Nota Bene: Take Careful Note

David Foster Wallace, known for his intricate and linguistically rich prose, had a deep-seated passion for language that was displayed in his habit of compiling extensive lists of words. He did this primarily to fuel his writing process, seeking out precise, evocative, or obscure terms that could add layers of meaning, texture, and innovation to his work—such as in novels like Infinite Jest, where his vocabulary often included jargon, archaisms, and neologisms to create a distinctive voice. 

I'd read of this habit of his and later was gratified to find a lengthy list of his words in one of his books whose title I can no longer recall. I found it interesting to read through a catalog of words someone else was fascinated by.

One of James D. Nickel's several 
books on Mathematics

What brought this Wallace habit to mind was stumbling into another collection of interesting words on the website Biblical Christian Worldview. which features the research and writings of math scholar and author James D. Nickel. It was fun to skim through his lists of words on a page titled Nota Bene, which is Latin for Take Careful Note. Of this page on his much broader website he writes, This page is devoted to an investigation of the depth, versatility, and heritage of English words; i.e., here is a vocabulary list with some "bark and bite."

Here's a taste from a portion of words in the category E.

e pluribus unum: from many, one (the motto of the United States_
ebullience: the quality of being optimistic in speech or writing
ecce homo: behold the man
eccentricity: odd or whimsical behavior
ecclesiastical: pertaining to church
echelon: a level of command; military organizational structure
eclectic: choosing from a variety of sources or origins; something that offers a diverse selection of items, styles, or approaches
eclipse: any obscuration of light ecumenical: universal
edification: to instruct or enlighten in an encouraging way
educe: to draw out (education)
effeminate: more reminiscent of women than men
effete: lacking robust vitality; sterile; without force
efficacious: having the power to produce a desired effect
efflorescent: blossoming
effrontery: shameful boldness
effulgent: radiant; brilliantly shining egalitarian: arising from a belief in the equality of all persons
egocentric: selfish
egregious: flagrantly incorrect or bad

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Before posting the above, I email James and asked, "Since you are a 'math guy'... what prompted you to build these lists of words?"

James replied: A "math guy" interested in words (i.e., the humanities)? Seems oxymoron, but no.

For a math guy to have interest revealed in "Nota Bene" is meant to show that Math/Technology/Science/Servile Arts and Humanities (High tech, high touch) flow together.

Ed: Two thumbs up.

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I encourage you to not only check out the rest of the E-words but all the other lists as well. And while you're in the neighborhood, explore his primary work on the history of mathematics and his understanding of the relationships between math, science, God and meaning. 

Here's one additional word, for James, from his pages devoted to the letter K:

kudos: honor or accolades