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Oct 28, 2024
This week’s themeLesser-known counterparts of words This week’s words earwitness diachronic consanguinity plebeian allopatric 
“If I could kick each one in the groin, I think I’d recognize his voice.”
Cartoon: Dan Piraro Previous week’s theme Words to describe US presidential candidates 
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu GargIf we can overact or overreact, why can’t we underact or underreact? Well, we can. The latter two aren’t that common, but the words are bona fide members of the English language. Similarly, if one can oversee, why not undersee? Both have been in the dictionary for hundreds of years, but since we rarely underdo these things, they’re not as familiar. Understand? This week, we’re featuring five underappreciated words that tend to be overlooked alongside their popular counterparts. earwitness
PRONUNCIATION:
(EER-wit-nis)
MEANING:
noun: One who testifies or can testify to something heard.
ETYMOLOGY:
From ear, from Old English eara + witness, from Old English witnes.
Earliest documented use: 1539.
NOTES:
The humanist and philosopher Erasmus once said, “One eyewitness
is of more value than ten earwitnesses.” While that may be valid, even
eyewitness testimony
can be unreliable. Something to keep in mind the next time we claim,
“But I saw it with my own eyes!” (or heard it with my own ears).
USAGE:
“Even with blanks instead of bullets, the shots were ‘deafening’, says
our earwitness.” Dan Gross; Stuntman Has Real-Life Scare; Philadelphia Daily News (Pennsylvania); Nov 1, 2010. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
It is a curious thing that every creed promises a paradise which will be
absolutely uninhabitable for anyone of civilized taste. -Evelyn Waugh,
novelist (28 Oct 1903-1966)
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