Merriam-Webster's Words of the Week - Oct. 15

’Indigenous’

Indigenous was much in the news this week, as it contained the second Monday of October, a day that is recognized in a number of U.S. states as Columbus Day, and by many people has come to be known as Indigenous Peoples' Day.

President Biden issued a proclamation recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 8. He became the first President to formally acknowledge the holiday by doing so.
— Essence 11 Oct. 2021

The relevant sense of indigenous is “of or relating to the earliest known inhabitants of a place and especially of a place that was colonized by a now-dominant group.” When used in this manner the word is typically capitalized. Other meanings of indigenous (which are not usually capitalized) include “produced, growing, living, or occurring natively or naturally in a particular region or environment" and “innate, inborn.”

’Contempt’

The House Select Committee investigating the Capitol attack will begin criminal contempt proceedings against Steve Bannon, citing the former Trump strategist's refusal to cooperate with the panel's subpoena requests at the direction of the former president.
— Kevin Johnson, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2021

Contempt is defined in a legal sense as “willful disobedience or open disrespect of the orders, authority, or dignity of a court or judge acting in a judicial capacity by disruptive language or conduct or by failure to obey the court's orders” (this is also called contempt of court).

’Opposing’

The word opposing was put in the spotlight this week after an administrator in the Texas school system used the word in relation to teaching about the Holocaust.

NEW: A school administrator in Southlake, Texas, advised teachers last week that if they have a book about the Holocaust in their classroom, they should also have a book with an "opposing" perspective.

Listen to the audio recording obtained by @NBCNews: https://t.co/vS0IjlROMu pic.twitter.com/yPtM1ncjgV

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 14, 2021

We can offer a couple of straightforward definitions of opposing, such as “opposite in position” and “active in or offering opposition.” We can also point out that there are words that fit the description of opposing teaching children about the Holocaust: these are words such as Nazi, nazification, and nazify.

'Quinary'

Here's a fun break for our horror movie-loving friends out there. The trailer for the fifth installment in the Scream franchise debuted this week, leading to days of speculation among fans.

https://twitter.com/ScreamMovies/status/1447911515659505672

Should you wish to impress your fellow cinephiles with an obscure word in these discussions, we present to you quinary, which we define as "of the fifth order or rank."

’Unequivocally’

Herschel Walker, aspirant for the position of Senator from Georgia, sent people to the dictionary this week after he found himself allied with a group that used a swastika. Walker’s spokeswoman claimed that he was “unequivocally” opposed to anti-semitism.

.@HerschelWalker spokeswoman responds, “This is clearly an anti-mandatory vaccination graphic. Herschel unequivocally opposes anti-semitism and bigotry of all kinds.” #gapol https://t.co/kzGX4roTzs

— Patricia Murphy (@MurphyAJC) October 13, 2021

A swastika is a symbol in the form of a cross with its ends bent at right angles all in the same direction. This symbol is clearly and unambiguously connected with the German Nazi Party and the genocidal murder of millions of Jews, Roma, gays, and other people during the Second World War. Unequivocal may be defined as “clearly," “explicitly,” “conclusively,” or “unmistakably.” While the English language is a fluid thing we can state that unequivocal opposition to anti-semitism does not usually find itself in close proximity to swastikas. Here are some examples of unequivocally as it is typically used, to provide additional context:

Previous acts of vandalism at the Roslyn Synagogue, such as spattered eggs and broken windows could have been the work of youthful pranksters, according to a synagogue spokesman, but swastikas are unequivocally, anti-Semitic symbols.
— The New York Jewish Week, 4 Jun. 1978

”There's one symbol that is just hate," he said. "The swastika. I unequivocally denounce that symbol.
— Goldstream Gazette (Langford, Can.), 29 Aug. 2021

Our Antedating of the Week

Our antedating of the week is unimpeachable, which may mean either “reliable beyond a doubt” or “not liable to accusation: irreproachable.” Our earliest known use of this word had previously come in 1784, but recent findings show that we have had unimpeachable things and people since at least the 1640s.

That black Swan or honest Lawyer, spared sometime from his others studies to pen these Animadversions; which albeit the same cannot extend, nor may any way enure unto the least impeachment or contumely of our honorable Judges in these times (who I ingenuously acknowledge, and fame declares to be of a most reformed and unimpeachable condition) yet may it serve as a Caveat and humble Information to the uprightnesse of them and their Successors, for the preventing and avoiding of the like abuses to be offered by their friends of followers, or by any such ill-conscienced Advocates (whereof there are too too many (I feare) still abiding or new started up) and also as a Memento, for all men to note the plausible and happy alteration in Courts and courses of Justice, the ancient with the modern proceedings duly compared.
— William Lambarde, The courts of justice corrected and amended. Or the corrupt lawyer untrust, lasht and quasht, 1642