Tag: a few more words

Posted in: 2023

184. A Few More Words: Deprecate

I talk about the two most known uses of this word in English, one the very common "self-deprecating," and the other, the less well-known sense in computing. Along the way, I discover that the two big dictionaries, the Oxford English Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Unabridged, don't include the latter meaning, and the definition in the OED hasn't been updated fully in a long time.

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode_character_property#Deprecated

Collins COBUILD Dictionary
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/deprecate (scroll down)

Dictionary of Computer Science, Engineering and Technology (editor: Philip A. Laplante), Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2017

Posted in: 2023

181. A Few More Words: Doomscrolling

I talk about the word doomscrolling and make some searches in dictionaries, in a linguistics corpus, and in Google advanced search to try to get an idea of when it first started being used. I end with a brief etymology of the very old word, doom itself.

Merriam-Webster: Words We’re Watching
“On ‘Doomsurfing’ and ‘Doomscrolling’”
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/doomsurfing-doomscrolling-words-were-watching

OED
https://www.oed.com/

NOW Corpus (News on the Web)
https://www.english-corpora.org/now/

The Decibel
“The Problems with the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive”
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the-decibel/article-the-problems-with-the-first-time-home-buyers-incentive/

Posted in: 2023

178. A Few More Words: Bad Faith

Sitting on a bench by a beach in my home city of Ottawa makes me think of "bad faith," and in this episode I talk about one very specific meaning of the term, one fairly specific, and the general meaning that most people are familiar with (but I also give a bit of its etymology).

Being and Nothingness, by Jean-Paul Sartre
https://archive.org/details/beingnothingness0000sart/page/n5/mode/2up

"Bad Faith," Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_faith#Negotiation_theory

Posted in: 2023

175. A Few More Words: Empath

I talk about this relatively new word in English, which actually has its origin in science fiction. The word follows a common pattern for words that start with a very specific meaning in a field or discipline, and then once they're in use in standard English they develop their own meanings and history. I wrap up by comparing it to the word schizophrenic, which has behaved similarly, but with a bit of a twist.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR)
https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm

Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
https://sfdictionary.com/

Dictionary of Psychopathology, by Henry Kellerman
https://cup.columbia.edu/book/dictionary-of-psychopathology/9780231146517