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Thursday, October 7, 2010

6:1 Vilify

When and Where Did I Find It: 

This is going to sound odd, but as I was driving to work this morning this word actually popped into my mind as I was thinking about how the political candidates talk about each other.  As a way to try and describe their tone, attitude, and message about each other, the word vilify popped into my head.  But I realized, that even though it sounded right, I wasn't sure it was the correct usage of the term.  


What it means:   When I got to my office, I looked up the word on Dictionary.com and I found that I had used the word correctly.  The word vilify means "to speak ill of; defame; slander" (dictionary.reference.com, n.d.).

Level of Familiarity:   I guess I would say that I was at the level of "knowing it when I saw it in context" prior to taking the time to look it up, but I feel confident in saying because I took the time to include this word as a focus for one of my journal posts, it will remain with me.  

Do I Want to Know This Word Well and Why?   Yes. It is funny, I like knowing this word partly because I like the way it sounds -- it even sounds like a vicious word.  I also like knowing this word well because it really does capture the mean-spiritedness of some of the people I was trying to describe.  

Do I Think Others Should Know This Word Well...if so WHO and WHY?:   Of all the words I have posted thus far, I am not sure this is a word I would suggest others need to know well.   At the same time, it might be one of those words that would "woo the crowd" at a cocktail party.  

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