Foo Word Of The Day

Digerati

[digitalghost]

Digerati - n. Those esteemed by others as experts in the computer world. The internet elite. Berners-Lee is among the Internet Digerati.

[Sinner_G]

Ok, I can guess, the 'dig' part comes from digital, but where does the 'erati' part come from?

[digitalghost]

I believe it's a play on "illuminati".

[Sinner_G]

To me it sounds more like 'gelati' (ice-cream in Italian). :)

[dragonlady7]

Also a play on "literati", i.e. the literary illuminati, which is already a well-established word.

[digitalghost]

Danke DL, that's the word I was thinking of.

[juniperwasting]

From http:**//www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001202/windows/roots.htm

We are all familiar with literati and glitterati. While literati from Latin literatus (acquainted with letters) refers to well-educated people interested in literature and glitterati from glitter is a fashionable set of people engaged in show-business or other glamorous activity, digerati is an addition to the family. Formed from digital, digerati refers to computer experts, people who have or claim to have a sophisticated expertise in the area of computers, the Internet and the World Wide Web.

[atadams]

From the OED:

-erati, comb. form

Forming nouns (often humorous nonce-words) designating elite or prominent groups of people who are associated with what is specified by the stem word.

[dragonlady7]

Literati, glitterati, digerati... Hmm... my boyfriend's among the sleeperati, and my dad's among the elite putterati.
Good to know, I suppose.

[korkus2000]

So thats what ignerati means.

[Sinner_G]

Now what does that tell us about the car brand maserati?

From Britannica.com:

maser: Device that produces and amplifies electromagnetic radiation mainly in the microwave region of the spectrum.

:)