I found a definition in Wiktionary for quandary, a word which somehow intrigues me. So it goes:
“Etymology: 16th century. Origin unknown; perhaps a dialectal corruption (simulating a word of Latin origin with suffix -ary) of wandreth (“evil, plight, peril, adversity, difficulty”), from Middle English wandreth, from Old Norse vandræði (“difficulty, trouble”), from vandr (“difficult, requiring pains and care”).
quandary (plural quandaries)
- A state of not knowing what to decide; a state of difficulty or perplexity; a state of uncertainty, hesitation or puzzlement; a pickle; a predicament.
- A dilemma, a difficult decision or choice.”
Related words include: doubt, indecision, dilemma… All very pertinent to the… learning writer, always in a … quandary!
Robert Frost:
- “To quote the oracle of Delphi, / Love thou thy neighbor as thyself, aye, / And hate him as thyself thou hatest. / There quandary is at its greatest.”
Well, I learned a new word today. Merci.
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