It’s sometimes scary where thoughts take me. Today as I was contemplating writing something new for writer’s night at the Palisades Cafe, my thoughts went to the rules for the evening: no more than 10 minutes, no F words. Somehow that jumped me to thoughts of a recent email with a writer friend where every key point started with the letter C (in this case, creativity, clarity and courage). So what’s in between C and F? D, of course, at least at my old high school.

That’s it, I thought. I’ll write about D words, and there’s nothing Joe Jennison can do to stop me.

But all the D words I could think of at first had negative meanings – from Daft to Dystrophy. There are all the “d-e” words – demean, degenerate, defective, dehumanize. And those that start with “d-i-s” – disengage, disembody, disharmony. It’s enough to make me want to disassociate with the letter altogether.

But I thought I should give it a chance, if only because I had no other direction to take. I picked up a real bound-paper dictionary (say- there’s a D word that isn’t so bad) and flipped through the pages. There are some really delightful d words: divine, dance, dignity. Dream. Dessert. I don’t think I’d want to live in a world without them. So I decided to devote my ten minutes or less tonight to D.

After a few more minutes with the dictionary I found reading D words far from dreary. But it is clear that I am not a word etymologist, but I kept trying to see relationships to words listed together. Like diaper and diarrhea – that makes some sense. And I could diagram a connection between them and diatom – a microscopic plant. But not to the nearby words diamond, diameter, diaphanous. Diary? Well, I sure have been known to run on the page when I get to writing in a diary, but that is not the connection to diarrhea I really want to make.

Here’s a run of D words that etymologists wouldn’t necessarily tie together but these words relate to each other: Doctor. Diagnose. Disease. Diabetes. Debilitating. Diet. Dextrose… But then I get distracted by seeing dextrose and dexterous listed one after the other. I start wondering if being mentally skilled would help fight high blood sugar and my distinguished run of words is suddenly derailed.

D is one of those letters that’s been around before we even had the word alphabet. According to Wikipedia, in Egyptian hieroglyphics it symbolized a door. In the Phoenician’s first alphabet it was called Daleth and given a little tail so that it could mean fish or door. I guess that makes sense to use one symbol to mean 2 different nouns. Think about it – there’s not much chance of someone knock knock knocking on heaven’s fish.

The Greeks called it Delta. Romans used it to signify 500. Delta is still used today in math and science to denote change – the difference in temperature between night and day might be written as delta degrees F (or C). And the letter d is key when learning calculus and differential equations, making it more important today than in Roman times. From calculus’ d the world takes the thoughts of mathematicians and derives real world bridges, space ships, and other amazing technologies.

Other abbreviations D is used for today: D is for Deuterium, an isotope of Hydrogen that makes Heavy Water heavy. D is for Deutchland, good to know while traveling in Europe and not seeing any G’s for Germany. There are D sized batteries. Adolescent boys (and girls, too, I guess) dream of D cups.

Drat! I think I’m headed in the direction Joe doesn’t want us to go. But the only thing left is to delve into the daily news. This is quite a dilemma to write without driving dissent. Luckily there are words here for everyone. Examples of d words important to those now in power: deport, defend, deregulate. For those fighting them: deceit, despot, douche. And for the government in general: department. Deportment. And before we despair: Dialogue. Debate. And remember: both of those come before discombobulation.

Now I’ve run dry of D. If I write much longer, I’ll be desiccated. So I’ll stop and think of what might come next.

Daquiri?

Decanted wine?

Or maybe a cup of decaf with some other delicacy. Mmmmm. Decisions.

So I’ll end this dissertation now before I get in a dither and dredge up other diverse thoughts.

D end