This week’s theme
Verbing the noun, nouning the verb

This week’s words
whelm
kneecap
gegg
T-bone
manicure

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(NEE-kap)

MEANING:

noun:	A small, flat, triangular bone that covers the front of the knee.
verb tr.:	1. To attack the knee as a way to cripple someone.
	2. To undermine or disable, especially in an excessive manner.

ETYMOLOGY:

From knee, from Old English cneow + cap, from Old English caeppe, from Latin cappa (cap). Earliest documented use: noun: 1660, verb: 1975. Also see hough and hamstring.

NOTES:

Kneecapping is typically associated with gang violence as a method of crippling a person who has fallen out of favor or failed to repay a usurious loan. However, this practice infamously entered the world of figure skating in 1994, when associates of Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding attacked rival Nancy Kerrigan, hoping to prevent her from competing.

USAGE:

“The desperation of competitive young editors reduced to kneecapping and humiliating one another for lack of promotional opportunities.”
Julian Lucas; Shamelessly Dramatic; The New Yorker; Jan 15, 2024.

“He was owed something for allowing her to kneecap his career.”
Taffy Brodesser-Akner; Fleishman Is in Trouble; Random House; 2020.

See more usage examples of kneecap in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: