innuendo
noun
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The word innuere in classical Latin meant “to nod, beckon, or make a sign to” a person, and in medieval Latin more generally “to hint” or “to insinuate.” One form of the gerund of this verb was innuendo, which meant “by hinting.” In medieval legal documents innuendo introduced inserted remarks, meaning “to wit” or “that is to say,” and the word was adopted with the same function into English legal usage. By the late 17th century innuendo was used to refer to the insertion itself and more broadly to any indirect suggestion. Later, the notion of the derogatory possibilities of such remarks came to predominate.
Examples of innuendo in a Sentence
Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Trump has always delighted in belittling opponents—Lyin’ Ted, Liddle Marco, Crooked Hillary, Sleepy Joe—and Cheung, a former spokesman for the mixed-martial-arts franchise, Ultimate Fighting Championship, is a virtuoso at mimicking his boss, voicing all manner of innuendo and humiliating barbs.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
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“Innuendo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innuendo. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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innuendo
noun
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innuendo
noun
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