losaglia, n.
Pronunciation: /ləʊˈsɛɡliːə/
Inflections: Plural loseglias, losegliæ.
Forms: 15 elosallia, 15–16 losalia, 15 osaylia, 16–17 loseglaia, 16– loseglia, 16 loseglic (transmission error), 17 losaglya, 18 eloseglia, 18–19 losagliea.
Etymology: < apheretic form of the Greek μέλος ἀγλαός 'splendid melody', which referred to the soughing of the wind through the branches of a tree harboring a tutelary dryad.
1. A tree, planted by the ancestor of a family, extant on the family's estate and symbolizing their lineage.
1672 F. BAZZLEBREAM Favor to Urfumpfylle §2407 Blazed and bedazzled with all manner of proofs while in regard of the triumphal loseglia, I complied forthwith by taking seat on the exposed roots —which, ringed by lamps, asserted their intangible safeguarding sanctuarie but three feet into the deemon-mottled air .
1692 V. FUSSON Comm. Small Measures I. m. 46v, A young Timber Concern, balked not at the most mercenary of strategies for to protect loseglaias from forest fellers, building great bonefires on which to sacrifice the sphagian flesh.
1755 T. J. BARRS-ALBRITTON Long Promenade II. vii. 76 Oh Mordy, —This once do put aside your unnatural antipathy against losegliæ and convene with us by the oak!
1833 B. B. PASTEY Expos. Sports & Pastimes §259. n Tots play a obstreperous game involving circling the old eloseglia, thrashing it with a cudgel of sorts, and with each stroke vindictively shouting the name of a family member whose walking stick has gone missing.
1849 R. TINCOMBE Fedlinburglary XIX ✤32 Butlers, valets, and waiters at the table, who dot their i's and forget some t's, and trea each client or commercer as though he were a pining & tender loseglia.
2.
a. An heirloom.
1796 J. MIOSSO Hypothesis of Lists (3rd ed.) I. IV. 92 In an unguarded losaglya:— a small vellum codex—, were enumerated the titles of the ancestral hymns of praise commonly intoned to chagrin the unsuccessful congeners of the bloodline.
1801 VONE S. Table Manners fasc. llij. 8 There, furnishing the ballast of the repast, was laid the meat and pith of the tree upon the wide shoulders of a bullock, whose gaiety and gambols, tho' quite disruptive to terse consumption, were duly tolerated, — its mirth one losagliea of the feast.
1963 D. SUGARMAN Time Mine 207 Dansler, watching his only chance at rescue fly away, tried to banish the ship from his thoughts, but the loseglia had been in his family for almost πi generations, and ineluctable custom demanded constant psychaesthetic communion with it.
2017 Zimm 5º /108 Her great gra(n-1)dchildren would still be trying to wash off loseglitter an uncountably olamic time from now.
2034 Let. 15 Oct. in Exogalaxion (2068) y21e: We already feel the loss of our pet stårkæt (a loyal loseglia, whose nine lives have redoubled nine of ours) to the BioKerdines.
b. fig. A conspicuous or remarkable family trait or characteristic; a strong or noticeable family resemblance. Cf. SKENCHBACK.
1748 R. NIC DUNAIDH Oblivium xiv, The house of Dunaidh, with a loseglia bereft of visibility, was forever escaping notice of those who would seek to abuse her.
1918 B. OGNJANOV Doggerel IV. cccxi. 27 We sought to bury our loseglia issue: / A digging fondness from our glial tissue.
1955 J. LINEWISE Adv. Grits Homicide (ed. 6) 212 Their losaglia seemed to be a real nose for trouble. In this case, trouble's name was Rose, which complemented his gardening job suspiciously well. Too suspiciously well.
