The Words of the Week - Dec. 1

‘In terrorem’

In terrorem had a rare spike in lookups last week, after a British newspaper used the legal phrase in live blogged coverage of Parliamentary debate.

Keith tries again to get him to respond succinctly, but Gove claims he can either answer accurately, or briefly, but not both. Keith suggests that is one of the more unusual in terrorem threats he’s heard in his time. Gove says it’s a promise, not a threat.
— The Guardian (live blog), 28 Nov. 2023

We define in terrorem as “by way of threat or intimidation; serving or intended to threaten or intimidate,” and note that the term is most commonly used to describe a condition in a will that threatens an heir with forfeiture if they challenge the validity of the will. In Latin in terrorem means “so as to produce terror.”

‘Notorious’

Notorious also spiked in lookups, as a result of appearing in an online word puzzle (Connections in The New York Times) as well as appearing in news coverage of a recently deceased man (Henry Kissinger).

Media, Conservatives Team Up to Lionize War Criminal Henry Kissinger The notorious U.S. diplomat responsible for millions of deaths died on Wednesday at the age of 100
— (headline) Rolling Stone, 30 Nov. 2023

Notorious means “generally known and talked of; especially, widely and unfavorably known.” The word comes from the Latin noscere, meaning “to come to know.” Although most people would prefer to not be referred to as notorious, it is worth noting that it does not have to have negative overtones:

Perhaps the greatest challenge will come from the plan to wind down the notoriously generous pension arrangements for workers in electricity, gas and the railways.
— The Daily Telegraph (London), 16 Jan. 2023

‘Blackmail’

Many people turned to the dictionary to look up blackmail, after Elon Musk used the word in a sense that some felt was non-traditional.

Musk apologizes for comment seen as anti-Semitic but accuses fleeing advertisers of ‘blackmail’
— (headline) France 24, 30 Nov. 2023

We define blackmail as “extortion or coercion by threats especially of public exposure or criminal prosecution.” It is true that there are other senses of the word, but none that we are aware of corresponds to neglecting to advertise on a social media site; the earliest sense of blackmail was “a tribute anciently exacted on the Scottish border by plundering chiefs in exchange for immunity from pillage.”

‘Wrapped’

Wrap was in many news stories last week as well, after music streaming service Spotify released their annual wrapped feature, informing users on such matters as which songs they listened to most, and the town or city that best matched their listening habits.

Confused Why Your Spotify Wrapped Sound Town Is Burlington, Vermont? So Are the People of Burlington.
— (headline) Slate, 30 Nov. 2023

We cannot explain why Spotify associated you with some particular geography, but we can tell you that the use of wrap employed here is likely based on one that we define as “to finish filming a movie or television show or one of its scenes.” This use originated in the television and movie industry in the late 1960s.

The producer-writer-director wrapped filming at the Westwood lot on the first of his new projects, “City Beneath the Sea,” for NBC-TV.
— Back Stage (New York, NY), 26 Jan. 1968

The fallen witch is helped to her feet. She mumbles something about having seen visions … heard voices … Hurley turns to the crew. “It’s a wrap,” he says in a hoarse whisper. “We won’t shoot anymore tonight.”
— American Cinematographer, December 1973

Words Worth Knowing: ‘Hiemal’

Winter is approaching, and our word worth knowing this week is hiemal so that you have a proper way of describing the season when it arrives; hiemal means “of or relating to winter.”

How many of the readers of The American have thought during the bright nights that have recently revealed the starry vault in all its hiemal splendor to take a look at the universe around us?
— The Burlington (Vermont) Free Press and Times, 9 Feb. 1912