Skip to content

The word for today is…

mortify (verb):

transitive verb
1: to subject to severe and vexing embarrassment : shame
2: to subdue or deaden (the body, bodily appetites, etc.) especially by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort
3 obsolete : to destroy the strength, vitality, or functioning of

intransitive verb
1: to practice mortification
2: to become necrotic or gangrenous

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : Mortify once actually meant "put to death", but no longer. Its "deaden" sense is most familiar to us in the phrase "mortifying the flesh", which refers to a custom once followed by devout Christians, who would starve themselves, deprive themselves of every comfort, and even whip themselves in order to subdue their bodily desires and punish themselves for their sins. But the most common use of mortify today is the "humiliate" sense; its connection with death is still apparent when we speak of "dying of embarrassment".

If you enjoyed this Good Oil word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.

Latest

Good Oil Backchat

Good Oil Backchat

Please read our rules before you start commenting on The Good Oil to avoid a temporary or permanent ban.

Members Public
Ejected for Standing up for Women

Ejected for Standing up for Women

Sophie Cunningham will probably be a target for the left for the rest of her career. And that will likely discourage other athletes from speaking out. Needless to say, that is precisely what the left wants. They intend to bully us into submission, and we must not allow that to happen.

Members Public