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Jul 24, 2025
This week’s themeBack-formations This week’s words lase ablute insurrect incent tase ![]() ![]() Photo: ntenny
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with Anu Gargincent
PRONUNCIATION:
MEANING:
verb tr.: To provide a reward or benefit to induce action.
ETYMOLOGY:
Back-formation from incentive, from incinere (to strike a tune), from
in- (intensive prefix) + canere (to sing). Earliest documented use: 1844.
USAGE:
“You have households that don’t want to borrow, that can’t be incented
to borrow because rates can’t be pushed much lower.” Not So Broken; The Economist (London, UK); Oct 4, 2012. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Only the stupid steal from the rich. The clever steal from the poor. The
law usually protects the rich. -Carsten Jensen, author (b. 24 Jul 1952)
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