measles Measles is a potentially fatal, but vaccine-preventable, disease caused by a Morbillivirus, and it is one of the most highly contagious diseases that infect humans. The disease, once rendered rare in the industrialized world, has made a comeback in recent years, largely due to low rates of vaccination. The disease
dyke A dyke is a lesbian or a woman whose appearance is regarded as masculine, with the implication that she is a lesbian. The word was originally a slur and is still offensive in many contexts—particularly when used by cis-gendered, heterosexual men—although it has been reclaimed as a positive
bootstrap / boot up A self-made person is one who lifts or pulls oneself up by one’s bootstraps. The phrase is usually used unironically nowadays, despite the fact that the laws of physics make it impossible for one to actually lift oneself by one’s bootstraps. The phrase was originally ironic, recognizing that
tweetzkrieg I try and avoid posting about brand-new neologisms. They often disappear before they become established, and I don’t want this site to be a graveyard of failed words. (Maybe someone should start such a site, but this isn’t it.) In 2019, when I originally penned the entry for
Saracen Saracen is term for a Muslim that is primarily used historically to refer to Muslims during the medieval period and especially in reference to the crusades. But it dates to antiquity, long before Islam arose as a religion, and its original sense was much more circumscribed. Its correct etymology isn’
emoji Emoji are pictograms used in electronic communications. An emoji is a digital icon used to express an emotion or idea, a twenty-first century updating of the old ascii emoticons like the winking face, ;-), used to mark a joke or sarcasm. The etymology is rather straightforward but may be a
witch hunt The phrase witch hunt is surprisingly recent. One might expect it to date to the seventeenth century, when real hunts for supposed witches were rampant across Europe. But its use in relation to witches only dates to the late nineteenth century and its political use only to the twentieth. And
antifa [“Words in the News” is a weekly, premium feature or Wordorigins.org. I’m making this one available for free because of the word’s overwhelming salience in the current news cycle. If you’d like to see more of these, please upgrade to a paid subscription.] 16 October 2025
Kavanaugh stop Kavanaugh stop is a new term for an arrest or detention by US immigration officials that use racial profiling to identify suspected undocumented immigrants. The term is named after US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh who wrote in a concurrence to the court’s decision in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo
hag The word hag, like the woman it represents, is old, tracing back to Old English, but hag does not appear to be a very common word until the sixteenth century, when it underwent an explosion of usage and popularity. And while today hag simply means an ugly old woman, the
Mecca Mecca is a place name, a toponym, that has acquired a figurative meaning over the years. Literally, it is a city in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad, to which devout Muslims are required to undertake a pilgrimage to at some point in their lives. Figuratively, it is
Judeo-Christian Judeo-Christian has two main meanings. The first refers to Jews who have converted to Christianity. The second, and today more common, meaning refers to the common ethical and cultural values of Judaism and Christianity. This second meaning originally grew out of desire for inclusivity, but the term Judeo-Christian is now
medbed [I’ve decided to attempt posting a “Words in the News” premium feature weekly. We’ll see how long I can keep that pace up—and much will depend on how many pay to subscribe to the premium features. I’m making this one free, but future ones will be
deplatform The verb deplatform is a relatively new one. Merriam-Webster defines it thusly: : to remove and ban (a registered user) from a mass communication medium (such as a social networking or blogging website) […] broadly : to prevent from having or providing a platform (see platform entry 1 sense 3) to communicate Merriam-Webster
