The time has come, the wordsmith said, to speak of many things, of “cool” and “schmuck” and “scuttlebutt,” of “muggy” and “mossback.”

Borrowing thus unashamedly from Lewis Carroll, I find myself, at long, melancholy last, at the end of my Daily etymological musings, not only for this blog, but for The Daily as well. I cannot complain; I’ve had a nice, long goodbye, and a good run.

But, fear not.

There shall be an “encore,” as it were. As I have been hinting at over this past week or so, I shall carry on my work (but it is hardly “work,” I must confess) onto my own, post-graduate blog, on Wordpress.org (the alliteration alone suggested it as a fine place to start, at least for now).

So, behold: http://willswordoftheweek.wordpress.com. While it is very much a work in progress, I will be dissecting the nuanced etymology of “serendipity,” in all its unexpected glory, as a start.

And yet, lest I forget my final duty (and privilege and honor), let us look at “encore,” as it is a fitting final word, and one that speaks to what I hope to continue to do. As the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) relates, “'Encore!' is an interjection that means, 'again,' or 'once more'; [it is] used by spectators or auditors to demand the repetition of a song, [a] piece of music, or other performance that has pleased them.” It is also the name for such a repeat performance.

The English word is a direct borrowing from the French word of the same spelling, and meaning “still, yet” or “again,” from the Italian, “ancora,” also meaning “again.” This, in turn, (probably) comes from the Latin, “(in) hanc hōram,” or, “until this hour.” Note that the French “bis” means much the same thing as “encore,” as with “jouer un bis!” (“play it again!”).

Sir Steele was prone to encores himself; the accomplished English journalist, essayist and dramatist reinvented his publications (and his career) several times, to great acclaim.

Well, my dear readers, this is not really the end, nor is it the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

Please check out my new blog over the next few days and weeks, and, as always, if you have any questions or ideas, please direct them to wtm2@u.washington.edu.

Until we meet again (and I do hope that is soon), take care, and cheerio!