A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Thu Jan 1 12:02:02 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nouveau X-Bonus: A raindrop, dripping from a cloud, / Was ashamed when it saw the sea. / "Who am I where there is a sea?" it said. / When it saw itself with the eye of humility, / A shell nurtured it in its embrace. -Saadi of Shiraz (c. 1200 AD) This week's theme: "New" words nouveau (NOO-voh, noo-VOH) adjective New. [From French nouveau (new), from Latin novus (new). Earliest documented use: 1828.] NOTES: In French, nouveau simply means new, as in Nouvel An (New Year). A language rarely borrows a word as a pure synonym. In English it often carries a faintly dismissive tone, suggesting a lack of pedigree. It appears most often in compounds such as nouveau riche http://wordsmith.org/words/nouveau_riche.html and nouveau pauvre http://wordsmith.org/words/nouveau_pauvre.html . A Czech art nouveau new year postcard, c. 1900-1910 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nouveau_large.jpg Art: Josef Wenig https://www.liveauctioneers.com/price-result/czech-art-nouveau-new-year-postcard-josef-wenig-angel-with-hourglass-and-child-c1900-1910/ "The emergence of a nouveau privileged class comes with newfound anxieties about establishing a legacy, as we've seen demonstrated by billionaires adopting science-fiction measures to ensure their longevity." Sable Yong; What Would You Pay to Smell Like One in Eight Billion?; Marie Claire (New York); 2025. -------- Date: Fri Jan 2 12:02:03 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--new-collar X-Bonus: There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -Isaac Asimov, scientist and writer (2 Jan 1920-1992) This week's theme: "New" words new-collar (NOO/NYOO-KOL-uhr) adjective Relating to jobs that require specialized skills, but not necessarily a college education. [Formed on the pattern of other terms related to jobs, such as blue-collar and white-collar. Earliest documented use: 1984.] NOTES: The term has been evolving. Originally it described service-sector jobs (such as store managers, salespeople, and servers) that fell somewhere between blue- and white-collar jobs. In 2016, then CEO of IBM Ginni Rometty called for developing specialized skills through nontraditional paths such as certifications, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training. She re-branded the term for the tech age (cybersecurity, cloud computing, etc.). If you need to brush up on your collars, here's a rundown: blue-collar: jobs requiring manual labor, such as factory or construction work white-collar: jobs involving nonphysical work, typically in offices pink-collar: jobs traditionally held by women, such as childcare and secretarial work https://wordsmith.org/words/pink-collar.html As for me, I'm a no-collar worker, literally and metaphorically. I work in a T-shirt and what I do doesn't feel like a job. Some -collar terms aren't about work at all: brass-collar (unwaveringly loyal to a political party) https://wordsmith.org/words/brass-collar.html arrow-collar (conventionally attractive and suave) https://wordsmith.org/words/arrow-collar.html On the internet nobody knows you are a dog And with a cybersecurity certificate, nobody cares about your pedigree https://wordsmith.org/words/images/new-collar_large.jpg Meme: https://imgflip.com/i/aft5s2 "The popular sectors offering new-collar jobs are in tech: big data, cybersecurity, generative AI, coding, machine learning, and meditech." Mamta Sharma; The New-Collar Revolution; The New Indian Express; Feb 1, 2025. -------- Date: Mon Jan 5 12:02:03 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--abjective X-Bonus: We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon. -Konrad Adenauer, statesman (5 Jan 1876-1967) I heard a good one the other day: A priest, an imam, and a rabbit walk into a blood donation center. The nurse asks the rabbit: "What’s your blood type?" "I'm probably a type O," says the rabbit. In that spirit, this week's words may look funny at first glance. They are not typos, and they're definitely not bunnies. Each is a real word, certified and housebroken, differing by just one letter from a more familiar neighbor. Call them orthographic near misses. Welcome to the lexical uncanny valley. These are words that trigger the red squiggly line in your brain (and probably your word processor). They look wrong, sound wrong, and feel wrong. Until they don't. Beware of your Autocorrect this week. It will try to "fix" them. But stand your ground. A single letter makes all the difference. Just ask a blood bank. abjective (ab-JEK-tiv) adjective Tending to degrade, demoralize, or reduce to a lower state. [From abject, from Latin abicere (to throw away). Earliest documented use: 1865.] "The Absinthe Drinker", 1875-76 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/abjective_large.jpg Art: Edgar Degas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Absinthe "The 20 large color pictures of Mr. McGinley's 20-something friends, lovers, and fellow artists avoid the abjective grit of Mr. Clark's work and the noirish narcissism of Ms. Goldin's." Art Guide; The New York Times; Feb 21, 2003. -------- Date: Tue Jan 6 12:02:02 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--librate X-Bonus: Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. -Kahlil Gibran, mystic, poet, and artist (6 Jan 1883-1931) This week's theme: Words that look like misspellings librate (LY-brayt) verb intr. 1. To oscillate, waver. 2. To be poised or balanced. [From Latin libra (scales). Earliest documented use: 1623.] "Woman Holding a Balance", c. 1662-1663 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/librate_large.jpg Art: Johannes Vermeer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman_Holding_a_Balance See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/librate "He walks around the house to the window of Caroline's bedroom, his heart librating in his chest like a seesaw." Kevin Brockmeier; Things that Fall From the Sky; Knopf; 2003. "The big chief's obscurely conflicting passions were not to be ignored because they librated in a tension that still balanced." Jonathan Bayliss; Gloucestertide; Drawbridge Press; 2013. -------- Date: Wed Jan 7 12:02:03 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--psilanthropy X-Bonus: He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers. -Charles Peguy, poet and essayist (7 Jan 1873-1914) This week's theme: Words that look like misspellings psilanthropy (sil-LAN-thruh-pee) noun The doctrine or belief that Jesus was merely human. [From Greek psilo- (mere) + anthropos (human). Earliest documented use: 1821.] Mary and Jesus in "Christ in the House of His Parents" (detail), 1849-1850 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/psilanthropy.jpg https://wordsmith.org/words/images/psilanthropy_large.jpg Art: John Everett Millais https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_in_the_House_of_His_Parents NOTES: Charles Dickens loathed this painting for depicting Jesus and his family as ordinary, working-class people rather than divine icons. He called Millais's Jesus "a hideous, wry-necked, blubbering, red-headed boy, in a bed-gown" and described Mary as "so horrible in her ugliness, that ... she would stand out from the rest of the company as a monster, in the vilest cabaret in France, or the lowest ginshop in England." The artist embedded this beautiful painting with numerous Christian symbols, which Dickens seems to have overlooked. "I have never believed in psilanthropy. I am a Catholic priest and you might expect these words from me." Richard Conde; Century One; Writer's Showcase; 2001. -------- Date: Thu Jan 8 12:02:01 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--odorable X-Bonus: Dissent is what rescues democracy from a quiet death behind closed doors. -Lewis H. Lapham, editor and writer (8 Jan 1935-2024) This week's theme: Words that look like misspellings odorable (OH-duhr-uh-buhl) adjective Able to be smelled. [From Latin odor (smell). Earliest documented use: 1589.] "The Soul of the Rose", 1903 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/odorable_large.jpg Art: John William Waterhouse https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_William_Waterhouse_-_The_Soul_of_the_Rose,_1903.jpg "The skunks have also been an odorable nuisance at the kiosks in Sections 7 and 60." Chris Erskine; Fan of the House -- Creature Comfort at the Ballpark; Los Angeles Times; Aug 15, 2013. -------- Date: Fri Jan 9 12:02:02 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--impassible X-Bonus: I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for truth -- and truth rewarded me. -Simone de Beauvoir, author and philosopher (9 Jan 1908-1986) This week's theme: Words that look like misspellings impassible (im-PAS-uh-buhl) adjective 1. Not susceptible to suffering, pain, or injury. 2. Incapable of feeling emotion. [From French impassible, from Latin impassibilis, from in- (not) + passibilis (passible), from passus, past participle of pati (to suffer). Earliest documented use: 1340.] "Flagellation of Christ", 1459-1460 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/impassible_large.jpg Art: Piero della Francesca https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagellation_of_Christ_(Piero_della_Francesca) "Notable for his absence is Cheteshwar Pujara, the impassive and impassible figure who outlasted Australia's bowlers on each of the past two tours." Daniel Brettig; Kiwi Capitulation, Injuries Bad Omens for Ageing India; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Nov 8, 2024. "Grant ... offered a portrait of the Confederate general's bearing ('a man of much dignity, with an impassible face')." David Shribman; Obama's Memoir Is a Masterpiece of Introspection; The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); Nov 21, 2020. -------- Date: Mon Jan 12 12:02:02 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--touch grass X-Bonus: People's memories are maybe the fuel they burn to stay alive. -Haruki Murakami, writer (b. 12 Jan 1949) A couple of weeks ago we featured "new" words https://wordsmith.org/words/nutation.html but this time we'll feature new words. As in, new new. In the word business, new is relative. When a typical word is hundreds or even thousands of years old, a few decades counts as fresh off the presses. That's because it takes time for a word to establish itself and demonstrate staying power before it's canonized and entered into dictionaries. Until then it has to bide its time in places like the Urban Dictionary. This week's words may appear newish or slangy, but all are in at least one general-purpose English language dictionary. If that feels too modern and you're craving counterbalance, you can always visit a week of archaic words from our archives, https://wordsmith.org/words/mickle.html https://wordsmith.org/words/stalworth.html touch grass (tuhch GRAS) verb intr. To spend time in the real world, especially as a corrective to excessive online activity. [Originally a derogatory remark implying someone is delusional or out of touch due to internet addiction; later adopted as a mantra for digital well-being. Earliest documented use: 2016.] NOTES: Spending time in the real world instead of the virtual one, who could be against it? There's even a smartphone app for it https://touchgrass.now/ because one apparently needs an app to stop using apps. What's next, holding AA meetings in a pub? "The Luncheon on the Grass", 1863 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/touch_grass_large.jpg Art: Édouard Manet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_D%C3%A9jeuner_sur_l%27herbe "Utah Gov. Spencer Cox urged Americans to 'log off, turn off, touch grass. Hug a family member.'” How to Stay Informed Without Being Consumed; Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania); Nov 13, 2025. -------- Date: Tue Jan 13 12:02:02 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--doomscroll X-Bonus: Sometimes laughter hurts, but humor and mockery are our only weapons. -Cabu (pen name of Jean Cabut), cartoonist and co-founder of Charlie Hebdo (13 Jan 1938-2015) This week's theme: New words doomscroll (DOOM-skrohl) verb tr., intr. To scroll through the news or other online material compulsively, especially negative or distressing stories. [From doom, from Old English (judgment, law) + scroll, a blend of Old French scrow (writing) + rowle (roll). Earliest documented use: 2020.] "Anxiety", 1894 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/doomscroll_large.jpg Art: Edvard Munch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiety_(Munch) See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/doomscroll "Most people grab their phones and doomscroll. Instead of actually dealing with how they feel, they want to mask how they feel. And then you start looking through the news, and it's like a spark plug to your anxiety." Sleep Dreams; Wired (San Francisco, California); Jan/Feb 2026. -------- Date: Wed Jan 14 12:02:02 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--shadow ban X-Bonus: We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such sufferings on them. -Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, musician, Nobel laureate (14 Jan 1875-1965) This week's theme: New words shadow ban (SHAD-oh ban) verb tr.: To block or restrict someone without their being aware of it. noun: The practice of doing so or an instance of it. [From shadow, from Old English sceadu (shade) + ban, from bannan (to proclaim). Earliest documented use: 2007.] NOTES: In a shadow ban, the user keeps speaking. Their comments appear to post normally, but reach few or no others. It's a way to deal with spammers and trolls without prompting retaliation or martyrdom. "The Monk by the Sea", 1808-10 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/shadow_ban_large.jpg Art: Caspar David Friedrich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monk_by_the_Sea "Some observers say that Algeria has enacted a shadow ban on French wheat -- as of Jan, a single shipment had entered the country in the past year, compared with the usual millions of tons." Lauren Collins; Schmear Campaign; The New Yorker; Jun 9, 2025. -------- Date: Thu Jan 15 12:02:02 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--edgelord X-Bonus: Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way. -Martin Luther King Jr., civil-rights leader (15 Jan 1929-1968) [NOTE: This quotation is likely apocryphal.] This week's theme: New words edgelord (EJ-lord) noun A person who affects an edgy persona by saying or doing provocative or offensive things, chiefly to attract attention. [From edge, from Old English ecg + lord, from hlaford (loaf guard). Earliest documented use: 2013.] NOTES: An edgelord's goal is not persuasion, humor, or insight, but reaction. The term is often used dismissively, suggesting that the "edge" is for the show and the lordship entirely self-bestowed. In other words, all edge, no point. "Witches' Sabbath", 1798 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/edgelord_large.jpg Art: Francisco Goya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witches%27_Sabbath_%28Goya%2C_1798%29 "While this Superman is light-hearted, he is not an edgelord like Deadpool. Instead, he is an outsider with a fierce optimism about humanity, and a will to bring people together." Danny Leigh; Hollywood's Box Office Superhero Returns; Financial Times (London, UK); Jul 12, 2025. -------- Date: Fri Jan 16 12:02:03 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nepo baby X-Bonus: Be kind to thy father, for when thou wert young, / Who loved thee so fondly as he? / He caught the first accents that fell from thy tongue, / And joined in thy innocent glee. -Margaret Courtney, poet (1822-1862) This week's theme: New words nepo baby (NEH-po bay-bee) noun A person whose success is significantly aided by family connections. [Short of nepotism, from Italian nepotismo, from Latin nepos (grandson, nephew) + baby. Earliest documented use: nepotism baby, since 1992; shortened form popularized c. 2020.] https://wordsmith.org/words/nepotism.html NOTES: It's a harsh world out there. Having successful, famous, or wealthy parents helps. It opens doors, smooths the path, and allows one to start not on the ground level, but in the penthouse. The point is not inherited talent so much as inherited access. A related term is trust-fund baby. You could say their success is ... relative. That said, being born in a family where a parent is, for example, a musician, politician, or businessperson also provides immersion. Growing up, one soaks up the sounds of music being practiced, strategy being discussed in the living room, and deals being outlined over dinner. The field becomes familiar long before it becomes professional. The ultimate nepo babies are, of course, royalty. Nepotism is widely resented in other fields, yet somehow accepted as normal when the child of a monarch takes their place. "The Blue Boy", c. 1770 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nepo_baby_large.jpg Art: Thomas Gainsborough https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Boy "Paramount, which is also vying for Warner Bros, also got a new owner in billionaire nepo baby David Ellison [son of Oracle's Larry Ellison] this year." Calum Jaspan; Corporate Deals; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Dec 22, 2025. -------- Date: Mon Jan 19 12:02:02 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--guyliner X-Bonus: On stage, I make love to 25,000 different people, then I go home alone. -Janis Joplin, singer-songwriter (19 Jan 1943-1970) The other day, while out for a walk, I came across this sign in front of a house: "Please No Trespooping" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/trespooping_large.jpg This blend of trespass and poop brought a smile. It also raised questions. Are there dogs who actually break into houses to do their business? Would it be acceptable if dogs relieved themselves in front of the sign, on the public road, with no trespassing involved? Trespassing plus pooping is forbidden, but what if only one of the two is performed? OK, so it was just a friendly request, not a lawyerly contract. The word trespooping has not yet made it into the dictionaries, but it deserves admission. When it does we will be sure to give you the scoop. Meanwhile, someone has almost certainly deposited it in the Urban Dictionary, a site that welcomes all sorts of contributions. Until then, we'll feature some other words that are made by blending two others. These are already in dictionaries, even if they look like they were coined yesterday. Another word for a blend word is portmanteau, a term coined by Lewis Carroll, https://wordsmith.org/words/portmanteau.html which itself is coined by blending two words. Have you coined a blend word? What words have you portmanteaued? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/guyliner.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Please include your location (city, state). Also, don't forget to google first to make sure your invention isn't already out there. Great minds often blend alike. guyliner (GY-ly-nuhr) noun Eyeliner used by men. [A blend of guy https://wordsmith.org/words/guy.html + eyeliner. Earliest documented use: 2004.] NOTES: The word eyeliner has been a part of the English language since 1929, but it took some 75 years for the guys to catch up. It's a good reminder that the absence of a label doesn't mean a thing doesn't exist. While English records eyeliner only from 1929, the practice of accentuating the eyes with cosmetics goes back thousands of years. Yes, and you bet men have been doing it just as long. Charlie Chaplin in "The Great Dictator", 1940 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/guyliner_large.jpg Photo: United Artists / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin#/media/File:The_Great_Dictator_still_cropped_(high_quality_version).jpg "I braved clear mascara, then black; risked losing an eye when crudely applying the obligatory guyliner in the mid-00s to ape Brandon Flowers." Justin Myers; Makeup for Men: Will Blokes Go Big for Bronzer?; The Guardian (London, UK); Aug 22, 2017. -------- Date: Tue Jan 20 12:02:01 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dataveillance X-Bonus: Maybe every other American movie shouldn't be based on a comic book. Other countries will think Americans live in an infantile fantasy land where reality is whatever we say it is and every problem can be solved with violence. -Bill Maher, comedian, actor, and writer (b. 20 Jan 1956) This week's theme: Blend words dataveillance (day-tuh-VAY-luhns) noun The collection or monitoring of data relating to personal activities. [A blend of data + surveillance. Earliest documented use: 1972.] NOTES: If you use a credit card, make phone calls, or use the Internet, chances are these service providers are collecting and selling your data. This is leading some to choose cell phone providers that only ask for zip code. No name, address, email, nothing. https://www.wired.com/story/new-anonymous-phone-carrier-sign-up-with-nothing-but-a-zip-code/ "The False Mirror", 1928 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/dataveillance_large.jpg Art: René Magritte https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_False_Mirror "'The threat to privacy is greater than ever before. The potential for collating, matching, profiling, and dataveillance is increased by new technologies -- exponentially in fact,' Mr [Alan] Stockdale said." Gareth Boreham; Government Gets Tough on Net Privacy; The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Jun 16, 1998. -------- Date: Wed Jan 21 12:02:01 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--broligarchy X-Bonus: Walking is also an ambulation of mind. -Gretel Ehrlich, novelist, poet, and essayist (b. 21 Jan 1946) This week's theme: Blend words broligarchy (BRO-luh-gar-kee) noun A small group of extremely wealthy men who wield disproportionate influence in government. [A blend of bro, a clipping of brother, used to refer to a male member of the same in-group + oligarchy (a system in which a few people control power) https://wordsmith.org/words/oligarchy.html . Earliest documented use: early 2000s.] NOTES: The term arose in surfer culture to describe a small group of surfers controlling access to a particular break (a spot where waves consistently form). Over time it migrated into political and cultural commentary. Today it is often applied to tech bros, people who have made billions in the technology industry and feel the need to wield political influence as well. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/broligarchy_large.jpg Original cartoon "Jack And The Wall Street Giants" by Udo J. Keppler in "Puck" magazine, 1904 "So, if we are lucky, the efforts of women like Siebel Newsom may turn out to be the bit of powerful sanity needed to put a check on the world-domination fantasies of the broligarchy." Anita Chabria; Using Her Influence to Take on Tech Bros; Los Angeles Times; Nov 26, 2025. -------- Date: Thu Jan 22 12:02:02 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--precariat X-Bonus: I am so convinced of the advantages of looking at mankind instead of reading about them, and of the bitter effects of staying at home with all the narrow prejudices of an islander, that I think there should be a law amongst us to set our young men abroad for a term among the few allies our wars have left us. -Lord Byron, poet (22 Jan 1788-1824) This week's theme: Blend words precariat (pri-KAIR-ee-uht) noun People living with chronic economic insecurity. [A blend of precarious (uncertain) https://wordsmith.org/words/precarious.html + proletariat (working class). Earliest documented use: 1989.] NOTES: The precariat, as a social class, consists of people living day to day. It is characterized by a lack of stable employment, predictable income, and traditional benefits. Many work in the gig economy or on temporary contracts, and a significant number are underemployed despite holding college degrees. "Employment Agency", 1937 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/precariat_large.jpg Art: Isaac Soyer https://whitney.org/collection/works/189 "As Japan's growth began to slow in the 1990s, the price was paid by a growing precariat. Firms reluctant to let full-time workers go have been hiring more people on short-term contracts with few of the protections afforded to salarymen." Analects and Abacus; The Economist (London, UK); Mar 20, 2021. -------- Date: Fri Jan 23 12:02:02 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--zoodle X-Bonus: If you don't love me, it does not matter, anyway I can love for both of us. -Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle), novelist (23 Jan 1783-1842) This week's theme: Blend words zoodle (ZOO-duhl) noun A thin strip of a vegetable, typically zucchini, prepared like pasta. [A blend of zucchini + noodle. Earliest documented use: 1991.] NOTES: Zucchini is in the etymology, but etymology is not destiny. These days zoodle often means any vegetable noodle, even when no zucchini is involved. If that bothers you, feel free to say swoodles (sweet potato), coodles (cucumber), or broodles (broccoli). Just don't let the terminology spiral out of control, or you might end up with an impasta on your plate. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/zoodle_large.jpg Image: Surewin / Amazon https://www.amazon.com/SUREWIN-Vegetable-Spiralizer-Adjustable-Zucchini/dp/B0CMGYWVML "[Chef Lisa Brisch] was spiralizing zucchini for a tomato pesto zoodle dish that was out of this world!" Jan D'Atri; Make Tomato Pesto Pasta With Zoodles or Noodles; Arizona Republic (Phoenix); Jul 13, 2019. -------- Date: Mon Jan 26 12:02:01 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--despotocracy X-Bonus: I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated, and helping those in need. To me those are traditional values. -Ellen DeGeneres, comedian, TV host, actor, and writer (b. 26 Jan 1958) There's a word for it. When power concentrates, language bends, doubt spreads, joy fades, and pressure mounts, the dictionary raises its hand. Naming the chaos won't fix it, but it does give us a shared vocabulary, which is sometimes the first form of resistance. despotocracy (des-puh-TAH-kruh-see) noun Government by a despot. [From despot (tyrant or autocrat), from Greek despotes (master) + -cracy (rule). Earliest documented use: 1860.] NOTES: A despotocracy is rule where power is personal, concentrated, and allergic to dissent. One person's whim can outrank a constitution. It is rule by decree, followed closely by rule by decree, with a short intermission for applause. "The Massacre of the Innocents", 1586-1590 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/despotocracy_large.jpg Art: Pieter Brueghel the Younger (after Pieter Brueghel the Elder) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_the_Innocents_(Bruegel) "The silver-tongued Texan also encouraged Americans to send mobile phones to the isle of commie despotocracy." Rory Carroll; Caracas Diary; The Guardian (London, UK); May 23, 2008. "If we assume a change of government in Baghdad as a result of military action, then whatever sort of government replaces Saddam Hussein's despotocracy -- what else do you call a regime where unelected family members and tribal allies wield so much power, often brutally? -- will need plenty of long-term foreign assistance to rebuild the nation's infrastructure and economy." World Hopes for the Best; Leader Post (Regina, Canada); Mar 20, 2003. -------- Date: Tue Jan 27 12:02:01 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--verbicide X-Bonus: That community is already in the process of dissolution where each man begins to eye his neighbor as a possible enemy, where nonconformity with the accepted creed, political as well as religious, is a mark of disaffection; where denunciation, without specification or backing, takes the place of evidence; where orthodoxy chokes freedom of dissent; where faith in the eventual supremacy of reason has become so timid that we dare not enter our convictions in the open lists, to win or lose. -Learned Hand, jurist (27 Jan 1872-1961) This week's theme: There's a word for it verbicide (VUHR-buh-syd) noun 1. The deliberate distortion or destruction of the meaning of a word. 2. A person who deliberately distorts the meaning of a word. [From Latin verbum (word) + -cide (killing). Earliest documented use: 1826.] NOTES: Verbicide thrives in political slogans, press releases, and corporate memos, where words like freedom, choice, reform, and family are repeatedly assaulted until they confess to meanings they never had. Also see Words from "1984" that are now a part of the language https://wordsmith.org/words/newspeak.html https://wordsmith.org/words/images/verbicide_large.jpg Image: Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Nineteen_Eighty-Four#/media/File:Groupthink.jpg See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/verbicide "So Olbreht gets away with verbicide; there are also mistakes of grammar I will spare you." John Simon; Balkan Dreams; The Weekly Standard (Washington, DC); Jun 27, 2011. -------- Date: Wed Jan 28 12:02:01 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--agnotology X-Bonus: Sit down and put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it. -Colette, author (28 Jan 1873-1954) This week's theme: There's a word for it agnotology (ag-nuh-TOL-uh-jee) noun 1. The study of deliberate, culturally produced ignorance or doubt. 2. The deliberate production or cultivation of ignorance or doubt. [From Greek agnosis (not knowing) + -logy (study). Earliest documented use: 1992.] NOTES: Agnotology deals in phrases like more research is needed, experts disagree, and the jury is still out, long after the verdict is in. In agnotology, ignorance is not bliss, it's strategy. The word was coined by linguist Iain Boal at the request of historian Robert N. Proctor. A classic example is cigarette companies funding research designed to cast doubt on the link between smoking and cancer. One biased study is enough to declare that "The science is not yet settled" and keep uncertainty alive. The same playbook has been used by fossil-fuel companies to delay action on climate change, by anti-vaccine activists, and in many other arenas where doubt is cheaper than proof. See also agnoiology (the study of ignorance). https://wordsmith.org/words/agnoiology.html "Agnotology: The Making and Unmaking of Ignorance" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/agnotology.jpg Editors: Robert N. Proctor & Londa Schiebinger https://www.amazon.com/Agnotology-Unmaking-Ignorance-Robert-Proctor/dp/0804759014 "Both Wall Street and Washington are heavily into agnotology, and by all accounts, no one's better at it than Lucia." Michael M. Thomas; Fixers; Melville House; 2016. -------- Date: Thu Jan 29 12:02:01 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--antithalian X-Bonus: Society is like a stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you get a lot of scum on the top. -Edward Abbey, naturalist and author (29 Jan 1927-1989) This week's theme: There's a word for it antithalian (an-tee-THAY-lee-uhn) adjective Opposed to fun, festivity, or joy. [From anti- (against) + Thalia, the muse of pastoral and comic poetry. Earliest documented use: 1818.] NOTES: Thalia was the Greek muse of comedy and idyllic poetry. Her name means "the flourishing one". An antithalian person, by contrast, complains the garden is too flourishing, too colorful. Better to have all flowers in one color. Or better yet, just pave over the whole rose garden. If you are happy and you know it... please keep it to yourself; you are disturbing the antithalians. "American Gothic", 1930 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/antithalian_large.jpg Art: Grant Wood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gothic "Money McBags may be but a simple antithalian misanthrope who apparently doesn't understand concepts such as quantitative easing." Phil Davis; Dip Bought; Phil's Stock World; Jan 6, 2011. -------- Date: Fri Jan 30 12:02:01 AM EST 2026 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--renitent X-Bonus: Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough. -Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd US President (30 Jan 1882-1945) This week's theme: There's a word for it renitent (REN-uh-tuhnt) adjective Resistant to compulsion or pressure. [From Latin renitent-, renitens, present participle of reniti (to resist), from re- + niti (to strive, to struggle). Earliest documented use: 1604.] NOTES: Not everyone can shout. Everyone can refuse to slide. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/renitent_large.jpg Photo: Alessandro https://www.flickr.com/photos/treregine/2853492410 "My quivering quill, that riddling renitent reed refused to write." Julián Ríos (Translation: Suzanne Jill Levine and Richard Alan Francis); Larva: Midsummer Night's Babel; Dalkey Archive Press; 1990.