a·dieu (ə-dyū', ə-dū')

interj.
Used to express farewell.

[Middle English, from Old French a dieu, (I commend you) to God : a, to (from Latin ad; see ad–) + Dieu, God (from Latin deus).]

[The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition]

Why adieu? Well, according to Bernard Lewis, Iranian President Ahmadinejad may be up to something today--that something being the bringing about of the end of the world:

What is the significance of Aug. 22? This year, Aug. 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to "the farthest mosque," usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.

Robert Spencer, Director of Jihadwatch.org(!) and an adjunct fellow at the conservative think tank Free Congress Foundation, says it's no coincidence that Ahmadinejad has chosen August 22 to tell the world whether Iran will comply with the UN's demands to curb its nuclear ambitions:

"The only thing we can know is that the date was not chosen by accident...It does seem very likely, very probable, that he has something major in mind, whether only a major announcement or a major attack, we will soon see."

While I agree with the contention that Messrs Lewis and Spencer are paranoid loons, in case we don't make it through the rest of today, I just want to say thanks to all 25 of you who read WordHumper yesterday. Adieu!

August 22 [Opinion Journal]

Labels: Latin, Middle English, Old French, The Daily Hump