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word of the day

The word for today is…

obloquy (noun) – 1. Abusively detractive language or utterance; calumny.
2. The condition of disgrace suffered as a result of abuse or vilification; ill repute.

Source : The Free Dictionary

Etymology : English speakers can choose from several synonyms to name a tongue-lashing. Abuse is a good general term that usually stresses the anger of the speaker and the harshness of the language, as in “scathing verbal abuse.” Vituperation often specifies fluent, sustained abuse; “a torrent of vituperation” is a typical use of this term. Invective implies vehemence comparable to vituperation but may suggest greater verbal and rhetorical skill; it may also apply especially to a public denunciation, as in “blistering political invective.”

Obloquy, which comes from the Late Latin ob- (meaning “against”) plus loqu? (meaning “to speak”), suggests defamation and consequent shame and disgrace; a typical example of its use is “subjected to obloquy and derision.”

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