Question

funambulism noun Back in ancient Rome, tightrope walking was a popular spectacle at public gatherings. The Latin word for "tightrope walker" is "funambulus," from the Latin "funis," meaning "rope," plus "ambulare," meaning "to walk." It doesn't take any funambulism on our part to see how the word for an impressive act of physical skill and agility came to mean an impressive act of mental skill or agility. That extended sense of the word has been around since at least 1886, when British academic and writer Augustus Jessopp described the act of diagramming sentences as "horrible lessons of ghastly grammar and dreary funambulism." 1 : tightrope walking2 : a show especially of mental agility

Accepted Answer

December 27, 2010 fyoo-NAM-buh-liz-um As a game-show contestant Brenda amazed us all with her funambulism, answering every question correctly to win the $10,000 first prize.  "I have some personal experience with funambulism, as both a performer and an instructor. When new students step onto the rope or cable (depending upon the particular rigging), they almost always begin with the same flawed game plan. They stare down at the wire to make sure that they have the proper footing. And so they fall." -- From Dan Thurmon's 2010 book Off Balance on Purpose: Embrace Uncertainty and Create a Life You Love

Word	funambulism
Date	December 27, 2010
Type	noun
Syllables	fyoo-NAM-buh-liz-um
Etymology	Back in ancient Rome, tightrope walking was a popular spectacle at public gatherings. The Latin word for "tightrope walker" is "funambulus," from the Latin "funis," meaning "rope," plus "ambulare," meaning "to walk." It doesn't take any funambulism on our part to see how the word for an impressive act of physical skill and agility came to mean an impressive act of mental skill or agility. That extended sense of the word has been around since at least 1886, when British academic and writer Augustus Jessopp described the act of diagramming sentences as "horrible lessons of ghastly grammar and dreary funambulism."
Examples	As a game-show contestant Brenda amazed us all with her funambulism, answering every question correctly to win the $10,000 first prize. "I have some personal experience with funambulism, as both a performer and an instructor. When new students step onto the rope or cable (depending upon the particular rigging), they almost always begin with the same flawed game plan. They stare down at the wire to make sure that they have the proper footing. And so they fall." -- From Dan Thurmon's 2010 book Off Balance on Purpose: Embrace Uncertainty and Create a Life You Love
Definition	1 : tightrope walking 2 : a show especially of mental agility

Word Act Funambulism Tightrope Walking Latin Meaning Impressive