{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/3876",
    "note": "Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it.  Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.",
    "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'"
  },
  "archive": "urth",
  "thread": {
    "id": 3876,
    "subject": "Villus",
    "messages": 3,
    "voices": 3,
    "first": "2003-03-04T11:14:30+00:00",
    "last": "2003-03-04T15:31:47+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<urth-v0303-3014@digest.urth.net>",
      "from": {
        "name": "Nigel Price",
        "address": "nigel.aprice at virgin.net"
      },
      "date": "2003-03-04T11:14:30+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) Villus",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "In a rhetorical mood, Crush ruminates..."
        },
        {
          "kind": "quote",
          "depth": 2,
          "text": "Still, it does show that ambivalent names\nshould be taken seriously. Consequently,\nI don't know what to do with the ambivalent\nname \"Villus.\" It's so obscure, the\nambiguity must be intentional, but what does\nit mean?"
        },
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "Nigel, who, somewhat disturbingly, keeps a Latin dictionary by his side at\nall times, responds in a manner that is intended to be helpful, but which is\nprobably intensely irritating...\n\n\"Villus\" is a Latin word (2nd declension, masculine) meaning \"shaggy hair\".\nIt is related etymologically to \"pilus\", the Latin word for \"a single hair\".\n\nNigel (who wishes he still had shaggy hair these days)"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "message_id": "<urth-v0303-3015@digest.urth.net>",
      "from": {
        "name": "Che Monro",
        "address": "flirt at technologist.com"
      },
      "date": "2003-03-04T11:55:14+00:00",
      "subject": "Re: (urth) Villus",
      "in_reply_to": "<urth-v0303-3014@digest.urth.net>",
      "reply_link": "subject",
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "quote",
          "depth": 1,
          "text": "At 11:14 AM 4/03/03 +0000, you wrote:\nIn a rhetorical mood, Crush ruminates..."
        },
        {
          "kind": "quote",
          "depth": 3,
          "text": "Still, it does show that ambivalent names\nshould be taken seriously. Consequently,\nI don't know what to do with the ambivalent\nname \"Villus.\" It's so obscure, the\nambiguity must be intentional, but what does\nit mean?"
        },
        {
          "kind": "quote",
          "depth": 1,
          "text": "Nigel, who, somewhat disturbingly, keeps a Latin dictionary by his side at\nall times, responds in a manner that is intended to be helpful, but which is\nprobably intensely irritating...\n\n\"Villus\" is a Latin word (2nd declension, masculine) meaning \"shaggy hair\".\nIt is related etymologically to \"pilus\", the Latin word for \"a single hair\".\n\nNigel (who wishes he still had shaggy hair these days)"
        },
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "Che looks on with interest and gives Nigel a puppy dog look. \"As a puppy I \ndevoured Shakespeare in a tasty leather binding.\"\n\nChe\n\nChé Franz Joseph Monro -- http://www.chemonro.com\nche at chemonro.com    --     flirt at technologist.com"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "message_id": "<urth-v0303-3017@digest.urth.net>",
      "from": {
        "name": "James Wynn",
        "address": "crushtv at hotpop.com"
      },
      "date": "2003-03-04T15:31:47+00:00",
      "subject": "RE: (urth) Villus",
      "in_reply_to": "<urth-v0303-3015@digest.urth.net>",
      "reply_link": "subject",
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "Nigel lends Crush a hand:"
        },
        {
          "kind": "quote",
          "depth": 1,
          "text": "\"Villus\" is a Latin word (2nd declension, masculine) meaning \"shaggy hair\"."
        },
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "It is related etymologically to \"pilus\", the Latin word for \"a single hair\".\n\nCrush responds:\nThanks Nigel! This is very useful to me. The confusing thing about \"villus\"\nis that it is a sexually ambivalent name. In biology it is a teeny hairlike\nprojection in the small intestines. In botany it is a teeny hairlike growth\non the leaves or stems of some plants.\n\nWhat's the same in both senses is the quality of smallness, and Villus is\nthe smallest \"boy\" at the palaestra. But, there are lots and lots of more\ncommon words that carry that quality. Wolfe was sure aware of the ambiguity\nof this word and selected it at least in part for that ambiguity. Why? This\ncalls to mind Titi's sexually ambiguous name; Titi, the male counterspy\nwhose specialty was female impersonation.\n\n-- Crush"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}