... The home today is a kind of Platonic cave, the moral ruin of an archeological humanity. It is only by revolutionizing the way in which we give form and content to the experience of home that we will manage once again to make the world a place where common shared happiness is possible. — E. Coccia, The Philosophy of the Home, (2024)
Will technology replace the home? — I like sushi
... The home today is a kind of Platonic cave, the moral ruin of an archeological humanity. It is only by revolutionizing the way in which we give form and content to the experience of home that we will manage once again to make the world a place where common shared happiness is possible. — E. Coccia, The Philosophy of the Home, (2024)
"Clochard" is a new word to me. I had to look it up .Maybe you should, too....the possible reemergence of the clochard in the form of mobile devices... — I like sushi
Depends - per usual - on definitions and understandings. If as is said, "A house is not a home," then what is a home? Or another way, what is a home as a home when it is at home functioning as a home, so to speak? Without knowing what a home is, and for whom and how, sense is going to be elusive.Will technology replace the home? — I like sushi
"Clochard" is a new word to me. I had to look it up .Maybe you should, too. — tim wood
No. it means the person who is a bum, thereby likely homeless. But not homelessness itself. Still, I think I think I can guess what you meant.It means 'homeless'. — I like sushi
"Clochard" is a new word to me. I had to look it up .Maybe you should, too. — tim wood
Will technology replace the home? Is the metaverse already here in a sense and that we just simply have not really noticed that we spend our time 'at home' in the 'elsewhere' world of texting and (doom)scrolling? — I like sushi
No. From what you wrote, here:Are you being annoying on purpose. You think I wrote 'the Clochard' meaning 'the homelessness'? — I like sushi
I thought you did not know what it meant at all. And I think you still do not. Near as i can tell, it's a French word that refers to a kind of low-life rogue or ruffian who is not devoid of a certain Gallic charm. How such could re-emerge as any kind of digital device is beyond my understanding. But I agree; we should leave it.Personally, I see something of the possible reemergence of the clochard in the form of mobile devices. — I like sushi
Personally, I see something of the possible reemergence of the clochard in the form of mobile devices. — I like sushi
clo·chard klō-ˈshär
Synonyms of clochard
VAGRANT, TRAMP
Did you know?
Why such a fancy French word for a bum? The truth of the matter is, nine times out of ten, you will find clochard used for not just any bum, but a French bum - even more specifically, a Parisian bum. And, sometimes, it's even a certain type of Parisian bum - a type that has been romanticized in literature and is part of the local color. Nevertheless, as "français" as this word (which comes from the French verb clocher, meaning "to limp") may seem, its regular appearance in English sources since 1937 makes it an English word, too.
Examples of clochard in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In summer the clochards like to live along the quay, sleep under the bridges.
—Bruce Dale, National Geographic, 17 Apr. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clochard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History / Etymology
French, from clocher to limp, from Vulgar Latin *cloppicare, from Late Latin cloppus lame
First Known Use
1937, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler:
The first known use of clochard was in 1937
Personally, I see something of the possible reemergence of the clochard in the form of mobile devices.
— I like sushi
It strikes me as just... weird to reference a mobil device as a clochard given the meaning below. I don't see how gadgets limp, sleep under bridges, are Parisian bums, or anything similar. BTW, it seems like everyone everywhere is bewitched by their phones. — BC
Personally, I see something of the possible reemergence of the clochard in the form of mobile devices.I noticed many years ago when I was in Bangkok that everyone I looked at had a phone in their hands or were actively using some kind of electronic device. Even the people conversing did so whilst browsing online or unconsciously clutching their prized phones to the chests.
Will technology replace the home? Is the metaverse already here in a sense and that we just simply have not really noticed that we spend our time'at home' in the 'elsewhere' world of texting and (doom)scrolling? — I like sushi
Reemergence of the Clochard:
The mention of the clochard (homeless person) is intriguing here. The speaker might be suggesting that, just as a clochard has no physical home, modern people could be becoming metaphorical “clochards” by being mentally and emotionally “homeless.” The constant use of mobile devices could be seen as replacing or displacing a sense of groundedness or "home."
The clochard could symbolize disconnection from a traditional sense of place and physical presence. Mobile devices may give us access to virtual spaces, but those are temporary, fleeting, and lack the permanence and stability of a home. — ChatGPT
I don't know whether Plato's Cave is an apt image when talking about phones and algorithms or not. It seems like a bit of a stretch. As for home, does the zombie haze lift when the wasted wanderers, the clochards, get home? Not if they all are sitting at the dinner table eyes still glued on the screen. — BC
Yes, and some cause car accidents because they've been texting instead of focussing on the here and now...we are wandering around in a zombie haze... — BC
When people start talking about 'revolutionizing the home' I get chills down my spine. It smells of authoritarian tendencies that have often assaulted the home ... The home isn't anyone's business except of the people living there. — Tzeentch
Case Closed! — I like sushi
There are those who never really know their minds
They're confused and they're not the stayin' kind
They don't know who they're really lookin' for
I don't suffer from that problem any more
You could send me away and I would go
I would go but I would not go too far
You could send me home but you would know
Home to me is anywhere you are
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