It's interesting that the American tradition of using 'inaugurate' embeds through #etymology a strange Roman superstition, a way to measure the luck of the future officeholder by ritual reading of omens from the flight of birds.
https://twitter.com/MerriamWebster/status/1351937742108766209
This, of course, is also why we say "this augurs well" (literally "this is promising according to omens").
We could have used simpler and more concrete terms like 'installation' or 'induction' for this purpose, but they are less laden with figurative meaning.
We could have used simpler and more concrete terms like 'installation' or 'induction' for this purpose, but they are less laden with figurative meaning.
The French, when discussing U.S. politics, use the word 'investiture' (which we also have): "to clothe in the official robes of office," another vivid and ancient image.
The ultimate Latin root is 'vestis' ("garment"), and our English word 'vestment' retains this meaning.
The ultimate Latin root is 'vestis' ("garment"), and our English word 'vestment' retains this meaning.
The power of figurative language is that it tells a little story within a word or phrase, and that story can be an ancient echo or a forgotten fable or an obsolete ritual. But whatever it is, it adds weight to the thought expressed by the words.
If it's a metaphor, connecting the figurative to the literal is the distance between information and literature.
If it's an idiom, we use one story to tell another, or an image to represent an idea.
It's why "a piece of cake" is something easy but "a slice of cake" is dessert.
If it's an idiom, we use one story to tell another, or an image to represent an idea.
It's why "a piece of cake" is something easy but "a slice of cake" is dessert.
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