DEBUNK

PRONUNCIATION: (di-BUNGK)

MEANING: verb tr.: To expose the falseness of a claim, myth, belief, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After Buncombe, a county in North Carolina. In 1820, Felix Walker, a representative from that area, made a pointless speech in the US Congress. While his colleagues in Congress urged him to stop and move to vote on an issue, Walker claimed that he had to make a speech “for Buncombe”. Eventually, “Buncombe” became a synonym for meaningless speech, became shortened to “bunkum”, and then to “bunk”. And if there’s bunk, it’s one’s duty to debunk. Earliest documented use: 1923.
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EBUNK - to telecommute to summer camp

DEBUCK - to swindle, US style

DEDUNK - to wring the coffee out of a doughnut