoral; being beyond the moral order or a particular code of morals’. (Oxford Dictionary).

Anamnesis:

Anamnesis (n.): a recalling to memory; the remembrance of the past; the ability to recall prior occurrences; the act or process of reproduction in memory; recollection; remembrance;

[1650-60; New Latin fr. Greek ‌anámnēsis‌, remembrance; fr. anamimnēskein, ‘to remember’; anamnē-, ‌‘to remind‌’; ana-‌ + mimnēskein, ‘to call to mind’, ‘‌to recall’].

Anomalous:

anomalous (adj.): 1. deviating from the common order, form, or rule; irregular; abnormal; 2. not fitting into a common, familiar, or expected type or pattern; unusual; 3. incongruous or inconsistent; (adv.): anomalously; (n.): anomalousness. [1640-50; from Medieval Latin, Late Latin anōmalus, from Greek anṓmalos, ‘irregular’]. ~ (Webster’s College Dictionary).

Anomie: