The word for today is… charisma (noun): 1 : a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure (such as a political leader) 2 : a special magnetic charm or appeal Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The Greek word charisma means “favor” or “gift.” It comes from
Karyn Stapleton Ulster University Catherine Loveday University of Westminster Kristy Beers Södertörn University Richard Stephens Keele University Karyn Stapleton is a Senior Lecturer in Interpersonal Communication at Ulster University, Northern Ireland (UK). Catherine Loveday is a graduate of the University of Westminster (formerly PCL) She began her career with a
The word for today is… immutable (adjective): : not capable of or susceptible to change Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Immutable may describe something that is incapable of change, but the word itself—like all words—is mutable, both capable of and prone to alteration. To put a finer point on it,
Carl Sagan famously asked, what is the difference between an invisible, incorporeal dragon that spits heatless fire, and no dragon at all? We might well ask the same of an “aggression” so small that it can’t be detected. If a slight is so tiny as to be literally “micro”
The word for today is… wreak (verb): 1 : bring about, cause wreak havoc 2a : to cause the infliction of (vengeance or punishment) b archaic : avenge 3 : to give free play or course to (malevolent feeling) Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :In its early days, wreak was synonymous with avenge, a meaning
The word for today is… incarcerate (verb): 1 : to put in prison 2 : to subject to confinement Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :A criminal sentenced to incarceration may wish their debt to society could be canceled; such a wistful felon might be surprised to learn that incarcerate and cancel are related.
The word for today is… melancholia (noun): 1 : severe depression characterized especially by profound sadness and despair 2 : a sad quality or mood Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Melancholia traces back to Greek melan- (“black, dark”) and chole (“bile”). Medical practitioners once adhered to the system of humors—bodily fluids that
Patrick Carroll fee.org Patrick Carroll has a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and is an Editorial Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education. Elon Musk’s Twitter-acquisition saga saw new developments last week as Musk reaffirmed his original offer to buy the company for $54.
The word for today is… alleviate (verb): 1 : to make (something, such as pain or suffering) more bearable b : to partially remove or correct (something undesirable) Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Alleviate comes from Latin levis, meaning “having little weight.” (Levis also gave rise to the English adjective light, as in
The word for today is… trivial (adjective): 1a : of little worth or importance b : relating to or being the mathematically simplest case specifically : characterized by having all variables equal to zero 2 : commonplace, ordinary Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Trivial comes from a Latin word meaning “crossroads”—that is, where three
The word for today is… riposte (noun): 1 : a fencer’s quick return thrust following a parry 2 : a retaliatory verbal sally : retort 3 : a retaliatory maneuver or measure Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :In the sport of fencing, a riposte is a counterattack made after successfully fending off one’s
The word for today is… crepuscular (adjective): 1 : of, relating to, or resembling twilight 2 : occurring or active during twilight Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The early Romans had two words for the twilight. Crepusculum was favored by Roman writers for the half-light of evening, just after the sun sets; diluculum
The word for today is… adjudicate (verb): 1: to make an official decision about who is right in (a dispute) : to settle judicially 2: to act as judge Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Adjudicate, which is usually used to mean “to make an official decision about who is right in a
The word for today is… referendum (noun): 1a : the principle or practice of submitting to popular vote a measure passed on or proposed by a legislative body or by popular initiative b : a vote on a measure so submitted 2 : a diplomatic agent’s note asking for government instructions Source
The word for today is… perjury (noun): : the voluntary violation of an oath or vow either by swearing to what is untrue or by omission to do what has been promised under oath : false swearing Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The prefix per- in Latin often meant “harmfully”. So witnesses who
The word for today is… epicentre (noun): 1 : the part of the earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake 2 : centre Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The meaning of epi- in epicentre is “over”, so the epicentre of an earthquake lies over the centre or “focus” of the
