The still point

By Vichara


There is a still point that can be reached. But actually when you reach it, it becomes the complete opposite. It is the flash point of change. As the culmination of ideas, thoughts, passions, and epiphanies reach the plateau of realization and one assumes a quiet release, one will experience the igniting moment of change.

oldster • \OHLD-ster\ • noun
: an old or elderly person

Example Sentence:
More and more oldsters are embracing the Internet and connecting and interacting using social networking Web sites.

Did you know?
"Youngster" has been used since the 16th century as a word for a young person with a lot of spunk. It has also long been used by maritime people as a word for a midshipman who has served less than four years. This use is connected with the Dutch word "younker," which, like "youngster," refers to a young person as well as a young seaman. "Oldster" came about as a word used to differentiate the inexperienced midshipmen, or youngsters, from the experienced ones. To be exact, an oldster is a midshipman of four years' standing. Charles Dickens gets credit for the earliest known use of "oldster" in the general sense of "an old person." In his 1848 novel Dombey & Son he wrote, "Her eyes would play the Devil with the youngsters before long -- 'and the oldsters too, Sir, if you come to that,' added the Major."

Things to do today...

By Vichara


It’s truly amazing with the millions of neurons in the brain and the mind numbing speed in which things get processed that there are some who still cannot grasp the concepts of compassion, empathy and genuine simple kindness. Where is that cell, switch, piece of grey matter that triggers that elusive impulse for those humanoids. Perhaps it’s up to us that have been touched by these concepts to act as a catalyst to those that have not. This harkens back to something I presented here before, “3 Things To Do Today”. Do one simple act of Love, Patience or Compassion today. That could be the spark some have been waiting for. You could be the catalyst for someone’s change.

wangle • \WANG-gul\ • verb
1 : to adjust or manipulate for personal or fraudulent ends
2 : to make or get by devious means : finagle

Example Sentence:
Steve didn't tell Sharon how he'd wangled an extra week of vacation, and she didn't care as long as it meant they could go to Greece for their honeymoon.

Did you know?
"Wangle," a verb of uncertain origin, has been used in its newest sense, "to obtain by sly methods," since at least the early 20th century. Occasionally, one sees "wrangle" used similarly, as in "wrangle a huge salary," but more typically it means "to argue or engage in controversy." Did the "obtain" sense of "wrangle" evolve through confusion with "wangle"? Not exactly. "Wrangle" was used with the meaning "to obtain by arguing or bargaining" as early as 1624, long before "wangle" appeared in the language. The sense had all but disappeared until recent decades, however, and its revival may very well have been influenced by "wangle." The "obtain" sense of "wangle" is currently more common than that of "wrangle," but both are considered standard.

The rest is up to you...

By Vichara


You are given your first breath of life at birth; the rest is up to you. You are given love to pass it along; the rest is up to you. You are given inspiration from teachers and family; the rest is up to you. You see the imbalances and injustices of life; the rest is up to you. You can see the results of compassion; the rest is up to you. You witness the impact of hatred, bigotry and conflict; the rest is up to you. You experience the beauty of creating art; the rest is up to you. You feel the unity of friendship and encouragement; the rest is up to you. Your presence here creates opportunities; the rest is up to you.

impecunious • \im-pih-KYOO-nee-uss\ • adjective
: having very little or no money usually habitually : penniless

Example Sentence:
My impecunious uncle, who could not afford to buy his own books, usually ended up borrowing mine.

Did you know?
If "impecunious" means "penniless," then it stands to reason that "pecunious" can describe someone who has a lot of money. That is true, but "pecunious" is used with far less frequency in English than its opposite and is not found in many dictionaries. What's more, on the rare occasion when "pecunious" is put to use in English, it often means not "wealthy" but "miserly or ungenerous," as in "a pecunious attitude toward the less fortunate." "Impecunious" describes somebody who lacks the money to buy necessities, but it does not carry the connotation of desperation found in such words as "indigent" or "destitute." Both "pecunious" and "impecunious" derive via Middle English from the Latin "pecunia," meaning "money."

Your own personal oasis...

By Vichara


Flowing like an unobstructed river, a pure thought of peace and compassion exists in each and every one of us, unrealized by most. To tap into this stream of solitude takes more than just a brief visit, it takes a slow and gradual journey. Pass the maya of misunderstanding; pass the greed and contempt to the clearing of understanding where, once discovered, can be revisited wherever there is a need and a desire.

Xanadu • \ZAN-uh-doo\ • noun
: an idyllic, exotic, or luxurious place

Example Sentence:
To Arthur, the beach house was a Xanadu, the perfect spot for the romantic tropical vacation he had dreamed of for years.

Did you know?
"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure-dome decree." Those lines are from the poem "Kubla Khan" (published in 1816) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Coleridge's fantastic description of an exotic utopia fired public imagination and ultimately contributed to the transition of "Xanadu" from a name to a generalized term for an idyllic place. The Xanadu in the poem was inspired by Shang-tu, the summer residence of Mongolian general and statesman Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis Khan). You might also recognize "Xanadu" as the name of the fantastic estate in Orson Welles's 1941 film Citizen Kane.

A new path...

By Vichara


Gandhi once said, “An eye for an eye, makes the whole world blind”. Let’s say now, today, as we wake up and meet the world – A heart for a heart, makes the whole world see. By engaging in one simple act of kindness rooted in a compassionate heart, we can make a difference. One simple act will inspire another to another to another until it becomes a force and not a tiny voice, as some perceive it to be. By bucking the system of negativity we can take control of a world with a vision of love, patience and compassion.

bindle stiff • \BIN-dul-stiff\ • noun
: hobo; especially : one who carries his clothes or bedding in a bundle
Example Sentence:
Jack London's experiences as a bindle stiff in the early 1890s later provided material for his writing.
Did you know?
In the argot of tramps and hoboes, a roll of clothes and bedding was called a "bindle," a word that probably originated as an alteration of the more familiar "bundle." "Stiff" itself can mean "hobo" or "migrant worker," meanings it took on in the late 19th century. About the same time, any tramp or hobo who habitually carried such a pack was known as a "bindle stiff." In Australia, a pack-carrying hobo might be called a "swagman."

Legacy...

By Vichara


It is important to teach children kindness and simplicity in life and work. You should live virtuously, or at least try to do so; the success of your good life will educate your children.

soupçon • \soop-SAWNG (the final NG is not pronounced, but the vowel is nasalized)\ • noun
: a little bit : trace

Example Sentence:
The author makes the protagonist seem more human by infusing a bit of vanity, a touch of greed, and a soupçon of self-doubt into his otherwise exceptional character.

Did you know?
Culinary enthusiasts may think "soupçon" originated with a dash of garlic in the coq au vin or a splash of vanilla in the crème anglaise, but the etymology of the word has more to do with inklings and suspicions than with food. Sometime in the 18th century, English speakers borrowed "soupçon" from the French, who were using the word to mean "drop," "touch," or "suspicion." The Old French form of the word was "sospeçon," which in turn comes from the Latin forms "suspection-" and "suspectio." Etymologists have further traced the word's Latin ancestry to the verb "suspicere," meaning "to suspect." "Suspicere," as you might expect, is also the source of the English words "suspect" and "suspicion."

A new direction...

By Vichara


There are days I’m sure that we feel like that fly circling around in front of a windowpane. It can see the outside but for some reason it keeps flitting about using the same methodology to try to find a way to get out but repeatedly bumps into the glass. We are much the same way when seeking answers. We keep circling around using methodology that seemed to work before but now for some reason we keep hitting dead ends with no results except frustration. There will be times like this where you will need a new direction. Don’t worry, the path has already been given to you…just look.

natatorial • \nay-tuh-TOR-ee-ul\ • adjective
1 : of or relating to swimming
2 : adapted to or characterized by swimming

Example Sentence:
The Olympic swimmer's natatorial prowess was on full display as she won her fifth gold medal.

Did you know?
On a warm spring weekday afternoon, the local swimming hole beckons . . . and boys will be boys. "Mr. Foster [the town truant officer] knew very well where to find us . . . at our vernal and natatorial frolics," confessed John Gould in The Christian Science Monitor (January 10, 1992), some 70 years after that warm spring day of his youth. The Latin verb "natare," meaning "to swim," gave English the word "natatorial" and its variant "natatory." It also gave us "natant" ("swimming or floating in water"); "supernatant" ("floating on the surface"); "natation" ("the action or art of swimming"); and last but not least, "natatorium" ("an indoor swimming pool").

The resolve...

By Vichara


To even look at the future without the balance of understanding and compassion is a foolish venture. Without the foundation that will guide each other’s hearts on a steady course, the journey can be fraught with insecurities. Unless we resolve collectively that the course of action that lies in front of each one of us is based on compassionate cooperation and fearless understanding we will wander aimlessly without direction in life.

caustic • \KAWSS-tik\ • adjective
1 : capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action : corrosive
2 : marked by incisive sarcasm

Example Sentence:
She always seemed to have a caustic reply to any silly or unnecessary question.

Did you know?
If you have a burning desire to know the origins of "caustic," you're already well on the way to figuring it out. "Caustic" was borrowed into English in the 14th century from the Latin "causticus," which itself derives from the Greek "kaustikos." "Kaustikos," in turn, comes from the Greek verb "kaiein," meaning "to burn." Other "kaiein" descendants in English include "cautery" and "cauterize," "hypocaust" (an ancient Roman heating system), "causalgia" (a burning pain caused by nerve damage), and "encaustic" (a kind of paint which is heated after it's applied

Wisdom flows...

By Vichara


Wouldn’t be fantastic if wisdom could flow from one person to another, just like water flows from one vessel to another vessel until the water level is the same in both of them. The problem is that to obtain wisdom, you must make an independent, serious effort on your own.

epigone • \EP-uh-gohn\ • noun
: follower, disciple; also : an inferior imitator

Example Sentence:
No one can accuse Lara of being an epigone; her artistic style is uniquely her own!

Did you know?
English borrowed "epigone" from German in the 19th century. The Germans themselves had taken the word from the Latin "epigonus," which means "successor." The Latin term followed the Greek "epigonos," which was often used in plural to designate the sons of seven legendary Greek leaders who were defeated at Thebes. "Epigonos" in turn came from the Greek verb "epigignesthai," meaning "to be born after." "Epi-" can mean "after," and "gignesthai" means "to be born."

The truth

By Vichara


Debates conceal the truth more often than reveal it. Real truth should be revealed in solitude. When it is revealed, it becomes clear to you that you can accept it without any arguments or discussions.

bogart • \BOH-gart\ • verb
1 : bully, intimidate
2 : to use or consume without sharing

Example Sentence:
Three of the older girls bogarted the ice cream, ignoring the other campers' pleas for them to share.

Did you know?
The legendary film actor Humphrey Bogart was known for playing a range of tough characters in a series of films throughout the 1940s and 1950s, including The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and The African Queen. The men he portrayed often possessed a cool, hardened exterior that occasionally let forth a suggestion of romantic or idealistic sentimentality. Bogart also had a unique method of smoking cigarettes in these pictures -- letting the butt dangle from his mouth without removing it until it was almost entirely consumed. It is believed that this habit inspired the current meaning of "bogart," which was once limited to the phrase "Don't bogart that joint [marijuana cigarette]," as popularized by a song on the soundtrack to the film Easy Rider, among other things. Today "bogart" can be applied to hogging almost anything.

All bound together..

By Vichara


If people could only understand that they do not live individual lives but that their lives and souls are linked to others, then they would know that in doing good deeds for others, they do good for themselves.

superannuated • \soo-per-AN-yuh-way-tud\ • adjective
1 : outmoded, old-fashioned
2 a : incapacitated or disqualified for active duty by advanced age *b : older than the typical member of a specified group

Example Sentence:
The article focused on senior citizens who retired from the workplace and returned to school to become superannuated graduate students.

Did you know?
"Superannuated" was first put to use in English in the 1600s, having been borrowed from Medieval Latin "superannuatus," the past participle of "superannuari" ("to be too old") -- from Latin "super-" ("over" or "above") and "annus" ("year"). Shortly thereafter, we made our own verb, "superannuate," from the adjective. "Superannuate" meant "to retire and pension because of age or infirmity" as well as "to declare obsolete," meanings that are still in active service. "Superannuated" can mean "outmoded or old-fashioned," as in "superannuated slang" or "superannuated neckties," or it can simply mean "older than usual," as in our example sentence.

Reaching out...

By Vichara


How so much can be learned in an instant and then lost over a whole lifetime it is a question of why we even try to understand, the answer – faith. It is only by reaching out to the farthest limb with a confident heart will we transcend these moments of doubt and be lifted up to the truth.

belvedere • \BEL-vuh-deer\ • noun
: a structure (as a cupola or a summerhouse) designed to command a view

Example Sentence:
On summer evenings, guests at the estate often joined their hosts in the belvedere to watch the sunset.

Did you know?
It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder -- and someone with a belvedere will likely have a great deal of beauty to behold. Given the origins of the word, "belvedere" is the ideal term for a building (or part of a building) with a view; it derives from two Italian words, "bel," which means "beautiful," and "vedere," which means "view." The term has been used in English since at least 1593.

Putting out the "fire"...

By Vichara


With humbleness, kindness and self-sacrifice, you will take the weapon from any enemy. Any fire dies if there is insufficient wood.

Occam's razor • \AH-kumz-RAY-zer\ • noun
: a scientific and philosophic rule that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily which is interpreted as requiring that the simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex or that explanations of unknown phenomena be sought first in terms of known quantities

Example Sentence:
Invoking Occam's razor, Eli concluded that the sill was wet because someone had left the window open during the storm.

Did you know?
William of Occam (also spelled "Ockham") didn't invent the rule associated with his name. Others had espoused the "keep it simple" concept before that 14th-century philosopher and theologian embraced it, but no one wielded the principle (also known as the "law of parsimony") as relentlessly as he did. He used it to counter what he considered the fuzzy logic of his theological contemporaries, and his applications of it inspired 19th-century Scottish philosopher Sir William Hamilton to link "Occam" with the idea of cutting away extraneous material, giving us the modern name for the principle.

A peaceful attitude...

By Vichara


While it’s optimum to have a peaceful nature on the outside, it is imperative and essential to first gain a peaceful attitude within before it can be realized externally. Easier said than done. But for the sake of your personal well being, health and mental agility obtaining and cultivating a peaceful nature will take the edges off of potentially volatile situations that could and will arise daily.

“The teaching of peace is a natural consequence of the teaching of love.” – Leo Tolstoy

indurate • \IN-duh-rut\ • adjective
: physically or morally hardened

Example Sentence:
The sculpture was so realistic that it seemed that at any moment the indurate marble form would shift position to stare back at the viewer.

Did you know?
"Indurate" is a hard word -- in more than one way. Not only is it fairly uncommon in modern usage, but it also can be traced back to Latin "durare," meaning "to harden." ("Durare" can mean "to endure" as well, and appropriately "indurate" is a word that has lasted many years -- it has been a part of the English language since the 14th century.) "Durare" is also the root of other durable English words, including "during," "endure," "duration," "durance" (an archaic word meaning "endurance"), and even "durable" itself. In addition, "indurate" can be a verb meaning "to make or grow hard," "to make unfeeling, stubborn, or obdurate," and "to establish firmly

Accepting the truth...

By Vichara


The meaning of life is revealed to those who are ready to accept the things that will be revealed. And it is he or she who has already decided that he or she will accept the truth as it is, and not the truth itself, which will change the way of life he has been accustomed to.

ignominious • \ig-nuh-MIN-ee-us\ • adjective
1 : marked with or characterized by disgrace or shame : dishonorable
2 : deserving of shame or infamy : despicable
3 : humiliating, degrading

Example Sentence:
The director's first film was an ignominious failure, panned by critics and ignored by moviegoers.

Did you know?
The "-nom-" of "ignominious" comes from "nomen," the Latin word for "name" or "repute." (It's also the root of "misnomer," "nomenclature," and "nominal," among others.) The "ig-" part of the word is akin to the negative prefix "in-"; when joined to the root "-nom-," it indicates the namelessness that goes with shame or dishonor. To suffer an ignominious fate is to lose the opportunity to make a name for oneself or to lose one's good name. When "ignominious" was first borrowed from a French form of the word in the 15th century, it meant "disgraced" or "dishonorable." "Ignominious" continues to have such meanings, but it also has somewhat milder meanings -- "embarrassing" and "humiliating."

By Vichara


A river does not look like a pond, nor a pond like a barrel and barrel looks different from a glass of water. But each holds the same water within. Likewise, it is the same spirit that lives in all kinds of people – a healthy adult, a sick child, a young athlete, or a poor woman. The same spirit gives life to us all.

alembic • \uh-LEM-bik\ • noun
1 : an apparatus used in distillation
2 : something that refines or transmutes as if by distillation

Example Sentence:
In the alembic of the child's mind, the ratty old blanket became a magnificent cape.

Did you know?
The alembic is a kind of still that has been used since ancient times and continues to be used even today in the production of cognac, a distinctive brandy distilled from white wine in western France. In ancient times, this apparatus was called "al-anbīq," a word that means "the still" in Arabic and can be traced to "ambix," meaning "still" in Greek. When the apparatus found its way into Medieval European laboratories, scientific texts first transformed the Arabic word into Medieval Latin as "alembicum." English speakers shortened it to "alembic," and some also dropped the initial "a." That change led to "limbeck," a standard variant still in use today. "Alembic" acquired its figurative use in the 1

A choice...

By Vichara


If someone offends you, you can respond like a dog, a cow or a horse and run away or bite back. Or you can act like a human being and say to yourself “this person abused me, that is his or her choice; but my choice is do what is good”.

career • \kuh-REER\ • verb
: to go at top speed especially in a headlong manner

Example Sentence:
The nervous passengers gripped their seats and exchanged anxious looks as the bus careered down the icy road.

Did you know?
Chances are you're very familiar with the noun "career" meaning "a profession followed as a permanent occupation." What you may not know is that the word "career" got its start in the world of medieval tournaments. Jousting required knights to ride at full speed in short bursts, and 16th-century English speakers used the noun "career" (from Middle French "carriere") to refer to such gallops as well as to the courses knights rode. By the mid-17th century, the verb had acquired its general "go fast" meaning, and by the 19th century the noun had developed the workaday use that is common today. (In case you're wondering, "career" is not related to "careen," which also means "to move at high speed"; "careen" has nautical origins, tracing to the Latin word for "hull.")

Scenic viewpoint, next exit...

By Vichara


It’s not how much ground you cover on this life’s journey, it’s the quality of the roadside attractions that make the journey more fulfilling.

wahine • \wah-HEE-nee\ • noun
1 : a Polynesian woman
2 : a female surfer

Example Sentence:
"Make some serious waves this summer by learning to surf! Ridin' the swells is fab exercise and, well, what's cooler than a wahine girl?" (Girls' Life, June 2005)

Did you know?
The word "wahine" came into English in the late 18th century from Maori, the language of a Polynesian people native to New Zealand; it was originally used for a Maori woman, especially a wife. The word is also used for a woman in Hawaiian and Tahitian, though spelled "vahine" in the latter. Enormous waves, which are perfect for surfing, are an attraction of the Polynesian islands. As the surfing culture solidified in the mid-20th century, and as more and more girls and women grabbed their boards, "wahine" took on the new meaning of "female surfer."

The journey...

By Vichara


We enter this world through our own private entrance. This entry is only given to each individual because beyond this entrance is the myriad of paths that we will encounter throughout our own personal lifetime. These paths are self-contained in this gigantic plane of existence with many twists and turns, peaks and valleys and of course many joys and disappointments. Throughout the years here you create memories that will be framed and hung throughout the corridors and will leave their visual and emotional mark. At the end of all of this you will find your own personal exit where you will be given your own scrapbook of this journey which you will carry through the exit, cross the threshold into the next room, the next plane of existence. Make the journey worth it. Don’t piss and moan, do something to make things better for many and not the one. As George Bernard Shaw said – leave a mark, even if it’s just a scratch.

weltanschauung • \VELT-ahn-show-ung ("ow" as in "cow")\ • noun, often capitalized
: a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint

Example Sentence:
Nadia dreads visiting her cousin, whose narrow, provincial Weltanschauung contrasts sharply with her own open-minded view of the world.

Did you know?
The German word "Weltanschauung" literally means "world view"; it combines "Welt" ("world") with "Anschauung" ("view"), which ultimately derives from the Middle High German verb "schouwen" ("to look at" or "to see"). When we first adopted it from German in the mid-19th century, "weltanschauung" referred to a philosophical view or apprehension of the universe, and this sense is still the most widely used. It can also describe a more general ideology or philosophy of life.

A new approach…

By Vichara


Reach out, take another step forward, investigate a new theory, read from something you wouldn’t normally read from, see with your eyes closed, draw something even though you think you are not artistic, walk backwards…ok, maybe that one could be a bad idea, but I think you get the point. Today would be a good time to get a new perspective, a fresh approach, exercise your mind, body and soul with a new way of looking at things. You may find that amongst the push-ups and sit-ups you do with your mind that one nugget that will reveal a new and better understanding. Ok everybody, let’s go exploring!

peregrine • \PAIR-uh-grin\ • adjective
: having a tendency to wander

Example Sentence:
"Birders are peregrine by nature, typically traveling to distant destinations in pursuit of their hobby. . .." (James F. McCarty, Plain Dealer [Cleveland], June 1, 2006)

Did you know?
The current meaning of "peregrine" has wandered a bit from its earlier meanings. The word originally meant "foreign," as did its Latin predecessor "peregrinus." But even before "peregrine" appeared on its own in English, it was part of the name of that well-known bird of prey, the peregrine falcon. The bird's appellation derives from "falco peregrinus" -- literally, "pilgrim falcon" in Medieval Latin. Peregrine falcons typically nest in high places, such as on cliff ledges or, in modern times, city skyscrapers. Because of the nests' inaccessibility, medieval falconers who wanted young peregrine falcons to train had capture them on their first flights or migratory "pilgrimages." That practice led to a new sense of "peregrine" ("engaged in or traveling on a pilgrimage"), which was later broadened to "wandering."

Silence, a powerful force...

By Vichara


There are those that seek to have their presence known all of the time. This may have come as a result of some past insecurity in their lives. It will appear in many forms, a loud exhaust noise with a car or motorcycle or turning up music or television that disturbs others around without much consideration because of this primal compulsion to be noticed. But the alternative for these people, silence, is probably unthinkable. If only they would realize that within silence there is such a strong and powerful message. Anyone that has seen great vistas of beauty like the immense Grand Canyon, a dense forest blanketed with thick snow, a lake at sunset or acres of farmland in the early morning hours will know that within silence is the pathway and door to a better understanding of oneself and the world around them.

reify • \RAY-uh-fye\ • verb
: to regard (something abstract) as a material or concrete thing : to give definite content and form to (something abstract)

Example Sentence:
"He describes the phenomenal popularity of Edwin Markham's proletarian poem 'The Man With the Hoe,' which reified labor's feelings of injustice." (Neal Gabler, The Washington Post, February 18, 1996)

Did you know?
"Reify" is a word that attempts to provide a bridge between what is abstract and what is real. Fittingly, it derives from a word that is an ancestor to "real" -- the Latin noun "res," meaning "thing." Both "reify" and the related noun "reification" first appeared in English in the mid-19th century, though "reification" is a few years older and some dictionaries consider "reify" to be a back-formation of the noun. In general use, the words refer to the act of considering or presenting an abstract idea in real or material terms, or of judging something by a concrete example.

Hands of time...

By Vichara


There is this obsession to pull back the hands of time and stop the aging process. While we all know that this is a physical impossibility, many spend millions a year on products, services and ironically time to achieve this goal…the goal to stay young. When we were young we just wanted to be older and those that have this obsession with age want to get younger. The paradox serviced by an industry that is more than happy to take your money and run. One of the key elements feeding this malaise is our cultural shift from a society that retained the elder people of their families with them and celebrated their life and wisdom to a society that finds new ways to hide the elderly away. One thing is very clear you cannot stop growing older. It would be easier to accept the changes with dignity and respect (and millions of dollars) and in that retain the unity of all members of our society and families. By witnessing the changes first hand you gain more perspective and understanding and release the fear of aging that grips millions.

trichotillomania • \trick-uh-till-uh-MAY-nee-uh\ • noun
: an abnormal desire to pull out one's hair

Example Sentence:
Connie's trichotillomania left her with an unfortunate array of bald spots along the crown of her head.

Did you know?
The word "trichotillomania" derives from the Greek "trich-" ("hair") and "tillein" ("to pull or pluck"), along with the suffix "-mania" (from "mainesthai," meaning "to be mad"). People suffering from trichotillomania will routinely pluck hair from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes or other parts of the body, usually impulsively but sometimes with careful deliberation (such as by using tweezers). Some researchers believe that it may be a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The word for this condition first appeared in English around the dawn of the 20th century (it's generally thought to have been first coined in French by a French dermatologist).